Former Wayne State College baseball coach John Manganaro is one of six individuals who will be inducted in the Northern Sun Conference Hall of Fame during the league’s 17th annual Summer Kickoff event on Tuesday, July 12 in Burnsville, Minn.
Manganaro will become the fourth individual from Wayne State to join the Hall of Fame, joining Sarah (Herrick) Wagenfuhr (soccer/softball) in 2015, Brady Borner (baseball) in 2012 and the late Pete Chapman (athletic director) in 2006.
Manganaro coached baseball at Wayne State for 20 years, including the last 17 (1993-2009) as head coach. He built Wayne State into one of the top programs in NCAA Div. II under his tenure, producing a 506-309-1 record (.620) that included a 198-54 mark (.785) in NSIC play. The Wildcats won six NSIC regular-season titles under Manganaro from 2004-2009 while advancing to the NCAA Tournament all six seasons, with two trips to the regional championship game (2004, 2009).
Under Manganaro, Wayne State qualified for the NCAA Tournament seven times in nine years and was the 12th winningest program in NCAA Div. II during the 2000’s with a 368-157-1 record (.701). Manganaro was a four-time NSIC Coach of the Year (2001, 2006, 2007, 2009) and led the Wildcats to five NSIC Tournament titles. Wayne State produced six All-Americans in the last seven seasons under Manganaro, with two players selected in the Major League baseball draft – Travis Mortimore in 2007, drafted in the 21st round by the Seattle Mariners; and Nick Schumacher in 2008, taken in the 28th round by the San Diego Padres.
Manganaro is also credited with developing the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex, one of the finest baseball facilities in the Midwest. Following his retirement from Wayne State in 2009, Manganaro moved to Omaha where he served as director of the Ultimate Baseball Academy indoor complex from 2009-13. He remains active as an instructor/consultant and has served as the Dean of Coaches for the Pacesetter, Gladiator and Bandit youth baseball organizations in Omaha since 2012.
Other 2016 NSIC Hall of Fame inductees include Jane Dusich of Bemidji State (cross country/track and field), Sara Lee from MSU Moorhead (volleyball/basketball/softball), Bob Olson of Northern State (coach/administrator), Alvin Ashley of Southwest Minnesota State (football/basketball) and Larry Holstad from Winona State (athletic director).
