Scott Hanna’s coaching career at the University of Minnesota Duluth may have come to an end three years ago, but his impact on the school’s baseball program will live on well into the foreseeable future thanks to a recently-established scholarship which will bear his name.
Buoyed by a generous donation from John and Colleen Economos, the Scott “H.B.” Hanna Baseball Scholarship will provide financial assistance to Bulldog baseball players from northern Minnesota or northwestern Wisconsin. John Economos was a football teammate of Hanna’s at UMD from 1969-72 and was one of the individuals credited with helping elevate Bulldog baseball to varsity status in 1972.
“I can’t think of a higher honor than to have by name on a scholarship and I’m truly humbled by this,” said Hanna. “What I am most excited about, however, is that this has the potential to be a tremendous thing for Bulldog baseball. I can’t thank John and Colleen enough for stepping up to the plate and making this a reality.”
A two-time Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year honoree, Hanna has been involved in one form or another with the UMD baseball program since its inception in 1972. He was a starter during UMD’s inaugural two seasons and spent five years as a Bulldog assistant before landing the head coaching job prior to the 1979 campaign.
Among Hanna’s numerous accomplishments during a 27-year coaching stay are four NSIC regular season titles (1992, 1993, 1999, and 2003), one berth in the NCAA II Central Regionals (2003), two NAIA Area 4 playoff appearances (1990 and 1991) and only three seasons of sub. 500 baseball. Under his watch, UMD produced four Major League Baseball draft picks, eight professional players, seven NCAA II All-Central Region selections and one American Baseball Coaches Association NCAA II All-American.
Hanna, 57, a native of Duluth and Central High School alumnus, compiled a 550-257-3 overall record with the Bulldogs.
Hanna, who spent 22 years as a UMD assistant football coach (1978-1999), has been the Bulldogs’ equipment manager since 1978-79. In addition to tending to his equipment manager functions, Hanna also assists with the athletic department’s fundraising and development efforts.
The UMD Department of Intercollegiate Athletics now oversees 35 endowed scholarships.
For more information on the Scott “H.B.” Hanna Baseball Scholarship, which falls under the guidelines of the UMD Reaching Higher Initiative (meaning the university will match the payout to each scholarship recipient dollar for dollar) please contact UMD Associate Athletic Director Mark R. Rudolph at (218) 726-8483 or mrudolph@d.umn.edu.
