AMHERST, Mass. – It was with great sadness that the University of Massachusetts learned of the passing of legendary former baseball head coach Dick Bergquist on Sun., Feb. 24. Bergquist, who was at the helm of UMass baseball from 1967-87, was 86 years old.
“We are deeply saddened to hear the news of Coach Bergquist’s passing,” said director of athletics Ryan Bamford. “Coach was revered in baseball circles and his lifelong impact was unmistakable, both on our university and especially our baseball program. We extend our sincere condolences to Sonya and the entire Bergquist family during this difficult time.”
A man with a reputation of winning, modesty and class, Bergquist compiled a lifetime record of 392-321-5, retiring as the winningest coach in the history of UMass baseball. During his tenure, his ball clubs captured seven Yankee Conference championships, two New England championships, one Atlantic 10 Conference championship and a fifth-place finish at the 1969 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
“From all angles, Coach Bergquist was a selfless and kind man who cared deeply about UMass baseball well beyond his time here as coach and was beloved by his players and colleagues,” said current UMass head coach Matt Reynolds. “I remember Coach Bergquist even through very brief interactions I had with him dating back 15 years ago when I was a player and assistant coach here. He was that kind of guy; someone that you didn’t forget.
“My new role with UMass baseball had afforded me the opportunity to get to know Coach Bergquist much better, and for that I am very thankful. I am sure that I speak for everyone here in the UMass community, and especially the members of the 1969 team who will be back on campus later this season, that Coach Bergquist will be missed dearly.”
Born in 1932 and raised in Orange, Massachusetts, Bergquist graduated from Orange High School in 1950 and initially enrolled at Bates College, where he earned one letter apiece in football and baseball. After a two-year tour of duty in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he entered the University of Massachusetts. For two years, he was a fullback on the football team and pitcher on the baseball team, graduating cum laude from UMass in 1957 with a degree in physical education. Bergquist was part of the 1957 baseball team, which won the Yankee Conference title under head coach Earl Lorden.
He went on to receive a master’s degree from the University of Maryland and embarked on a brief public school teaching career. He returned to UMass in 1959 to serve as an assistant under Lorden and head coach of the freshman baseball team, a post he held for seven years until taking the reins of the varsity team when Lorden retired ahead of the 1967 season.
Bergquist immediately picked up where Lorden left off, coaching his first team to the 1967 Yankee Conference crown and to a No. 24 national ranking. His 1969 ball club brought a second New England Championship to UMass and represented the region in that year’s College World Series. Then nicknamed the Redmen, the squad was the first in UMass history to win 20 games, finishing 22-10 overall.
Bergquist’s impact on amateur baseball throughout the world is well-documented, having served as a United States Baseball Federation ambassador and clinician for numerous years. His many accomplishments earned him induction into various halls of fame, including the American Baseball Coaches Association (1989), UMass Athletics (1999), the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (2017) and Western Massachusetts Baseball (2017).
“My biggest enjoyment at UMass is the daily contact with the players and relating with them,” Bergquist said in 1984, while chair of the NCAA Baseball Committee. “My biggest thrill is to watch a player return a few years after graduation and talking with them.”
A man whose service to UMass spanned a quarter of a century, he was also honored in 1991, when his jersey number was retired and the bleachers at Earl Lorden Field were officially dedicated in his name.
“I’m extremely grateful and honored by the retirement of my number and the naming of the bleachers,” said Bergquist. “But,” he continued in his gentlemanly sense of humor, “I think the University should probably have named the bleachers after my wife, Sonya. After all, she’s the one who sat in them for 21 years!”
As Bergquist was presented his uniform encased in a glass frame that day, he witnessed the unveiling of a six-foot high, maroon and white UM #26 sign, which continues to serve as a remembrance of the many contributions he made to UMass baseball. Appropriately located in left field near the UMass bullpen, the sign is a fitting tribute to the man who helped send 34 players, including 17 pitchers, to professional baseball.
The late Mike Flanagan, who won the 1979 A.L. Cy Young Award, said of Bergquist in 1987, “He helped me more than anyone along the way to pro ball. A lot of the big baseball schools were looking at me but they backed out when they had heard that I had hurt my arm. Coach still wanted to give me a scholarship–even if I never pitched. He was a college coach, but he operated like a professional. I owe him a lot.”
Bergquist served four years as a faculty member of the Sport Management department upon his departure from coaching, before officially retiring from the University in 1991. He also spent four years as the Executive Director of the American Baseball Coaches Association before retiring in 1994.
In August 1998, Matt Vautour, then of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, profiled Bergquist in his series Diamond Reflections.
“It has been special to coach here,” said Bergquist. “This is our home area. My wife went to UMass, my kids went to UMass and we’re just a UMass family. I love the school and I have UMass blood in my veins. It was very special for me to coach here.”
He is survived by his wife of nearly 65 years, Sonya, four children, Andrea, Carl, Craig, and Erica, as well as several grandchildren and relatives. A full obituary appeared in the Daily Hampshire Gazette on Tues., Feb. 26.
Calling hours will take place on Sun., March 3 from 2-5 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Home, located at 87 North Pleasant Street in Amherst. A funeral service will be held on Mon., March 4 at 11 a.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 867 North Pleasant Street, Amherst.
Left to right: UMass baseball head coaches Dick Bergquist (1967-87), Mike Stone (1988-2017) and Matt Reynolds (2018-present)
