Jim Brownlee, head baseball coach for the past 23 years at Evansville, was named the eighth head coach in Illinois State baseball history, today, as announced by the Director of Athletics Perk Weisenburger at a press conference at the Kaufman Football Building.
The third baseman on Illinois States 1969 NCAA College Division national championship team and an ISU alum, Brownlee was a previous assistant coach at Illinois State and at the high school and summer league levels in central Illinois before accepting the head coaching position at Evansville in 1980.
Since I went to school here and won a national championship at Illinois State, I have always had a warm spot for ISU, Brownlee said. When Evansville entered the Missouri Valley Conference, I had mixed feelings when playing the Redbirds because I felt in my heart I bled red but I was a Purple Aces guy.
I applied for the job 14 years ago and didnt get it but this time, it was still very attractive to me, Brownlee said. My wife and I love the area and there are great recruiting possibilities. When I arrive at Illinois State, my staff and I are going to hit the floor running with our goals to be to turn the baseball program around this spring.
Although his team had a slow start in his first season at Evansville, posting a 7-37-1 record, by his second season Brownlees team improved to 26-24 which amounted to more wins in one year that UE had in the three previous years combined.
Brownlee helped guide the Purple Aces to 701 victories, four 40-plus win seasons, 16 winning campaigns and two trips to the NCAA Tournament with the most recent being an at-large bid in the 2000 NCAA Regional in Tallahassee. He has won more games at Evansville than any other sport in UE history.
With seven conference Coach of the Year awards, Brownlee has coached 32 players who have gone on to play professionally, including 19 current pros. In Evansvilles eight years competing in the Missouri Valley Conference, UE has produced 12 All-MVC first team players and 22 MVC all-academic first team members.
Prior to joining the Valley, Brownlee guided the Aces to national prominence in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. In 1993, Brownlee led the Aces to a 43-18 record and the second most victories in school history. During that same season, Brownlee fielded an Academic All-America baseball player at shortstop which has contributed to a total of 11 Academic All-Americans in his 23 years of coaching.
For the third time in his career, Brownlee served on the NCAA Division I Baseball Midwest Regional Advisory Committee this past year. The committee assists in the selection of NCAA Tournament participants. A leader in promoting baseball in the Evansville area, Brownlee was actively involved in friends of Evansville Baseball, a group which raised funds for youth baseball in the area.
Brownlee expects a transition in coming to Illinois State but is anxious about the challenges that are ahead of him.
This is just such a great opportunity, Brownlee continued. The first thing I want to do is get together with the returning players and talk to them to see who is committed to winning a national championship. Our sole goal is to be a top contender in the league and nation and I have always said it is a lot easier to win than lose and that is what is going to happen at Illinois State.
Weisenburger is also very confident that Brownlee can take the Redbird baseball program to new heights and that his baseball experience will help to build on the future of the program.
Jim Brownlee is a quality person and an excellent baseball coach with over 20 years of head coaching experience, Weisenburger said. He has everything that we were looking for in a leader and coach to take the baseball program to new heights. He knows MVC baseball and he has recruited Illinois, the greater Chicago area and the Midwest very well.
I am extremely impressed with Jims attention to detail in all aspects of building and managing a comprehensive and very competitive Division I baseball program, Weisenburger continued. His players play hard, go to class and graduate. His program is noted for the trust and respect that thrives within and when you combine that with success on and off the field, you are providing quality experiences for young people.
Since both Brownlee and his wife are Illinois State graduates, Weisenburger knew he had a passion about Illinois State and would bring many qualities to the athletics department, university and baseball program.
His passion, drive, energy level and commitment to his vision for this program is outstanding, Weisenburger said. He brings every one of these qualities that made him successful at Evansville to Illinois State and Redbird baseball and he has us excited about the future of our baseball program. Coach Brownlee is also a proven fund-raiser and friendraiser.
Both Jim and his wife are ISU graduates who are very excited about this opportunity. With the additional resources and positives that Illinois State presents and coupled with Jims leadership and his teaching and coaching skills, this program is destined for success. I could not be more optimistic about the future of our baseball program.
Brownlee and his wife Candy are the parents of two sons, Tim and Ryan. Both played under their father at UE and Tim is an assistant at Evansville while Ryan, a third-year assistant at James Madison, was an assistant at UE for two seasons.
