Athlete – Baseball, Basketball
Darron Ingram, the son of Ronnie and Sherry Ingram and brother of Ronnie Ingram, Jr., was born and raised in Lexington, KY. An alumnus of Bryan Station High School, he was a dual-sport athlete who excelled in both basketball and baseball. Darron made the varsity basketball team as a freshman and was the 6th man as a sophomore. He started for the varsity basketball team his junior and senior years. Darron led the city in scoring his senior year with 27 points and 7 rebounds a game and was named to the All-City team. He joined the 1,000-Point Club during his senior year at Bryan Station.
Darron also excelled in baseball and played on the 16-and-Under Dixie Stars baseball team with a record of 66-16, culminating in winning the 1992 National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series. He was named one the Top 100 Juniors in the nation and received an invite to the then-prestigious Team One Showcase, which is a showcase for the top juniors in the nation.
After signing with the University of Kentucky to play collegiate baseball following his senior year, Darron chose the professional path after being drafted in the 12th round by the Cincinnati Reds in 1994. A flourishing nine-year professional baseball career from 1994-2003 soon followed in which Darron was a power-hitting outfielder. He started with the Princeton Reds, which won the Appalachian League Championship in 1994, and this remains, to this day, the only championship in the franchise’s 30-plus year history. Darron’s power potential came in his second professional season when he hit .275/.308/.506 with 14 home runs and 53 RBIs and won the Appalachian League home run crown in 1995. He then played for the Billings Mustangs and Charleston AlleyCats the next year, where he had 18 home runs, 17 of which led the Pioneer League in 1996 with the Billings Mustangs, and 62 RBIs.
In 1997, Darron had 29 home runs and 97 RBIs with the Burlington Bees. He led the Midwest League in RBIs, was 2nd in home runs and extra-base hits, was named to the All-Star team, and won the Home Run Derby in the All-Star game. Darron went on to play for the Chattanooga Lookouts, Clinton Lumber Kings, and San Bernardino Stampede, where he won his second of three league championships (California League Championship in 2000). While playing for the Birmingham Barons, Darron won the third and final league championship of his career (Southern League Championship in 2002) before joining the Charlotte Knights. He made the 40-man roster for the Cincinnati Reds in 1998 (youngest player on the roster that year at 21 years old) and also in 1999. After his stint with the Reds, Darron joined the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox organizations. He finished his notable career from Rookie to Triple A levels with 162 home runs and 606 RBIs.
Darron now resides in Lexington, KY. He is the proud father of three beautiful kids – Kierra, Roman, and Larkyn Ingram, and proud grandfather to two grandchildren Kian Christopher and Tre Hayden. He also has a bonus child, David Jones, Jr. with his significant other, Lydia Kim.
