A biography of University of Miami baseball coach Ron Fraser, who coached the Hurricanes from 1963 to 1992 and was one of college baseball’s greatest promoters and most successful and influential coaches in history, helping to bring the game into national prominence.  

Preface Acknowledgments 1. Early Days at Miami 2. Progress 3. Omaha 4. Business Decision 5. Roaring Eighties 6. End of an Era 7. International Influence 8. Coaching Wisdom 9. College Baseball Trailblazer 10. Professional Baseball 11. Community and University Impact 12. Player Mentor 13. Personal Life Appendix Note on Sources Bibliography    

1Early Days at Miami Considered a second-tier option for players deemed not good enough to sign professionally, college baseball was nearly nonexistent, even in the Sun Belt states, as the 1960s began. The University of Miami, despite its geography and climate, was no different. The Hurricanes enjoyed some modest success but did not employ a full-time coach. Fielding a successful baseball team was not a priority. The program was once disbanded because it was without baseballs, bats, uniforms, or interest. In the 1940s, the university’s Ibis yearbook wrote, “Baseball, the sport in which Miami is never successful, was attempted this year, but failed. There was no coach for the team and spring football interfered.” Even the presence of Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx as head coach did not deliver success. In two seasons, Foxx sported a 20-20 record, going one game over .500 in his first year and one game below in his second. Whitey Campbell, considered the greatest all-around athlete in University of Miami history with twelve combined letters in baseball, basketball, and football, took the reins from Foxx. He posted winning records each of his four seasons, with one season interrupted when athletic director Jack Harding served as interim coach in 1959. Despite compiling a 69-36-3 record, Campbell walked away from the program without a word after the 1962 season. He switched to coaching football full-time and ascended to the nfl as special teams coach with Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram’s 1976 New Orleans Saints staff. A popular television program and a recommendation from a rival coach played a role in hiring the next coach. University of Miami athletic director Jack Harding sat down one evening to watch the popular What’s My Line? quiz show on television. When the celebrity panelists could not unlock the subject’s occupation, Harding was intrigued. The man who stumped them? Ron Fraser, head coach of the Dutch national baseball team. Harding called Florida State coach Danny Litweiler, for whom Fraser played and served as an assistant. Litweiler recommended Fraser, and Harding hired him for a part-time salary of $2,200 per year.