Friday, April 07, 2000
NKU's Aker nears 800th win
BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Bill Aker watches Brandon Adams in practice.
(Patrick Reddy photo)
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It was 1972, and James Claypool was trying to get Northern Kentucky University's athletic program started. Claypool, then vice president/director of student affairs, thought first of baseball. And of Bill Aker.
Aker's qualifications?
“I had some extra balls and bats lying around,” he said. “It just kind of went from there.”
That was 28 seasons ago. Aker, coach of the first athletic team at NKU, is still there — vying this weekend for his 800th career victory.
The 60-year-old coach has a 797-556-1 record. NKU (18-12, 3-3 Great Lakes Val ley Conference) visits Indiana-Purdue/Fort Wayne (5-14, 1-6) for a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday.
“When I first started coaching, 500 was a big number,” he said. “So I'm sure this is something special. There aren't a lot of coaches who stay around that long.”
Aker didn't figure himself for one.
“I never dreamed I'd stay here,” he said. “I came to get a degree to move up in the business world. I got a master's, but I never left.”
This was actually a second job; Aker worked nights as a press man at the Enquirer for 25 years. But having played baseball at Holmes High School and in the amateur ranks, coaching stuck in his blood.
“I enjoyed it,” he said. “It's a different lifestyle. I went from working a trade to an educational setting that's a little different from a trade, and enjoyed both of them.”
As a coach, his record speaks for itself. The Norse twice made the College World Series, in 1979 in NCAA Division II and in 1985 while an NAIA member. Their two finest records were 49-7 in 1977 and 45-9 in 1989.
Numerous NKU products have played professional baseball, one reaching the majors: Chris Hook, a Lloyd High grad who pitched in relief for San Francisco in 1995 and '96.
Hook, who retired last fall after 11 professional seasons, has returned as NKU's pitching coach. He says the program's success comes from Aker's competitive drive.
“On the field, I've never seen a more fiery competitor,” Hook said.
“I think that was probably the main thing that pushed lot of us that went pro — in college, we played for a guy who most important thing is winning. Some guys in the minors just worry about their stats, but winning is more important. That's what got me to the majors.”
The program sprung from humble origins. Aker's first team had just eight players; he had to pick someone up for each game. They got a dollar a day to eat on and drove their own cars to away games.
He and his players used to have to raise 50 percent of the team's operating budget; now they need raise only 25 or 30 percent, Aker said. NKU now has four full scholarships to spread among its players, though most of its league rivals have eight or more.
“Times sure have changed here,” Aker said. “There was only one building and a trailer (in 1972). Now you sit here with 12,000 students.”
In 29 seasons, what sticks with Aker aren't the wins or losses. It's the relationships.
Former players are the program's most generous supporters, financially and otherwise.
“When they're playing for me, I'm not always the friendliest guy to deal with,” Aker said. “But now some of my best friends are my (former) players. It's nice when they come over to see you. That makes the career worthwhile.”
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