Book Birthdays, Nebraska

Happy Book Birthday to The Wizard of College Baseball

Book Birthdays celebrate one year of a book’s life in social media posts, reviews, and more. This month we’re saying Happy First Book Birthday to The Wizard of College Baseball: How Ron Fraser Elevated Miami and an Entire Sport to National Prominence (Nebraska, 2024) by David Brauer.

About the Book:

No one changed the landscape of college baseball like Ron Fraser. The sport enjoyed little national interest until Fraser arrived at the University of Miami in 1963 and built his program into an entertainment empire and a national champion. Nationally televised college baseball games on ESPN can be traced back to Fraser’s lobbying work in the network’s early days. His efforts resulted in coverage growth and paved the way to making the College World Series one of ESPN’s marquee events.

The Wizard of College Baseball is an inspirational and entertaining reflection on how one man forever changed college baseball—accelerating the sport’s growth and setting a new standard for modern college baseball well ahead of his time.

A Word From the Author

After spending years (literally) from start-to-finish on the project, it was exhilarating and, in many ways, surreal to receive the first shipment of books, rip open the box, and see it in print. I distinctly remember a few acquaintances texting me earlier that day to say they had received their pre-ordered copies. I was filled with anticipation, but fortunately my shipment arrived just mere hours later.

Reality hit when the book was mentioned and discussed for almost a half-inning during a Miami ACC game broadcast on ESPN+. I enjoyed sharing Ron Fraser’s story when speaking about the book with media outlets from Miami to Louisiana and even a San Francisco Giants pregame show. When many people who knew Coach Fraser personally reached out to compliment the book, I knew I had achieved my goal of honoring his legacy.

One of the biggest “highlights” was the book reaching No. 5 on the BookAuthority list of Top 20 College Baseball Books of All-Time. Any type of ranking is a tremendous honor and garnering a top-five placement was extremely exciting!

Nearly a year after the book’s launch, the University of Miami included a copy of The Wizard of College Baseball in its gift bag for players and staff attending the 40th reunion celebration of its 1985 National Championship baseball team.

I hope readers understand that the roots of modern-day college baseball began in Coral Gables, Florida, with the vision of Ron Fraser, who revolutionized the sport with ideas well ahead of his time. So many things that are taken for granted today—access to broadcasts, magnificent stadiums, widespread media coverage—were non-existent before he provided the impetus to make it all happen by starting the trends with his own program.

Fraser built his ultra-successful empire (both on the field and off) from scratch. He raised money to fund his own program rather than relying on the university athletic department’s budget allocation. Most remarkably, he went above and beyond in sharing his vision with his peers to help them succeed and grow the game across his home state, region, and the nation.

When watching the College World Series, now one of the biggest summer events on the sports calendar, I’m reminded of Fraser camping out in 1981 at the headquarters of the fledgling ESPN all-sports channel and convincing the network to air college baseball games. When they acquiesced, the sport began its ascent with a series of games in the Sunday night timeslot (well before the NFL and MLB claimed it) that spurred fan interest and prioritized investment into baseball at SEC schools (which had little success to date) and live broadcasts of every College World Series game.

While this book is turning one year old, it still has plenty of life to be shared in the coming years. Ron Fraser’s story is evergreen and will always be applicable to enthusiasm for college baseball today.

Reviews:

“Brilliant and Fantastic. . . . This is one of the best books I have read in many years. It is informative and delightful for this Central Illinois baseball fan. I have new respect for Hurricanes baseball.”—Tom Knuppel, tomknuppel.com

“Brauer’s attention to detail, his anecdotal prose, and insights from his interviews make The Wizard of College Baseball a success.”—Bob D’Angelo, Sports Bookie

“This book details the life and times of the P.T. Barnum of college baseball, but the book is so much more than that. It’s an in-depth, well-researched read about one of the most interesting and influential men in the history of the sport. Ron was a little bit like Charlie Finley, a little bit like Bill Veeck, and mostly one of a kind. Ron Fraser was indeed the ‘wizard,’ and this terrific book tells us why he was a wonderful wizard and ahead of his time.”—Roy Firestone, ESPN interviewer

“Having coached alongside Ron Fraser for eight seasons, I can say this book captures the essence of his brilliance, his entertaining persona, and the adoration felt for him as a coach and mentor. He was to college baseball what Muhammad Ali was to boxing.”—Skip Bertman, five-time national champion and Hall of Fame LSU baseball coach

“The Wizard of College Baseball captures the magic of Miami’s three-ring circus with Ringmaster Ron Fraser! He was college baseball’s George Bailey: everything he touched he made better, and the sport grew thanks to the Wizard, who had a Wonderful Life!”—John Routh, Miami Maniac mascot (1983–1993) and executive director of the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

“The Wizard of College Baseball is an inspirational and entertaining reflection on how one man forever changed college baseball—accelerating the sport’s growth and setting a new standard for modern college baseball well ahead of his time.” —Eric Cressey and Micheal Wacha on BookAuthority

In the Media:

Interview with Faculti

Interview with Canes Insight

Excerpt in the Inside Pitch

Interview on ESPN Radio: The Game 103.7

Interview with This Day in Miami History Podcast

On Social Media:

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