Ron Fraser
Encyclopedia
Ronald 'Ron' Fraser was the college baseball
coach
at the University of Miami
from 1963 to 1992.
Nicknamed the "Wizard of College Baseball," he was one of the most successful coaches in NCAA
baseball
history, and was also responsible for bringing college baseball to a new level of public awareness. The Miami Hurricanes baseball team went from being on the brink of being "contracted" to being the toast of college baseball under Fraser's tenure.
, Fraser was a three-sport letterman at Nutley High School
where he graduated in 1953. After graduation, he played baseball for Florida State University
from 1954 to 1956 as a relief pitcher
. After that he was in the Army for some years, stationed in Germany and the Netherlands. He became manager of the national team of Germany and after the 1958 European championship, he managed the Netherlands until 1963. In 1963, Fraser took a head coaching job with the University of Miami, a school which did not offer its baseball players a scholarship. Even though the school did not begin to offer scholarships until 1973, Fraser built a respectable program through hard work and endless promotions. Some of the people Fraser brought in to bring publicity to the program were Major League Baseball
Hall of Famers Ted Williams
and Stan Musial
, as well as announcer Joe Garagiola. In 1974, Miami was runner-up to the University of Southern California
, a perennial college baseball powerhouse. The previous year, Miami started a record streak of consecutive postseason appearances in college baseball, a record which as of the 2009 season is still being added to. Also in 1973, Mark Light Stadium was built in large part to efforts by Fraser to build a privately funded stadium.
team, considered the team of the decade by many pundits, won championships in 1983, 1987 and 1989. While the success of Miami football seemed to eclipse much of the success of the baseball program, '80s Miami baseball was in many ways, the golden era of Fraser's Miami Hurricanes. Miami won their first two college world series in 1982 and 1985. While opponents' fans often criticized Hurricane football fans for not selling out the Orange Bowl
. Mark Light Stadium was almost always a full house for Hurricane baseball games and Fraser's Hurricanes drew 1.27 million fans in the '80s, the best in college baseball. In 1992, Fraser retired as coach of Miami Baseball, and for a short time was head of the U.S. Amateur National Baseball Team. He can still often be found at University of Miami baseball games and the building that houses the baseball offices is named after him, the Ron Fraser Building.
to broadcast college baseball games, something which is now part of their rotation of spring sports. Fraser also helped get the momentum going to reinstate Miami's dormant basketball
program which has seen sporadic success. Ron Fraser's special gift for promotion has served as a model for many college Olympic
sports programs around the country which have traditionally had difficulty attracting spectators.
RonFraser Bio at University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame...
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
from 1963 to 1992.
Nicknamed the "Wizard of College Baseball," he was one of the most successful coaches in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
history, and was also responsible for bringing college baseball to a new level of public awareness. The Miami Hurricanes baseball team went from being on the brink of being "contracted" to being the toast of college baseball under Fraser's tenure.
Early years as player and coach
Born and raised in Nutley, New JerseyNutley, New Jersey
2010 Census Data:*TOTAL: 28,370 or 100%*White: 23,405 *African American: 628 *Asian: 2,824 *American Indian and Alaska Native: 36 *Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 4...
, Fraser was a three-sport letterman at Nutley High School
Nutley High School
Nutley High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Township of Nutley, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Nutley Public Schools. Its colors are maroon and gray. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The school is located at...
where he graduated in 1953. After graduation, he played baseball for Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
from 1954 to 1956 as a relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
. After that he was in the Army for some years, stationed in Germany and the Netherlands. He became manager of the national team of Germany and after the 1958 European championship, he managed the Netherlands until 1963. In 1963, Fraser took a head coaching job with the University of Miami, a school which did not offer its baseball players a scholarship. Even though the school did not begin to offer scholarships until 1973, Fraser built a respectable program through hard work and endless promotions. Some of the people Fraser brought in to bring publicity to the program were Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Hall of Famers Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
and Stan Musial
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...
, as well as announcer Joe Garagiola. In 1974, Miami was runner-up to the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, a perennial college baseball powerhouse. The previous year, Miami started a record streak of consecutive postseason appearances in college baseball, a record which as of the 2009 season is still being added to. Also in 1973, Mark Light Stadium was built in large part to efforts by Fraser to build a privately funded stadium.
The 1980s
The 1980s were a time of great change in Miami athletics. The Miami Hurricanes footballMiami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
team, considered the team of the decade by many pundits, won championships in 1983, 1987 and 1989. While the success of Miami football seemed to eclipse much of the success of the baseball program, '80s Miami baseball was in many ways, the golden era of Fraser's Miami Hurricanes. Miami won their first two college world series in 1982 and 1985. While opponents' fans often criticized Hurricane football fans for not selling out the Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
. Mark Light Stadium was almost always a full house for Hurricane baseball games and Fraser's Hurricanes drew 1.27 million fans in the '80s, the best in college baseball. In 1992, Fraser retired as coach of Miami Baseball, and for a short time was head of the U.S. Amateur National Baseball Team. He can still often be found at University of Miami baseball games and the building that houses the baseball offices is named after him, the Ron Fraser Building.
