Tony Rossi enters his 54th season as the head coach of the Siena Baseball program in 2023. A 1985 Siena Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Rossi is the longest tenured head coach in NCAA Division I Baseball history, and the longest active tenured college baseball coach at any level. Rossi is tied for second all-time in NCAA Baseball history in seasons coached with former Division II Bentley Head Coach Bob DeFelice, and trails only Division III coach Gordie Gillespie (59 seasons). Rossi is the winningest coach in both Siena College and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference history in any sport with 934 career victories to his name.
A six-time MAAC Coach of the Year (1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2005), Rossi has led Siena to each of the program's five MAAC Tournament Championships (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2014) as well as NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999 and 2014. Rossi has developed 56 student athletes who have signed professional contracts, including 38 which have inked with Major League Baseball organizations. Gary Holle (Rangers), Tim Christman (Rockies), John Lannan (Nationals, Phillies, Mets), and Matt Gage (Blue Jays) have ultimately reached the highest level, playing in the majors. Rossi has also coached six MAAC Players of the Year and six MAAC Rookies of the Year.
Rossi has piloted Siena to a total of 20 20-win seasons since 1985, including a program record six straight from 2013-18. On three occasions Rossi has led the Saints to 30 or more victories, highlighted by a program record 34 triumphs in 1999.
Siena has amassed a 402-333 (.547) record under Rossi in the program's first 33 seasons of MAAC competition. The Saints have been dominant in the conference tournament, posting a 33-22 (.600) mark over 15 appearances. Siena's five MAAC Tournament Championships trail only former conference power LeMoyne (eight) and Marist (six) for the most in league history. Siena's 10 MAAC Championship Series appearances are the most in conference history, and the Saints advanced to the Final Round in six straight appearances between 2008-16. Rossi recorded his 832nd career victory vs. Quinnipiac on Apr. 9, 2016 to surpass former Canisius softball coach Mike Rappl as the all-time winningest coach in any sport in MAAC history, and secured his milestone 900th career win on Apr. 19, 2019 also against the Bobcats.
Rossi led Siena to four consecutive MAAC Championship Series appearances from 2013-16, highlighted by the program's fifth and most recent MAAC Championship in 2014. After dropping their first game of the MAAC Tournament, the Saints came out of the loser's bracket to win four straight - including a pair of championship series victories over rival Canisius - which culminated with Rossi's milestone 800th career victory in the decisive game. After a heartbreaking 2-1 11-inning loss to Fort Worth Regional host and No. 7 national seed TCU, Siena shocked the college baseball world the following day. The Saints rallied from 7-0 down to knock off nationally ranked Dallas Baptist 9-8 in 10 innings for the program's first NCAA Tournament win.
Rossi has defined Siena baseball over the years, building it from a Division II team with 10 players to a championship Division I program with 24 scholarship student athletes. Over the past five decades and with the addition of baseball scholarships, Rossi has been able to recruit against the top programs in the country. In 2010, Dan Paolini led the nation in home runs per game, and was the first player in Siena College history to earn All-American recognition, garnering a spot on Collegiate Baseball's Second Team.
Skip, as he is affectionately known, spends a good deal of his time recruiting, organizing and fundraising, so the program can continue to grow and remain successful.
In addition to serving as Siena's head baseball coach, Rossi simultaneously spent 34 years teaching mathematics in the Guilderland school district before retiring in 1999. He then spent nearly a decade as Siena's assistant athletic director in addition to his baseball duties, overseeing indoor and outdoor facilities, team scheduling and travel, and the department's intramural efforts. Rossi first joined the Siena College Athletic Department as a 23-year-old in January 1967, serving as the men's lacrosse junior varsity coach for three seasons. Just over two years later in the Summer of 1969, Siena Athletic Director Gene Culnan offered Rossi his dream job. For the annual sum of just $200, Rossi was hired to be Siena's head baseball coach.
In addition to his induction into the Siena Athletics Hall of Fame, Rossi has also been elected to the Albany Twilight League (1985) and Capital Region Baseball (2011) Halls of Fame.
A 1965 graduate of Brockport State College (now the College at Brockport), Rossi excelled in baseball for three seasons earning SUNY All-Star acclaim each year. In 1964, he had the highest batting average (.477) in the East.
Rossi and his wife, Val, live in Schenectady and have two children, Scott and Kristen.
