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DustyRHODES Head Coach (20th Season) X 13 Conference Championships • 5 World Series Appearances • 16 Postseason Appearances ow entering his 20th season at the helm of the Ospreys, Nhead coach Dusty Rhodes has guided the program from NAIA, to NCAA Division II, and most recently to NCAA Division I - all the while building UNF into a nationally recognized baseball powerhouse. Rhodes has compiled an 802- 332 record through 19 seasons, guiding UNF to 16 postseason appearances, including five World Series appearances, four district championships while in NAIA and six conference championships in NCAA Division II. In 2004, he topped the 1,000- win career mark, and now holds an all-time record of 1,106-449. He was named Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005 and South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2000, 2001 and 2005. A year ago, Rhodes led the UNF program into an arena that many believed the Ospreys should have been competing in for years - NCAA Division I. As usual, the UNF pro- in-state rival Florida Southern in the cham- 41-18 overall record. gram thrived while fighting through the rig- pionship game of the Division II National Since 1997, the Ospreys have failed to ors of college baseball's highest division - Baseball Championship. The Ospreys fin- win 40 games only twice - last year and in finishing with a 34-21 record and a 20-10 ished the season with a mark of 48-17 -- 2003 - and the 2003 squad was only one mark in the Atlantic Sun Conference. That including a 23-7 record in Peach Belt play - game shy of the mark, even after having finish was good enough for second place, - just one win shy of the school's Division an entire series canceled due to rain ver- and sent a clear message to all of college II school record for wins in a season, en sus USC Upstate. baseball that the Ospreys were going to be route to claiming their sixth PBC title in Rhodes achieved immediate success at a force to be reckoned with from day one. seven seasons. UNF - in his first two years guiding the That success came just a year after In 2004, the Ospreys stayed in the Ospreys to a 100-28 record - the first time UNF finished ranked second in the nation Top 25 the entire season and won their a beginning baseball program, at any level, in its final season of Division II member- fifth PBC title in six seasons. Rhodes guid- has recorded 100 wins in two seasons. ship. The Ospreys ended 2005 by losing to ed UNF to a 23-7 conference mark and a In addition to the magic he has www.UNFOspreys.com 30 THE DUSTY RHODES FILE PERSONAL High School: West Palm Beach High School College: Palm Beach Junior College, 1966 Associate of Arts Degree Florida Southern College, 1969 B.S., Physical Education Florida Atlantic University, 1973 M.S., Education COACH OF THE YEAR • Florida Sports Amateur Coach of the Year ......................................2001 • Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year..1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 • ABCA South Atlantic Coach of the Year........................2000, 2001, 2005 • NAIA Disctrict 25 Coach of the Year ............................1988, 1989, 1991 • Rawlings NAIA Area V Coach of the Year ..............................1989, 1991 • Florida Diamond Club NAIA Coach of the Year....1988, 1989, 1991, 1992 • Diamond Sports Co. Area Coach of the Year ........................1989, 1991 CAREER HIGHLIGHTS • Inducted - Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame ........................1989 • NAIA World Series ..............................................................1989, 1991 • NCAA Division II World Series 2000 (3rd), 2001 (3rd), 2005 (Runner-up) • Team USA Assistant Coach ............................................................2001 • Team USA World Championships Assistant Coach ..................1993, 1994 • Team USA Trials South Head Coach ............................1993, 1994, 1995 • Assistant Coach Australian Olympic Squad......................................1996 • Greek National Team Assistant Coach ..................................2002, 2003 worked with the Ospreys during his 18 years at the helm, • Head Coach Greek Olympic Squad ................................................2004 Rhodes has also become an acclaimed international coach. The • Head Coach Greek European Championships Squad ......................2005 pinnacle of that experience occurred when Rhodes was selected to coach the Greek Olympic team at the 2004 Summer Games RECORD AS A COLLEGIATE HEAD COACH in Athens. Rhodes returned to serve as the head coach of the Year School W L Greek National Team in the 2005 European Championships. 