September 9, 2014
Oneonta athletics to retire former baseball coach Don Axtell's #14
On Sunday, Sep. 14, the SUNY Oneonta athletics department will honor former baseball coach, Don Axtell, by retiring his #14 at a ceremony on Red Dragon Baseball Field beginning at noon. Axtell's No. 14 will be the first number ever retired in the history of the baseball program, which is believed to be the oldest sport at the college, dating back to the early 1900's.
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Axtell was the baseball coach at Oneonta State for 30 years and led the team to many successful seasons during his tenure. His teams won or shared 10 SUNYAC titles and Axtell is the last coach to lead the Red Dragons to a conference championship, which came in 1993. Along the way he guided Oneonta to its two ECAC Championships, which he did in 1974 and 1975 and was selected as SUNYAC Coach of the Year four times with the last coming in 1989. Axtell won more than 400 games during his career with a better than .500 winning percentage.
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The SUNYAC honored Axtell in 2007 by naming the conference Pitcher of the Year Award the Don Axtell Pitcher of the Year. In the eight years that it has been bestowed, Cortland athletes were honored four of those years, Oneonta athletes were selected three and New Paltz had one athlete recognized.
The ceremony will include remarks from athletics director, Tracey Ranieri, along with three former players, Brooks Alexander, who was captain and played on Axtell's last team in 1994, and Jim Lozano and Rick Yandoli. Lozano served as a team captain for Axtell in 1982 while Yandoli was team captain in 1977. The ceremony will be followed by an Alumni game at 12:30pm and a reception in the Hunt Union Waterfront Café beginning at 2pm.
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A native of Waverly, N.Y., Axtell was a high school standout basketball and track & field while lettering one year in baseball. He was twice selected as an All-Valley and Southern Counties First Team player in basketball where he led the Southern Counties in scoring as a senior. In track he was the Section IV 100-yard dash champion in 1951 and 1952 while adding the 200-yard title in 1952.
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Axtell was a scholarship basketball player for Duke University during the 1952-53 season before being drafted into the Army where he served during the Korean War.
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Axtell attended Ithaca College from 1957-60 where he received a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1960. While at Ithaca, Axtell was a member of the football and basketball teams. Previous to his arrival at Oneonta in 1965 he taught and coached for five years at Lavonia High, Clarkstown High and Delhi Tech. In 2001, Axtell was inducted into the Oneonta athletics Hall of Fame and, in the spring of 2002, he was inducted into the Waverly High School Hall of Fame.
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Axtell was the baseball coach at Oneonta State for 30 years and led the team to many successful seasons during his tenure. His teams won or shared 10 SUNYAC titles and Axtell is the last coach to lead the Red Dragons to a conference championship, which came in 1993. Along the way he guided Oneonta to its two ECAC Championships, which he did in 1974 and 1975 and was selected as SUNYAC Coach of the Year four times with the last coming in 1989. Axtell won more than 400 games during his career with a better than .500 winning percentage.
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The SUNYAC honored Axtell in 2007 by naming the conference Pitcher of the Year Award the Don Axtell Pitcher of the Year. In the eight years that it has been bestowed, Cortland athletes were honored four of those years, Oneonta athletes were selected three and New Paltz had one athlete recognized.
The ceremony will include remarks from athletics director, Tracey Ranieri, along with three former players, Brooks Alexander, who was captain and played on Axtell's last team in 1994, and Jim Lozano and Rick Yandoli. Lozano served as a team captain for Axtell in 1982 while Yandoli was team captain in 1977. The ceremony will be followed by an Alumni game at 12:30pm and a reception in the Hunt Union Waterfront Café beginning at 2pm.
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A native of Waverly, N.Y., Axtell was a high school standout basketball and track & field while lettering one year in baseball. He was twice selected as an All-Valley and Southern Counties First Team player in basketball where he led the Southern Counties in scoring as a senior. In track he was the Section IV 100-yard dash champion in 1951 and 1952 while adding the 200-yard title in 1952.
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Axtell was a scholarship basketball player for Duke University during the 1952-53 season before being drafted into the Army where he served during the Korean War.
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Axtell attended Ithaca College from 1957-60 where he received a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1960. While at Ithaca, Axtell was a member of the football and basketball teams. Previous to his arrival at Oneonta in 1965 he taught and coached for five years at Lavonia High, Clarkstown High and Delhi Tech. In 2001, Axtell was inducted into the Oneonta athletics Hall of Fame and, in the spring of 2002, he was inducted into the Waverly High School Hall of Fame.
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