Kevin Graber

Kevin Graber (born June 23, 1969) rebounded from a life-threatening illness (lymphoma) and debilitating cancer treatments to carve out a career as a professional baseball player that included stops in Australia (Pine Rivers Rapids), the North Central League (Minneapolis Loons), the Prairie League (Southern Minnesota Stars) and the Northeast League (Adirondack Lumberjacks). In his best season as a player, Graber batted .311 for the Southern Minnesota Stars. He later managed the team to a 48-24 record and its first-ever playoff appearance, earning Prairie League Manager of the Year honors as the youngest field manager in all of professional baseball. That season, the Stars lost in the Prairie League Championship Series to the Minot Mallards, despite a roster that included former major leaguers Greg Olson and Juan Berenguer. The following year, Graber managed the Adirondack Lumberjacks of the Northeast League.

Graber is originally from Albany, New York. After transferring from Division I Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Graber twice earned first-team all-conference honors at the College of Saint Rose, a Division II school in Albany, New York, captaining the Golden Knights to consecutive league titles in 1991 and 1992. Graber was diagnosed with cancer as a senior at Saint Rose in 1992.

During the summer of 2007, Graber (or KG as he is commonly known) coached the Amherst Mickey Mantle baseball team (15-16 year olds) to the Massachusetts State Championship, advancing to the North Atlantic Regional in Long Island, N.Y. [http://people.umass.edu/kgraber/mantle/]

He served as an assistant baseball coach under Bill Thurston at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts for several years, and his college coaching career has included stops at Lassen College in Susanville, California and Riverland Community College in Austin, Minnesota. Graber has also managed the Electric City Giants of the Mountains Collegiate Baseball League and the Saratoga Phillies of the New York Collegiate Baseball League, and was inducted into the Schenectady (N.Y.) Baseball Club Hall of Fame.

External links

* [http://www.amherst.edu/sports/current/baseball/assistants.html Amherst College Baseball Coaches Page]
* [http://www.amherstbulletin.com/story/id/62300012005/ Graber featured in the "Amherst Bulletin"]
* [http://halogen.note.amherst.edu/~astudent/2006-2007/issue24/sports/07.html Graber featured in the "Amherst Student"]
* [http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/199706/20_wolfeb_minnystars/ Graber featured on Minnesota Public Radio]