An amazing, inspiring, and thought-provoking chat with the Legendary Coach Frank Vieira. After 44 years of coaching Baseball at the University of New Haven, one can only imagine the unbelievable stories that Coach V can tell our listeners.
It is an honor to have Coach V on as a guest, through one (1) of his standout pitchers/"son", past Paul Ponders Guest- Dave Caiazzo!
Play Ball! ⚾
The University of New Haven boasts one of the most storied baseball programs in the history of NCAA Division II, and a large portion of the program's success in past, present and future can be attributed to its founder and first head coach – the legendary Frank "Porky" Vieira.
Under Vieira, who founded the program in 1962 and helmed the dugout from the team's inaugural season in 1963 through the 2006 campaign, New Haven baseball posted an all-time record of 1,127-324-6 in 44 seasons. That remarkable stretch included a string of 42 straight winning seasons from 1963 to 2004, and 43 winning campaigns overall.
Beyond the University of New Haven and the Northeast, Vieira is one of the all-time greats in the college game.
Through the spring of 2013, Vieira ranks second in Division II history with a .776 career winning percentage and rates fourth with 1,127 victories. Across all divisions of NCAA baseball, he slots eighth in winning percentage and 38th in wins.
During Vieira's tenure, New Haven baseball earned 35 regional postseason berths (26 NCAA, 9 NAIA) with 17 College World Series appearances (15 NCAA, 2 NAIA). UNH posted 81 NCAA postseason wins throughout his tenure - the second most in NCAA Division II history at the time of his retirement - and advanced to the NCAA College World Series in a school-record seven consecutive seasons from 1984 to 1990. The Chargers finished as NCAA National Runners-Up in 1980 and 1989, with the latter defeat coming to a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo team that later had its championship vacated due to the use of ineligible players.
Vieira's achievements have not gone unrecognized by the media or his peers. Featured in several publications including Sports Illustrated, he received the "Gold Key" from the Connecticut Sports Writers Association and was named Coach of the Year numerous times for the NCAA Northeast Region as well as the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) and the East Coast Conference (ECC).
Coach Vieira is the first to admit that a great coach needs great players, and New Haven has certainly produced its share. Seventy-six student-athletes to play for Vieira later reached the professional ranks, including 10 Chargers to advance to Major League Baseball.
Also of note, New Haven is one of only two (current) Division II institutions to produce a Major League Baseball Cy Young Award winner. Former Charger great Steve Bedrosian went on to earn the NL Cy Young while a member of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1987, saving 40 of the team's 80 wins that season (Clarion's Pete Vuckovich is the other Division II student-athlete to later win a Cy Young).
Cameron Drew was the program's first-ever First Round Draft Pick with his selection in 1985, while Dave Wallace has been a respected professional coach since 1981 and won a World Series as pitching coach with the Boston Red Sox in 2004.
Today, Vieira remains an active member of the New Haven Department of Athletics as Head Coach Emeritus, serving as a fundraiser and an ambassador of the baseball program and the University.
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