The American Baseball Coaches Association is grieving the loss of Board member Dr. Carroll Land who passed away yesterday. Land, a 46-year Lifetime ABCA Member, formerly served as the ABCA President in 1995 and as Chairman of the ABCA Board of Directors from 1998-2003.
Land served as head baseball coach at Point Loma Nazarene University from 1961 through 1999. As baseball coach he produced 768 wins while leading his teams to 16 postseason appearances. Land led the Sea Lions to back-to-back NAIA World Series appearances in 1993 and 1994 and coached numerous All-America selections and several players who signed professional baseball contracts during his career. Additionally, Land served as Athletic Director at PLNU where his vision vision brought growth and balance for men's and women's programs at the school.
The ABCA/Wilson Lefty Gomez Award recipient spent 11 years on the NAIA National Executive Committee, ultimately culminating in his presidency. He helped coordinate the NAIA National Championship events in several sports and was chairman of the Commission for Women's Championships resulting in the initial NAIA Championships for Women and also served as the founding President and Commissioner of the Golden State Athletic Conference.
At the international level, land coached with the U.S. Military All-Stars for 16 seasons. He served as a Board Member of the U.S. Baseball Federation, spent 12 years as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee House of Delegates, and was involved in the administration of the World University Games.
Land is a member of the ABCA Hall of Fame as well as the NAIA and Point Loma Nazarene Halls of Fame. He received the Dr. Robert "Ish" Smith NAIA Coach and Character Award, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Jerry Kindall Award and the ABCA/Wilson Lefty Gomez Award during his illustrious career. Land remained highly involved with the ABCA throughout his lifetime, continuing to serve on the ABCA Board of Directors and as Chair of the ABCA Hall of Fame Committee. Land previously served on the ABCA Standing Committee and Ethics in Coaching Committee as well.