Former Purdue Baseball Head Coach Dave Alexander Passes Away At 79
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Dave Alexander, longtime Purdue baseball coach and supporter of the program for years, passed away at the age of 79 on Wednesday morning.
Alexander, head coach of Purdue from 1978 through 1991, was an outstanding ambassador of Purdue baseball and his name will always be synonymous with the program. Alexander won 407 games during his coaching tenure for the Boilermakers.
His impact to Purdue baseball was felt after his coaching days concluded as well, when he provided the lead financial gift to build Alexander Field, named after his parents, the place where the Boilermakers call home today.
Alexander, a Purdue alumnus, returned to West Lafayette and brought a resurgence to the program in the 1980s as the head coach. He lead Purdue to their first NCAA Regional in 1987. He recruited and coached 22 Major League Baseball Draft picks during his time in charge. He was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 and was the 1991 recipient of the Golden Diamond Amateur Baseball Coach of the Year Award.
Poetically, Alexander was recognized at the program's inaugural First Pitch Dinner in January 2019. Numerous friends, former players and athletics department staff members contributed to a video recognizing his relationships across campus and throughout the Greater Lafayette community. A No. 24 jersey was presented to his brother Steve that night. To pay homage to Coach Alexander, former head coach Mark Wasikowski chose to no longer issue No. 24, a practice that continues under current head coach Greg Goff.
Alexander is survived by his brother Steve and his longtime companion Carol Baker.
According to Purdue Athletics, plans are being made for a special recognition of Alexander as part of the program’s annual alumni day event, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 9. A moment of silence is also planned for Thursday’s Purdue-Indiana men’s basketball game at Mackey Arena.