Hall of Fame Ceremony Next January In Dallas…
Paul Mainieri
Paul Mainieri and Jack Leggett lead the American Baseball Coaches Association’s (ABCA) list of 2014 Hall of Fame Inductees. The respective LSU and Clemson head coaches will be joined by Stetson’s Pete Dunn as active inductees at the ceremony next January in Dallas.
Mainieri has a 1,122-614-7 record in 30 seasons of college baseball. He is one of six active coaches to win 1,000 games and an NCAA national championship. He will join his father, Demie Mainieri, as the only father-son combination in the ABCA Hall of Fame. Demie won 1,012 games and a junior college national championship at Miami-Dade North Community College.
“It was never my goal to be selected for this wonderful honor, being inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame,” Mainieri said. “When I decided to go into coaching as a young man, it was simply with the purpose of helping young people develop their God-given talents to the fullest, and teaching them how to succeed in baseball and in life.”
“My father taught me this lesson and it has been my guiding light throughout my career. I never thought that 30 years later I would have had the opportunities I have had to coach at four amazing institutions – St. Thomas University, the United State Air Force Academy, Notre Dame and LSU.”
In six seasons at LSU, Mainieri has guided the Tigers to two College World Series appearances, winning the national championship in 2009. He has also directed LSU to three NCAA Regional titles, two Southeastern Conference championships, three SEC Tournament titles and three SEC Western Division crowns.
Mainieri has a 258-122-2 mark at LSU, and he is the second-winningest coach in Fighting Tiger annals, trailing only Skip Bertman, who was 870-330-3 in 18 seasons (1984-2001).
Prior to becoming LSU’s coach in June 2006, Mainieri directed the Notre Dame program in 12 seasons (1995-2006) to 533 wins, nine conference titles, nine NCAA tournament berths and a College World Series appearance in 2002. He also coached at St. Thomas University in Miami from 1984-88, and at the Air Force Academy from 1989-94.
Jack Leggett
Leggett has 1,224 career wins in 33 seasons as a head coach. The 1,224 victories are 14th-most in NCAA history among Division I coaches and sixth-most among active coaches. He recorded his 1,000th career victory in Clemson’s 5-0 win at Maryland on March 25, 2007 to become just the 29th coach in Division I history to reach 1,000 career victories. At the age of 53, he became the second-youngest coach to reach that mark.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized in this way,” said Leggett. “It’s a great compliment to all the players and coaches who I’ve worked with in the past. It’s a culmination of a lot of hard work, both on and off the field. I want to thank everyone who has been involved along the way. I would like to accept this honor on behalf of The University of Vermont, Western Carolina University, and Clemson University.”
As head coach of the Tiger baseball program for 19 seasons (1994-12), Leggett has directed Clemson to 847 wins, seventh-most in the nation during that time span. He has also taken the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament 18 times, made six College World Series appearances, and had a final top-10 ranking seven times. Leggett, who has been named ACC Coach-of-the-Year three times, served two seasons (1992,93) at Clemson as an assistant coach under legendary Head Coach Bill Wilhelm (1958-93), whom he credits with much of his success.
As head coach of the Tiger baseball program for 19 seasons (1994-12), Leggett has directed Clemson to 847 wins, seventh-most in the nation during that time span. He has also taken the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament 18 times, made six College World Series appearances, and had a final top-10 ranking seven times. Leggett, who has been named ACC Coach-of-the-Year three times, served two seasons (1992,93) at Clemson as an assistant coach under legendary Head Coach Bill Wilhelm (1958-93), whom he credits with much of his success.
Prior to Clemson, Leggett led Western Carolina to five NCAA Tournaments (1985-89), five SoCon titles, and a top-30 ranking during his nine seasons (1983-91) as head coach of the Catamounts. They averaged 33 wins per season during his time in Cullowhee, NC, and his teams played in the conference title game in eight of the nine seasons.
Before going to Western Carolina for the 1983 season, Leggett spent five seasons (1978-82) at Vermont, where he turned the program into a consistent winner. He coached the Vermont club team in 1977, then he organized and coached the school’s first intercollegiate team in 1978. At age 23, Leggett was the youngest coach in the country. He had a winning season in his first year and had a 75-61 overall record at Vermont.
There are 19 voting members on the ABCA Hall of Fame Committee and a candidate must be named on 75% of the ballots to gain induction.