Former Coach Honored by Suns
7/8/2010 11:40:02 AM | Baseball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hall of Fame head coach Dusty Rhodes will be honored on Saturday, July 10, by the Jacksonville Suns for “Hometown Hero Dusty Rhodes Night.” First pitch for the game between the Suns and the Tennessee Smokies is slated for 7:05 p.m.
The first 3,000 fans receive a bobblehead of legendary UNF Baseball Coach and Hometown Hero Dusty Rhodes, courtesy of Florida Blue, The Florida Times-Union, JustWeather.com and 1010XL. Gates open at 5 p.m.
In addition to the bobblehead, Rhodes will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
Stick around for post-game wrestling on the field featuring a tag-team match, ladies match and the Midget Wrestling Championships, presented by X102.9.
Rhodes started UNF's program from scratch at the NAIA level in 1988. He took that opportunity and built it into a national powerhouse en route to becoming one of the most successful coaches in college baseball history.
Rhodes guided UNF to 16 postseason appearances, including five trips to the College World Series (two in NAIA and three in NCAA Division II). In January of 2009, he was chosen by his peers to be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 for his outstanding contributions as the head coach of Palm Beach Junior College.
In 2005, Rhodes finished as the national runner-up in the Division II College World Series, falling in the championship game. In his other four World Series appearances, Rhodes led the Ospreys to third place finishes out of eight participating teams.
He also pushed the Ospreys to six conference championships, seven No. 1 rankings (three in NAIA and four in Division II) and coached 22 All-Americans while compiling over 900 wins at UNF and over 1,200 victories as a collegiate head coach.
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