FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Tuesday, July 10, 2001)

Peter Kostacopoulos, a faculty member in the Wesleyan University department of physical education for 33 years and head baseball coach for the last 28 seasons, announced his retirement effective July 1, 2001.

A 1957 graduate of the University of Maine, Kostacopoulos came to Wesleyan as an assistant coach in both football and baseball in 1968. An assistant football coach for 29 of his 33 years, most recently handling receivers, Kostacopoulos assumed the head coaching reins of baseball in 1974 upon the retirement of long-time mentor Norm Daniels, who handled the team from 1941 through 1973. Thus over the last 60 years, Wesleyan has had just two head baseball coaches.

With more coaching victories in one sport than any individual ever to coach at Wesleyan, Kostacopoulos concluded with a career baseball mark of 479-304-7 for an outstanding .611 winning percentage. He posted 24 winning seasons in his 28 campaigns, including 12 straight between 1985 and 1996. His teams won 10 outright Little Three titles and qualified for the ECAC New England Division III tournament 12 times while capturing a title in 1992. His 1994 squad, behind a best-ever 30-8 record, qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament, won the New England Regional and finished as runner-up to Wisconsin-Oshkosh at the Division III World Series held in Battle Creek, Mich. For this accomplishment, Kostacopoulos was named district coach of the year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Receiving this honor twice during his tenure, he first achieved this distinction in 1983 when his Cardinals finished 24-6 and placed second in the ECAC playoffs.

"Coach Kosty's teams, year in and year out, were among the most successful teams in the region," said Wesleyan Athletics Director John Biddiscombe. "Kosty was considered by knowledgeable baseball fans as one of the deans of New England baseball coaches. Wesleyan players over the last 28 years had the opportunity to be mentored by one of the finest coaches in collegiate baseball."

A three-sport letterman (baseball, football and basketball) at Maine, Kostacopoulos was inducted in the Black Bears Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. He also was inducted into the Providence Gridiron Club Hall of Fame in his home state of Rhode Island in 2000.

Before coming to Wesleyan, Kostacopoulos coached at Bowdoin College for nine years, three of which he served as head football coach and one as acting head baseball coach. From 1988 to 1992, Kostacopoulos also had a stint coaching with the men's squash team at Wesleyan with three seasons as head coach.