Spartan Baseball To Honor Jim Cotter at First Pitch Dinner

 

Cotter was captain to the 1979 Big Ten baseball championship team. Photo courtesy of the MSU SID.

 

Spartan Baseball To Honor Jim Cotter at First Pitch Dinner

Tickets now on sale for the Feb. 4 event.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State baseball program will honor Jim Cotter, MSU Director of Admissions and captain of the 1979 Big Ten Championship team, as its Alumnus of the Year when it hosts the sixth annual First Pitch Dinner on Friday, Feb. 4, 2011. The event will be held at the Spartan Club on the fourth floor of Spartan Stadium and will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a silent auction followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. In addition to honoring Cotter, there will be a panel discussion with members of the 1984 World Champion Detroit Tigers, including Dave Bergman, Dan Petry and Dave Rozema.

The event will also feature a silent auction and door prizes, and attendees will receive a 2011 season ticket card and poster. Tickets for the First Pitch Dinner range in price from $20 per person for children and students, $30 for Spartan baseball alumni, and $50 each for adults. Family packages and sponsored tables of eight are also available.

For more information or to register for the First Pitch Dinner, download a registration form at msuspartans.com or call Nancy Lumley at 517.353.0816.

A graduate of Michigan State University, Cotter has been a member of the Office of Admissions staff since 1984. Starting as an admissions counselor, he has risen through the ranks serving as Acting Director from August 2006 thru August 2007. In September 2007 he was officially appointed to the position, Director of Admissions. Prior to 2006, Cotter served as Senior Associate Director of Admissions for seven years.

Cotter has experienced Michigan State on many levels. He graduated in 1979 with a degree in Elementary Education. During his undergraduate years at MSU he was also a student-athlete serving as captain to the 1979 Big Ten baseball championship team. Cotter, who started nine games on the mound during MSU’s title run, tied for second on the team with four wins that season and also ranked second on the staff in ERA (2.81), third in strikeouts (41) and fourth in innings pitched (48.0). As a sophomore in 1977, Cotter compiled a 4-3 record and 4.13 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 32.2 innings of work.

Prior to beginning his professional career on the East Lansing campus, he pursued graduate level course work within MSU’s College of Education while teaching third grade for four years in nearby Portland, Mich., and coaching both high school and junior high school athletic teams.

Known for his passionate presentations pertaining to the Spartan experience, Cotter is a well recognized admission professional across the state of Michigan and the Midwest. His involvement in several admissions related organizations, such as the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, the Michigan Association of College Admissions Counselors, the ACT State of Michigan Executive Board, and the Overseas Association of College Admissions Counselors, has led to nationwide travel and his significant influence in the field of college admissions.

In 2003, Cotter was recognized by MSU Office of Human Resources as an Outstanding University Supervisor. That same year, he also received the College Assistance Migrant Program Service Recognition. The department of Intercollegiate Athletics recognized Cotter with their Scholar-Athlete Alumni Award in 2004 and in 2005 the Spartan Award. Additionally, Cotter was recognized recently by the MSU Family Resource Center as recipient of their LaRonda E. Brown Service Recognition Award. He also received Michigan State University’s U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps “Spartan Battalion” 2007-08 Distinguished Service Award in May 2008.