Former UA baseball coach Jerry Kindall told members of the Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter on Sept. 10 that he was impressed with the principles of the fraternity and that was confident the Beta Phi Chapter’s dignity would be re-established on campus.
“I know about the chapter’s troubles,” he said, “but it has recovered in a wonderful way.”
Kindall met with the 25 alumni and Beta Phi undergraduates at their monthly meeting at Sam Hughes Place near the UA campus.
Kindall was head baseball coach at Arizona from 1973 to 1996 and won three NCAA championships. He won 860 games, lost 580 and tied six. . His players garnered All-America recognition 34 times, first team all-Pac-10 South honors 44 times and all-WAC honors 27 times during his tenure at Arizona. Three of his players were named the College World Series MVP and four were tabbed as the Pac-10 South Player of the Year.
A total of 209 players who played for Coach Kindall at Arizona signed contracts to play professional baseball, including 32 who went on to play at the major league level. He spent eight seasons in the major leagues with the Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins.
He recalled how when he attended the University of Minnesota that he was too busy with playing baseball and basketball to have time for a fraternity, something that he regretted.
He also recalled his fondness for Sigma Chis he knew while he was on campus, including Swede Johnson, Frank Sancet, Jerry Tolle, Bob Svob, Dana Cooper, Terry Valeski and others.
“I am impressed with Sigma Chi,” he said, particularly with the “high standards” of the Jordan Standard.
Kindall entertained the group with baseball stories that were triggered by a 10-question quiz featuring memorable dates and statistics in baseball history. They included the first night game in Major League Baseball, the “shot heard round the world,” Pete Rose’s recording-setting base hits and Roger Maris’ 61-home run season.
The next alumni meeting is scheduled for Oct. 7.
