Douglaston Man Inducted Into Baseball Coach Association's Hall of Fame

A C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University coach from Douglaston has been inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame.

Dick Vining, the dean of New York metropolitan collegiate baseball coaches, plans to retire this year following 34 years with C.W. Post’s Pioneers.

Vining, who lives in Douglaston with his wife, Virginia, is currently in his 59th season coaching baseball at the collegiate level.

“To me, being voted into the hall of fame represents an appreciation and recognition of all the people who have been dedicated to baseball,” said Vining, who was officially honored at a banquet in January in Anaheim, Calif. “This honor coming at this stage in my life represents the culmination of my coaching career. It comes at a perfect time, during my last year of coaching as my career is winding down.”

Vining worked 52 years as head coach and seven as an assistant coach.

He was head coach of the Pioneers for 28 seasons and compiled a 574-503-13 record.

The team reached the NCAA Division II Tournament four times before the team moved up to Division I in 1986.

Vining earned five Coach of the Year awards during the course of his career. He served as president of the Metropolitan Collegiate Baseball Conference from 1983 to 1984.

“I don’t think anybody really retires from baseball,” Vining said of his final season as a coach. “I call it more of a physical withdrawal. I have the same passion, love and emotion for the game, but as you get older you can’t do a lot of physical things you once could. But I’ll never retire from the game. I’ll always have that passion and love for baseball.”