19 Facts About Ron Fraser

Ronald George Fraser was an American college baseball coach best known for his tenure at the University of Miami from 1963 to 1992.

Ron Fraser managed the Netherlands to two European championships in the 1960s.

Ron Fraser then attended Murray State College in Kentucky from 1953 to 1954.

Ron Fraser served in the United States Army for two years, during 1957 and 1958.

Ron Fraser later went on to manage the Netherlands national baseball team from 1960 until 1963.

Ron Fraser was hired as manager of the Dutch national team in 1960, replacing Henk Keulemans, becoming the team's second ever coach and first American coach.

Ron Fraser led the team to two European championships, in 1960 and 1962.

On one occasion, Ron Fraser broke his leg while attempting to demonstrate a proper slide.

Ron Fraser left the Netherlands team in 1962 to take a coaching job with the University of Miami.

Ron Fraser returned to the Netherlands a third time in 1980 when he participated in Haarlem Baseball Week with his Miami Hurricanes collegiate team, winning the tournament.

In 1963, Ron Fraser took a head coaching job with the University of Miami, a school which did not offer its baseball players a scholarship.

Some people Ron Fraser brought to visit the school to bring publicity to the program were Major League Baseball Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Stan Musial, as well as announcer Joe Garagiola.

Also in 1973, Mark Light Stadium was built in large part to efforts by Ron Fraser to build a privately-funded stadium.

Mark Light Stadium was almost always a full house for Hurricane baseball games and Ron Fraser's Hurricanes drew 1.27 million fans in the 1980s, the best in college baseball.

Fraser was inducted to the Hurricanes' sports hall of fame in 1983, and the Ron Fraser Building, which houses the baseball offices at Mark Light Stadium, was named after him in 1986.

Ron Fraser retired as coach of Miami baseball at the end of the 1992 season.

Ron Fraser coached the United States national baseball team at the 1992 Summer Olympics, which marked the first time that baseball was an official medal sport.

Ron Fraser was inducted to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Ron Fraser died on January 20,2013, at his home in Weston, Florida, of complications from Alzheimer's disease.