Raymond H. "Hap" Spuhler (December 1, 1918 – November 26, 1982) was an American college head baseball coach and athletic director at

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including ...

for 12 years. He also served as men's basketball coach of the Patriots for three seasons. Spuhler played basketball at

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

, serving as captain of a team that won the 1942 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament. He served for 23 in the US Marines, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. He then spent two years as athletic director at St. Stephen's Episcopal School in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

before joining George Mason. He led the Patriots' transition from NAIA to

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

, including the introduction of athletic scholarships, during his tenure. In baseball, the Patriots only losing season was his first, and they appeared three times in the NAIA Playoffs, including a fifth-place finish in the

NAIA World Series The NAIA World Series (officially branded as the Avista NAIA World Series for sponsorship purposes from 2013) is a double-elimination tournament, held since 1957, to determine the baseball champion of the National Association of Intercollegiate At ...

in 1976. He compiled a 316–171–3 record in baseball. He left George Mason after a cancer diagnosis in 1979 and moved to New Mexico. He died in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was interred at

Santa Fe National Cemetery Santa Fe National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of Santa Fe, in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. It encompasses , and as of 2021, had 68,000 interments. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it ...

. The Patriots' home baseball stadium,

Hap Spuhler Field Raymond H. "Hap" Spuhler Field is a baseball venue in Fairfax, Virginia, United States. It is home to the George Mason Patriots baseball team of the NCAA Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. Opened in 1986, it has a capacity of 900 spectators. It ...

is named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spuhler, Hap 1918 births 1982 deaths Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players George Mason Patriots athletic directors George Mason Patriots baseball coaches George Mason Patriots men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players