Jan. 15, 2013

Leggett to be inducted into ABCA Hall of Fame

Clemson head coach Jack Leggett (left) will be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on January 3, 2014, in Dallas, Texas.

Leggett, 58, will join six other inductees at the annual convention. The ABCA will announce the entire class later this year.

In 33 seasons as a head coach at Vermont, Western Carolina and Clemson, Leggett has compiled 1,224 victories. That total ranks 14th in NCAA Division I history and is sixth among active coaches.

Over the past 19 years, Leggett has led Clemson to 847 wins, the seventh-highest total in the country over that period. The Tigers have made the NCAA Tournament 18 times under Leggett, including six appearances in the College World Series. He was an assistant coach under head coach Bill Wilhelm for two seasons (1992-93) before becoming head coach prior to the 1994 campaign.

Several current Division I head coaches have worked under Leggett, including Erik Bakich of Michigan, Tim Corbin of Vanderbilt, Bill Currier of Fairfield, Kevin O’Sullivan of Florida, John Pawlowski of Auburn, Tom Riginos of Winthrop and Tim Sinicki of Binghamton.

In nine seasons at Western Carolina (1983-91), Leggett guided the Catamounts to five Southern Conference titles and five trips to the NCAA Tournament. WCU averaged 33 wins per year under Leggett.

Leggett was head coach at Vermont from 1978-82. He coached the club team in 1977 before leading the school’s first intercollegiate squad in 1978. Leggett was 23 years old, the youngest head coach in the nation. He had a winning season in that first campaign and posted an overall record of 75-61 at Vermont.

A 1976 graduate of Maine, Leggett was a standout player in both baseball and football. Leggett was a captain on the 1976 Black Bear squad that reached the College World Series, and was a two-time All-Yankee Conference performer in football as a defensive back and placekicker.

(photos courtesy of Clemson Media Relations Office)