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©Associated Press
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 14, 2001
Florida hired Pat McMahon as its baseball coach Wednesday, hoping he can bring the same success to the Gators as he brought to Mississippi State the past four years.
McMahon replaces Andy Lopez, who had a 278-159-1 record over seven seasons and led the Gators to two World Series appearances.
The last appearance came in 1998, however, and athletic director Jeremy Foley felt a change was necessary.
"We went out looking for a baseball coach and found one very, very quickly," Foley said. "I've known Pat for a number of years. Obviously, seeing the job he's done at Mississippi State, and the familiarity with the Southeastern Conference is very important."
McMahon also is familiar with Florida. The 48-year-old coach was raised in Jacksonville, where he played and coached at Bishop Kenny High. He said he is looking forward to returning to the state.
"The commitment to excellence that the University of Florida portrays in everything they do is talked about on the national scale," McMahon said. "That's exciting, and it's wonderful to be a part of that."
McMahon had success recruiting Florida players to Mississippi State, and Florida is looking to beef up its in-state recruiting.
McMahon went 164-88 at Mississippi State after taking over for Ron Polk in 1998. McMahon took the Bulldogs to the World Series in his first season.
Mississippi State went 39-24 this season and won the SEC tournament for the first time in 14 years. The Bulldogs were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Cal State-Fullerton in a Super Region.
McMahon is also coach of the USA Baseball 2001 national collegiate team.