1940–1942 Duke 1967–1970 George Mason | 1967–1979 George Mason 1967–1979 George Mason | |
Born December 1, 1918 ( 1918-12-01 ) Died 26 November 1982, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | ||
Raymond H. "Hap" Spuhler (December 1, 1918 – November 26, 1982) was an American college coach and administrator, who served as head baseball coach and athletic director at George Mason for 12 years. He also served as men's basketball coach of the Patriots for three seasons.
Spuhler played basketball at Duke, serving as captain of a team that won the 1942 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.
He served for 23 in the US Marines, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He then spent two years as athletic director at St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas before joining George Mason. He led the Patriots' transition from NAIA to NCAA Division I, including the introduction of athletic scholarships, during his tenure. In baseball, the Patriots only losing season was his first, and they appeared three times in the NAIA Playoffs, including a fifth-place finish in the NAIA World Series in 1976. He compiled a 316–171–3 record in baseball.
He left George Mason after a cancer diagnosis in 1979 and moved to New Mexico. He died in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was interred at Santa Fe National Cemetery. The Patriots' home baseball stadium, Hap Spuhler Field is named in his honor.