1975-1982 (8 Years) Palm Beach JC 303 118 1988-2004 (19 Years) North Florida 803 331 Rhodes also served as an assistant coach for the 1996 Total (27 Years) 1,106 449 Australian Olympic Squad, joining the team in mid-May and working with the players from training camps and exhibition RECORD AS A PROFESSIONAL MANAGER/COACH games through the Olympics. Year Team League W L He was selected to serve as an assistant coach for the 1982 Greensboro, N.C. Class A 98 42 Greek National Team in 2002 and 2003. He traveled throughout 1988 Helena, Mont. Rookie 41 29 Europe with the team, and the trip included a work out at 1989 Helena, Mont. Rookie 38 30 Camden Yards in Baltimore, Md. 1990 Beloit, Wis. Class A 72 63 The USA Baseball Team also chose him to be an assistant 1991 Helena, Mont. Rookie 45 25 in 2001 as he traveled to Japan and Alaska, and toured the Total (5 Seasons) 294 189 United States with the National Team. He also served as a coach for the national squad during the 1993 and 1994 sum- RHODESí QUICK HITTERS mers. In 1994 he traveled with the USA Team to Japan, Alaska, • Has coached 21 All-Americans, including the Nicaragua and on a Northwest tour. 1991 NAIA Player of the Year, Sid Roberson Rhodes was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports • Has coached 22 Major League players Hall of Fame in 1989 for his outstanding contributions to the • Sixty Ospreys have either been drafted or signed as free agents baseball program at Palm Beach Junior College. • Led UNF to three No. 1 rankings in NAIA and the No. 1 ranking in NCAA Division II in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. He began coaching in 1969 as an assistant coach at Florida • Has earned back-to-back coach of the year honors five times Southern College, his alma mater. He joined PBJC as an assis- during his 19 years at UNF tant in 1974 and was named head baseball coach in 1975. During his seven years there, Rhodes compiled a record of 303- 118, leading the school to a No. 1 national junior college rank- www.UNFOspreys.com 31 (Below) Rhodes at the 2004 Summer Olympics with former UNF cross country/track athlete Zeph Joseph. RHODESí YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD AT UNF Rhodes was coaching the Greek baseball team, while Year Won Lost Conf. Achievement Joseph was participating in the marathon for St. Lucia. 1988 47 17 1st Won 21 consecutive games 1989 53 18 1st Finished third in World Series 1990 43 20 1st Team led NAIA with 2.21 ERA 1991 57 13 1st Ranked No. 1; finished third in nation 1992 51 12 1st Atop NAIA polls entire season 1993 45 12 1st Won 19 consecutive games 1994 33 19 2nd Finished second in NCAA II Regional 1995 36 16 1st Ranked No. 2 in D-II; SSC co-champs 1996 26 29 4th Opened season at No. 6 in Division II 1997 39 17 3rd Pounded out school record 88 homers 1998 32 21 2nd 2nd in Conf. to nation's No. 1-ranked team 1999 43 17 1st Ranked No. 1 in nation; 2nd in regionals 2000 49 14 1st Finished 3rd in World Series; No. 1 in season 2001 47 17 1st Third in World Series 2002 40 16 2nd Fourth straight 40-win season 2003 39 18 1st Advanced to fifth straight NCAA Regional 2004 41 18 1st Finished 2nd in NCAA Regional 2005 48 16 1st NCAA Div. II National Runner-up 2006 34 21 2nd First NCAA Division I Season (Finished 2nd in the A-Sun) Total 803 331 Holds .708 winning percentage ing in 1979. He was named a junior col- Conference Titles: 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 lege All-Star coach in 1976, 1977 and NCAA Regional Appearances: 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 1980. World Series Appearances: 1989 (NAIA), 1991 (NAIA), 2000 (Div. II), 2001 (Div. II), 2005 (Div. II) Between 1982 and 1987, Rhodes was an assistant baseball coach at the cation from Florida Southern College University of Florida, before being selected in 1969 and a master's degree in to begin the UNF baseball program. education from Florida Atlantic Rhodes is also no stranger to profes- University in 1973. He taught physi- sional baseball, having worked with the cal education in Palm Beach County Yankees and the Brewers organizations. from 1969-1975. Rhodes was the hitting and infield coach A speaker for the Otis Smith for the New York Yankees Class A affiliate Greensboro (N.C.) Hornets in 1982. He also spent the summers of 1988 and 1989 as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers Rookie League team in Helena Mont., guiding the Brewers to a 41-29 record in 1988 and a 38-30 record in 1989. Both teams fin- ished second in the divi- sion. In 1990, he worked as a coach for the Class A Beloit (Wis.) Brewers and in 1991 he returned to Helena. Rhodes directs the Dusty Rhodes North Florida Baseball Camps and Christmas Camp. A 1964 graduate of West Palm Beach High from drugs and staying in school. School, Rhodes received an He enjoys hunting and fishing, as well associate of arts degree from PBJC in Foundation, Rhodes visits area schools, as working on his cabin in Montana during 1966, a bachelor's degree in physical edu- speaking on the benefits of staying away the summer.