Official Release (PDF) |
College Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2023 |
Jack Coffey Photo Gallery
Overland Park, Kansas. – The College Baseball Foundation has announced the names of twelve new members of the College Baseball Hall of Fame. The 16th induction class will be honored at the Night of Champions presented by Prairiefire on February 15, 2024 in Overland Park, Kansas.
The class is comprised of players, coaches, umpires and administrators – all who have contributed to college baseball history at the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA levels.
Highlighting the 2023 class are six players, two of which had successful Major League Baseball careers and whose successes were shaped at the college level: Alex Gordon, three-time MLB All-Star and World Series Champion with the Kansas City Royals and Ron Darling, MLB All-Star, World Series Champion and Gold Glove Award winner with the New York Mets. The class also includes four coaches and two former umpires with storied histories in the college game. Three inductees will be honored posthumously, one of which is Fordham's Jack Coffey.
"Each year when the College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees are announced, it creates a tremendous level of pride and appreciation for those that have given so much to the college game," said Craig Ramsey, Chair of the College Baseball Foundation Board of Directors. "Inducting the newest Hall of Fame members and celebrating top performers from this past year will officially close out the achievements of the 2023 season. Then we will eagerly turn the page to the start of the 2024 college baseball season the very next day."
Jack Coffey was the starting shortstop who led Fordham to Catholic College Championships in 1906 and again as team captain in 1909, then made his Major League debut in June 1909. Coffey served as part-time coach while playing for the Boston Braves, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers. He became full-time coach in 1923 and added Graduate Manager of Athletics to his title in 1926. He was the first college coach to win 1,000 games, and he led his teams to five Eastern titles, 14 Metropolitan titles and coached 18 future Major Leaguers.
Coffey was elected to the Helms Foundation College Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954, and Fordham named its football and baseball fields after him that year. He also was a charter member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame in 1966.
To be eligible for the College Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, players must be out of college for 15 years and have completed one year of competition at a two-year institution in the CCCAA, NJCAA or a four-year NCAA (Division I, II or III) or NAIA institution. Ballot-eligible coaches must be retired for two years or be active and no less than 75 years old.
THE 2023 COLLEGE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS
• Chris Bando, Arizona State University: 1975-78 (Catcher)
• Pat Casey, George Fox College/Oregon State University: 1988-2018 (Coach)
• Jack Coffey, Fordham University: 1906-09 (Shortstop); 1923-58 (Coach) - deceased
• Ron Darling, Yale University: 1979-81 (Pitcher/Outfield)
• Mike Fuentes, Florida State University: 1978-81 (Outfield)
• Alex Gordon, University of Nebraska: 2004-06 (Third Base)
• Steve Kemp, University of Southern California: 1973-75 (Outfield)
• Russell Martin, Southwestern University: 1982-85 (Pitcher) - deceased
• Mike Metheny, Southeastern Oklahoma State University: 1981-2017 (Coach)
• Marty Miller, Norfolk State University: 1973-2005 (Coach)
• C.J. Mitchell, College Umpire and Pioneer - deceased
• Tony Thompson: 1978-2018 (Umpire)
About the College Baseball Hall of Fame
Each year, more than 190 representatives nationwide vote on the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction class. The voting body is comprised of national and regional college baseball media, active and retired coaches, former players, former inductees, college baseball historians and members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) collegiate baseball committee.
About the College Baseball Foundation
The College Baseball Foundation's purpose is to preserve, elevate, and advance the game; to inspire the next generation; to teach those who love college baseball about its rich history and traditions; to celebrate those who make college baseball special; and to honor those who have come before us, and built the foundation upon which college baseball thrives today.
Gallery: (12-7-2023) Jack Coffey Through the Years
