Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois University Baseball community is mourning the loss of Richard C. "Itchy" Jones, a revered Hall of Fame coach who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87. Jones had an illustrious career spanning 39 years at the collegiate level, coaching at MacMurray, Southern Illinois, and Illinois.

Jones's legacy includes being one of college baseball's top-20 all-time winningest coaches, with a record of 1,242-752-6. Even after his retirement 15 years ago, he ranks 27th in NCAA history for all-time wins. He was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport.

During his 21-year tenure as head coach at Southern Illinois, Jones led the Salukis to a remarkable record of 738-345-5. Under his guidance, SIU made ten NCAA Tournament appearances and reached the NCAA College World Series three times. In 1971, Jones brought the team within one game of a national championship.

Jones also achieved success in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), leading SIU to seven best regular-season records and five MVC Tournament titles over his 16 seasons there. His final season with SIU in 1990 saw the team achieve a 49-14 record and nearly secure another College World Series berth.

His accolades include being named NCAA Division I Diamond Baseball Coach of the Year in 1990 and receiving two other national coach of the year honors: Adirondack National Coach of the Year in 1971 and The Sporting News Coach of the Year in 1978.

Throughout his career at Southern Illinois, Jones coached numerous players who went on to play in Major League Baseball, including Dave Stieb and Steve Finley as well as Derek Shelton.

Before becoming a coach, Jones was an accomplished player himself. He was named Salukis' baseball MVP in 1957 and earned All-Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors three times as a second baseman. After playing professionally with the Baltimore Orioles minor league system, he began coaching basketball at Jacksonville High School before transitioning to baseball coaching.

After leaving SIU, Jones continued his coaching career at Illinois where he led teams to significant achievements including a Big Ten Tournament title in 2000 and their first regular season Big Ten Championship in over three decades during the 1998 season.

Jones's impact extended beyond coaching; he is honored by nine Hall of Fames across various institutions and sports associations. The stadium renovation project at Abe Martin Field was named Abe Martin Field at Richard "Itchy" Jones Stadium in recognition of his contributions. His jersey No.1 was retired by Southern Illinois University in tribute to his legacy.

A Celebration of Life event will be planned for later this year to honor Coach Jones's life and achievements.