Oklahoma Christian University will name its new baseball stadium “Dobson Field” in honor of longtime head coach Max Dobson and his late wife, Ramona.
OC officials made the surprise announcement during a baseball alumni reunion dinner on Saturday night that was attended by many former players. Oklahoma Christian will break ground on the new facility this month in advance of the baseball program’s renewal next school year.
Max Dobson, a former baseball and basketball star at Pioneer High School and at Phillips University, coached Oklahoma Christian’s baseball team for 14 years (1967-1980).
He compiled a 280-194 intercollegiate record and led the Eagles to eight playoff appearances, highlighted by a third-place finish in the 1972 NAIA College World Series. His 1976 team won the Texoma Conference championship. Including summer-league ball in the tough Industrial League, Dobson’s baseball teams amassed a 461-280 record.
Ramona, Max’s wife of 42 years until her passing in 2001, was dedicated to making others’ lives easier and more enjoyable. Her servant attitude and Christian example made a profound impact on Max’s players and on countless others at Oklahoma Christian and in the community.
“I am blown away by this honor,” Max Dobson said. “God truly led me here to serve, and I really appreciate the opportunities I have been afforded since coming to this university. To have our name on part of the campus is such a humbling honor. I owe so much to all of my former players. They were great individuals and it was such a privilege to coach young men of such high quality. It was a blessing to see many of them here and talk about baseball and their lives now. The players are OC baseball.”
Max, who also had distinguished tenures as OC’s athletic director and women’s basketball coach, is a member of OC’s Athletic Hall of Fame and the NAIA Hall of Fame.
“From the time we began working to bring back baseball, we felt the Dobson name belonged on our new facility,” OC executive vice president Alfred Branch said. “We are committed to bringing back baseball the right way, in the way that Max led the program: with a commitment to excellence, a commitment to family, a commitment to a winning tradition, and a commitment to Christian character both on and off the field.”
Dobson continues to teach at Oklahoma Christian, where he has served as physical education chair and received numerous academic honors. He is well-known in the surrounding community for his classes for local handicapped children. He began the classes in 1976 with the help of his baseball players. Since that time, almost 1,500 OC students have participated in the program, helping touch and change the lives of many people.
“It is only fitting that after 41 years of devoted service to Oklahoma Christian as a professor, department chair, athletic director and coach that we honor this wonderful Christian man and servant of God by naming the new baseball facility in his honor,” said new OC baseball coach Chuck White, who played under Dobson in the 70s. “Because of his Christian character and integrity, Coach Dobson has laid the foundation by which this program shall be restored and function. He is our cornerstone and example.”
Dobson Field is conceived as a first-class facility with lights and other amenities that will make it an attractive venue for night games and for state, regional and national tournaments. Oklahoma Christian partnered with The Benham Companies on plans for the new facility. A campaign to fund the first phase of Dobson Field’s construction is in full swing. For more information, go to www.oceagles.com/batterup.
