HEAD COACH DENNIS SASSO

Career Record: 305-340-9/17th Year
Record at FDU: Same/17th Year
Alma Mater: St. Peter's '69

 

Veteran head coach Dennis Sasso is in his 17th year at the helm of the Knights. During his tenure he has guided the Knights to three conference championships, three Northeast Conference regular season titles and a divisional crown. Along the way, the three-time NEC Coach of the Year (‘88, ‘93, ‘96) has piled up over 300 career wins.

The 2001 team posted a 13-27 overall mark and a 9-13 record in NEC regular season play to finish third in the south division. On April 14th, the Knights defeated Mount St. Mary’s, 12-8 to give Sasso his milestone 300th victory. "All those wins reflect the hard work and effort of a lot of men who have contributed to Fairleigh Dickinson baseball over the last 16 years," said Sasso about the accomplishment."

Four years prior to that milestone, Sasso became the coach with the most wins in the history of the program. He surpassed legendary Harvey Woods, who in 18 seasons racked up 226 wins. The record fell when Sasso’s Knights defeated Hofstra, 10-4, on April 9th, 1997, for number 227.

Sasso was appointed head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson in 1986. In his first season, the Knights went 23-16-1 overall and 13-4-1 in what was then known as the ECAC Metro Conference (now the NEC), winning the league championship.

The Knights captured the inaugural NEC Championship banner in 1987 with an 8-3-1 league record and posted a 16-15-1 overall mark. They were rewarded with a berth in the ECAC Tournament for only the second time in program history. Sasso’s success continued in 1988 as the Knights won another conference title and earned another spot in the ECAC Tournament. This time the Knights met with success, topping C.W. Post and Fordham before falling to Fordham in their second meeting and to Hartford. For his efforts, Sasso was named both New Jersey and NEC Coach of the Year.

In 1993, Sasso guided the team to a 15-6 league mark and a 28-16 overall record, while capturing a NEC regular season title and another ECAC Tournament bid. The Knights went 3-2 in the tourney, eventually falling to LeMoyne 12-11, in 10 innings. The NEC coaches again voted Sasso as Coach of the Year as the Knights established a new school record for wins in a season.

One year later, Fairleigh Dickinson and Rider shared the regular season title with NEC records of 15-6. The Knights moved on to the NEC Tournament before losing to runner-up Long Island, 4-1, in the quarterfinals.

In 1997, the year Sasso became the program’s all-time wins leader, the Knights were predicted for a middle-of-the-pack finish. They surpassed expectations with a 14-7 league record (23-24-1 overall) and shared the regular season conference title with Marist. The two teams met in the tournament championship game, where a swinging bunt gave the Red Foxes a 5-4 defeat of the Knights.

Sasso’s career as a player began while attending Essex Catholic High School. Upon graduation, he was drafted by the New York Mets who were impressed with his 0.50 ERA and 11-1 record during his senior prep year.

A 1969 graduate of St. Peter’s College, Sasso was a standout athlete, earning four varsity letters and was named All-East, All-Metro and All-Conference three times. His best collegiate season was his junior year, when a .478 batting average gave him the fourth-highest average among Division I hitters. Following his senior year, he was drafted again, this time by the San Francisco Giants. Sasso playing in the Giants’ organization for two years before returning to New Jersey.

After returning, Sasso was named head coach at Essex Catholic. During his four years there, Sasso led his team to a pair of state championships. In 1978, he moved to Middletown South High School and saw immediate success. In his four year stint, MSHS won the Shore Conference Championship three times and the Central Jersey Group IV title twice. He moved on to Nutley High School for three seasons, where he led the team to three Northern Jersey League titles and the Group IV semifinals twice.