An All-American collegiate player, Hall of Fame coach and one of
the founding fathers of the BIG EAST Conference, John W. "Jack"
Kaiser was honored by St. John's University with the dedication and
renaming of its baseball stadium on May 5, 2007. A season-high 765
fans were in attendance, including some of Kaiser's teammates from
a 1949 team that advanced to program's first College World Series,
as the university paid tribute to Kaiser's contributions to St.
John's athletics.
Alumni and friends filled the stadium stands, highlighted by
former Major Leaguers Frank Viola and John Franco, and the voice of
Yankee Stadium, Bob Sheppard, led a ceremony to dedicate the
stadium. Director of Athletics Chris Monasch and St. John's
University President Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., joined Kaiser
at the pitcher's mound and recognized his contributions to the St.
John's baseball program.
For the second time in three seasons, Kaiser threw out a
ceremonial first pitch, this time throwing a strike to senior
catcher and co-captain Brendan Monaghan to conclude the ceremony. A
fitting end to the tribute, the Red Storm, ranked No. 29 in the
country, defeated visiting Louisville, 4-2, in the first game of a
pivotal BIG EAST Conference series.