2026 and then: Ken Dugan Field commemorated 35 years ago

Former players stood in a long line along the third-base line in 1991 as Lipscomb formally named its new baseball field for Coach Ken Dugan, honoring the coach who shaped generations of Bison players.

Dugan coached at Lipscomb from 1960 to 1996, winning more than 1,000 games and leading the Bisons to NAIA national championships in 1977 and 1979.

The prior home for Lipscomb baseball had been Onion Dell, where the Ezell Center now stands.

The 35th anniversary anniversary is a reminder of who Dugan was – a coach whose character, faith and compassion shaped Lipscomb baseball as much as his skills did as a coach.

For the Dugan family, the naming of the field was special.

“It really means a lot to us,” said Kurt Dugan, Ken’s son and a Bison player from 1991-1996. “One of the things I heard him say several times that meant the most to him was knowing his grandkids would get to be able to drive by and see the field and his name would still be on it, and that means a lot to him.”

Kurt’s daughter, Savanna, experienced that connection first-hand with her grandfather, who died in 2000.

“She would go out to the baseball field all the time and just really felt connected to him without ever meeting him,” Kurt said. “She even wanted to go out there for her graduation photos where it said ‘Ken Dugan Field’ and have her photos taken.”

Kurt grew up around Bison baseball and said he wanted to keep that bond of playing under his dad.

“It was a weird thing, but I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Kurt said. “I wanted to stay in Nashville and play on the field named after him.”

Former assistant coach AI Austelle remembers what made Dugan different on the field.

“You knew that he was there to coach the kids,” Austelle said. “He was there to help the kids to get better, and when I say get better, he wanted them to be better people and as well as better baseball players. He inspired his players to be self-motivated and to go up and play to the best of your ability every time we played.”

Austelle said that beyond baseball, Dugan valued the whole person.

“He was very concerned about the people,” Austelle said. “I felt like I was working with an individual who was very concerned about the holistic perspective of people. Baseball was an opportunity or a vehicle to allow him to be successful.”

Another former assistant coach, Randy Bostic, did not hesitate when asked what it was like working with Dugan.

“Coach was absolutely one of the best,” he said. “He cared about his players and his coaches more than anything. He was an absolutely strong Christian man, Christian leader, and he would always put that first.”

Bostic said that leadership was very visible every day.

“His Christian attitude, effort and work ethic was always on display,” he said.

Bostic said the players always felt appreciated because they were treated more than just athletes.

“He interacted with them as if they were his sons,” Bostic said. “He loved all the players and treated them all very, very well.”

In Bostic’s eyes, Dugan’s influence at Lipscomb surpassed the diamond.

“I think he would be on the Mount Rushmore of Lipscomb people,” Bostic said. “Coach Dugan impacted everybody on campus – certainly his players and his coaches, but he had an impact on the campus as a whole.”

Undergirding the impact, Bostic said, was love.

“Coach Dugan loved his family; he loved his athletes,” Bostic said. “He treated his players and coaches as well as anybody could’ve ever expected, and he loved Lipscomb. He loved what Lipscomb stands for and how Lipscomb has made an impact on young people’s lives.”

Kurt Dugan said that athletes who step onto the Ken Dugan Field should recognize how deep his father’s legacy is.

“I meet many people who knew my dad,” he said, “and they all talk about what a great man he was, his integrity, his honesty and how good of a Christian man he was all before they talk about what a good baseball coach he was.”