Ron Fraser
Ron Fraser
Organization: University of Miami
Year: 1989

Long-time Miami head baseball coach Ron Fraser was awarded the presitigious ABCA/Wilson Lefty Gomez Award in 1989.

Nicknamed the "Wizard of College Baseball", Fraser guided the Miami Hurricanes baseball program for 30 seasons.

Fraser, who led the Hurricanes to 1982 and 1985 College World Series titles, coached Miami from 1963-92, amassing a 1,271-438-9 record and ended his career as the third-winningest coach in NCAA history. He was the NCAA Coach of the Year four times while at the helm of 'The U'.

Fraser, a 1986 ABCA Hall of Fame inductee, led Miami to 20 consecutive NCAA Regional berths and 12 College World Series appearances. More than 100 of his former players went on to play professionally in Major League Baseball. In 1990, he was named "Coach of the Decade" for the 1980s by Collegiate Baseball. Fraser also enjoyed international success in leading the U.S. National Team to a Silver Medal at the 1987 Pan American Games. He also served as head coach of the first U.S. Olympic baseball team in 1992.

Fraser came to the University of Miami in 1962 after serving as the coach of the Dutch National Team for three years, winning three European Championships. His international reputation earned him the job at Miami, succeeding Whitney Campbell.

A three-year letterwinner at Florida State from 1954-56, Fraser's uniform No. 1 was officially retired on April 24, 1993, at Mark Light Field. He was a 26-time Coach of the Year and a member of 10 Halls of Fame, including the inaugural class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Named after the great Lefty Gomez, this annual award is presented to an individual who has distinguished himself among his peers and has contributed significantly to the game of baseball locally, nationally and internationally. The Lefty Gomez Award is sponsored by Wilson Sporting Goods.