Legendary Jacksonville baseball coach Rudy Abbott dies

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JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (WBRC) - Jacksonville State is mourning the loss of hall of fame baseball coach Rudy Abbott, who passed away on Wednesday morning. He was admitted to the hospital last week with COVID pneumonia.

Abbott spent 32 years as head coach for the Gamecocks bringing home two to back to back NCAA national championship titles in 1990 and 1991.

He’s coached seven teams to more than 40 wins and his 1979 team opened its season 29-0, an NCAA record at the time. When he finished his career in 2001, his .682 winning percentage was seventh among all active NCAA coaches. He was named Coach of the Year in every league the Gamecocks competed in, grabbing five GSC Coach of the Year awards and one in the Trans America Athletic Conference – now known as the ASUN. He was named the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1991. Coach Abbott been enshrined into several Halls of Fame, including the JSU Athletics Hall of Fame, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Gulf South Conference Hall of Fame and the Calhoun County Sports Hall of Fame.

“This is a sad day for Jacksonville State University and the Calhoun County Community,” said JSU Athletics Director Greg Seitz , who served as Abbott’s SID from 1994 to his retirement in 2001. “Coach Abbott built the foundation for our baseball program and won over 1,000 games, but his contributions to JSU and his community go much farther than wins. He loved JSU and our community and continued to serve long after his career ended. I, along with so many whose lives he impacted, will miss him dearly. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Sue, his children and the rest of his family.”

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