Former Temple baseball coach James ‘Skip’ Wilson dies at 92

Former Temple baseball coach James “Skip” Wilson has died at 92 years old, the Owls program announced Tuesday.

Wilson, who coached Temple for 46 seasons, amassed 1,034 wins and led the school to two World Series appearances. He guided the Owls to 12 conference titles and 12 NCAA appearances and Skip Wilson Field on the school’s Ambler Campus is named in his honor.

“This is truly a sad day for Temple University and Temple Athletics, but more importantly for the Wilson family who are in our thoughts and prayers,” said Arthur Johnson, Temple vice president and director of athletics. “Although I never had the honor of meeting Skip Wilson, I know of his amazing accomplishments.”

Wilson accomplished quite a lot in his time with the Owls. He was the winningest coach in Temple program history and was particularly successful in the 1970s and ‘80s. During that period, his teams made nine NCAA Tournament appearances and produced four major league players.

Wilson, along with future MLB players John Marzano and Jeff Manto, helped Temple transition in 1983 from the East Coast Conference to the Atlantic 10, where they immediately won the conference and made the NCAAs in back-to-back years.

In all, Wilson coached in five different decades, three conferences, and 1,885 games. He was named to the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame, American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame before coaching his final game in 2005. Over 100 of his former players signed professional contracts.

Temple baseball was cut in 2013 when the school eliminated seven of its 24 programs — nearly a third — to boost funding for the remaining sports. When the program played its final game, Wilson was on hand with the players.

“He was not only one of the greatest coaches in Temple history, but in collegiate baseball,” Johnson said. “His legacy, however, will be in the lives he touched while leading the program. He will be greatly missed.”