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Jeff Albies, William Paterson University's baseball coach for 29 years,
will be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of
Fame in San Antonio in January, 2004.
The ABCA Hall of Fame will have 204 members when Albies and the rest of
the Class of 2004 are inducted. Hall of Fame candidates must receive 75 percent of the
votes from the 17-person Hall of Fame Committee in order to be considered
by the 31-member Board of Directors.
"I am extremely honored by my selection," Albies said. "It is particularly gratifying to earn this
honor while I'm still coaching. I am well aware of the fact that many of
the men I am privileged to join are the pillars of collegiate
baseball."
"Jeff Albies is a significant player nationally with amateur
baseball," said ABCA Executive Director Dave Keilitz.
"Jeff has been not only a tremendous contributor as a coach at
William Paterson, but also in the East and on a national level with his
committee work and leadership."
From his arrival in 1975, Albies built the Pioneer baseball program into a
Division III power that has won NCAA National Championships in 1992 and 1996. The
1992 team went 36-7 and had three future professional players, while his 1996 squad went a school-record 39-5-1 and also
featured three future pros.
In addition to winning two national championships, Albies has guided the
Pioneers to 18 NCAA regional invitations, 11 New Jersey Athletic
Conference (NJAC) crowns and seven regional titles, most recently in 1999
when his team finished third in the nation. The 11 NJAC championships are
the most any conference program has captured since 1975. William Paterson
has also posted 12 consecutive seasons with more than 20 victories and,
overall, his teams have won more than 20 games in 24 different seasons. In
addition, 12 times his squads have posted seasons of 30 wins or more.
Albies possesses a career record of 759-322-10, giving him the sixth most
victories among active Division III coaches. He is also among the Top 15
in winning percentage among current coaches.
"Through 29 years at William Paterson University, Jeff Albies has
been dedicated to the excellence of this University and its student
athletes," said University President Arnold Speert. "He
has worked tirelessly to prepare his athletes for success throughout their
lives. I look forward to his continued leadership and
guidance."
His success has led to many honors. The ABCA selected Albies as its
national coach of the year in 1992 and 1996, and also picked him as its
Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year nine times (1982, 1988-89,
1992-93, 1995-97, 1999), the same number of times the NJAC honored him as
its Coach of the Year (1982-83, 1987, 1989, 1991-93, 1995-96).
Meanwhile, the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association gave him its
annual coaching award on six occasions (1982, 1987, 1989, 1991-92, 1996).
"The record Coach Albies has amassed as the leader of the William
Paterson baseball program speaks for itself," Athletic Director
Sabrina Grant said. "The University is fortunate that Jeff has spent
a long career with a program that he has developed into a national
powerhouse. It is rare in this day and age of intercollegiate athletics to
have a coach with such success remain loyal to one institution."
Although championships and other statistics lay testament to his legacy,
there are several ways Albies has made a profound impact. Twenty-eight of
his players have played professionally.
In addition to his work at William Paterson, Albies has long been a
champion of college baseball in New Jersey and across the country. He has
served as
the baseball chairman of the NCAA Division III Championships committee
(1992-96) and the chairman of the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region
(1990-96), while also serving on the NCAA Division III All-American, NCAA
Selection and Legislative Action, and several ABCA committees. He also coached in
the prestigious Cape Cod League (1982) for top collegiate players and gave
clinics as a guest of the Romanian Baseball Federation (1993).
After playing at Long Island University, Albies was a second baseman in
the Atlanta Braves organization for four years (1965-68) and also played
professionally in Canada (1969-70) before starring in the local semi-pro
Metropolitan Baseball League, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in
1990. He was also inducted into the Bergen County Baseball Hall of Fame in
1995.
Albies earned a B.S. in health and physical education from Long Island
University ('68), a M.S. in health and physical education from Hunter
College ('72) and a professional diploma in administration/supervision
from Fordham University ('75). He lives in Hillsdale with his wife of 33
years, Andrea, and their two daughters: Erika, 27, and Ashlee, 24.
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