Canes Honor Fmr. Coach Fraser With Statue
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CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) – The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is set to honor one of the greats who was also one of their own on Friday.
The University of Miami will be honoring former Coach Ron Fraser with a statue dedication and unveiling at 4 p.m. The event will be held at the DiMare Family Champions Plaza outside of Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
"The dedication of a statue in honor of Ron Fraser is a testimony to a lifetime spent enriching the lives of all who knew him, not only in the University of Miami and college baseball communities, but in the entire South Florida community," Miami Athletics Director Blake James said.
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"Ron touched the lives of thousands through his passion for baseball and for people. It is fitting that his immeasurable love for this community will forever be present at the entrance of our ballpark."
The late Coach Fraser was the face of Miami Hurricanes baseball for 30 years, from 1963 to 1992.
During that time the Hurricanes never posted a losing season. The team won 1,271 games under Fraser's watch, including national championships in 1982 and 1985.
The ceremony is free and open to the public.
Fraser is known as much for his mastery of the sport of baseball as for his talent at promoting and marketing the game. He played a big part in making college baseball a major collegiate sport across the country.
"Coach Fraser was not only the most influential person in college baseball history, but also the most influential in my own professional career," Miami head baseball coach Jim Morris said. "Having a statue in front of our park, honoring all that he did both on the field and off, is going to be something special for his family, our program and for our fans."
Fraser was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Following the statue dedication, the Hurricanes will host their in-state rival Florida State at 7 p.m. The game is expected to be a sellout.
