Hall of Fame
Joseph A. Abone ’79 – Class of 1997
Getting the job done…
He had won a complete-game victory in the opener of the 1979 College World Series. But twenty-four hours later, after a devastating blow-out at the hands of Florida Southern, the Dolphins faced early elimination at the hands of a talent-laden, heavy-hitting Jacksonville State squad. Coach Dick Rockwell didn’t have to ask if he wanted to go to the mound again. He did. And he threw another nine masterful innings for a victory. The Green and Gold achieved its best Division II finish ever, third in the nation.
For four years, when the Dolphins needed a big game, he got the job done.
Finesse was not this pitcher’s forte. He went right after hitters with the confidence that his live, rising fastball and sharp, late-breaking slider offered quick tickets back to the bench. In his four-year college career he recorded 31 victories against only eight defeats, with a 2.05 earned-run average and 234 strikeouts in 271 innings.
He was at the heart of magnificent Dolphin teams that compiled a record of 169 victories in 222 games. Throughout his career, he was always the man the coach wanted on the mound when it counted most.
His ability to get the job done was rooted in a fiercely competitive nature on and off the diamond. He came to the Heights as a highly-touted but undeveloped talent that relied on a lively arm. Realizing that success at the college level required a deeper commitment, he worked to achieve peak physical condition. In time, his deliveries arrived with the authority of an entire body finely honed to the pitcher’s art.
Drafted and signed by the Montreal Expos after graduation, he advanced to AAA ball before injury ended his professional career in 1984. In 1982, he was the winning pitcher in the Pearson Cup game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Settling in Germantown, Tennessee, with wife Susan and his family, his competitive drive has extended to his post-baseball career. He has become a leader in the automotive sales field.
The pitcher who has handed the ball and consistently got the job done when it counted most for some of the most successful Le Moyne teams in any sport,
Joseph A. Abone ’79 is inducted to the
Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame.February 1, 1997
