Dusty Rhodes begins his fourth season as an assistant baseball coach at Flagler.
“I have known Dusty for 28 years and am thrilled he has joined our staff," said head baseball coach Dave Barnett. "He is a good friend and is one of the most respected coaches in the game. He is certainly an asset to our players and program here at Flagler.”
Rhodes has served as a coach in college and professional baseball for 45 years. He recently served as the hitting coach for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Midwest League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2011-13). Prior to his stint in pro ball, Rhodes was the head coach at the University of North Florida. He started the program in 1988 as an NAIA school, then took the UNF to the NCAA Division II level in 1994 and then finally Division I level in 2006 before he retired in 2009. Rhodes amassed a record of 827-363 in 22 years at the helm of the UNF program.
In 2009, Rhodes was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 1989. Rhodes was part of the Peach Belt Conference inaugural hall of fame class in 2016.
Rhodes guided the Ospreys to a 40-win season in his first year as head coach. The next season, 1989, he guided UNF to the NAIA World Series and then again in 1991. Rhodes also led UNF to three NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament appearances (2000, 2001 and 2005). The Ospreys advanced all the way to the championship game in 2005. In his tenure at UNF, Rhodes led the Ospreys to 16 national tournaments.
Rhodes is a three-team NCAA Division II Southeast Region Coach of the Year (2000, 2001 and 2005), a five-time Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005), a three-time NAIA Area V Coach of the Year (1989, 1991 and 1992) and a four-time NAIA District 25 Coach of the Year (1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992).
Rhodes has also been named the Florida Diamond Club NAIA Coach of the Year four times (1988, 1989, 1991 and 1992), the Diamond Sports Co. Area Coach of the Year twice (1989 and 1991) and the Florida Sports Amateur Coach of the Year in 2001.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Rhodes has international amateur baseball experience. He was selected as the head coach of the Greek Olympic team that competed in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. He returned in 2005 to coach the Greek National Team in the 2005 European Championships. He was an assistant coach for Greece in 2002 and 2003 and served as an assistant coach for the 1996 Australian Olympic team. In 1993, 1994 and 2001, Rhodes served as an assistant coach for Team USA.
Rhodes began his collegiate coaching experience in 1969 as an assistant at Florida Southern College, his alma mater. In 1974, he became the assistant at Palm Beach Junior College and took over as its head coach in 1975. Rhodes compiled a 303-118 record at PBJC and led the team to a No. 1 national ranking in 1979. He coached three junior college all-star teams (1976, 1977 and 1980). From 1982-87 he served as an assistant coach the University of Florida.
Rhodes received an associate of arts degree from PBJC in 1966, a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Florida Southern College in 1969 and a master’s degree in education from Florida Atlantic in 1973. He taught physical education in Palm Beach County from 1969-1975.
