| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1952-01-30)January 30, 1952 (age 73) New Roads, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1970–1973 | Southern |
| Position(s) | OF |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Baseball | |
| 1978 | Southern (asst.) |
| 1985–2017[1] | Southern |
| Basketball | |
| 1980–1984 | Southern (Asst.) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 913–597–1 (.604)[1] |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 14 conference[1] & 2 black national[2] | |
Roger Cador (born January 30, 1952) is an Americancollege baseball coach who most recently served as head coach of theSouthern Jaguars baseball team. He was named to that position prior to the1985 season.[3] He is also a member of aMajor League Baseball task force to improve African-American participation in baseball.[4][5]
Cador played baseball and basketball at Southern, leading the Jaguars in hitting in his junior season of 1972 at .393. He would be drafted by theAtlanta Braves in the 10th round of the1973 MLB Draft and play five seasons in the Braves organization, reaching Class-AAA in his final season of 1977 as an outfielder.[3]
He returned to Southern in 1978 as an assistant baseball coach. He moved to assistant basketball coach of the Jaguars in 1980, where he remained four seasons before earning the head coaching job of the baseball team in 1985. Cador's accomplishments include conference championships, 13 SWAC Coach of the Year awards, NCAA regional appearances, and three NCAA play-in appearances. Cador has also produced 35 players who played professional, or became coaches, umpires, or scouts, including 23 players drafted from 2001–2004.[3]
Cador tells a story that when he took over as head coach, the Jaguars had virtually no equipment or facilities. He arranged a scrimmage with the Braves, then managed by his friendDusty Baker, and returned to Baton Rouge with a truck full of equipment for his team. He has also spearheaded efforts to build an on-campus stadium, complete with lights, and ground was recently broken on a facility to house space exclusively for the Jaguars baseball team.[6] To increase exposure, he has organized the Urban Invitational featuring Historically Black Colleges and Universities televised onMLB Network.[7]
Cador completed his career at Southern with 14SWAC titles, 11NCAA tournament appearances,[1] and two black national titles (in 2003 and 2005).[2] He also held the distinctions of having coached the firstGolden Spikes Award winner and Dick Howser Trophy to have played at apredominantly black school (Rickie Weeks Jr. in 2003) and the first NCAA Division I tournament game win by a black school.[1]