Morris to be Inducted in Virtual Night of Champions on Aug. 27
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Legendary Miami head coach Jim Morris will be inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame as part of a virtual College Baseball Night of Champions.
Past classes of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame have been inducted in ceremonies that have been presented live and in person, and viewed online.
The newest class of the legends of college baseball will be honored – virtually – on Thursday (Aug. 27) during the annual College Baseball Night of Champions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will be presented online and can be viewed at www.collegebaseballhall.org, the National College Baseball Hall of Fame’s website, starting at 5 p.m. EDT.
“We are proud to bring this event to fruition and to recognize the accomplishments of these men,” said Mike Gustafson, president and CEO of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. “The decision to conduct the event virtually this year was an easy one given the concerns involved with large gatherings. While we would have loved to host an in-person event like previous years, we know this will still be an amazing night for these men, their families and college baseball fans across the country.”
Known as “3,” Morris is one of the most successful head coaches in college baseball history, with 1,594 career victories as a Division I skipper. The three-time national coach of the year and 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year retired as one of only 12 coaches from all levels of college baseball with over 1,500 wins.
“It’s something to be included among all the great coaches as a Hall of Famer and I’m so deeply honored,” Morris said. “It was a long journey filled with a lot of games, but I’m honored to be in this position today. I couldn’t have done it without the help of so many people, from players and coaches to administrators and, of course, my family. I’m just very excited about being part of this illustrious crowd.”
In 25 seasons at Miami, Morris won 1,090 games, made the NCAA postseason in 23 straight years, reached the College World Series 13 times and won national championships in 1999 and 2001, as well as claimed the ACC regular season title in 2008, 2014 and 2016.
Morris guided the Hurricanes to the CWS in each of his first six years at UM, setting an NCAA record. In addition, Morris won 17 of 23 NCAA Regional appearances at UM, including a record 13 straight to start his tenure in Coral Gables. He made a remarkable 32 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament from 1985 to 2016, including his time at Georgia Tech.
The 2020 class consists of 12 inductees, including two coaches in Morris and Cal Poly Pomona and Pepperdine’s John Scolinos. Nine former players also will be inducted, including Georgia Tech’s Jason Varitek, Minnesota’s Paul Molitor, Seton Hall’s Rick Cerone, Texas’ Jim Gideon, Southern University’s Pete Barnes, Arizona State’s Gary Gentry, Tuskegee’s Roy Lee Jackson, Panola and Texas Tech’s Doug Ault and Montclair State’s John Deutsch.
“As the event came together this year, we were reminded of why we honor these greats of college baseball,” Gustafson said. “It was great to hear the excitement in their voices and to see the happiness their induction has brought to their families, friends, coaches and college programs.”
Also honored during the virtual Night of Champions will be Randy Christal, who will receive the National Collegiate Umpire Award, and Judge Thelton Henderson, who will receive the George H.W. Bush Distinguished Alumnus Award.
About the College Baseball Foundation/Hall of Fame
The College Baseball Foundation and National College Baseball Hall of Fame, based in Lubbock, Texas, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing and preserving the history of college baseball. In addition to the annual induction of the Hall of Fame class, the organization presents numerous awards to current college baseball players, coaches and umpires during its annual Night of Champions event. The organization was founded in 2004 and the first Hall of Fame class was inducted in 2006.
