Onondaga Community College paid tribute to the founder of its Baseball program Saturday with the naming of the 3rd base dugout the "Joe Antonio Dugout" in his honor. "In the immortal words of Lou Gehrig, today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth," Antonio said during an on-field ceremony which was attended by approximately 100 supporters. "Believe me when I say I've been very fortunate to have all of you coaches, players, and parents supporting my mission during my 23 years as head baseball coach at Onondaga Community College."
Antonio '69 is a native of Syracuse's North Side who graduated from Central Tech High School and enrolled at OCC when the College was located in downtown Syracuse at Midtown Plaza. In 1977 he started a club baseball team at OCC. They played home games at West Genesee High School and practiced wherever they could find an open field in the community. One year later baseball became an official sport at OCC. Antonio would manage the team for 23 years and amass an outstanding 421-251 win-loss record. He coached 10 All-Americans, 16 players who would play professionally, and 2 who made it to the major leagues. Also, 120 of his players earned scholarships to continue playing at four-year colleges.
Congratulations and thank you Joe Antonio!
