Legendary Jerry Kindall Dies At Age 82

by • Featured

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

TUCSON, Ariz. — Jerry Kindall, who led the University of Arizona to three national championships in 1976, 1980 and 1986, died the evening before Christmas at the age of 82 after suffering for several days from a massive stroke.

Revered by all, the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer spent 24 years as the head coach of the Wildcats. He holds the all-time wins record at Arizona with an 860-579-7 mark.

Kindall also was a member of Minnesota’s 1956 College World Series team that ironically defeated Arizona for the national title.

Kindall was the first person to win a College World Series title as both a player and a head coach.

The former Major League second baseman, who played eight years with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins, served as the President of the ABCA in 1993 and worked on the Board of Directors, Ethics in Coaching Committee and Lefty Gomez Award Committee.

A three-time National Coach of the Year, Kindall won three Pac-10 titles and a Western Athletic Conference pennant at Arizona. His teams advanced to the NCAA post-season 12 times during his tenure at Arizona and played in five College World Series.

His players garnered 34 first team All-America honors during his time with the Wildcats while 71 earned All-Conference recognition. A total of 209 players under Kindall signed professional baseball contracts, including 32 who went on to play in the Major Leagues.

Kindall coached three College World Series MVPs, four Pac-10 South Players of the Year, and he coached current Cleveland Indians Manager Terry Francona to the 1980 Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate baseball player.

Kindall was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007, the Arizona Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996 and the University of Minnesota Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995. In January of 2004, Arizona renamed its baseball facility Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes honored Kindall by naming its Character in Coaching Award after him.