Liberty mourns loss of founding baseball coach and former athletics director Al Worthington
June 19, 2026 : By Liberty Athletics
Liberty University Athletics is mourning the loss of Al Worthington, Liberty’s first-ever head baseball coach (1974-1986) and a former athletics director (1983-89). Worthington peacefully passed away on Thursday, June 18, at the age of 97.
Worthington used the knowledge gained from 19 years of playing major league baseball and his passion for Christ to help him become one of Liberty’s first coaching legends. He played two years of college football and four years of baseball at the University of Alabama. He helped lead the Alabama Crimson Tide to the College World Series in 1950. Worthington played in professional baseball for 21 years and was with five different major league programs for 14 years, including a five-year stint with the Minnesota Twins. He became that team’s first true closer with 110 career saves. He served as a pitching coach for two years with the Minnesota Twins.
In 1974, Worthington came to Lynchburg to start Liberty’s baseball program. His 13-year coaching stint enabled him to become the winningest coach in program history and finish with a 64.4 winning percentage (343-189-1). Following the first year of the program, Liberty never again had a losing record during the final dozen years under Worthington’s tutelage.
During his time at the head of the program, Worthington coached four All-Americans and nine players who went on to play professional baseball, including Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame inductees Sid Bream (2009) and Lee Guetterman (2010).
On May 3, 1986, Dr. Jerry Falwell named Liberty’s baseball facility Worthington Stadium. Liberty would go on to win that day, 19-3, against Maryland, capping off Worthington’s stellar 13-year coaching career.
On Dec. 19, 1983, Worthington was named Liberty’s fifth Director of Athletics, a role he held until he retired in 1989. During the final years of his tenure at Liberty, Worthington helped usher Liberty Athletics into the NCAA Division I ranks on Sept. 1, 1988.
Worthington was inducted into the Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
