The University of Mississippi Athletics
The Lasting Legacy of Don Kessinger
4/21/2021 | Baseball
Kessinger to Have Number Retired Thursday, Apr. 22 as Rebels Take On LSU
Don Kessinger has worn many hats at Ole Miss. Younger Rebels may know him as "Pop," the fervent fan in the stands adamantly cheering on his grandson and Rebel superstar Grae Kessinger. To the seasoned veterans, he's "Coach," the Ole Miss skipper in the transformative early 90s. It doesn't take a historian or third-generation Rebel, however, to know "DK" or "Donnie," arguably the greatest baseball player in program history but unquestionably a man who epitomizes what it means to be a lifelong Ole Miss Rebel.
His hats have differed, and so too have his numbers (Kessinger's years as a player at Ole Miss were marked by different numbers on the road and at home). His legacy, though, is set is stone, and now Kessinger will now be forever immortalized as just the second number retiree in program history, joining fellow Rebel great Jake Gibbs in the highest echelon of Rebel baseball lore.
Kessinger's No. 11 – the number synonymous with the golden glove of the Chicago Cubs' six-time All-Star shortstop – is set to be permanently emblazoned on the outfield wall at Swayze Field. To his many fans, be they former teammates, players, fans, sons or grandsons, the honor couldn't have been bestowed on a better man.
"I couldn't think, in my time there, of all the hours he spent with us, I can't think of a better person to represent our school and our baseball program than Don Kessinger," said David Dellucci, former player under Kessinger and fellow SEC Legend. "Every time, every child, every baseball player, every fan that walks into that stadium will see his name and jersey number on that wall, because it is absolutely deserved that his legend continues on."
Kessinger's career as a coach and player and even his post-baseball days is one marked by humility, defining a man not apt to seek out the spotlight. But the spotlight shone on Kessinger nonetheless, as it will continue to do so in Oxford in the wake of his retirement ceremony.
"I am thrilled, honored, overwhelmed and humbled by this gesture," Kessinger said. "I will be forever grateful that my number will be hung next to the great Jake Gibbs in the outfield. I am also so privileged that I have had the honor of representing Ole Miss through the years in two sports. My teammates, coaches and those Ole Miss fans who have encouraged my career will never be forgotten."
Kessinger's career achievements span the gauntlet, and his family name is a mainstay throughout the program media guide.
He departed Oxford in 1964 after racking up All-American and All-SEC honors in both baseball and basketball, but his program-record .400 career batting average in baseball helped ease his decision to pursue baseball professionally. Kessinger went on play in Major League Baseball for 16 years and is perhaps most notable for becoming a six-time All-Star with the Chicago Cubs and the American League's last player-manager with the Chicago White Sox.
"To look back, I just feel tremendously blessed to have been able to do something I love so much, to play so many years at the highest level in baseball," Kessinger said. "It's been a great, great privilege. At this stage of my life, to think about everything I was able to accomplish, the people I was able to be around, it's an unreal experience."
The sense of appreciation isn't lost on Kessinger either, even with a 16-year stint in the MLB under his belt.
"My first All-Star Game I was in the locker room with Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Bob Gibson, all of the greatest players of the time, and I just thought, 'What am I doing here, boy?'" Kessinger said. "I hope I never lose sight of that."
At the conclusion of a long MLB career, Kessinger's two sons, Keith and Kevin, followed in their father's footsteps and both went on to play baseball both at Ole Miss and professionally.
"It's really unbelievable to watch them play in a place that you loved so much and enjoyed throughout your life," Kessinger said.
Both sons committed to Kessinger's predecessor as Ole Miss head coach, Jake Gibbs, but in 1991, Kessinger took over as the Rebel skipper and coached over the younger Kevin for two years at Ole Miss. As head coach, Kessinger helped pave the way for Ole Miss' national prominence in the 21st century, following the Rebels' first ever 40-win season in 1995.
Kessinger brought a unique perspective to the Rebel locker room as head coach, as someone with both experience in the same ballpark as well as the mindset of a big-leaguer. To his disciples and former players in the 90s, the experience couldn't have been more welcome.
"He helped continue the foundation that Coach Gibbs brought in as a player and as a manager," Chris Snopek, former player under Kessinger, said. "Then to a different level by being an athlete that competed on a national level. A lot of young players wanted to be at Ole Miss. With DK coming here, it cemented Ole Miss as a program in the SEC that is very competitive on a national level, and competing for national championships every year."
According to his former players, Kessinger epitomized the meaning of a true player-coach, a knack that he owes to his time as a player-manager in 1979 with the White Sox.
"It's just a different lifestyle," Dellucci said. "You don't have four or five teenage ballplayers coming to your house at 11 o'clock at night after a road trip to talk about changes that need to be made. It was an open-door policy, and there were no limits with DK. You could go to him all the time and you could go to him for anything that was going on. There were issues with players that go far beyond the diamond that DK was a father figure and advisor to."
