Hall of Fame
Scott Abell, a 1992 graduate, played baseball for four seasons for the Lancers and was instrumental in Longwood's run to the Division II World Series in 1991, and he helped lead the team to the NCAA Division II tournament in 1992.
A catcher, Abell batted .335 with 31 home runs while helping Longwood go 117-41, one of the best four-year stretches in team history. In addition, he helped the team go 73-17 in his final two years. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals following his senior year, but injuries curtailed his baseball career.
Instead, Abell turned to coaching football, and he has been wildly successful at every stop. He is entering his first season at Rice after leading Davidson to 47 wins in seven seasons, where he exited as the winningest coach in team history. He led Davidson to the FCS playoffs three times. Prior to Davidson, he was the three-time Old Dominion Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times while winning the ODAC three times in six years at Washington & Lee.
Abell was hired as the head coach at Rice in November of 2024.
