2008 Woodie Awards
Messer tabbed as D-II chair
By Andrew Donofrio
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 1/25/08 Section: Sports
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On Jan. 7, he was selected by his peers at the American Baseball Coaches Association to serve a three-year term as chairman of its 10-man Division II board of directors.
Messer, who was appointed during an ABCA convention in Philadelphia, now acts as the primary liaison and representative for the association's Division II NCAA Baseball Committee.
He will also oversee all legislative proposals from coaches throughout the division.
Dave Keilitz, executive director of the association, said he was pleased to have Messer as a member of the board.
"He's obviously extremely well-respected," Keilitz said. "This is a very prestigious position for Coach Messer and for Slippery Rock. It's certainly an enormous honor. And, we know that he'll do a great job."
"It was somewhat of a surprise," Messer said. "I really didn't know until they actually announced it at the convention."
Messer added that the two other coaches nominated-Gary Vaught from the University of Indianapolis and Mike Sansing of Kennesaw State University in Georgia-were also long-time and heavily involved members of the association.
In addition, Messer recently became the first full-time baseball coach at SRU.
"This was one of a small number of schools in the area that didn't have at least one full-time baseball coach," Messer said. "We've been looking at it for years. And we were finally able to make it happen."
"I'm ecstatic," he said. "It's like starting a new job."
Messer said he has retired as assistant professor in SRU's physical education and sport management department to focus completely on baseball.
"I taught for more than 20 years at Slippery Rock," he said. "Classroom teaching was fabulous. But I think I do more teaching in baseball than I ever did in the classroom."
Tallying more than 700 wins during his 23 years at SRU, Messer is the winningest active coach in Pennsylvania.
He also said he believes his new position affords him a chance to build upon SRU's tradition of winning baseball.
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