2023 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 13
BY SENATORS BERNARD AND BOUDREAUX
A RESOLUTION
To commend Coach Paul Mainieri on being inducted into the 2023 class of the Louisiana
Sports Hall of Fame.
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, Louisiana, each year
collaborates with the Louisiana Sports Writers Association in selecting a limited number of
sports figures who embody the character, skill, and talent worthy of being named to the Hall
of Fame; and
WHEREAS, the 2023 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class includes Coach
Paul Mainieri; and
WHEREAS, Paul Mainieri was born August 29, 1957, in Morgantown, West
Virginia to Demie and Rosetta Mainieri; and
WHEREAS, as the son of a Baseball Hall of Fame coach, Coach Mainieri grew up
around the game of baseball and had the good fortune to be exposed to several outstanding
coaches in his formative years; and
WHEREAS, a four-year letter winner in college, Paul Mainieri played one season
at Louisiana State University (LSU), one season at Miami-Dade College playing for his
father, Coach Demie "Doc" Mainieri, and two seasons at the University of New Orleans
(UNO); and
WHEREAS, as the second baseman with the UNO Privateers, he helped the team win
two Sun Belt Conference titles and advance to the 1979 National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) tournament; and
WHEREAS, after completing his undergraduate degree requirements at Florida
International University in 1980, Paul Mainieri played two minor league seasons with the
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Chicago White Sox organization before earning a master's degree in sports administration
from St. Thomas University in 1982; and
WHEREAS, Coach Mainieri's career began at his alma mater, Columbus High
School in Miami, Florida, where he served as an assistant baseball and football coach for
three years; and
WHEREAS, in 1983, Coach Mainieri took over the St. Thomas University baseball
program that had yet to post a winning season; and
WHEREAS, Coach Mainieri coached six seasons at St. Thomas University where
his St. Thomas teams averaged 30 wins per season and ended four seasons ranked in the
final NCAA Division II poll; and
WHEREAS, Coach Mainieri was named the 1984 Sunshine State Conference Coach
of the Year and spent the final three years of his time at St. Thomas as director of athletics;
and
WHEREAS, in 1989, Coach Mainieri became the first civilian baseball coach at the
United States Air Force Academy (Air Force) and he is the only Air Force baseball coach
to post six straight 20-win seasons, averaging 26 wins in six seasons from 1989 to 1994; and
WHEREAS, Coach Mainieri guided his 1993 team to its first winning season in
nearly a decade (28-22), with a school record of 21 wins at home, and the 1994 squad led
the nation in hitting (.360), slugging (.623), and triples (0.76 per game); and
WHEREAS, Coach Mainieri's next coaching opportunity was at the University of
Notre Dame where he spent 12 seasons as the head coach from 1995 to 2006, compiling a
record of 533-213-3, and 23 post season tournament appearances including 12 conference
tournaments, 9 NCAA Regional series, one NCAA Super Regional series, and an appearance
in the 2002 NCAA College World Series; and
WHEREAS, Coach Mainieri was named the 2000 College Baseball Insider National
Coach of the Year, the 2001 BIG EAST Coach of the Year, and the American Baseball
Coaches Association Mideast Region Coach of the Year in 2001, 2002, and 2006; and
WHEREAS, it was Coach Paul Mainieri's goal to finish his collegiate baseball career
in the same place it began 45 years earlier and, in 2007, he became the head baseball coach
at LSU; and
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WHEREAS, spanning 15 seasons at LSU, Coach Mainieri's baseball teams
experienced tremendous success winning the 2009 NCAA National Championship, nine
NCAA Regional championships, five NCAA Super Regional championships, four
Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships, six SEC Tournament titles, and six SEC
Western Division Crowns; and
WHEREAS, Coach Mainieri is a four-time National Coach of the Year (2000, 2008,
2009, 2015), a two-time SEC Coach of the Year (2009, 2015), and the 2018 United States
Collegiate National Team Head Coach; and
WHEREAS, Coach Mainieri completed his career No. 1 on the all-time wins list for
active NCAA coaches, No. 7 in all-time NCAA Division I Baseball wins, and one of only
five Division I coaches in NCAA history to have won more than 1,500 games and a national
championship; and
WHEREAS, Coach Paul Mainieri has been honored for his tremendous success
throughout his career including St. Thomas University naming its baseball field the "Paul
Demie Mainieri Field", and joining his father as an inductee into the American Baseball
Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame, and becoming the only father-son combination
in the ABCA Hall of Fame.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Coach Paul Mainieri on being inducted into the 2023 class of the
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Coach Paul Mainieri.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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