Demie J. Mainieri (October 21, 1928 – March 13, 2019) was an American college baseball head coach who was the first junior college coach to win 1,000 career games.
Biographical details | |
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Born | October 21, 1928 |
Died | March 13, 2019 | (aged 90)
Accomplishments and honors | |
Awards | |
NJCAA Hall of Fame (1983) | |
College Baseball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2014 |
Mainieri was from Jersey City, New Jersey and attended Lincoln High School.[1] He graduated from West Virginia University in 1963 with a Ph.D. in education and administration.[2] He served as an assistant coach in college football at Columbia University under head coach Lou Little.[3]
Mainieri served as the head coach of the college baseball team at Miami Dade Community College for thirty years, starting in 1960.[4][5] He was named athletic director in 1963.[3] Mainieri became the first junior college coach to win 1,000 career games. Mainieri won 1,012 games at Miami-Dade.[4]
In 1978, Mainieri skippered the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[6]
Mainieri's son, Paul Mainieri, was the head coach for the LSU Tigers baseball team from 2007 until his retirement at the conclusion of the 2021 season.[4]
Mainieri was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 1983.[7] In 2014, Mainieri was elected into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.[4]
On March 13, 2019, Mainieri died at the age of 90.[8]