This article is one in a series of features produced in partnership with the Southwestern Athletic Conference, exploring the history of the SWAC from its founding in 1920 to the present day. The series will run during the months of April and May.
Jackson State is home to many great athletes and coaches, but very few embody the spirit of “Thee I Love” quite like Bob Braddy Sr.
Braddy spent close to 40 years as a student-athlete, coach, and administrator at JSU, most notably as the Tigers’ head baseball coach.
A native of Florence, Mississippi, Braddy pitched for Jackson State from 1961 to 1964 and, after a successful stint as head coach of McLaurin High School, was tabbed to lead his alma mater beginning with the 1973 season.
Braddy and the Tigers hit the ground running, finishing with a 27-10 record and earning the first of six NAIA District Tournament appearances and a conference title. That first year earned Braddy SWAC Baseball coach of the year honors.
When interviewed by the Clarion-Ledger newspaper about the honor, he explained that the JSU baseball program could be even better with more investment.
“Certainly, the support that the community has given is commendable; however, I don’t think enough emphasis is placed on the sport at the local level,” he said. “I think with the proper facilities, baseball would be self-supporting.”
Building a National Contender
Braddy and his Tigers would prove that point several times over the next 25-plus years, advancing to NAIA Area Tournament appearances (the next step after Districts) in 1975, 1976, and 1977.
When the SWAC as a whole moved to NCAA Division I in the late 70s, Jackson State continued to be a SWAC contender and, with a memorable 1982 SWAC title run and first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, Braddy built a nationally respected program in 10 years’ time.
“Talent-wise and coaching-wise, their kids are as good as any you’ll find,” then-Toronto Blue Jays Scout Moose Perry said of JSU’s baseball team. “[Braddy] has more legitimate prospects than anyone in the area. If a Black athlete wants to go to college and play baseball, he has no choice; it’s Jackson State.”
While the dreams of Major League Baseball drew baseball players to Jackson State, Braddy was focused on their education.
“We try to tell them the turnover rate in the majors is so small,” Braddy said at the time. “In recruiting, we mention the chance of going on to play professionally, but we emphasize getting a degree.”
Several of Braddy’s players did reach the Major League level; pitchers Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd and Marvin Freeman pitched more than a decade each in the majors. Utility man Wes Chamberlain was a key piece of the Philadelphia Phillies’ 1993 National League championship squad and outfielder Dave Clark was one of baseball’s top pinch hitters in the 1990s.
The 1982 SWAC Title Run
That 1982 Jackson State team had to work hard to make its NCAA trip. After beating Grambling 10-6 Saturday morning May 8, the SWAC scheduled a winner-take-all title game with Southern for Sunday morning, a decision that didn’t sit well with Jaguars coach Leroy Boyd.
“The game is supposed to be played today,” Boyd complained. “The tournament is supposed to be played from May 6 through May 8, unless there’s a rainout. It hasn’t rained.”
Confidently, Braddy sympathized with Boyd’s plight.
“I can understand why Coach Boyd would want to play today,” he said. “But it wasn’t my decision to make. Besides, I’m not so sure it’s to Southern’s disadvantage that we hold off another day. We just won a big game, and we have some momentum going.”
As it was, that Sunday game was a back-and-forth affair that started with eighth-place hitter Bobby Buchanan punching a home run out of the park to give JSU a 3-0 lead. Southern countered with six before the Tigers put together a three-run seventh inning and took the lead for good in the top of the eighth inning.
“They had us down. Our backs were against the wall,” Braddy said. “I got into this game more than any other playoff I’ve been in because it meant so much.”
A Legacy Cemented in Jackson and Beyond
Jackson State would win three more SWAC tournaments under Braddy, including the 2000 season, which turned out to be his last. Upon his retirement, his record was 824-546 with 52 former players playing at the professional level.
Braddy returned to JSU as athletic director from 2006 to 2011 and in 2009, the new Jackson State baseball field was named for the man who took the program to the top of the SWAC and HBCU baseball.
The accolades have continued to pour in for Bob Braddy, starting with his induction into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2003, the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
“The greatest feat you can get is recognition from your peers,” Braddy said about his NCB induction. “Who would think that in 1973, a country boy coming out of the field to be Jackson State’s baseball coach, that this would be the end result?”
