Rutgers baseball legend Fred Hill dead at 84 – NJ.com

Fred Hill, the winningest coach in any sport in Rutgers’ 150-year athletics history, died Saturday. He was 84.

Hill’s death was announced by Rutgers, where Hill won nearly 1,000 baseball games over a 30-year career that ended in 2014.

“Where do I start? How do you say goodbye to a man who has meant so much to so many different people? He was a leader by example,’’ said Joe Litterio, the current Rutgers baseball coach, who played for Hill in the early 1990s. “He taught us to do things the right way, to win with class. Nothing fancy, just old-fashioned hard work. And that was just the baseball side of him. He taught us much more than the fundamentals of baseball. He taught us the fundamentals of life.’’

Affectionately known as “Moose,’’ Hill was the owner of an 1089-749-9 record over a 37-year coaching career that included an NCAA Division III College World Series appearance, 11 NCAA Division I Regional appearances, 12 regular-season conference championships and eight conference-tournament titles.

“I could speak for hours on what Coach Hill represented,” said Glen Gardner, a former star Rutgers baseball player who also served as a top assistant under Hill. “It was more than just baseball. As far as I’m concerned, I would never had been a coach if it wasn’t for Moose. If I helped anyone through my 29 years, it was an extension of Moose. Everything I learned, I learned it from him. He influenced so many. Moose might not be with us on this planet anymore, but he’s still teaching baseball to a lot of players.’’

At Montclair State, Hill had the rare task of coaching two sports, leading the football team to a 52-16-4 record from 1976-83 and the baseball team to a 148-91-2 record from 1977-83.

“Coach Hill was the finest person an individual could ever know,’’ said Norm Schoenig, who coached with Hill at Montclair State and later led the Red Hawks to 724 wins and two NCAA Division III championships in his 26 seasons as head coach. “He was always kind. He was always considerate. He always took the time to listen and try to make you a better player and a better coach.’’

As Rutgers baseball coach from 1984-2013, Hill posted a 941-658-1 record and was named Coach of the Year eight times.

“There were times we took the field and were outclassed from a talent perspective. Not once did we take the field and find ourselves less prepared than any opponent,’’ said Doug Alongi, a recent Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame inductee. “Coach was a great teacher of the game. I am glad I was able to recently thank him for the impact he had on my life. Coach Hill loved the college game but would have excelled as a minor league coach, as the focus there is all about teaching and developing talent.”

Over his 30-year Rutgers career, he developed 20 All-Americans and sent 72 players to the professional ranks, including current Major Leaguers’ Todd Frazier of the New York Mets and Patrick Kivlehan of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I can strongly say I wouldn’t be where I am today without Moose,’’ Kivlehan said. “He gave me an opportunity to play and show what I can do as a senior walk-on. I still use those same lessons he taught me seven years ago when I’m out there on the field. I am forever grateful for what Moose has done for me in my life.”

Frazier, the 2007 Big East Player of the Year who is about to enter his ninth big-league season, said: “I can’t even describe how much Moose has impacted my life. He was a perfectionist. Always wanted the most out of people. From his great quotes that no one understood, to his amazing wife banging the rocks all day, Moose inspired me to be the best baseball player I could be. Off the field, he taught me true skills to be a great man. For this I will pass this along to my kids. He is Jersey through and through. Great family man.”

He also mentored former MLB standout and current Atlanta Braves first-base coach Eric Young and Boston Red Sox minor-league manager Darren Fenster.

“He is the reason why I am a coach today,’’ Fenster said. “Coach Hill saw something in me before I was even ready to see it in myself upon the sudden end to my playing career. He gave me a second life in baseball, but more importantly, he gave me purpose to my life beyond baseball. If I can have just a tiny fraction of the impact on others that Fred Hill has had on me, my life will be a resounding success.’’

Neil Ioviero, the longtime coach at Kean University, who pitched for Hill’s Scarlet Knights in the early 1990s, echoed that sentiment:

“When you are on this earth you want to know that you are doing something noble and you are making a difference in people’s daily lives,’’ Ioviero said. “Coach Hill has made a difference in thousands of lives. He is the epitome of a man. We always tell our players that many years after you are done playing one or two words will sum you up. Sometimes those words will be good and sometimes not. Very simply the two words that sum him up is: the best. I love him like a father and I’m so honored that he ended up coaching with me till the end. His love, principles, morals and ethics will stay with me and everyone else that he touched forever. My best decision in life wasn’t coming to Rutgers; my best decision was being blessed to have him in my life. He has shaped me and many others in to who we are.’’

His No. 24 was retired by the Rutgers baseball program in 2014 and the school’s $3.3 million indoor baseball/softball practice facility bears his name. In addition to leading Rutgers to the Big East Tournament crown in 1998, 2000 and 2007, Hill’s 2001 and ’07 teams own the school-record for single-season wins (42).

“What a lot of people from the outside may not fully understand is the impact that Moose had on players off the baseball field,’’ former Rutgers pitcher Bobby Brownlie said. “I can honestly say I am a better father, husband and man because of Moose. To see the way he interacted with his family during and after games set the example for all that played for him. It was much bigger than baseball, it was about being a better person. I am just thankful that I was able to play a small part in his life story. His legacy will live on through all the players he impacted.”

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame by numerous schools and organizations, honored by the American Baseball Coaches Association, Montclair State, Rutgers University, Verona High School and Pequannock High School.

“Fred Hill was more than a hall of fame coach — he was a hall of fame person,” Rutgers Athletics Director Pat Hobbs said. “His impact is far greater than 1,089 career baseball victories. It’s beyond measure and lives within the countless individuals he coached, mentored and inspired. The entire Rutgers community will miss him dearly.’’

Born on July 15, 1934, Hill was a New Jersey lifer, growing up in East Orange, graduating from Clifford Scott High School and residing in Verona with his wife, Evelyn, for his final five decades. He played baseball in the Washington Senators minor-league ranks before starting his coaching career at his collegiate alma mater, Upsala College (where he earned 11 varsity letters combined in baseball, basketball and football), and serving as head coach at Clifford Scott and Pequannock on the scholastic level.

He is survived by Evelyn, his wife of 62 years, six children — Nancy, Fred, Linda, Jim, Tracey, and Karen — and 12 grandchildren.

““Freddie has been a fixture in New Jersey sports for decades and decades and decades,’’ said Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex), who has been close with the Hill family through the years. “Everybody loved Freddie. Their whole family became a part of the Verona fabric for sure. Everybody knew the Hills in Essex County, and of course you didn’t do sports in Verona without knowing the Hills.”

His brother, Brian Hill, was a longtime NBA coach, guiding the Orlando Magic (1993-97 and 2005-07) and Vancouver Grizzlies (1997-99). He currently serves as an Orlando Magic television analyst for Fox Sports Florida.

“Coach Hill may no longer be with us physically, but he will forever live inside of me, and countless other former players, coaches, friends, colleagues, and most importantly, family members whose lives he profoundly impacted, just by being Moose,’’ Fenster said. “While his coaching tree is impressive, it pales in comparison to the size of his life tree, which has roots that go deep into the center of the earth and branches that can be seen for miles.’’

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.