American Baseball Coaches Association Board member and Hall of Fame inductee Elmer Kosub passed away on Wednesday, August 22, 2018. Kosub coached at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas for nearly three decades and became the first Texas baseball coach to record 400 victories in NAIA.
Kosub, 60-year continuous ABCA member, served as ABCA President in 1978 and on the Board of Directors for four decades. He also served on the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee.
Kosub was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 1980 and is also a member of the St. Mary's Hall of Fame and NAIA Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was awarded the NAIA Robert E. Smith Award for his contributions to the sport of baseball in NAIA.
At St. Mary's, Kosub's teams won or tied for 16 Big State Conference Championships, including his 1976 team which reached the NAIA College World Series. He was named Big State Conference Coach of the Year several times, ultimately amassing over 500 wins across his time at the helm. Additionally, Kosub was instrumental in the construction of V.J. Keefe Stadium, home to the St. Mary's Rattlers and local minor league baseball. He was recognized with the Diamond/Collegiate Baseball Groundskeepers Award in 1987 for his contributions to the stadium.
On a global scale, Kosub served as an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic demonstration baseball team in 1968 in Mexico City. He also served as head coach of the U.S. All-Star Collegiate team three times (1971, 1976, 1980). He taught baseball to a vast majority of foreign players including amateur players in seven foreign countries. Kosub received the prestigious ABCA/Wilson Lefty Gomez Award in 1998 for his contributions to the sport globally.