Chris Lindsey was a standout player on standout teams.
Lindsey was a two-sport athlete at Millington Central High School who was selected to the All-Memphis Metro baseball team following both his junior and senior seasons and chosen as All-Shelby County in football after his senior year. He was Trojan baseball’s most valuable player as a senior and was even a part of the 1979 Mickey Mantle World Championship team.
Lindsey made an immediate impact upon arriving in Senatobia. He hit .414 in 1982 as a freshman and led the team in doubles. Perhaps his most memorable moment as a Ranger came against rival Gulf Coast when he hit a three-run home run with two outs in extra innings to win the MACJC championship.
He was named team captain before his sophomore season in 1983 and continued to lead by example. Lindsey led the team in runs batted in and was second in home runs and doubles. He was selected as a Mississippi Juco All-Star and was chosen as an All-State Honorable Mention pick.
During his career, Lindsey remarkably only struck out three times and took 40 free passes as one of the centerpieces of the Ranger lineup. He was a major contributor to teams that still sit in the top 10 of six major categories, including batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage (twice), and fewest strikeouts (twice). The team won both the north division and MACJC state championships each year of his career, and the 1982 team’s 33 wins is still the seventh most all-time by a Ranger team.
Following his time at Northwest, Lindsey continued to make his mark at Christian Brothers, where he led his team in hits, doubles, home runs, runs batted in, batting average, and slugging percentage. Many of his marks still stand on the Buccaneers’ all-time lists, including those for highest career batting average (.376) and highest career slugging percentage (.688). In all, he remains in the top 20 in 16 single-season and eight career statistical categories, despite playing just two years for the squad.
For his efforts, Lindsey was voted the team’s most valuable player in 1985 and was selected as the Volunteer State Athletic Conference’s All-Conference first baseman.
He continued his winning ways as a salesman for Novartis Pharmaceuticals, winning numerous national sales awards during his time with the company. He retired from Novartis after 31 years.
Lindsey and his wife Sheila reside in Eads, Tennessee, and have five children and four grandchildren.
