MELBOURNE, Fla. - Former Eckerd baseball and men's soccer coach, Bill Livesey, has been selected to the 2022 Class of the Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame, as announced by the conference on Thursday, August 18.
Livesey transformed the Eckerd baseball program in his six years at the helm. Before his arrival, Eckerd had a nine-year winning percentage of 30 percent. He turned the program around by making five consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 1973-1977 while compiling a 184-62-2 career record at EC.
The 1977 season was a special one in many aspects for the Tritons. One year after winning 40 games, a record that still stands to this day, with a team that included future major leaguers Steve Balboni and Joe Lefebvre (Balboni became a World Series Champion nine years later with the Royals), Eckerd found itself in Springfield, Illinois, facing off against California-Riverside for the NCAA Division II National Championship but came up short, 4-1, in the winner-take-all game.
Livsey coached eight ABCA All-Americans during his six years with the Tritons, including three first-team selections in 1977.
He also led the Tritons men's soccer program for four years from 1973-1976, compiling an impressive 43-9-1 record, including a 10-0-1 campaign in the program's inaugural year. In the 1974 season, he led Eckerd to the program's only national tournament appearance.
In the 1974-75 year, he led both men's soccer and baseball to the national tournament.
Before arriving at Eckerd, Livesey played at the University of Maine, where he was a two-time all-conference selection, graduating in 1962.
He then became the head baseball coach at Brown University, where he guided the team from 1969-1971.
After finishing as the National runner-up in 1977, Livesey departed Eckerd for a role with the New York Yankees, first as a scout and later as director of scouting. He served as the director of scouting from 1991-96 when the Yankees laid the foundation for their return to dominance with the signing of Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Andy Petitte, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter.
He spent one season as the manager of the Paintsville Yankees in 1979, going an astounding 52-13 on the way to the Appalachian League championship. He also spent three seasons as the director of player development with the Yankees from 1980-82.
Livesey left the Yankees for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1996 as the director of player development and special assistant to the general manager. He served in the latter role for the Toronto Blue Jays (2002-03) and New York Mets (2004-05) before returning to the Yankees from 2008-09. In 2012, he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as a senior advisor to the general manager.
His success as a scout was recognized when he received the George Genovese Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation in 2012. On this occasion, Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman called Livesey, the "architect behind the architect" of the 1990s dynasty.
Livesey is also a member of the Eckerd Athletics Hall of Fame (2019), the University of Maine Athletics Hall of Fame (2018), and the Cape Cod League Hall of Fame (2002).
The nine inductees of the SSC's 24th Hall of Fame class are Dr. Joan Davison (Rollins, Faculty Athletic Representative), Doug Gordin (Florida Southern, men's golf), Dr. Katie (Heinz) Stowers (Saint Leo, softball), Bill Livesey (Eckerd, baseball and men's soccer), Dr. Danielle Robinson-Pratt (Nova Southeastern, women's basketball), Dr. George Samuel (Barry, tennis), Jarrett Slaven (Tampa, cross country), James Taylor (Lynn, men's basketball), and Dr. Frank Webbe (Florida Tech, Faculty Athletic Representative).
The league will usher in the nine newest members on Saturday, October 8th, during the SSC Hall of Fame brunch and celebration at 11:00 AM. The event will take place in Fort Lauderdale on the campus of Nova Southeastern University. Tickets are available for the SSC Hall of Fame Brunch and Celebration. However, event space is limited, and you must purchase no later than Friday, September 30th. If you are interested in celebrating the SSCs 24th Hall of Fame Class, email Maryanne Simkulak, Sunshine State Conference Senior Associate Commissioner, for more information.
