Former Dublin Coffman baseball coach Tim Saunders to be inducted into ABCA Hall of Fame
Former Dublin Coffman baseball coach Tim Saunders continues to earn honors for his successful career.
Saunders is to be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Jan. 6 in Nashville, Tennessee. He will be the first OHSAA coach to be inducted.
“It’s quite an honor; it’s a blessing,” said Saunders, who is working at Camp Greylock, a boys summer camp in Becket, Massachusetts. “It’s a good way to wrap up your baseball career. It’s a good feeling. It’s icing on the cake.
“They are very selective for this, which is why it’s a great honor. It’s not just about wins and losses, but what you have done for baseball on a national level.”
A 1977 Olentangy graduate, Saunders began coaching the Shamrocks in 1988 when Dublin had just one high school. He led the program until 2019 and retired following the 2020 season, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When I came to Dublin it was a growing area, and it was a great fit for me,” Saunders said. “I met the old-timers, and they liked me. I started winning, and they liked me more. My wins and losses wouldn’t have been as good without having good kids and good parents.
“We had two splits (with Scioto and Jerome) when I was there. It can be tough on coaches but it gives more kids the opportunity to play, and that’s the important thing.”
Saunders graduated from Rio Grande and then began his coaching career as an assistant at Portsmouth in 1981, helping the Trojans earn a Class AA state runner-up finish.
He then coached Pomeroy Meigs for four seasons, leading the program to league titles in his final two seasons, and served as an assistant at Indiana University for two years before coaching the Shamrocks.
Saunders was inducted into the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Central District Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2012, he became the first coach from Ohio to be inducted into the National High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Saunders now serves as executive director of the NHSBCA for a fifth year. He was a former ABCA High School Division chair and past president of the OHSBCA.
His ABCA Hall of Fame class in January also includes college coach Jeff Messer (Slippery Rock) and high school coaches Jerry Dawson from Scottsdale (Arizona) Chaparral, Dave Demarest (La Quinta, California), Eric Kibler from Scottsdale (Arizona) Horizon and John Lowery from Shenandoah Junction (West Virginia) Jefferson.
“I know all of the guys going in with me, which is great,” Saunders said. “I met some wonderful, lifelong friends, and that’s as important as coaching.”
Also included in the ceremony will be 2021 inductees Hal Baird (Auburn), George Horton (Cal State Fullerton/Oregon) and Don Sneddon (Santa Ana College) and 2022 inductees John Altobelli (Orange Coast College) and Gary Gilmore (Coastal Carolina).
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Former Coffman coach Saunders to be inducted into ABCA Hall of Fame
