Photo by: UCR Athletics Media Relations
Highlanders Honor Former Head Baseball Coach Don Edwards
4/3/2010 1:48:24 PM | Baseball
Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team honored former head coach Don Edwards on Saturday, April 3 at a pregame barbecue and on-field presentation prior to first pitch of their 1 pm game against Cal Poly. Edwards helped in the development of the first Highlanders baseball teams back in the mid 1950s, and became the team's head coach prior to the 1960 season. View Photo Gallery.
The 1966 season was a pivotal one for the Highlanders for two reasons: John Lowenstein, who would go on to a 15-year major league career with the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles, became UC Riverside's first scholarship player that season; and Edwards and Assistant Coach Gary Adams came up with the idea to host an annual tournament featuring major Division I-caliber teams.
Originally called the Riverside National Intercollegiate Baseball Tournament, Ohio State, UCLA, BYU, Mississippi State, Yale, Wyoming and Washington all traveled to Division II UC Riverside in the spring of 1967 to play in the week-long event that would eventually become known as the Riverside Baseball Invitational Tournament (RBI).
Future big-leaguers such as Barry Bonds, Craig Biggio, Fred Lynn, Dave Kingman and Jack Morris all participated in the tournament during their collegiate careers, as the Highlanders attracted the cream of the baseball crop to the Inland Empire.
In 1976 Edwards coached the US National Team in the Pan American Games and in 1994 he was elected to the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. Edwards is being inducted into the Riverside Sport Hall of Fame on May 10.
The 1966 season was a pivotal one for the Highlanders for two reasons: John Lowenstein, who would go on to a 15-year major league career with the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles, became UC Riverside's first scholarship player that season; and Edwards and Assistant Coach Gary Adams came up with the idea to host an annual tournament featuring major Division I-caliber teams.
Originally called the Riverside National Intercollegiate Baseball Tournament, Ohio State, UCLA, BYU, Mississippi State, Yale, Wyoming and Washington all traveled to Division II UC Riverside in the spring of 1967 to play in the week-long event that would eventually become known as the Riverside Baseball Invitational Tournament (RBI).
Future big-leaguers such as Barry Bonds, Craig Biggio, Fred Lynn, Dave Kingman and Jack Morris all participated in the tournament during their collegiate careers, as the Highlanders attracted the cream of the baseball crop to the Inland Empire.
In 1976 Edwards coached the US National Team in the Pan American Games and in 1994 he was elected to the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. Edwards is being inducted into the Riverside Sport Hall of Fame on May 10.
Thursday, May 21
Monday, May 04
Friday, May 01
Tuesday, March 24
