Southern University legendary head baseball coach Roger Cador, who led the Jaguars to 14 Southwestern Athletic Conference championships in 33 remarkable seasons, passed last Tuesday.
Cador was 74 years old.
Cador, who retired from coaching in 2017 leaves behind a legacy that extends far beyond the baseball diamond. He built one of the most respected black college baseball programs in the nation while serving as a leader and ambassador for the game.
“Coach Roger Cador was far more than a baseball coach — he was a visionary, a mentor ,a leader and a true pillar of the Jaguar Nation,”said Roman Banks, Southern’s athletics director.
“His impact on Southern University andHBCU baseball is immeasurable. For more than three decades, he built a championship culture, developed generations of student-athletes, and inspired countless lives both on and off the field.
During his legendary career, Cador compiled a career record of 913-597-1ecoming one of the winningest coaches in college baseball history. Under his leadership, Southern captured two HBCU Nationa Championships (2003, 2005), 14 SWAC Championships, and made 11 NCAA Regional appearances.
Cador also earned 13 SWAC Coach of the Year honors, coached 10 All-Americans and helped 62 student-athletes reach the professional ranks through the MLB
Draft.
A native of Louisiana and a proud Jaguar himself, Cador’s connection to Southern began as a student-athlete. From 1970-73, he starred for the Jaguars, including leading Southern with a .393 batting average as a junior in 1972.
Following his collegiate career, Cado played professionally in the Atlanta Braves
organization from 1973-77, advancing as high as Class AAA with the Richmond Braves.
He returned to Southern in 1978, servingas an assistant baseball coach and later as a basketball assistant coach before taking over theJaguar baseball program in 1984.
One of Cador’s earliest milestones came in 1987, when he guided Southern to history as the first HBCU program to win a game in an NCAA Regional, defeating No. 2 Cal State Fullerton, 1-0, in New Orleans.
Perhaps his greatest coaching accomplishment was helping develop Rickie Weeks into one the nation’s premier college player. Weeks became a two-time NCAA batting champion,
earned the 2003 Golden Spikes Award as the top collegiate baseball player in the country, and became the first player from a predominantly Black institution to win the honor. Weeks was selected second overall in the 2003 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and went on to enjoy a successful 14-year MajorLeague Baseball career.
Cador’s contributions to baseball have been recognized throughout the country. His
honors include induction into the SWAC Hall of Fame (2018), the Louisiana Sports Hall of
Fame (2019), the American Baseball Coache Association Hall of Fame (2021), and the
National College Baseball Hall of Fame (2022).