Fraser's impact on college sports
Fraser's impact on college baseball, University of Miami athletics, and college athletics in general is hard to overestimate. In the mid 1970s when Hurricane football was on the verge of being eliminated, Fraser's resurrection of Miami baseball was a useful model. The University knew that with the right football coach in place, Miami could do the same thing in football that it did in baseball. Without that model, Miami might have just dropped football unceremoniously. Fraser was also instrumental in lobbying ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
to broadcast college baseball games, something which is now part of their rotation of spring sports. Fraser also helped get the momentum going to reinstate Miami's dormant basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
program which has seen sporadic success. Ron Fraser's special gift for promotion has served as a model for many college Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
sports programs around the country which have traditionally had difficulty attracting spectators.
Head coaching record
| Overall | Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | W | L | T | Pct | W | L | T | Pct | Postseason |
| 1963 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
18 | 9 | 0 | .667 | |||||
| 1964 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
20 | 9 | 1 | .683 | |||||
| 1965 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
23 | 12 | 1 | .653 | |||||
| 1966 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
19 | 18 | 1 | .513 | |||||
| 1967 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
23 | 15 | 1 | .648 | |||||
| 1968 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
27 | 11 | 1 | .705 | |||||
| 1969 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
31 | 1 | 0 | .738 | |||||
| 1970 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
28 | 15 | 1 | .648 | |||||
| 1971 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
35 | 11 | 0 | .761 | NCAA District 1971 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament The 1971 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament was held in 1971 at various locations across the United States. ?? NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in the NCAA Tournament... |
||||
| 1972 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
32 | 17 | 0 | .653 | |||||
| 1973 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
42 | 17 | 0 | .712 | NCAA District | ||||
| 1974 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
51 | 11 | 0 | .823 | College World Series 1974 College World Series The 1974 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 7 to June 15. The twenty-eighth tournament's champion was the University of Southern California, coached by Rod Dedeaux... |
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| 1975 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
45 | 14 | 0 | .763 | NCAA Regional 1975 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament The 1975 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament was held in 1975 at various locations across the country. 32 NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in the NCAA Tournament... |
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| 1976 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
41 | 15 | 0 | .732 | NCAA Regional 1976 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament The 1976 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament was held in 1976 at various locations across the United States. 34 NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in the NCAA Tournament... |
||||
| 1977 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
44 | 13 | 0 | .772 | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1978 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
50 | 12 | 0 | .806 | College World Series 1978 College World Series The 1978 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 2 to June 8. The thirty-second tournament's champion was the University of Southern California, coached by Rod Dedeaux... |
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| 1979 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
55 | 11 | 0 | .823 | College World Series 1979 College World Series The 1979 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 1 to June 8. The thirty-third tournament's champion was California State University, Fullerton, coached by Augie Garrido... |
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| 1980 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
59 | 12 | 0 | .831 | College World Series 1980 College World Series The 1980 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from May 30 to June 6. The thirty-fourth tournament's champion was the University of Arizona, coached by Jerry Kindall... |
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| 1981 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
61 | 10 | 0 | .859 | College World Series 1981 College World Series The 1981 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from May 30 to June 8. The thirty-fifth tournament's champion was Arizona State University coached by Jim Brock... |
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| 1982 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
55 | 17 | 1 | .760 | College World Series Champions 1982 College World Series The 1982 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska from June 4 to June 12. The thirty-sixth tournament's champion was the University of Miami, coached by Ron Fraser... |
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| 1983 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
61 | 21 | 0 | .744 | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1984 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
48 | 28 | 0 | .632 | College World Series 1984 College World Series The 1984 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 1 to June 10. The thirty-eighth tournament's champion was California State University, Fullerton, coached by Augie Garrido... |
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| 1985 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
64 | 16 | 0 | .800 | College World Series Champions 1985 College World Series The 1985 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from May 31 to June 11. The thirty-ninth tournament champion was the University of Miami, coached by Ron Fraser. The Most Outstanding Player was Greg Ellena of the University of Miami.-Participants:-Game results:*... |
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| 1986 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
50 | 17 | 0 | .746 | College World Series 1986 College World Series The 1986 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, from May 30 to June 9. The fortieth tournament's champion was the University of Arizona, coached by Jerry Kindall... |
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| 1987 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
35 | 24 | 1 | .592 | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1988 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
52 | 14 | 1 | .784 | College World Series 1988 College World Series The 1988 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 3 to June 11. The forty-second tournament's champion was Stanford University coached by Mark Marquess... |
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| 1989 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
49 | 18 | 0 | .731 | College World Series 1989 College World Series The 1989 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 2 to June 10. The forty-third tournament's champion was Wichita State University, coached by Gene Stephenson... |
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| 1990 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
52 | 13 | 0 | .800 | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1991 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
46 | 17 | 0 | .730 | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1992 | Miami (FL) Miami Hurricanes baseball The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is the college baseball program that represents the University of Miami.Since 1973, the program has been one of college baseball's elite with 23 College World Series appearances, winning four national championships and advancing to the NCAA regionals a record 39... |
55 | 10 | 0 | .846 | College World Series 1992 College World Series The 1992 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from May 29 to June 6. The forty-sixth tournament's champion was Pepperdine University, coached by Andy Lopez... |
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| OVERALL TOTALS | 1271 | 438 | 9 | .742 | ||||||
External links
- University of Miami Official Baseball Site
- http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/mifl/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/mifl-basebl-104.pdf
RonFraser Bio at University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame...