Carolina Baseball Coaches
February 27, 2001 | Baseball
Feb. 27, 2001
| ALL-TIME COACHES' RECORDS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | Seasons | Record | Pct. |
| Perrin Busbee | 1891-93 (3) | 9-6-0 | .600 |
| William R. Robertson | 1894 (1) | 10-4-0 | .714 |
| Jesse M. Oldham | 1895 (1) | 6-4-0 | .600 |
| Benjamin E. Stanley | 1896-97 (2) | 14-8-1 | .630 |
| William A. Reynolds | 1898-99 (2) | 21-5-1 | .796 |
| Robert B. Lawson | 1900, 1905-06, 1910 (4) | 48-22-2 | .681 |
| Ernest Graves | 1901 (1) | 11-4-2 | .706 |
| Edward M. Ashenback | 1902 (1) | 7-6-0 | .538 |
| John Curran | 1903 (1) | 13-2-2 | .824 |
| John Donnelly | 1904 (1) | 5-8-0 | .385 |
| Floyd Simmons | 1907 (1) | 10-9-2 | .524 |
| Otis Stockdale | 1908-09 (2) | 31-14-0 | .689 |
| Charles M. Clancey | 1911-12 (2) | 26-14-0 | .650 |
| Coach Bowers | 1913 (1) | 7-11-0 | .389 |
| Earl Mack | 1914 (1) | 8-11-0 | .425 |
| Charles A. Doak | 1915-16 (2) | 19-15-0 | .559 |
| Bunn Hearn | 1917-18, 1932-46 (17) | 214-133-2 | .616 |
| William Lourcey | 1919-20 (2) | 19-16-4 | .538 |
| Bill Fetzer | 1921-25 (5) | 70-37-4 | .649 |
| Duke Duncan | 1926 (1) | 9-16-0 | .360 |
| Jim Ashmore | 1927-31 (5) | 72-39-3 | .645 |
| Walter Rabb | 1947-77 (31) | 540-358-9 | .600 |
| Mike Roberts | 1978- 98 (21) | 780-428-3 | .645 |
| Mike Fox | 1999- | 87-35-0 | .713 |
Coaches like Bunn Hearn and Walter Rabb don't come along very often. For nearly 50 years, these two men defined Carolina baseball by churning out championship-caliber teams and outstanding student-athletes. Theirs was a model of consistency, and they are still two of the most revered members of college baseball's fraternity.
Success was a staple of Hearn and Rabb's teams. Together the coaching duo won more than 750 games and brought 12 conference championships to Carolina. Both coaches won at least 60 percent of their games.
Hearn's Carolina coaching career started in 1917 when he filled in as head coach during World War I. Hearn's first stint at Carolina lasted just two seasons, but he returned in 1932 to coach the Tar Heels 15 more years. During the Hearn era, Carolina captured six Southern Conference titles and two Big Four championships. Hearn finished his career at Carolina with 214 wins and was inducted into the American Association of College Baseball Coaches (AACBC) Hall of Fame.
Rabb took over the Tar Heel program in 1947 after Hearn suffered a stroke. Even though Hearn stayed on at Carolina until 1957, Rabb received credit for the record between '47 and '57 and was considered head coach during the span.
Rabb proceeded to win 540 games during the next 31 years, making him one of only five Atlantic Coast Conference coaches who have won at least 500 games. Under Rabb, Carolina won four ACC titles, two District III championships and made two trips to the College World Series.
In 1964, Rabb was named ACC Coach of the Year after the Tar Heels went undefeated in conference play. No other ACC team has finished a conference season unbeaten.
Rabb was twice named Baseball Coach of the Year by Coach and Athlete Magazine and was the AACBC's District III Coach of the Year in 1966. Rabb also served as vice-president and president of the AACBC and was honored by the organization in 1971 for a quarter century of leadership and devotion to college baseball. He also received the Will Wynne and Governor's Baseball awards for his contributions to the game.
In 1978, Rabb joined Hearn in the AACBC Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.