BALTIMORE -- Cal Ripken Jr. earned unanimous election Thursday to the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

The Iron Man became the 40th former player, manager or coach to be elected to the team's Hall. He joins his father, the late Cal Ripken Sr., as the only father-son duo.

Cal's brother, Bill, also was on the ballot. But Cal Ripken Jr. was the lone person selected in a vote by media covering the team.

A formal ceremony marking the selection will be held on Sept. 6, 2003 -- the eighth anniversary of the night Ripken passed Lou Gehrig's record consecutive games streak of 2,130 games.

Ripken played in 2,632 straight games before voluntarily endingthe streak. He retired after the 2001 season, and became eligible for entry into the Orioles' Hall of Fame one year after his retirement.

Ripken played 21 seasons, all with the Orioles. He is the team's career leader in almost every offensive category and is one of only seven players with more than 3,000 hits and 400 homers.

The Orioles honored longtime public relations director Bob Brown with the Herb Armstrong Award, awarded to non-uniformed personnel who have made a significant contribution to the team, the community or to baseball.

The Orioles Hall of Fame was created in 1977.