Former Head Coach Rick Jones Named to the Conference USA 2020 Hall of Fame Class

NEW ORLEANS – Former Tulane University baseball head coach Rick Jones added to his list of career honors on Tuesday, as he was named to the Conference USA 2020 Hall of Fame Class.

Jones, who is also a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame, was the head coach at Tulane for 21 seasons (1994-2014), leading the Green Wave baseball program to 12 NCAA appearances, three NCAA Super Regional appearances and to the College World Series twice.

This past spring, Tulane Athletics announced that it would officially retire Jones' No. 10 jersey. Most recently, Jones was named to the Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.

Jones became one of the most decorated collegiate baseball coaches in the sport as well as the winningest coach in Tulane history. In 21 years at Tulane, Jones compiled a record of 818-445-2. For his career, Jones boasted an overall head-coaching record of 1,094-538-3., after making head-coaching stops at Ferrum (1982-84) and Elon (1985-89).

A staple of Tulane athletics, Jones' resume is filled with accomplishments during his time on the Uptown campus. In 2005, he was named the National Coach of the Year by Baseball America after leading the Green Wave to a 56-12 season that culminated with the program's second appearance in the College World Series, arguably the best season ever by a Green Wave baseball squad.

He was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year on three different occasions (1997, 2001, and 2005) while also being named the Coach of the Decade in 2005, and he owns more wins in the league than any other head coach. Ten of his Tulane teams posted 40 or more victories, and his squads averaged 40 wins a season during his 20 full years at the helm of the program.

In the New Orleans community, Jones' teams have spent countless hours giving back through visits to local hospitals, community service work and through fundraisers.

Many of Jones' players had tremendous success during his tenure as head coach, as 61 Green Wave players earned all-conference honors from C-USA and the Metro Conference on 89 different occasions, including 54 first-team selections. Twenty-eight claimed all-freshman honors during Jones' tenure at Tulane.

Nationally, 22 of Jones' players received All-American recognition – including at least one every season from 1996-2006. Seventeen of his players have been named Freshman All-Americans, and five have gone on to play for the USA Baseball National Team.

Professionally, Major League Baseball teams spent 54 draft picks on Tulane players under Jones' watch, including five first-round selections. A total of 76 of Jones' players have signed professional contracts.

Off the field, Tulane baseball produced unprecedented success in the classroom, as over 200 of his players earned C-USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll recognition since 1996. Six of those players earned Academic All-American status.

Every player who played four years for Jones completed their degree, and several have gone on to prominent roles in their post-graduate life. While baseball has been the career choice of some, the list of former Jones players include Major Leaguers, Major League general managers, radiologists, lawyers, state representatives, accountants and health care workers.

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Former Head Coach Rick Jones Named to the Conference USA 2020 Hall of Fame Class

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