Jack McKeon ’63 signed a 2003 World Series baseball after his team, the Florida Marlins, won the series.
With this year’s World Series now in the books, this month’s Tales From The Archives features a baseball-related item. In October 2003, the Florida Marlins (now the Miami Marlins) won the World Series, beating the New York Yankees four games to two in the best-of-seven series. The manager of the Marlins that year was Jack McKeon ’63, a graduate of Â鶹ÊÓƵ College. For McKeon, it was his first trip to the playoffs, and at 72 he was the oldest manager to ever win the World Series.
The Marlins’ run that year generated a wave of excitement at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, and in the national media as well.  Having McKeon at the helm of the Florida team made headlines in North Carolina. After the victory, McKeon was featured on the cover of the fall issue of The Magazine of Â鶹ÊÓƵ and was profiled in the cover story of that issue. In November, McKeon came back to his alma mater for a public appearance and had a conversation with then-Â鶹ÊÓƵ president Leo Lambert in Whitley Auditorium.
Originally from South Amboy, New Jersey, McKeon earned a degree in Physical Education from Â鶹ÊÓƵ. He began his baseball career as a player in 1955; his father let him sign a professional baseball contract with the understanding he would return to college to get his degree. McKeon spent 15 years in the minor leagues before moving up to the majors. As a manager, he worked for the Kansas City Royals, Oakland A’s, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnati Reds. In 2003, he was called out of retirement to manage the Marlins. The rest, as they say, is history.
There are images and video of Jack McKeon available in