The Southern Illinois University Baseball program lost one of its all-time greats, as SIU Hall of Fame coach Richard C. "Itchy" Jones died in February at the age of 87. Jones coached 39 years at the collegiate level at MacMurray (1966-68), Southern Illinois (1970-90) and Illinois (1991-2005), and he retired as one of college baseball's top-20 all-time winningest coaches. Even today, 15 years after his retirement, Jones ranks 27th in NCAA history all-time with a 1,242-752-6 record. An American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, Jones created a baseball dynasty in 21 years as head coach at his alma mater, Southern Illinois, leading SIU into the national spotlight, guiding the Salukis to a 738-345-5 record, including 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and three trips to the NCAA College World Series. In 1971, his second year at SIU, Jones led Salukis to within one game of the national championship, finishing second at the CWS. In 1974 and 1977, Jones guided SIU to the CWS once again, as the Salukis placed third both times. In his 16 MVC seasons, he led the Salukis to the league's best-regular-season record seven times and also won five MVC Tournament titles. In 1990, Jones' 21st and final season at SIU, he led the Salukis to a 49-14 record, advanced to the NCAA Regionals as a No. 2 seed; and SIU came within one game of clinching another CWS berth. Jones was named the NCAA Division I Diamond Baseball Coach of the Year in 1990 and also earned two other national coach of the year honors -- Adirondack National Coach of the Year in 1971 and The Sporting News Coach of the Year in 1978. During his Saluki tenure, Jones coached 18 major league players, including former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dave Stieb and outfielder Steve Finley as well as Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton. On the playing field, Jones was the Salukis' baseball MVP in 1957 and earned All-Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors three times as a second baseman. Following a professional playing career in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system, Jones began his coaching career as head basketball coach at Jacksonville High School in 1961. Following his 21-year stint at SIU, Jones continued his coaching career at Illinois. In 2000, he led the Fighting Illini to a Big Ten Tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. While Jones' finest season at Illinois was in 1998, when he led the Fighting Illini to a 42-21 record and their first regular season Big Ten Championship in 35 years. Jones is a member of nine Hall of Fames: Herrin High School, Jacksonville High School, MacMurray College, Southern Illinois University Athletics, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association, American Baseball Coaches Association, St. Louis Area Sports and Missouri Valley Conference. The $4 million stadium renovation of Abe Martin Field honored Jones as it re-opened for the 2014 season as Abe Martin Field at Richard "Itchy" Jones Stadium. His SIU baseball jersey No. 1 was retired at Southern in 2022. Jones was a significant donor while coaching at Southern as well as after his retirement.
It seemed everyone in the country at least knew of him.
Mike Reis '78, the retired Saluki Hall of Fame broadcaster, described Jones as his best professional friend, not to mention one of his best personal friends.
"He and his players treated me the best of anyone I covered when I began as a student reporter for WSIU and WCIL Radio," Reis said. "And he remained the same when he left, and I couldn't do anything for him anymore. I'll never forget either."
"Itchy," Reis said, was probably as well-known as any other famous Saluki.
"I was always amazed at how many people knew him in so many walks of life and in so many places," he said. "And in the baseball world, it seemed everyone in the country at least knew of him."
Jones didn't take success for granted and took it to heart when the team struggled. He would often tell his players at SIU on scholarships to repay them in the form of donations to the university later in their lives. He was also known to contribute sweat equity to the baseball program, like the time he and his friends built a press box.
"Sometimes I thought he was prouder of his abilities as a carpenter than as a coach," Reis said. "Over two days in 1986, he and his friends in Herrin framed a press box for Abe Martin Field, transported it to Carbondale, walked it up to the home plate bleachers, and nailed it into the base that was already there."
Well-loved by many people across campus, Reis said Jones is a presence whose absence will be felt.
"I couldn't tell you everyone who deserve a statue at SIU, but I know "Itchy" Jones is one of them," he said.
Richard "Itchy" Jones and Derek Shelton in St. Louis when the Pittsburgh Pirates played the Cardinals. It would be the last major league game Jones watched in person.
Remarkable Coach, Even Better Man
Derek Shelton, manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates and a four-year letter winner of the SIU baseball program from 1989 to 1992, said Jones was a larger-than-life figure for him from a very early age.
"Because my parents are from southern Illinois, "Itchy" Jones was somebody I looked up to from the time I was 8 years old," Shelton said. "I always saw him as the ultimate upper-level coach, so eventually getting to play for him was a little surreal. He also made me realize how much I had to learn about the game and all its nuances."
Their relationship never ended, with Jones keeping in touch throughout Shelton's professional playing career in the MLB into coaching.
"The amazing thing is Coach Jones never stopped learning. Once I got to the major leagues as a coach and manager, he would often come to games and ask me: 'What are you doing? How are you doing it?'," Shelton said. "Even in his 80s, he wanted to find out more. My third for learning really comes from him."
Gene Green '75, whose career at SIU spanned from Saluki Athletics to editor of SIU Alumni magazine, said Jones' reputation and accomplishments were unrivaled.
"When I returned to SIU in 1990 as a sports information director, I worked and traveled with Jones and that MVC championship team, which ended up just two wins away from the College World Series," Green said. "I was thrilled to be around a guy who was quite simply one of the best college baseball coaches in the United States, and I quickly formed a strong bond with him."
For as remarkable of a coach as he was, Green said Jones was an even better man: "SIU lost a giant when he passed away."
Bill Lyons '80 played for Jones from 1977 until 1980 and went on to play nine years of pro baseball, including two years with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983 and 1984. Before he came to SIU Carbondale, Lyons said he thought he knew the game of baseball.
"But I really learned the game itself from (Jones) -- the work ethic, to always be in motion," Lyons said. "There wasn't any dead time in practice. You were always doing something."
Lyons said "Itchy" was SIU's baseball program. "Obviously, it'd had success before, but he made it so our program was on the national map. He didn't just develop ball players, he developed young men. I think everybody that played for him realizes that."
Rick Wysocki '83, '85, a past president of the SIU Alumni Association's national board of directors and a pitcher for the Salukis from 1980-83, said Jones was a big part of his decision to come to the university.
"I first heard of Coach Jones and SIU when I was a sophomore in high school in New Jersey," Wysocki said. "Our high school coach attended all of his clinics...and frequently quoted him on fielding and hitting drills, and the fundamentals on everything from hand placement to footwork. By the time I arrived at SIU, I was already familiar with many of his teachings. I injured my arm during my freshman year, and he still honored my scholarship, which meant a lot to me.
"'Itchy' made you feel special and want to play for him. That's a rare quality that only the best coaches have," Wysocki said. "I was proud to play a role in organizing the fundraising efforts for his stadium, and I know I'm not alone when I say there will never be another man like him."
