Rutgers’ Hill To Have Jersey Retired At Montclair State

January 30, 2010
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Hill Needs Just 20 Wins To Reach 1,000 Mark

Fred Hill will have his #24 jersey retired at Montclair St., where his head coaching career began. (RU photo)

MONTCLAIR, N.J.– Rutgers head baseball coach Fred Hill, who will begin his 34th season as a collegiate coach and 27th with the Scarlet Knights this spring, served as head coach at Montclair State from 1977-1983 and will be honored by the school next month.

The Montclair State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced plans to retire his jersey No. 24 in a ceremony Feb. 13 at the Mayfair Farms in West Orange, N.J. beginning at 5:30 p.m. Hill’s jersey number will be just the third in school history to be retired, joining Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member Carol Blazejowski (12) and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Sam Mills (62) as the only people to have that distinction bestowed upon them.
Tickets for the event are $45.00. For more information, please contact the MSU Diamond Club by phone at (973) 668-2560 or e-mail at cjpol104@yahoo.com.
“There’s no one more deserving of this honor than Coach Hill,” said current MSU head baseball coach Norm Schoenig. “For all that he has done, not only at Montclair State but the influence he has had on the many players and coaches in collegiate baseball throughout his career.”
“I am deeply honored and want to thank Montclair State,” said Hill. “Coach Schoenig and the Montclair State family have always held a special place in my heart. To be recognized with such an illustrious group is something I will truly cherish. I am fortunate to coach for a long time and am grateful to work with outstanding programs at Montclair State and Rutgers.”
Hill spent seven seasons as the head coach of Montclair State, compiling an impressive 148-92-1 mark (.619 winning percentage) turning and turning the then-Indians into a perennial Division III power. He won three New Jersey Athletic Conference championships and guided Montclair State to the program’s first three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances culminating in its first trip to the NCAA Division III World Series in 1983 and a school-record 31 victories. Hill was chosen as the American Baseball Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year. In addition he spent seven seasons as Montclair State’s football coach where he posted a 52-16-4 mark that included four NJAC titles and a berth in the NCAA Division III Playoff semifinals in 1981.
Hill came to Rutgers in 1984 and continued his coaching success “On the Banks” where he has captured 12 regular-season or conference championships and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances in his first 26 years. He owns an 832-532-7 record with the Scarlet Knights and enters the 2010 season just 20 victories shy of the prestigious 1,000-win total with a 980-638-9 career record.
Rick Giancola (current MSU head football coach) and I would like to thank Coach Hill for giving us the opportunity to teach, coach and mentor student-athletes,” said Schoenig. “Hopefully we will continue to represent Coach Hill’s principles and values in a positive manner.”
(Release)

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