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Rudy Abbott spent 32 years as head coach of the Gamecocks from 1970-2001 and became just the 29th coach in NCAA history to win 1,000 games, winning 1,003 in his tenure. He was named Jacksonville State's Sports Information Director in 1964, before taking over the baseball program six years later.
Abbott led the Gamecocks to two NCAA National Championships, claiming back-to-back titles in 1990 and again in 1991. During his tenure at JSU, he was named NCAA District Coach of the Year six times. He won eight conference Coach of the Year awards and captured 11 Conference Championships.
In addition to his enshrined into the Jax State Athletics Hall of Fame, Abboott has been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Gulf South Conference Hall of Fame and the Calhoun County Sports Hall of Fame. After his coaching career came to an end, he continued to serve as a volunteer youth coach and as an elected member of the Calhoun County Commission.
Over Abbott's 32 seasons as JSU's baseball coach, he led the Gamecocks to eight Gulf South Conference Tournament titles and won or shared three ASUN division championships. He took the Gamecocks to the NCAA Division II World Series seven times, culminating in back-to-back titles in 1990 and 1991. Jax State named the Gamecocks' playing field in his honor and the Alabama Department of Transportation named Alabama Highway 204, the road that is adjacent to the home of the Gamecocks, "Rudy Abbott Highway" in his honor.
Leading the Gamecocks, he coached 24 All-Americans and 69 all-conference players at JSU and saw 45 of his players taken in the Major League Baseball Draft and 62 sign with MLB teams. He had two players taken in the first round of the MLB Draft, Tedd Barnicle in 1975 and Todd Jones in 1989. Jones went on to have an All-Star career in Major League Baseball and was named the American League Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2000.
Abbott coached seven teams to more than 40 wins and his 1979 team opened its season 29-0, an NCAA record at the time. When he finished his career in 2001, his .682 winning percentage was seventh among all active NCAA coaches. He was named Coach of the Year in every league the Gamecocks competed in and was named the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1991 for the Gamecocks' championship campaigns.
A native of Anniston, Abbott had a distinguished prep career at Walter Wellborn before heading for Jones Junior College in Mississippi.
After lettering in football, basketball and track at Jones, Abbott returned home to Jacksonville State to play baseball in the early 1960's. He later signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates after tossing a pair of no-hitters during his junior campaign. After his stint in professional baseball, Abbott returned to Anniston, landing a job as a sports writer at The Anniston Star. His love for baseball didn't dwindle, as he served local youth league teams each summer as a head coach.
Abbott was fittingly inducted alongside former Jax State Athletic Director, Jerry Cole, in the 2001 HoF Class. The two are largely responsible for creating the Jax State Athletics Hall of Fame. Cole originally started the hall of fame because he wanted to honor former coaches J.W. Stephenson and Ray Wedgeworth, who were inducted in 1972. But after the first year, inductions stopped, until Cole asked Abbott, still serving as the sports information director, to revive the hall of fame.
Coach Abbott passed away in February 2022 at the age of 81. Jax State wore commemorative No. 18 patches - Abbott's longtime number - in his honor during the 2022 season.
updated 2025
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