Ron Polk

Sport:
Baseball
Event:
Asst. Coach
Hometown:
Boston, Mass.
Country:
United States
At MSU:
1976-1997

Made his Olympic debut as an assistant coach with the United States' baseball team at the 1988 Seoul Games ... won gold in Seoul, though baseball was a demonstration sport at the time, as the Americans went 4-1 with their only loss coming to Canada in a one-run game in pool play ... won bronze with Team USA at the 1996 Atlanta Games, again as an assistant coach ... Team USA went 7-2 that year with its losses coming to eventual gold-medalist Cuba in pool play and eventual silver-medalist Japan in the semifinals ... considered by many to be the “Father of Southeastern Conference Baseball” ... coached college baseball for 54 years with 51 spent at the Division I level ... spent 31 seasons as a head coach in the SEC ... most famous for being the head coach at Mississippi State for 29 years, taking the Bulldogs to the College World Series six times ... won 1,373 games as a head coach ... inducted into six Halls of Fame ... made seven tours as a coach with the USA National Baseball team ... took eight trips to the Men's College World Series with three different schools ... also spent eight summers coaching in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League in his native Massachusetts ... was the head coach at Georgia Southern for four years taking them to the College World Series in his second season ... served as the head coach at Georgia for two seasons, also taking them to the College World Series ... one of only three college baseball coaches to ever take three different schools to the College World Series ... has also served as an assistant coach at Arizona, New Mexico, Miami, UAB and Miami-Dade Community College ... also reached Omaha in 1966, while on the coaching staff at Arizona ... 187 of his players as a head coach have signed professional baseball contracts with 29 of them having played in the major leagues ... coached 35 All-Americans, 76 All-SEC players and eight first round MLB Draft picks.

Seoul 1988 Results

Olympic Totals - 4-1 Record - Gold Medal

Sept. 19 - Pool - South Korea - USA, 5-3
Sept. 23 - Pool - Canada - CAN, 8-7
Sept. 25 - Pool - Australia - USA, 12-2
Sept. 26 - Semi - Puerto Rico - USA, 7-2
Sept. 28 - Medal - Japan - USA, 5-3

Atlanta 1996 Results

Olympic Totals - 7-2 Record - Bronze Medal

July 20 - Pool - Nicaragua - USA, 4-1
July 22 - Pool - South Korea - USA, 7-2
July 24 - Pool - Italy - USA, 15-3
July 25 - Pool - Japan - USA, 15-5
July 27 - Pool - Australia - USA, 15-5
July 28 - Pool - Cuba - CUB, 10-8
July 30 - Pool - Netherlands - USA, 17-1
Aug. 1 - Semi - Japan - JPN, 11-2
Aug. 2 - Medal - Nicaragua - USA, 10-3