Stillman College Honors Longtime Baseball Coach, Former AD

TUSCALOOSA, AL — As part of Homecoming celebrations over the weekend, Stillman College named the road leading down the hill from Stadium Drive to Tiger Field and the Stillman Softball Complex as Dr. Richard Cosby Drive.

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Stillman athletic director and baseball coach Terrance Whittle referred to Cosby as a "legend" in college baseball and higher education.

Cosby is the winningest coach in Stillman College baseball history, gathering more than 276 wins and five conference championships from 1974 to 1990, as the Tigers competed at the NCAA Division III level.

Cosby's record at Stillman for his career was 276-159-2, which does not include the 1982 season. He also had four players drafted by Major League Baseball.

"I had kids who could play baseball," Cosby said. "My idea was to teach the discipline and encourage them to the best that they could do in the sport and in the classroom – and they did. Success – I tried to improve the culture of being successful academically – to be true student-athletes and represent the institution. It was an honor to work with the young folks and encourage them to be the best I can be. I'm thankful for the experience here and the opportunity to come back and to have this time dedicated to me for the work I did. God's been good to us."

During the naming ceremony, Cosby's former players also surprised him with a championship ring, which the college point out is something the legendary coach never spent money.

"They talked about the ring, but I didn't know it would be part of today's ceremony," he said. "I always wanted to get them rings, but we didn't have the money; we would get them patches. It's a very good feeling that they thought of it, to consider what my work meant to them. It's very thoughtful of them."

Apart from his duties as Stillman's baseball coach, Cosby also served as the school's athletic director from 1973-1991, again from July 2000-January 2003 and then finally a short stint in 2003-2004.

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