
Duncan Named Chuck Tanner College Coach of the Year
10/19/2018 2:10:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH, Pa. –Kent State University baseball coach Jeff Duncan has been named the recipient of the Chuck Tanner College Coach of the Year Award, the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh announced. Duncan will receive the award at the 12th annual Chuck Tanner Awards Banquet on November 10 at the Rivers Club in downtown Pittsburgh.
"I am honored and humbled to be receiving an award that represents a great person and manager like Chuck Tanner," Duncan said, "This is a testament to where our program is at right now. It is a true credit to our program as a whole, starting with the players, the staff, and the administration."
The Chuck Tanner College Coach of the Year award is awarded to the honoree whose work exemplifies the values that made Chuck Tanner a beloved manager. A native of New Castle, Pennsylvania, Chuck Tanner's baseball career spanned 60 years with eight years as a player and 19 years as a Major League manager. Managing the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1977 through 1985, Tanner is revered as an optimistic leader who instilled confidence and inspired his players.
"Jeff has been a great addition to our staff and has carried on our winning tradition in his five years in the program," Kent State Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen stated, "On behalf of the university and all of our Golden Flashes fans, I want to congratulate Coach Duncan on this prestigious honor."
Duncan led the Golden Flashes to a Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament championship in 2018, the program's third consecutive regular season title. The Flashes finished 40-19 and made an appearance at the NCAA Regional tournament in Lubbock, Texas, winning two games before falling to Louisville.
"Outside of baseball, he will take time to give you the best advice," senior Pavin Parks explained, "Within baseball, we have talks every day before practice, during practice, and after practice about having confidence and about how you gain confidence by preparing. The more you are prepared for the next game or the more you prepare on your own and with the team, the more confidence you're going to have in the in-game situations."
"He's just very consistent in his coaching. He really does want the best for us," former player Tim DalPorto added, "The opportunities he's given every one of us, to be the best person we can be. If we make a mistake, he's trying to coach us and to do what he can to make us not make that same mistake twice and to put us in the best position to succeed."
Entering his sixth season at Kent State, the Joliet, Illinois native owns a 188-95 coaching record at Kent State and has been named the MAC Coach of the Year for three consecutive years. He has also coached 15 players selected in the Major League draft in his time at Kent State, including 2016 Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year and first round draft pick, Eric Lauer.
"He's that player's coach," Lauer explained, "He was a player for a long time. He played in the Big Leagues. He understands what everybody wants to do and how to get there too. It's great insight to the guys as to what to expect in the future if they want to move on in their career."
The Chuck Tanner Awards Banquet is a charitable event with proceeds benefiting programs supported by the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh. To purchase tickets for the Chuck Tanner Awards Banquet, visit www.chucktannerbanquet.com.
Several other awards will be presented at the banquet. Oakland A's manager Bob Melvin will receive the Chuck Tanner MLB Manager of the Year award, and Pittsburgh Pirates play-by-play announcer Lanny Frattare, whose 33 years is the longest tenure in the team's history, will receive the Chuck Tanner Lifetime Achievement Award. Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon will receive the Chuck Tanner Memorial Award, and Sandy Dengler will receive the Sally O'Leary Distinguished Women in Baseball Award.