50 years ago, 24 transfer baseball players came together on the west side of the FIU campus near what today is the National Hurricane Center.
 
The FIU athletic department shared space at the time with the Health and Physical Education department in double-wide trailers, had no locker rooms and there also was no baseball field on the FIU campus at the time.
 
Instead, the team held some conditioning and warm-up drills in the rough field around the athletic department trailers.
 
"I'm not sure it was really safe to hold practice in that area as it was mostly grass and weeds growing over coral rock," said Dave Scott, one of the pitchers on that inaugural team.  "We borrowed the baseball fields located south of campus at Tamiami Park which was so much better."

The Sunblazers used Tamiami Park for many of their home games (which had no outfield fences at the time) and would go on to play the rest of their home games all over the city at Miami-Dade South, Miami-Dade North and Broward Junior College.
 
Opponents in that first season were UM, FSU, Biscayne College, Florida Memorial, Eastern Illinois, Belmont College, Middle Tennessee, Seton Hall, New Hampshire, and Montclair State.
  Under first-year Head Coach Tom Wonderling, who came to FIU after a successful career at Austin Peay State University, brought together a baseball squad that was comprised of transfers from Austin Peay, Tennessee State, Miami-Dade South, Miami-Dade North, Broward, Edison, Florida College, South Florida Junior College, Indian River Junior College, and Palm Beach Junior College.
 
Quite the diversity of playing experience but certainly a primarily Florida-grown baseball team that went 41-25 in 1973.

"It really was a great group of players that came together for that first team," Wonderling stated.  I had had the privilege to coach some of the players at Austin Peay and then pulled from the South Florida junior colleges for a majority of the squad. FIU was only an upper division, two-year university but had the largest opening enrollment of a university with 5,000 students back in the fall of 1972."

Wonderling brought in two assistants to help with the program.  Frank Merchant was a member of the Physical Education department who was working on his doctorate degree at FIU and was a former AFL lineman for the New York Titans (now the Jets), and Bobby Delgado, a USAF veteran who was working on his master's degree.

"Seriously, we competed right away though we did not have any NCAA status and just played as an independent," added Wonderling. "We scheduled local junior colleges and then managed to get our share of northern baseball teams looking for games in the sunshine and warmth of South Florida."

 Wonderling posted a 184-142 coaching record from 1972-79 at FIU and later became the second FIU Athletic Director.
 
The University of Miami agreed to take on the Sunblazers in that first season (the Sunblazers was the nickname for the FIU athletic teams for 15 years before re-branding themselves as the Golden Panthers and now known as Panthers). 

The first UM game was played under the lights in Coral Gables at Miami's Mark Light Field. FIU was not in awe of the top 10-ranked Hurricanes and didn't let the new artificial turf and rabid crowd that night distract them.

Instead, lefthander, Billy Fireline, tossed a remarkable game and the Sunblazers topped the Hurricanes 3-1. Fireline was the staff's leading hurler that year, finishing with an 8-3 record.  The cross-town series instantly became a rivalry that continues to this day.

"It was certainly a highlight for me to be tabbed as the starter for that first UM game," Fireline stated.  "We really had not played under the lights nor had we played before a large crowd of fans that were extremely vocal.  To hold on and escape with that 3-1 win still chills me to this day."

Fireline's battery mate, Carlos "Bubba" Perez, an imposing backstop with a soft mitt and an incredibly strong arm, came to Miami from Cuba at the age of 9 and attended Miami High School and later Miami-Dade College South.
  "I decided to come back to baseball after my severe accident at home plate while playing at Miami-Dade South during my sophomore year, said Perez".  Saying to myself, that it was just that, it happened and it shouldn't keep me from playing the game I love."

"It was great being a part of that first team and setting a new tradition for future ball players at FIU," added Perez. "Not only that, but the players that came from out of the South Florida area became such a tight knit group of guys. An experience that I can look back at and tell stories about the start, not only of Sunblazers baseball, but of how the University started."

Frank Baumgardner, a tall right-handed pitcher via Carol City High School and Miami-Dade North, was the first FIU baseball player drafted into the pros, being taken by the Baltimore Orioles following the 1973 season after leading the pitching staff in innings pitched and a holding a 5-6 record.

Others on the hill for the Sunblazers were Ralph Alvarez (6-3), Tony Argiz (4-1), Guy Bellevance (3-2), John Perez (2-5), the late Phil Hollar (3-2), and current UM Assistant Athletic Director of Game Operations, Dave Scott, who posted an unblemished 3-0 record.

Argiz, a native of Havana, Cuba, who attended FIU on a baseball scholarship, credits the university with having a profound impact on his life.

"FIU and baseball left an indelible mark on who I am today – if the baseball team had not recruited me, I would have never moved to Miami or met many incredible people who shaped me personally and professionally, including my wife of 46 years, Conchi. I am still proud of my team fifty years later, which won 58 games in our rookie year, and am honored to have played alongside leaders like Danny Price, who went on to be head coach of FIU's baseball team for many years. The university gave me the opportunity to be a part of history while playing a sport I love, and I am forever grateful," Argiz shared.
  Following graduation, Argiz embarked on a successful career in the accounting industry, leading MBAF to become one of the top 40 accounting firms in the nation prior to its merger with BDO USA; today he is the South Florida Managing Partner of BDO USA.

FIU administration thought so highly of Argiz that they nominated him to the Foundation Board of Trustees.  He has been a strong philanthropic alumnus while endowing scholarships, professorships, and having classrooms named in his honor. 

The FIU administration thought so highly of Argiz that they nominated him to the Foundation Board of Trustees. He has been a strong philanthropic alumnus endowing scholarships, professorships, and having classrooms named in his honor.

At the plate, FIU was led by NC native and Indian River Junior College transfer, Danny Price, who collected the first base hit in FIU history and batted .350 on the season with 79 total hits.

The late Marty Jacobs played second base and batted .297, with a team leading 13 doubles, 9 homeruns and 45 RBIs.

An outfield transfer from Austin Peay, Derek Crass led the team in games played (62), runs scored (49), stolen bases (25) and finished with a .310 average.
  Miami-Dade South transfer, Mike Sanz who batted .276 was a defensive star at shortstop.

Price became an assistant coach for Wonderling in 1976 and was appointed as Head Coach in 1980 when Wonderling focused on his role as Athletic Director. Price became the winningest baseball coach in FIU history, posting a 1,033-604 record over a 27-year career from 1980-2007.

All would agree that one of the highlights of that first year was a ten-day trip to Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Playing against national teams, military and local teams, FIU went 7-3 on that international tour.

"With 'International' taking such a part in the University's focus in being the gateway to the Americas, it was only natural that we should travel to Central America that first year," Wonderling said.  "Some of the players from Tennessee and Kentucky had never been on an airplane before, much less traveled outside the country. That trip cemented the bonds that these players have until this day."
  The 1973 Baseball team will celebrate their 50 years at FIU's Homecoming and will be honored in an on-field presentation during the FIU - UConn football game, on Saturday, October 8th at 7:00 pm.