Johnny Reagan (1971) - Hall of Fame - Murray State University Athletics

Johnny Reagan

Induction:
1971

Johnny “Red” Reagan – Basketball, 1944-1948 Student-Athlete
Baseball Coach, 1958-1993
(Deceased)

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Inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame 1971 after a stellar career in basketball and baseball, but his post-graduate work as head baseball coach and later as director of athletics was in itself hall of fame worthy.
He was inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 1988 and is one of only 12 from Murray State (as of 2018) to be so honored.
A 1948 Murray State graduate, Reagan, returned to his alma mater in 1958 as head baseball coach, assistant basketball coach and business instructor.
In 1971, he was named the assistant athletic director.
He served as director of athletics from 1978-1987 and as chairman of the NCAA Baseball Committee from 1978-1986.
Coached the Thoroughbreds baseball program for 36 seasons as the longest tenure of any coach in the history of the university from 1958 to 1993.
As a student-athlete at Murray State, he was a two-sport star in baseball and basketball.
Reagan became the only Racer basketball player to ever lead his team in every statistical category, a feat he achieved in 1946. It's an accomplishment that has never been equaled.
Following his junior season in 1946, he received all-Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors in basketball.
He was team captain during the 1946 and 47 seasons.
As a starter on the basketball team all four years, he was named all-conference each year.
His jersey No. 20 was retired in 2003 and hangs in the rafters at the CFSB Center.
Reagan's No. 36 baseball jersey was also retired after he coached his final game in 1993.
He left his mark on the baseball field as a player as well, when he recorded a one-hitter against Western Kentucky in 1946.
Reagan played shortstop for Murray State as a freshman and sophomore but switched to pitching as a junior and senior.
He went on to play two years of professional baseball after receiving his degree in 1948.
During his 36 season guiding Murray State Baseball, Reagan led the Thoroughbreds to a 776-508-11 record and 11 Ohio Valley Conference championships.
He was a 10-time OVC Coach of the Year.
One of Reagan's best season came in 1975, when MSU was 40-9 record and ranked as high as 12th in the NCAA baseball poll and became the OVC’s first NCAA postseason playoff participant.
In 1979, the Thoroughbreds came one win from advancing to the College World Series.
Reagan's teams set school records including, most wins in a season with 27, longest winning streak of 21 games and lowest earned run-average for pitching staff.
Coach Reagan was a member of the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, the OVC Hall of Fame, Murray State Hall of Fame, Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame.
His exploits as a prep player in the Show Me State were also the stuff of legend as he grew up and excelled in the small town of Bismark, Mo.