Kessinger also went above and beyond the required roles of a college coach at Ole Miss and even spent time out at his natural position at shortstop during intrasquad scrimmages. According to Dellucci, there was no evident drop off in skill, even in the decade and a half since his last playing days in Chicago.
"He was a light hitter – he'd always hit at the top of the lineup, but his glove was absolutely phenomenal," Dellucci said. "He used to make some plays on defense that, all of the team would look at each other in amazement. It was phenomenal to watch him. I felt bad for Jeffrey Johnson, our shortstop, because DK was showing him up in the field."
Kessinger's career accolades weren't lost on his players, either, as many have credited Kessinger's experience with directly contributing to their own future successes.
"I just feel like he, with his playing background, he saw some things in me that really gave me confidence as a player defensively and offensively," Snopek said. "He was a players' coach. He really let us play. That was a huge blessing for me at the time when he came to Ole Miss. He just gave me what I needed to get to another level and be an all-around player."
Kessinger finally hung up his block M cap in 1996, but it didn't stay in the closet for long. Grae, Don's grandson and Kevin's son, made his first start at shortstop at Ole Miss in 2017, and just like his grandfather, became an All-American shortstop for the Rebels.
"He taught me everything about playing shortstop," Grae said. "From the time that I could pick up a ball to even now, he's the guy that I could ask any question to. I can even describe a play over the phone, and he knows what I'm talking about and he can tell me how to make the play. No better person to talk to than him. It's really fun to hear the way he talks about the game."
For Grae, Keith, Kevin, Carolyn, and the rest of the Kessinger family, Don is just "Pop," a great baseball player, but an even better man. Don has spawned three different generations of Kessingers at Swayze Field to date, but for potential future Kessingers to come, the hope remains that Don's number forever adorned on the right field wall will inspire skills far beyond the diamond.
"I think it will be awesome," Grae said. "Everyone will get to know the legacy that he left. I can't wait to tell my kids about it one day. More important than baseball, I just get to talk about the man he was. I'm blessed to call him grandfather."
Thursday night's retirement ceremony may be a fitting end to Don's illustrious career at Ole Miss, but his impact on the university is far from complete.
"Just to tell the truth, I love this place. I am an Ole Miss Rebel," Kessinger said. "I grew up in Arkansas, and when it came time to choose a school, I am so glad I chose Ole Miss. Never one day have I regretted being an Ole Miss Rebel. Sometimes it's hard to be an Ole Miss Rebel and a Chicago Cubs fan" he says with a laugh, "but it's a rare privilege to be able to do that, and even if the games don't always end exactly how we like, I'm extremely proud to be here and I'm so appreciative for the opportunities the University of Mississippi has given me, and for the chance to represent Ole Miss as long as I have – hopefully in a good way."
His hats have differed, and so too have his numbers (Kessinger's years as a player at Ole Miss were marked by different numbers on the road and at home). His legacy, though, is set is stone, and now Kessinger will now be forever immortalized as just the second number retiree in program history, joining fellow Rebel great Jake Gibbs in the highest echelon of Rebel baseball lore.
Kessinger's No. 11 – the number synonymous with the golden glove of the Chicago Cubs' six-time All-Star shortstop – is set to be permanently emblazoned on the outfield wall at Swayze Field. To his many fans, be they former teammates, players, fans, sons or grandsons, the honor couldn't have been bestowed on a better man.
"I couldn't think, in my time there, of all the hours he spent with us, I can't think of a better person to represent our school and our baseball program than Don Kessinger," said David Dellucci, former player under Kessinger and fellow SEC Legend. "Every time, every child, every baseball player, every fan that walks into that stadium will see his name and jersey number on that wall, because it is absolutely deserved that his legend continues on."
Kessinger's career as a coach and player and even his post-baseball days is one marked by humility, defining a man not apt to seek out the spotlight. But the spotlight shone on Kessinger nonetheless, as it will continue to do so in Oxford in the wake of his retirement ceremony.
"I am thrilled, honored, overwhelmed and humbled by this gesture," Kessinger said. "I will be forever grateful that my number will be hung next to the great Jake Gibbs in the outfield. I am also so privileged that I have had the honor of representing Ole Miss through the years in two sports. My teammates, coaches and those Ole Miss fans who have encouraged my career will never be forgotten."
Kessinger's career achievements span the gauntlet, and his family name is a mainstay throughout the program media guide.
He departed Oxford in 1964 after racking up All-American and All-SEC honors in both baseball and basketball, but his program-record .400 career batting average in baseball helped ease his decision to pursue baseball professionally. Kessinger went on play in Major League Baseball for 16 years and is perhaps most notable for becoming a six-time All-Star with the Chicago Cubs and the American League's last player-manager with the Chicago White Sox.
