Duffy Bass coached the Illinois State University baseball team for 25 years. Bass started his career at Illinois State as a catcher on the baseball team in 1946. He became head baseball coach of the Redbirds in 1963 and continued coaching until 1988.
In his career, Bass won 713 games, which earned him the distinction as the winningest coach in Illinois State history, an honor that was overtaken by Illinois State head softball coach Melinda Fischer in 2007.
In all, Bass and the Redbirds made six NCAA Tournament appearances. He led ISU to an NCAA College Division (now Division II) National Championship in 1969. For his efforts, Bass was named the 1969 College Baseball Coach of the Year.
Bass received many other honors, including being named the National Coach of the Year in 1970 and the 1976 Illinois Coach of the Year. In 1973, he was inducted into the Illinois State Athletics Hall of Fame.
Bass, who served on numerous ABCA committees, was honored with the renaming of the ISU baseball field to Duffy Bass Field in 2007 and the retiring of his No. 13 jersey.