Coach Rossi Through the Years
| YEAR |
W-L |
PCT. |
| 1970 |
7-10 |
.467 |
| 1971 |
7-12 |
.368 |
| 1972 |
7- 8 |
.467 |
| 1973 |
2-16 |
.111 |
| 1974 |
12-7 |
.667 |
| 1975 |
12-8 |
.600 |
| 1976 |
13-9-1 |
.565 |
| 1977* |
12-11 |
.522 |
| 1978 |
15-17 |
.469 |
| 1979 |
15-14 |
.517 |
| 1980 |
16-12 |
.571 |
| 1981 |
17-18 |
.486 |
| 1982 |
12-17 |
.414 |
| 1983 |
15-10-1 |
.577 |
| 1984 |
13-17 |
.433 |
| 1985 |
22-13-1 |
.611 |
| 1986 |
21-11 |
.656 |
| 1987 |
13-16 |
.448 |
| 1988 |
16-17 |
.484 |
| 1989 |
19-14 |
.576 |
| 1990 |
6-24-1 |
.210 |
| 1991 |
12-25 |
.324 |
| 1992 |
8-25 |
.242 |
| 1993 |
11-24 |
.314 |
| 1994 |
15-22 |
.405 |
| 1995 |
31-17 |
.646 |
| 1996 |
28-20 |
.583 |
| 1997 |
21-34 |
.382 |
| 1998 |
17-32 |
.347 |
| 1999 |
34-22 |
.607 |
| 2000 |
15-32 |
.319 |
| 2001 |
29-29 |
.500 |
| 2002 |
28-29 |
.491 |
| 2003 |
17-35-1 |
.406 |
| 2004 |
27-26 |
.506 |
| 2005 |
29-23 |
.557 |
| 2006 |
23-31-1 |
.430 |
| 2007 |
12-33 |
.270 |
| 2008 |
30-26 |
.536 |
| 2009 |
15-35 |
.300 |
| 2010 |
27-27 |
.500 |
| 2011 |
28-30 |
.483 |
| 2012 |
18-37 |
.327 |
| 2013 |
27-30 |
.474 |
| 2014 |
27-33 |
.450 |
| 2015 |
23-28 |
.451 |
| 2016 |
25-32 |
.439 |
| 2017 |
20-28-2 |
.420 |
| 2018 |
21-35 |
.375 |
| 2019 |
18-33 |
.353 |
| 2020 |
0-17 |
.000 |
| 2021 |
15-24 |
.385 |
| 2022 |
11-37 |
.229 |
| 53 SEASONS |
934-1192-8 |
.440 |
*First Division I season
DIVISION I RECORD: 874-1122-7 (.438)
DIVISION II RECORD: 60-70-1 (.462)
Coach Rossi In the MAAC
| YEAR |
W-L |
PCT. |
| 1990 |
5-6 |
.455 |
| 1991 |
11-6 |
.647 |
| 1992 |
5-13 |
.278 |
| 1993 |
7-11 |
.389 |
| 1994 |
8-10 |
.444 |
| 1995^* |
14-4 |
.778 |
| 1996^* |
14-4 |
.778 |
| 1997* |
10-8 |
.556 |
| 1998 |
11-15 |
.423 |
| 1999^* |
21-5 |
.808 |
| 2000 |
12-14 |
.462 |
| 2001^ |
19-8 |
.704 |
| 2002 |
17-9 |
.654 |
| 2003 |
15-11 |
.577 |
| 2004 |
13-12 |
.520 |
| 2005 |
19-5 |
.792 |
| 2006 |
12-15 |
.440 |
| 2007 |
10-13 |
.430 |
| 2008 |
15-8 |
.652 |
| 2009 |
9-15 |
.375 |
| 2010 |
13-11 |
.542 |
| 2011 |
14-10 |
.583 |
| 2012 |
8-16 |
.333 |
| 2013 |
15-9 |
.625 |
| 2014* |
17-7 |
.708 |
| 2015 |
13-8 |
.619 |
| 2016 |
16-8 |
.667 |
| 2017 |
11-13 |
.458 |
| 2018 |
14-10 |
.583 |
| 2019 |
12-12 |
.500 |
| 2020 |
0-0 |
.000 |
| 2021 |
14-22 |
.389 |
| 2022 |
8-15 |
.348 |
| 33 SEASONS |
402-333 |
.547 |
^Denotes MAAC Regular Season Champions
*Denotes MAAC Tournament Champions
