After 37 seasons guiding the fortunes of the Stetson University Baseball program, head coach Pete Dunn has decided to step away from his coaching duties, effective immediately.
Dunn, who has compiled a career record of 1,312-888-3, was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2014. He ranks 20th on the all-time NCAA list for career coaching victories over all divisions. He ranks 15th in NCAA Division I history.
“This is the right time for me to hand the program over to someone else, both personally and for the program moving forward,” Dunn said. “I have given my life to Stetson University, and the Stetson Baseball program, for 40 years. I still carry my love for the game, but it is time for me to move on.
“I have mixed emotions. As long as I can remember, back to when I was a little kid, I have been playing baseball or coaching. It is going to be tough to walk away from it. Obviously I am going to stay very interested. Game days will be the toughest because I really enjoy coaching on game days. It is not going to be easy, but it is time.”
Dunn, whose contract runs through the end of the 2017 season, will remain a part of the program, serving in the role of Head Coach Emeritus for the coming year. He will focus his efforts on fund raising and other areas where he can have a significant impact on the future of Hatters baseball.
“As someone who played for Coach Dunn, coached with him and, for the last 20 years served as Director of Athletics, I can tell you that no one is more passionate about seeing Stetson Baseball succeed than Pete is,” Athletics Director Jeff Altier said. “I am so pleased that he is able to walk away at a time when the program is still basking in the success of last spring’s run to the ASUN Championship and trip to the Coral Gables Regional.
“There is a very solid foundation in place here to return to that championship level year-after-year. That is a credit to what Coach Dunn has built over the last 37 years as head coach.”
During his tenure as head coach, Dunn was named the ASUN Coach of the Year six times and he led the Hatters to NCAA Tournament play 17 times. Stetson captured three ASUN regular season titles and six ASUN Tournament championships. He sent a total of 62 players on to play professionally, seven who made it all the way to the Major Leagues, including current stars Chris Johnson, Jacob deGrom and Corey Kluber.
“Coach Dunn has been able to bring meaning to the Stetson Athletics vision statement over decades of coaching,” Altier said. “Developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community is not an easy task and requires a coach to demand performance each and every day in every area.”
A search is already under way to identify a successor to lead the Stetson program in 2017 and beyond. An announcement as to who that new head coach will be is expected in the very near future.
“The baseball program has been a source of pride for Stetson University for many years,” Altier said. “We are not going to be able to replace Coach Dunn but, through a national search, we will find a candidate who will meet the high standards established by Pete.”
