Ron Fraser Inducted Into College Baseball Hall of Fame
July 5, 2006
Former Miami Head Coach Ron Fraser was one of 10 collegiate baseball legends inducted into the new College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock, Texas, on July 4. Joining Fraser in the inaugural class was former UM student-athlete and assistant coach, and former LSU head coach Skip Bertman, among others.
In addition to Fraser and Bertman, the Class of 2006 included coaching legends Bobby Winkles of Arizona State, Cliff Gustafson of Texas and Rod Dedeaux of USC. Former student-athletes Bob Horner of Arizona State, Robin Ventura of Oklahoma State, Dave Winfield of Minnesota, Will Clark of Mississippi State and Brooks Kieschnick of Texas were also inducted.
Known in most circles as “The Wizard of College Baseball,” Fraser led UM to NCAA national titles in 1982 and 1985 and compiled a record of 1,271-438-9 (.747) from 1962-92. Fraser was a 26-time coach of the year and helped UM to a NCAA-record 20 consecutive playoff appearances, a streak that is still going at 33. Miami went to 12 College World Series in that time and Fraser’s uniform No. 1 was retired at UM on April 24, 1993. He also coached prominently on the international front and was the first Team USA coach in the 1992 Summer Olympic Games.
“When I first came to Miami,” Fraser said in a release by the College Baseball Foundation, “the field was dirt and rocks. We nailed together bats to keep them going and soaked baseballs in condensed milk to keep their brightness. You can imagine the smell. College baseball has come a long, long way.”
In addition to his coaching prowess, Fraser is perhaps the greatest innovator in college baseball history. Fraser was a pioneer of on-field promotions and turning baseball games into events as well as competitions. Among his plethora of contributions, Fraser also campaigned for the first collegiate baseball games ever to be televised live, a three-game series against USC in Coral Gables on ESPN in the 1981 season.
Bertman, whose uniform No. 15 is retired at UM, was a catcher for the Hurricanes from 1958-60, and was an assistant coach under Fraser from 1975-83. Bertman then went on to become head coach at Louisiana State University and lead the Tigers to five national titles. He is now the athletics director at LSU. In addition, he coached 11 seasons at Miami Beach High School, directing the Hi Tides to a state championship and two runner up finishes. He was named Florida’s Coach of the Year on three occasions.
“I want to say a special word of thanks to the College Baseball Hall of Fame,” Bertman said. “There is a special connection with my years as an assistant coach at Miami (Fla.) and inductee coach Ron Fraser, and I always stressed to my teams to envision Omaha (site of the annual NCAA Baseball World Series.”
