| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1947-02-26)February 26, 1947 (age 78) Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Miami-Dade Community,A.A. Florida Atlantic University,B.A. Arizona State University,M.A. |
| Playing career | |
| 1966–1967 | Miami-Dade |
| 1968 | Arizona State |
| 1968–1969 | Houston Astros |
| Positions | Pitcher,shortstop,second baseman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1977–1983 | Florida Southern |
| 1984–1994 | Florida |
| 1997–1998 | Oneonta Yankees |
| 1999–2000 | Staten Island Yankees |
| 2007–2010 | Polk State |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NCAA Division II (1978, 1981) Sunshine State Conference (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983) Southeastern Conference (1984, 1988) SEC Tournament (1984, 1988, 1991) | |
| Awards | |
| Division II Coach of the Year (1978, 1981) SEC Coach of the Year (1984, 1988) | |
| College Baseball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2015 | |
Joseph A. Arnold (born February 26, 1947) is an American former college and professionalbaseball coach. During his twenty-four seasons as a head coach, Arnold led the college baseball teams atFlorida Southern College, theUniversity of Florida, andPolk State College, and also served as the manager of two Class A minor league teams within theNew York Yankees organization. Arnold was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock, Texas in March 2015.
Arnold was born inDaytona Beach, Florida.[1] He attendedLake Worth High School inLake Worth, Florida, where he was apitcher for the Lake Worth Trojans high school baseball team.[2]
He attendedMiami-Dade Community College, where he was a standout pitcher for the MDCC baseball team, and was recognized as a junior collegeAll-American in 1966 and 1967.[3] After he exhausted his junior college eligibility, he transferred toArizona State University inTempe, Arizona, where he played for theArizona State Sun Devils baseball team in 1968.
Following the 1968 college season, theHouston Astros selected Arnold in the third round (55th pick overall) of the1968 MLB Draft. He appeared in 114 games while playing for four different Class A affiliates of the Astros in 1968 and 1969; in two seasons, he batted .221 and won his only appearance as a pitcher.[4]
From 1977 to 1983, Arnold was the head coach of the Florida Southern Moccasins baseball team of Florida Southern College inLakeland, Florida.[5] In seven seasons, he led the Mocs baseball team to an overall win–loss record of 316–69 (.821), fourSunshine State Conference (SSC) championships (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983), six consecutive appearances in theDivision IICollege World Series, twoDivision II national championships (1978, 1981) and two national second-place finishes (1979, 1982).[5]
From 1980 to 1983, Arnold managed theWareham Gatemen, acollegiate summer baseball team in the prestigiousCape Cod Baseball League.[6][7]
Arnold was the head coach of theFlorida Gators baseball team at the University of Florida inGainesville, Florida, from 1984 to 1994.[8] In eleven seasons, Arnold coached the Gators to an overall win–loss record of 434–244–2 (.640), twoSoutheastern Conference (SEC) championships (1984, 1988), three SEC tournament titles (1984, 1988, 1991), seven appearances in theDivision I baseball tournament, and the program's first two appearances in theCollege World Series (1988,1991).[8][9][10] He was twice chosen by his fellow coaches as the SEC Coach of the Year (1984, 1988).[8]
Arnold managed theOneonta Yankees in 1997 and 1998, and theStaten Island Yankees in 1999 and 2000; both teams were the Yankees affiliates in the Class ANew York–Penn League. In four seasons managing Single-A baseball, he compiled a record of 179–119 (.601), his Yankees teams finished first or second in the standings three of four years, and won the league championship twice.[11] Thereafter, he continued as the director of East Coast scouting for the parentNew York Yankees.[9]
Not ready to retire, Arnold became the head coach of his third college baseball team in 2007, accepting the opportunity to coach the Polk State Vikings of Polk State College inWinter Haven, Florida.[12] He coached the Vikings for four seasons, until health concerns forced him to step down after the 2010 season.[9][12]
Arnold and his wife Beverly have two children, a son and a daughter.[1]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Southern Moccasins(Sunshine State Conference)(1977–1983) | |||||||||
| 1977 | Florida Southern | 34–11 | NCAA South Regional | ||||||
| 1978 | Florida Southern | 41–8 | College World Series champions | ||||||
| 1979 | Florida Southern | 40–12 | 10–5 | 1st | College World Series runners up | ||||
| 1980 | Florida Southern | 45–11 | 11–4 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1981 | Florida Southern | 55–8 | 10–5 | 1st | College World Series champions | ||||
| 1982 | Florida Southern | 50–11 | 19–2 | 1st | College World Series runners up | ||||
| 1983 | Florida Southern | 51–8 | 14–3 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| Florida Southern: | 316–69 | 64–19 | |||||||
| Florida Gators(Southeastern Conference)(1984–1994) | |||||||||
| 1984 | Florida | 43–16–1 | 18–4 | 1st (East) | NCAA South I Regional | ||||
| 1985 | Florida | 43–18 | 15–6 | 1st (East) | NCAA Atlantic Regional | ||||
| 1986 | Florida | 27–26 | 14–13 | 6th | |||||
| 1987 | Florida | 32–24 | 17–9 | 3rd | |||||
| 1988 | Florida | 48–19–1 | 21–6 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1989 | Florida | 44–22 | 14–10 | 3rd | NCAA East Regional | ||||
| 1990 | Florida | 29–30 | 11–12 | 6th | |||||
| 1991 | Florida | 51–21 | 16–8 | 2nd | College World Series | ||||
| 1992 | Florida | 44–20 | 16–8 | 1st (East) | NCAA East Regional | ||||
| 1993 | Florida | 33–25 | 12–14 | 3rd (East) | |||||
| 1994 | Florida | 40–23 | 16–9 | 2nd (East) | NCAA Atlantic I Regional | ||||
| Florida: | 434–244–2 | 170–99 | |||||||
| Total: | |||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
