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Jim Gilligan Last College: Lamar, 1971 Position: Head Coach

Entering his 31st season as a head coach and 30th at Lamar University, Jim Gilligan has become one of the most successful and respected coaches in the country.

Adding further proof of his impact on the game of baseball, Gilligan was selected for enshrinement into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the 2004 induction class that included Houston Astros greats Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, and Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers.

Over the last five years, Gilligan has guided Lamar to the best overall record of any team in the Southland Conference at 190-104 (.646) and the best SLC record at 89-47 (.654). The Cardinals have won two SLC regular season titles and two SLC Tournament titles, and appeared in three NCAA Regional Tournaments during this span.

In his 29 years at Lamar, he has guided Lamar to 11 conference championships, 11 NCAA Regional appearances, and four conference tournament titles. He enters the season with a 1,035-647 (.615) overall record, which ranks him as the 17th active and 35th all-time winningest coach in NCAA history in wins. He has a 1,025-637 (.617) record at Lamar.

Gilligan reached another coaching milestone in 2005, becoming the 32nd coach in NCAA history to record 1,000 career wins in Lamar's 9-3 win over Southeastern Louisiana on May 27, 2005 that advanced the Cardinals to the championship game of the Southland Conference Tournament.

Gilligan guided the Cardinals to an all-time best 10th Southland Conference regular season title in 2004. The Cardinals also made their third straight NCAA Regional appearance as the No. 3 seed at the NCAA Regional at Houston hosted by Rice University. Lamar lost to second-seeded Texas A&M and was eliminated by host and top-seeded Rice.

In 2003, Gilligan guided Lamar to its ninth Southland Conference regular season title and a spot in the NCAA Regional in Austin, Texas. The Cardinals came within one game of advancing to the NCAA Super Regional after pushing the host Longhorns to a championship game.

Lamar was within one game of advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals in 2003, pushing host Texas to a championship game after staving off elimination with a 6-3 win over the Longhorns. Texas pulled out a 6-3 win over the Cardinals and went on to participate in the College World Series.

Gilligan has coached 76 first team all-conference players and sent over 135 players into professional baseball.

Gilligan's tenure at Lamar is split into two different periods. In his first stint as Lamar's skipper, Gilligan coached the Cardinals for 14 seasons (1973-1986) and guided LU to seven Southland Conference championships, six NCAA Regional appearances, and two zone titles. His teams have twice played in NCAA regional semifinals, one step away from a shot at the College World Series. He garnered his 500th victory in 1986, becoming the youngest college head coach to do so at the time.

Following his foray into professional baseball, Gilligan returned to Lamar for the 1992 season. He wasted little time in rebuilding the program as the Cardinals won the 1993 Sun Belt championship and advanced to the NCAA Central I Regional. In his return, Lamar has won three conference championships, four conference tournament championships, and appeared in four NCAA Regionals.

Gilligan's trademark is getting the most out of his players, especially the pitching staff, having been a pitcher himself. He took an overachieving club in 1995 which placed fourth in the Sun Belt's regular season race to Jacksonville for the conference tournament. Four days later, the Cardinals came back to Beaumont (after beating the host Dolphins in back-to-back games) to celebrate their SBC Tournament championship and prepare for a berth in the NCAA Regional. Lamar played in the Midwest I Regional in Wichita, Kan., where they beat host Wichita State twice and lost to eventual College World Series participant Stanford twice.

At least part of the appeal of the Cardinal program stems from Gilligan's days as a player at Lamar to add to his 27 seasons of coaching in Beaumont. Lamar has played for the conference championship on the last day of the season in 18 of those seasons.

A former southpaw pitching star for the Cardinals, he led Lamar's 1967 staff in victories (five), earned run average (2.54), and strikeouts (60). He worked as a graduate assistant coach for the Cardinals in 1970-71 after pitching a year in the Tigers' organization.

In 1972, Gilligan had his only collegiate head coaching stint besides Lamar, going 10-10 at Western New Mexico before returning to the same position at his alma mater in 1973.

Gilligan's most memorable moment came in 1987 as the manager of the Salt Lake Trappers of the Pioneer League. The Trappers broke a 68-year old record for consecutive wins by a professional baseball team with 29 straight triumphs. To recognize the achievement, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. created a permanent display featuring Gilligan's jersey.

Salt Lake also set a short-season record for attendance by drawing 196,000 fans for 35 home games. Gilligan served as the Trappers pitching coach in 1986 before taking over as manager. That season, Salt Lake had the best pitching staff in the league and the Trappers won the Pioneer League championship.

Gilligan's other professional baseball experience includes serving as the pitching coach of the Miami Miracles and the Taiwan National Team. He also helped form the Chinese Professional Baseball League by drafting player development contracts and supplying the foreign players, which consisted of American, Dominican and Panama players.

In 1998, Gilligan was selected to head a clinic in Zimbabwe, Africa. The trip was sanctioned by the International Baseball Association, Africa Baseball and Softball Association and the USA Baseball Association. The clinic was designed to teach their coaches the fundamentals of the game of baseball.

His personable nature and outstanding salesmanship have made the Lamar University Baseball Banquet each fall a continuing success. Through table purchases and silent and live auctions, the weekend is designed to recognize ex-players from Cardinal history and also raise money for the program.

Gilligan earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Lamar in 1968, and he later received his master's degree in health and physical education in 1971. He also continues to teach activity classes and is a tenured faculty member at Lamar.

The primary goal for Lamar baseball which Gilligan has yet to reach is a berth in the College World Series. It is an objective which he plans to fulfill as part of his commitment to the program.

Gilligan and his wife, LaVerne, reside in Beaumont. LaVerne has been instrumental in the success of the annual Lamar Baseball Banquet and also assists in securing outfield billboard sponsors.