PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers baseball program and community mourns the loss of Fred Hill, who passed away Saturday at age 84. The Verona, New Jersey, native totaled 1,089 collegiate wins, including 941 in 30 years leading the Scarlet Knights. Hill is a member of American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
"Fred Hill was more than a hall of fame coach, he was a hall of fame person," said Director of Athletics Pat Hobbs. "His impact is far greater than 1,089 career baseball victories. It's beyond measure and lives within the countless individuals he coached, mentored and inspired. The entire Rutgers community will miss him dearly. Our sincere condolences to his wife Evelyn and the Hill family."
 
"Where do I start?" head coach and former player Joe Litterio said. "How do you say goodbye to a man who has meant so much to so many different people? He was a leader by example. He taught us to do things the right way, to win with class. Nothing fancy, just old-fashioned hard work. And that was just the baseball side of him. He taught us much more than the fundamentals of baseball. He taught us the fundamentals of life."
 
"I could speak for hours on what Coach Hill represented," Glen Gardner, who played for and coached with Hill, said. "It was more than just baseball. As far as I'm concerned, I would never had been a coach if it wasn't for Moose. If I helped anyone through my 29 years, it was an extension of Moose. Everything I learned, I learned it from him. He influenced so many. Moose might not be with us on this planet anymore, but he's still teaching baseball to a lot of players."
 
Hill is survived by his wife of 62 years, Evelyn. They are the proud parents of six children: Nancy, Fred, Linda, Jim, Tracey and Karen. They also have a plethora of grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
 

Known as "Moose," Hill retired as Scarlet Knights' head coach on Feb. 20, 2014 with a record of 941-658-7 (.588) in Piscataway, totaling the most wins in Rutgers history across any sport. He earned 11 NCAA Regional appearances, 12 regular season conference championships and eight conference tournament titles during his tenure at Rutgers. Hill sent 73 players to professional baseball, with 12 making the big leagues, and developed 20 All-Americans.
 
The indoor training facility for Rutgers baseball was named after the legendary skipper, the Fred Hill Training Complex, and opened in 2017.
 
Hill ended his career ranked 32nd in college baseball history in wins with a mark of 1,089-749-9 (.592) in 37 seasons as a head coach. He earned his 1,000th career victory on April 17, 2010 against USF in front of a record crowd of 1,124 fans at Bainton Field. His final win also came against USF, a thrilling 2-1 victory on May 25, 2013 in an elimination game that sent the Scarlet Knights to the Big East Tournament semifinals.
 
After a successful career as a high school coach in New Jersey, Hill made the jump up to the collegiate level in 1977 at Montclair State. He led the Red Hawks to a 148-91-2 mark in seven seasons, including two NJAC championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances and the Division III World Series in 1983. Hill was also the football coach and went 55-13-4 in the seven years with five NJAC titles. A true representation of his successful contribution to the Montclair State program, the school's athletic department retired his number 24 jersey in February of 2010, only the third number retired in school history.
 
Hill next decided to make the move to Piscataway in 1984 to become the 11th head coach in Rutgers baseball history. Raising the scope of the program, he won eight-straight Atlantic 10 regular season titles starting in 1986 to advance RU to the NCAA Tournament five times in that stretch.
 
Hill continued that success after the program moved to the Big East and became the second-winningest coach in conference history, with 267 victories in the league over 19 seasons. His first championship in the Big East came in 1998 as he earned Coach of the Year honors and won both the regular season and tournament title. That started a stretch of five NCAA berths in six years that included hosting an NCAA Regional in 2000, a rarity for a Northeast school.
 
The 2007 team was among the best for Hill, as it tied the school record with 42 wins and won both the Big East regular season and tournament titles. Named ABCA East Region Coach of the Year, Hill and the Scarlet Knights earned the No. 2 seed in the Charlottesville Regional. A school-record six players off that team were selected in the ensuing MLB Draft.
 
Rutgers Athletics honored Hill by retiring his number 24 in a May 10, 2014 ceremony at Bainton Field in front of family, friends, program alumni and many others. It is one of two numbers retired in Rutgers baseball history, alongside Jeff Torborg's number 10.
 
Hill was a collegiate star at Upsala College, where he earned 11 letters, four in baseball, four in football and three in basketball. He was named chosen as a Small College All-American following his final football season, and was honored by Upsala as a distinguished alumnus in 1992. Hill played minor league baseball in the Washington Senators' organization and was roommates with Jim Kaat.
 
Hill began his coaching career as a freshman baseball coach at Upsala before moving to Clifford Scott High School, spending five years as an assistant and six as head coach. His next move was to lead the Pequannonck High School football team. Hill then returned to his alma mater as assistant baseball coach, taking over as Montclair State head baseball and football coach in 1977.
 
Hill was born July 15, 1934.
 
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