Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1998
- Class:
- 2008
Ron Polk, affectionately known as “The Godfather of SEC Baseball,” served as head baseball coach at Mississippi State from 1976-97 and 2002-08.
Polk arrived in Starkville from Georgia Southern, where he led the Eagles to two NCAA Tournament appearances and its first College World Series in 1973.
He quickly turned MSU baseball into one of the premier programs in the country, compiling 15 NCAA Tournament appearances and five College World Series berths during his first tenure. Polk’s clubs captured four SEC regular-season titles and four SEC Tournament crowns during his first stint in the M over S while putting together 12 seasons of 40 wins or more.
Perhaps his most legendary squad at State was in 1985, led by the “Thunder and Lightning” duo of Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro. The Diamond Dawgs boasted an overall record of 50-15, finishing the season one game shy of playing for the national championship.
Polk retired after the 1997 season but returned to Dudy Noble Field and the newly named Polk-DeMent Stadium after a brief stint at Georgia, where he led the red and black Bulldogs to an SEC title and the College World Series.
His second tenure at MSU featured five NCAA Tournament appearances, the 2005 SEC Tournament title and another College World Series trip in 2007.
Polk compiled an overall record of 1,373-702-2 during his 35 years as a head coach. He was named SEC Coach of the Year four times, tied with fellow M-Club Hall of Famer Paul Gregory for third-most in conference history, and National Coach of the Year twice. He was the first coach in SEC history to reach 1,000 wins and remains the conference’s winningest coach across all sports.
He is one of three coaches in college baseball history to lead three different programs to the College World Series. During his head coaching career, Polk tutored 33 All-Americans, 71 All-SEC selections, 187 MLB Draft picks and 29 Big Leaguers.
Polk was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
