All Ron Polk did in Mississippi was make college baseball matter

This was again in December of 1975. Ron Polk, who was 31, had simply been employed from Georgia Southern because the baseball coach at Mississippi State for a wage of $15,000 a 12 months.

A month earlier than, Clarion Ledger revealed information of Polk’s hiring in a 3 paragraph story on web page 4 of the sports activities part. A narrative previewing a Millsaps soccer sport ran on the sports activities entrance, together with a narrative about soccer coach Bob Tyler’s contract extension and a narrative a couple of Delta State girls’s basketball exhibition sport. Faculty baseball simply wasn’t entrance web page information.

Again then, I used to be the sports activities editor of the Hattiesburg American and Polk had come to the Hub Metropolis to talk to a State alumni group. The late John Buckley, maybe essentially the most avid Bulldog fan ever, invited my dad and me over to his house to satisfy Polk.

Three issues I bear in mind most about first assembly Polk practically 48 years in the past: 1) he wore two-tone loafers, brown and white; 2) he had a cowlick in his close-cropped hair towards the again of his head; and three) he was as confident-bordering-on-cocky as any man I had ever met.

Polk informed us he was about to alter faculty baseball in Mississippi endlessly. He mentioned he was going to promote season tickets by the 1000’s, and it wouldn’t be lengthy earlier than Dudy Noble Area was expanded. He mentioned was going to carry clinics to coach Mississippi’s highschool baseball coaches, who on the time had been principally assistant soccer coaches. Mississippi baseball, he mentioned, was about to get quite a bit higher. He spoke about all that as if it had been a matter of truth. On the time, it gave the impression of a lot heresy.

Later, after we had left, I requested Dad what he thought. “Cockiest little banty rooster I’ve ever met,” Dad mentioned.

I agreed. We each laughed after which agreed that if Polk had been in a position to do all that, Mississippi State would want to construct a statue in his honor. We laughed even tougher.

Now, practically half a century later, that bronze statue will probably be devoted Friday afternoon previous to the primary sport of the Ole Miss-State weekend collection on the entrance down the fitting area line at what’s now Polk-Dement Stadium. All Polk mentioned he would do, he did a very long time in the past. He has finished much more. 

This column won’t be a lot about Polk’s 1,373 profession victories, the six totally different Corridor of Fame inductions, the eight totally different groups he took to the Faculty World Collection, the ten totally different SEC Championships and the way he actually did change faculty baseball in Mississippi endlessly.

No, this hopefully will let you know extra about man. We’ll start with maybe my favourite Polk anecdote. This was the spring of 1998, the 12 months after Polk had retired (for the primary time) as State’s baseball coach. Pat McMahon’s Bulldogs had been internet hosting an NCAA Regional and Polk was watching from the press field. Polk reached into his briefcase, took out a fats, 8-inch Honduran cigar and fired it up. Simply over his head was a “No Smoking” signal, which I identified and informed him, “I do know you’re outdated and retired however I didn’t know you had forgotten find out how to learn.”

Ron smiled, took an enormous draw and exhaled an enormous plume of smoke. He pointed to the centerfield wall the place his identify was distinguished.

Mentioned Polk, “Appears to me, you’re the one who can’t learn.”

From the identical 12 months, identical regional, identical press field: Polk joined broadcaster Jim Ellis to do an inning or two of commentary. I dropped into the sales space pay attention. State’s fantastic shortstop Brad Freeman, now an NFL official, was on the plate when Polk mentioned, “You already know, Jim, Brad is so aware of reaching that exterior slider, he’s actually crowding the plate. If he will get a fastball inside, it’s gonna hit him.”

Certain sufficient, the following pitch was a heater, in, and plunked Freeman flush on his left shoulder. Polk by no means missed a beat. “You already know, Jim,” he mentioned, “this radio commentating is fairly simple stuff.”

Polk retired, briefly, as State’s baseball coach in 1995. He deliberate to take the job as director of the American Baseball Coaches Affiliation (ABCA) and turned his resignation into the athletic director Larry Templeton, who subsequently provided the job to Pat McMahon. A pair days later, Polk had a change of coronary heart and informed Templeton he wished to remain.

Templeton informed Polk he already provided the job to former Polk assistant McMahon, then the pinnacle coach at Outdated Dominion. Templeton informed Polk he’d see what he may do. So Templeton requested McMahon if he would contemplate helping Polk as affiliate head coach for 2 years. McMahon, due to his immense respect for Polk, agreed to just do that.

Two years and one other MSU journey to the Faculty World Collection later, McMahon took over.

Mentioned Templeton, “I informed Ron I wanted him to assist me elevate the cash so as to add skyboxes to Dudy Noble and he agreed.”

Polk spent the 1998 and ’99 seasons out of a dugout for the primary time in additional than three many years, serving to Templeton as a particular assistant. Says Templeton, “I’ve by no means seen anybody as depressing as Ron was away from the sport.”

After which Templeton’s telephone rang and the man on the opposite finish of the telephone line was Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley. “I would like a baseball coach,” Dooley mentioned. “Bought any ideas?”

Templeton mentioned he may know simply the man. He walked down the hallway and into Polk’s workplace and informed him concerning the Georgia state of affairs. Lengthy story brief: Polk went to Athens, interviewed with Dooley and was provided the job. Polk took it.

Polk got here again to Starkville and informed Templeton he was the brand new Georgia baseball coach. Templeton congratulated him and requested him what Georgia was paying him. Polk informed him and Templeton mentioned, “That’s not proper.”

“So I referred to as Vince and I informed him that we paid Mississippi State assistant coaches higher than what he was going to pay Polk to be the pinnacle coach,” Templeton mentioned. “Vince defined that he had requested Ron what he wished and that Ron informed him, ‘Simply pay me what the earlier man was making.’”

Templeton mentioned Dooley requested him what he thought could be a good wage, and Templeton informed him. 

“That’s all it took,” Templeton mentioned. “Ron received a $75,000 elevate earlier than he ever coached a apply.”

Polk, as at all times, earned his preserve. Georgia was 25-30 the 12 months earlier than he received there. His first Georgia crew received 32 video games. The second received 47, the SEC championship and went to the 2001 Faculty World Collection.

Polk was nonetheless in Omaha with Georgia when the information broke that McMahon was leaving Mississippi State to take the Florida baseball job. This time, it was Templeton who referred to as Dooley.

He informed Dooley: “Vince, now I’m the one who wants a baseball coach, and I’m calling you as a result of it’s time for Ron Polk to come back house.”

That’s precisely what occurred. Polk got here again to State and coached seven extra seasons and went on to 5 NCAA Tournaments and one Faculty World Collection. 

Says Templeton, “The entire time I used to be the athletic director I by no means needed to fear about who was going to lock the doorways of the athletic division on the finish of the work day. Ron was at all times the final one to go away, typically after midnight, and he at all times locked the door behind him.”

Once more, when Polk was first employed at State (by Charley Shira at a State-LSU soccer sport), the information ran on web page 4 of the sports activities part of the state’s largest newspaper. There was no press convention. There was no want for one. It merely wasn’t massive information. Distinction that with when Polk lastly retired for good. The information was the lead story on the entrance web page of the Clarion Ledger and there have been a number of extra tales within the sports activities part. The press convention was full of reporters and TV cameras.

That may be one of the best measure Polk modified faculty baseball on this state. He made it matter. That’s all he did. He made it matter.