"To look back, I just feel tremendously blessed to have been able to do something I love so much, to play so many years at the highest level in baseball," Kessinger said. "It's been a great, great privilege. At this stage of my life, to think about everything I was able to accomplish, the people I was able to be around, it's an unreal experience."
The sense of appreciation isn't lost on Kessinger either, even with a 16-year stint in the MLB under his belt.
"My first All-Star Game I was in the locker room with Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Bob Gibson, all of the greatest players of the time, and I just thought, 'What am I doing here, boy?'" Kessinger said. "I hope I never lose sight of that."
At the conclusion of a long MLB career, Kessinger's two sons, Keith and Kevin, followed in their father's footsteps and both went on to play baseball both at Ole Miss and professionally.
"It's really unbelievable to watch them play in a place that you loved so much and enjoyed throughout your life," Kessinger said.
Both sons committed to Kessinger's predecessor as Ole Miss head coach, Jake Gibbs, but in 1991, Kessinger took over as the Rebel skipper and coached over the younger Kevin for two years at Ole Miss. As head coach, Kessinger helped pave the way for Ole Miss' national prominence in the 21st century, following the Rebels' first ever 40-win season in 1995.
Kessinger brought a unique perspective to the Rebel locker room as head coach, as someone with both experience in the same ballpark as well as the mindset of a big-leaguer. To his disciples and former players in the 90s, the experience couldn't have been more welcome.
"He helped continue the foundation that Coach Gibbs brought in as a player and as a manager," Chris Snopek, former player under Kessinger, said. "Then to a different level by being an athlete that competed on a national level. A lot of young players wanted to be at Ole Miss. With DK coming here, it cemented Ole Miss as a program in the SEC that is very competitive on a national level, and competing for national championships every year."
According to his former players, Kessinger epitomized the meaning of a true player-coach, a knack that he owes to his time as a player-manager in 1979 with the White Sox.
"It's just a different lifestyle," Dellucci said. "You don't have four or five teenage ballplayers coming to your house at 11 o'clock at night after a road trip to talk about changes that need to be made. It was an open-door policy, and there were no limits with DK. You could go to him all the time and you could go to him for anything that was going on. There were issues with players that go far beyond the diamond that DK was a father figure and advisor to."
Kessinger also went above and beyond the required roles of a college coach at Ole Miss and even spent time out at his natural position at shortstop during intrasquad scrimmages. According to Dellucci, there was no evident drop off in skill, even in the decade and a half since his last playing days in Chicago.
"He was a light hitter – he'd always hit at the top of the lineup, but his glove was absolutely phenomenal," Dellucci said. "He used to make some plays on defense that, all of the team would look at each other in amazement. It was phenomenal to watch him. I felt bad for Jeffrey Johnson, our shortstop, because DK was showing him up in the field."
Kessinger's career accolades weren't lost on his players, either, as many have credited Kessinger's experience with directly contributing to their own future successes.
"I just feel like he, with his playing background, he saw some things in me that really gave me confidence as a player defensively and offensively," Snopek said. "He was a players' coach. He really let us play. That was a huge blessing for me at the time when he came to Ole Miss. He just gave me what I needed to get to another level and be an all-around player."
Kessinger finally hung up his block M cap in 1996, but it didn't stay in the closet for long. Grae, Don's grandson and Kevin's son, made his first start at shortstop at Ole Miss in 2017, and just like his grandfather, became an All-American shortstop for the Rebels.
"He taught me everything about playing shortstop," Grae said. "From the time that I could pick up a ball to even now, he's the guy that I could ask any question to. I can even describe a play over the phone, and he knows what I'm talking about and he can tell me how to make the play. No better person to talk to than him. It's really fun to hear the way he talks about the game."
For Grae, Keith, Kevin, Carolyn, and the rest of the Kessinger family, Don is just "Pop," a great baseball player, but an even better man. Don has spawned three different generations of Kessingers at Swayze Field to date, but for potential future Kessingers to come, the hope remains that Don's number forever adorned on the right field wall will inspire skills far beyond the diamond.
"I think it will be awesome," Grae said. "Everyone will get to know the legacy that he left. I can't wait to tell my kids about it one day. More important than baseball, I just get to talk about the man he was. I'm blessed to call him grandfather."
Thursday night's retirement ceremony may be a fitting end to Don's illustrious career at Ole Miss, but his impact on the university is far from complete.
"Just to tell the truth, I love this place. I am an Ole Miss Rebel," Kessinger said. "I grew up in Arkansas, and when it came time to choose a school, I am so glad I chose Ole Miss. Never one day have I regretted being an Ole Miss Rebel. Sometimes it's hard to be an Ole Miss Rebel and a Chicago Cubs fan" he says with a laugh, "but it's a rare privilege to be able to do that, and even if the games don't always end exactly how we like, I'm extremely proud to be here and I'm so appreciative for the opportunities the University of Mississippi has given me, and for the chance to represent Ole Miss as long as I have – hopefully in a good way."
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