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LU
The Lamar University baseball program will hold a jersey retirement ceremony of three former Cardinals - David Bernsen, Jim Gilligan and Kevin Millar - who have already had their jerseys retired, but an official ceremony was never held in their honor. All three will be at Vincent-Beck Stadium on Saturday, May 7, and the ceremony will take place before the Cards play UT Rio Grande Valley at 2 p.m.
David Bernsen
Bernsen had a superb four-year career in baseball, but was especially magnificent in 1971 when he hurled Lamar to its first Southland Conference baseball championship. That season, he won six games in nine starts, posted a 4-0 league record, led the SLC with a 1.89 earned run average and tossed four shutouts, including a one-hit job against Baylor.
For his 1971 performance, he was picked to the All-Southland Conference team and won the Johnny Sain Award as the league’s outstanding pitcher. At the end of his collegiate career, he held Lamar records for wins (17), strikeouts (165), games started (35), complete games (18) and shutouts (6). Bernsen remained an active Lamar University supporter, including two terms as president of the Hall of Honor.
Jim Gilligan
A coaching legend who walked the LU dugout as both player and coach, Gilligan has been a fixture of Cardinals baseball for more than 40 years. A six-time conference coach of the year, Gilligan retired from the sport following the 2016 campaign but his accomplishments on the field will be etched in the LU record books forever. During his tenure, Gilligan guided Big Red fans to more than 1,300 victory celebrations as he posted 1,355 career wins – a mark that ranks 13th all-time in NCAA history. In addition to the wins Gilligan also led the Cardinals to 12 conference titles and 12 NCAA Regional appearances.
The Cardinals produced an astounding 30 30-win seasons, eight 40-win seasons and a 50-win season under Gilligan’s direction. The 50-win campaign came in 1981 when the Cards won a school record 54 games.
During his time in the dugout, Gilligan has produced a staggering 138 all-conference selections, 81 major league draftees, six major leaguers and four All-Americans. He has also coached a Southland Player of the Year, five hitters of the year and nine pitchers of the year.
A member of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame and the Southland Hall of Honor, Gilligan is so loved by the Beaumont community that in 2010 it voted to unanimously rename a stretch of Florida Avenue running adjacent to Vincent-Beck Stadium to Jim Gilligan Way. When Gilligan retired, he did so as the program’s and Southland Conference’s all-time winningest coach.
Kevin Millar
Millar was a two-year letterwinner for Lamar University in 1992 and 1993. He helped LU win the 1993 Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships, advancing to the NCAA Central Regional Championships in College Station, Texas.
As a senior in 1993, Millar hit .324 with 70 hits, 53 runs scored, a team-best 18 doubles, five home runs and 53 runs batted in.
In 1992, Millar led LU in runs scored (41), hits (56), home runs (13) and RBIs (50) to earn All-Sun Belt Conference honors. He also earned the Al Vincent Award, which is given annually to LU’s top hitter.
Millar enjoyed an outstanding minor-league career that culminated in being named MVP of the Class AA Eastern League in 1997 as a member of the Portland Sea Dogs. He made his major league debut a year later with the Florida Marlins.
Millar was acquired by the Boston Red Sox in 2003 and enjoyed his best season as a major leaguer as he posted career bests of 25 home runs and 96 RBIs. In 2004, Millar helped the Red Sox win their first World Series title since 1918.
Millar played 12 seasons in the major leagues. In addition to the Marlins and the Red Sox, he spent time with the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. He hit .274 for his career with 170 home runs and 699 RBIs. After his playing career, Millar went into broadcasting as an analyst for the MLB Network and New England Sports Network.