By: By Matthew Cason
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State Department of Athletics will be holding a ceremony on April 9 at Stillwell Stadium honoring Jim Nash for his contributions as the first head coach of KSU baseball. The ceremony will take place prior to the Kennesaw State baseball game vs. Jacksonville State set for 6 p.m. ET.
Jim Nash, a graduate from Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Ga., began his career by signing a professional contract with the Kansas City A's in 1963 before making his major league debut three years later in July 1966 where Nash had an exceptional half season, gaining a 12-1 record for the A's.
He stayed with the A's until the 1970 season, when he was traded to the Atlanta Braves for baseball great Felipe Alou. A short time later, Nash wrapped up his career with Philadelphia.
Over his seven year Major League career, Nash accumulated a win-loss record of 68-64 with a career ERA of 3.58. He also played alongside seven Baseball Hall of Famers throughout his career including Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Hank Aaron, Phil Niekro, Orlando Cepeda, Hoyt Wilhelm and Tony LaRussa.
Jim returned to Atlanta following his retirement from professional baseball to begin a long, successful career in the sales organization with the company Southern Bell, which later became BellSouth.
In the early 1980's, Kennesaw State University, then known as Kennesaw College, started the school's athletic program and the first Director of Athletics, Spec Landrum, reached out to Nash to become the first Owl baseball head coach. While assuming the head coach position part-time with a limited budget, Nash led the first Owls baseball team to a 30-20 record with a roster primarily built around local players from Cobb County.
Jim returned to his professional business career after that season, but his contributions helped to build a solid foundation for the success that the Owls baseball program has witnessed over the last 30 years.
For more information on how to get involved in the special day, contact
George Olney at 770-499-3459, or via e-mail at
golney@kennesaw.edu.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news, follow the team on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on
Facebook.
For more information on how to purchase tickets, please call the KSU ticket office at 770-423-6957, or by visiting
KSUOwls.com/tickets.
-#GoKSUOwls-
