Hall of Fame honors Tampa’s own Magadan

Posted Mar 29, 2010 by Katherine Smith

Updated Mar 29, 2010 at 11:07 AM

Former Jesuit and University of Alabama baseball player Dave Magadan has a permanent spot in the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Magadan was the top vote getter among the 10-member 2010 induction class. The Tampa native, who is currently a hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox, was recognized for the “amazing numbers” he produced at Alabama, Hall of Fame chairman Mike Gustafson said.

Magadan’s three-year career with the Crimson Tide, included a junior season that saw him set the SEC single-season record with a .525 batting average. He shattered school and Southeastern Conference records that still stand today in becoming the 1983 Golden Spikes Award winner, presented annually by USA Baseball.

Magadan, who concluded the 1983 season with six school career records (at-bats, runs, hits, RBI, doubles, total bases and batting average), was a major contributor in Alabama’s national runner up spot to Texas at the College World Series.  In addition, he paced the Crimson Tide to the NCAA South Region and Southeastern Conference titles en route to a 46-11 record, one of the most successful campaigns in school history.

He batted a nation-leading .525 (114-for-217) as a junior, was voted the 1983 College “Player of the Year” by Baseball America, and led the team in hits (114), doubles (31), total bases (180) and slugging percentage (.829) during his record-setting campaign.

Magadan was a consensus First-Team All-America selection by The American Baseball Coaches Association, The Sporting News, Baseball America and The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association during the 1983 season and was a three-time All-SEC selection at the Capstone.

He played in 162 games in his Alabama career and batted .439 (268-for-610) with 64 doubles, 14 home runs and 188 RBI. His .439 batting average still ranks among the leaders in Division I baseball and still sits atop the SEC standings as the highest career average in league history.

He still holds Alabama records for highest single-season batting average (.525, 1983), highest career batting average (.439, 1981-83), single-season hits (114, 1983), single-season (31, 1983) and career doubles (64, 1981-83) and single-season RBI (95, 1983). He also set the Alabama standards for highest batting average for a freshman (.399, 1981) and junior (.525, 1983) and most RBI (95, 1983) by a junior. He also shares the single-game record with five hits, a feat he accomplished an Alabama record three times, against Alabama Christian (April 16, 1983), Florida (May 13, 1983) and Arizona State (June 4, 1983).

Drafted by the Boston Red Sox out of Jesuit, Magadan eventually signed with the New York Mets and played in the major leagues for 15 seasons before retiring in 2000.