Jack Cook (baseball)

Jack Wallace Cook (July 27, 1926 – November 24, 2021) was an American baseball coach and player, serving two stints as head coach for the Marshall Thundering Herd baseball team 1955 and 1967–1989. In 1994, Cook was inducted into the Marshall University Athletics Hall of Fame for his career as a coach and player.^[1]

Jack Cook

Biographical details
Born	(1926-07-27)July 27, 1926 Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	November 24, 2021(2021-11-24) (aged 95) Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
Alma mater	Marshall University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1955	Marshall
1967–1989	Marshall
Head coaching record
Overall	422–344–3
Tournaments	NCAA: 2–4
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2× SoCon regular season (1978, 1981)
Awards
2× SoCon Coach of the Year (1978, 1989)

During his time at Marshall, he led the Thundering Herd to their first NCAA tournament in 1973.^[2] Cook would led Marshall to the NCAA tournament again in 1978 whilst winning SoCon Coach of the Year.^[3] Prior to his second stint at Marshall, Cook was the head baseball coach at Huntington High School in West Virginia.^[4]

In 2023, it was announced that Marshall's new baseball stadium will be named Jack Cook Field in his honor.^[5]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Marshall Thundering Herd (Mid-American Conference) (1955)
1955	Marshall	2–11	1–6	8th
Marshall Thundering Herd (Mid-American Conference) (1967–1969)
1967	Marshall	11–12	4–5	4th
1968	Marshall	18–7	5–4	3rd
1969	Marshall	14–12–1	7–7	3rd
Marshall Thundering Herd (Independent) (1970–1976)
1970	Marshall	14–12
1971	Marshall	16–19
1972	Marshall	14–11
1973	Marshall	18–10			NCAA Regional
1974	Marshall	21–15
1975	Marshall	24–10
1976	Marshall	18–13
Marshall Thundering Herd (Southern Conference) (1977–1989)
1977	Marshall	20–21	8–8	4th
1978	Marshall	27–13	11–1	1st	NCAA Regional
1979	Marshall	23–15–1	10–6	4th
1980	Marshall	17–11	10–3	2nd
1981	Marshall	22–17	12–4	T–1st
1982	Marshall	17–21	8–8	T–4th
1983	Marshall	19–14	7–7	T–4th
1984	Marshall	11–16	5–8	3rd (North)
1985	Marshall	26–18–1	10–8	2nd (North)
1986	Marshall	15–18	4–13	4th (North)
1987	Marshall	16–17	5–7	3rd (North)
1988	Marshall	23–17	7–9	3rd (North)
1989	Marshall	16–14	8–5	2nd
Marshall:		422–344–3	122–109
Total:		422–344–3
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

References

1. "Jack Cook (1994)". Herdzone.com. Herdzone. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
2. "Cook Says 'Herd Ready' For First NCAA Tourney". The Raleigh Register. May 29, 1973. p. 10. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "League Honors Cook". The State. May 20, 1978. p. 21. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Huntington High Coach Takes Marshall Post". The Raleigh Register. April 28, 1966. p. 25. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Morehouse, Keith (June 21, 2023). "Marshall to name baseball facility after Jack Cook". WSAZ-TV. Retrieved October 21, 2023.