JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - In nearly 40 years as a college coach, Dusty Rhodes has taught countless numbers of student-athletes how to win and get the job done.
And now the coach who put UNF on the national radar as a baseball power will be immortalized with arguably the greatest honor a college baseball coach can receive. The American Baseball Coaches Association has chosen Rhodes as a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee. The induction ceremony will take place during the 2009 ABCA Convention in San Diego on Jan. 3.
“I’ve been part of the ABCA for 40 years, and the fact that organization is not only honoring me but also this university is something I didn’t expect,” Rhodes said. “I’ve been able to speak at the convention, and there are over 5,000 members that are college and high school coaches all over the country. Because of the ABCA and the University of North Florida, I’ve been able to coach on Olympic teams and coach for the USA team.”
In 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach at North Florida and Palm Beach Junior College, Rhodes has compiled a 1,130-481 record. He has guided UNF to 16 postseason appearances, including five World Series appearances, four district championships while in NAIA and six conference championships in NCAA Division II. He has also coached players to 24 All-America selections, 64 all-conference selections and 49 all-region selections.
“For me, I’ve been lucky because I started out as a junior college coach, then to the NAIA, then to Division II and now we’re Division I, so I’ve met coaches from all over the country at all levels,” he said. “It’s really meant a lot to me. I appreciate anybody that has ever had anything to do with this honor.”
Perhaps more important than the stellar record is the countless number of former players he has inspired to become either coaches or administrators in baseball.
“I already knew I wanted to coach, but once I learned his system, I wanted to apply it to the way I coach,” said former player Gil Morales, who is the head coach at Eagles View Academy in Jacksonville. “Things that are normal at UNF are unique to a lot of other people. He’s always able to get the best out of players that may not be the most talented, and he knows how to win with that system.”
Rhodes has been named his conference’s coach of the year eight times as well as earning his region’s coach of the year award three times. His 827 victories are the most by any UNF head coach and ranks 12th all-time among Division II coaches with a .694 winning percentage. Under Rhodes, the Ospreys have been ranked No. 1 seven times – three times in NAIA and four times in NCAA Division II.
Rhodes built the UNF program from the ground floor, raising funds to build UNF’s on-campus facility, Harmon Stadium. In 1988, Rhodes’ and the Jacksonville community’s dream came true with UNF’s first year of competition.
“UNF baseball was all based upon a dream of being a program that UNF could be proud of,” said longtime UNF supporter Dave Polovina. “We had a vision and tried to appeal to people’s dreams. We raised over $1 million to get it off the ground, and not one cent of it was taxpayer’s money. We were able to raise that money based on Dusty’s reputation.”
And from the very beginning, the Ospreys were winners. In just the first two seasons, UNF compiled 100 wins, which was the first time a beginning baseball program at any level had put together that many wins in two years. In 1989, Rhodes guided the Ospreys to an appearance in the NAIA World Series.
“We knew that Dusty was the right guy to start this program based on what he did at Palm Beach Junior College and Florida,” Polovina said. “The proof is in what I call the 3 r’s. He does things right, he gets the results and he has the reputation. This honor is richly deserved. It’s great to see a guy that has impacted so many lives be honored.”
In addition to the magic he has worked with the Ospreys during his 20 years at the helm, Rhodes has also become an acclaimed international and professional coach. The pinnacle of that experience occurred when Rhodes was selected as the head coach of the Greek Olympic team at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. Rhodes returned to serve as the head coach of the Greek National Team in the 2005 European Championships. He was also an assistant for Greece in 2002 and 2003 and also served as an assistant coach for the 1996 Australian Olympic Team. In 1993, 1994 and 2001, he was an assistant coach for the USA National Team.
As a professional coach, Rhodes compiled a 294-189 record as a hitting and infield coach with New York Yankees Class A affiliate Greensboro Hornets (1982), as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers Rookie League team in Helena, Mont. (1988-89, 1991), and as a coach with the Class A Beloit Brewers (1990).
Rhodes was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. During his eight years there, Rhodes compiled a record of 303-118, leading the school to a No. 1 national junior college ranking in 1979. Between 1982 and 1987, Rhodes was an assistant baseball coach at the University of Florida before being selected to begin the UNF baseball program.
Rhodes received an associate of arts degree from PBJC in 1966, a bachelor's degree in physical education from Florida Southern College in 1969 and a master's degree in education from Florida Atlantic University in 1973.