Longtime Gophers baseball coach John Anderson to retire after 2024 season
The Gophers’ 2024 baseball season will be the end of an era.
Minnesota coach John Anderson says he will retire at the end of the season, ending the longest coaching tenure in the history of Gophers athletics.
Anderson has been the U baseball team’s head coach the past 43 seasons and a part of the program as a player, student assistant coach, graduate assistant and head coach for the past 49 years, dating back to the fall of 1974.
“It’s been the professional honor of my lifetime to work alongside some of the most talented and dedicated coaches in college baseball, support staff members, gifted colleagues, amazing student-athletes and an impressive group of alumni and donors who provided unwavering support throughout my tenure,” Anderson saod in a statement. “I am grateful for the support of all the athletic directors I worked with throughout my career. The University and the tradition-rich Golden Gopher baseball program have impacted me and my family with so many special opportunities and wonderful memories. My hope is, as the leader of the program, I have been able to make the same impact in return.
“I will forever cherish my time as a student-athlete and coach and the important lifelong friendships and special relationships that were made during the past decades. There will be time to reminisce and share all the great stories that were created on this special journey when the 2024 season is over. But right now, my staff and I are focused on preparing our team for the season ahead and mentoring them into their best version of themselves, so they can reach their potential in the classroom and on the diamond.”
Anderson is the winningest baseball coach in the history of the Big Ten with a 1,365-997-3 (.579) overall record and a 614-414 (.598) record against conference opponents. Inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2008, he has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year eight times, most recently in 2018 after leading Minnesota to a Big Ten championship and the NCAA Tournament Super Regional for the first time in program history.
Under Anderson, the Gophers baseball team won 11 Big Ten titles and 10 Big Ten Tournament championships, and made 18 NCAA tournament appearances.
“John is Minnesota baseball,” Gophers Director of Athletics Mark Coyle said. “He is one of the finest coaches and individuals in all of college athletics, and our University and state are better off because of his contributions. We look forward to celebrating his final season as the leader of the Gophers.”
Under his watch, 115 Gophers have been drafted to the MLB. With two selections in the 2023 draft, the Gophers extended their draft streak to 36 consecutive years. The streak is the longest in the Big Ten, with Ohio State (12 years) and Michigan (10 years) as the next closest Big Ten teams.
The Gophers finished the 2023 season with a record of 18-34 overall and 10-14 in the Big Ten. Minnesota went 6-4 in its final 10 games, which included a road win at No. 19 Maryland. With a core group of players set to return this season, the Gophers will look to build on their end-of-season success in 2024.
