Leaving a legacy requires a unity of variables that is often times hard to come by. The process necessitates consistency, discipline and success, and doing so repeatedly over a large span of time.

For 35 years, Coach David Altopp did just that, putting the Lee University baseball team on the map and leaving with them an esteemed mark as one of the most successful franchises in both school and NAIA history.

Since his resignation after the 2006 season, Altopp has inherited numerous merits for his achievements, including an induction into the NAIA and Lee University Athletic Hall of Fame.

But Altopp has only started to reach the pinnacle of his accreditation.

On January 25-27, at the TBCA annual clinic held in Franklin, Altopp received the prestigious honor of being inducted into the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Altopp will also be recognized at the national level in January 2009, as he’s expected to be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in San Diego, California.

Altopp accomplished what very few predecessors had before him as a coach and leader of Lee’s baseball program. He founded the baseball program in 1996, and over 25+ seasons, compiled over 800 wins, and led the Flames to 40+ wins in the final five years of his tenure.

The climax of his run as coach came in 2005, when he took the first Lee baseball club to the NAIA World Series after a 55-win season, capturing both conference and regional titles along the way.

Though Altopp considers winning to be a worthy goal, it wasn’t the driving force that made him who he was, nor the baseball program. Even now, he represents the very vision he set in motion for the baseball program 11 years ago: character, integrity and class.

“The best thing about Biggie (Altopp) was that he cared more about you as a person than a player. A lot of coaches out there are just concerned with wins and that was not the case with Coach Altopp.” said former player, JJ Hulet.