EACH WEEK, WE'LL TAKE A LOOK BACK AT A MEMORABLE MOMENT IN ILLINI HISTORY, THANKS TO THE WORDS OF THE NEWS-GAZETTE AND THE MEMORIES OF JIM TURPIN.

This week: Legendary baseball coach Itch Jones wins his 1,000th career game

Headline: Jones feels like a grand

Date: April 8, 1998

By JEFF HUTH

CHAMPAIGN – At 2 1/2 years old, Richard Caleb Jones probably won't remember years from now what took place Wednesday afternoon at Illinois Field.

His grandfather, however, will have enough memories for both of them. Especially the part about his namesake joining him in the University of Illinois dugout for the final three innings of a historic 18-2 baseball victory over Western Illinois.

"As I look back and remember my thousandth victory, I'll always remember the fact that he was there sitting on my lap when it happened," Richard "Itch" Jones said.

In this his 32nd season, Jones became the 19th collegiate baseball coach in Division I history to reach that milestone. Including three years at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, 21 at Southern Illinois in Carbondale and eight at the UI, Jones is 1,000-568-5.

To 22-year-old Illini center fielder Dusty Rhodes, the first number in Jones' record is "incomprehensible."

"I don't think I've ever played in a thousand games, and a thousand wins?" Rhodes said. "That's just amazing."

Jones said the significance of this feat undoubtedly will hit him someday. For now, though, he's too occupied with the immediate future of what appears to be his best Illini team ever.

"If it was going to be the last game I ever coached the rest of my life, I think it would mean a lot more to me," said Jones after his 25th-ranked Illini won their sixth in a row and ninth in the last 10 to improve to 20-11. "But I look at this ballclub, and our goal is to win the Big Ten and go on to the College World Series in Omaha. My focus and goals are where the players' are, and it's beyond today."

On this day, however, the entire focus at Illinois Field was unavoidably and appropriately on Jones' historic achievement.

His players did their part by quickly settling all doubt about when No. 1,000 would come. After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Illini hit the Leathernecks with a five-run outburst in the second and with five more in the fourth.

By the time Illinois was erupting for yet another five-run salvo in the sixth, Jones was busily clearing his bench. By game's end, 26 Illini had seen action in the nonconference blowout of the 7-15 Leathernecks.

"We wanted to beat them bad so that it was a special day," Rhodes said. "So it wasn't just a 3-2 win or something like that. Everyone got to play. Everyone was a part of it, so that was good, too."

Much to Jones' surprise, even Caleb was a part of it. Jones' son, Michael, had driven his family in from Louisville, Ky., to help celebrate the occa sion.

When the Illini coach had called Michael the night before to inform his son that victory No. 999 was in the books, the voice on the other end sounded less than awake.

"I said to go back to sleep and I just hung up the phone," Jones said. "I knew nothing about this."

Turns out Michael had intended to be on hand for the day all along. Just wanted to keep it a secret. The secret was out when Jones heard a boy's voice calling to him during the game.

Said Jones: "I heard this little boy say, "Hey, Poppy Itch' .. that's what he calls me .. and I said, "It can't be that.' "

With Caleb in the dugout as the game wound down, Illini players temporarily were stymied in preparing yet another surprise for their coach. The plan was to dump the contents of a couple of large plastic water coolers on Jones' head seconds after the final out. But when Jones remained in the dugout with his grandson during the final few innings rather than take his customary spot in the third base coach's box, the players couldn't unscrew the cooler lids without being spotted. celebratory ritual of dousing the coach took place anyway, albeit a few minutes later than planned.

"Finally he turned away, and he was getting interviewed and we said, "That's the time,' " Rhodes said.

More pleasant .. and certainly drier .. festivities awaited the UI coach.

Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther was on hand for the formal postgame ceremony to honor Jones. A cake marking the occasion was waiting to be devoured. And the supply of handshakes and pats on the back seemed unending as Jones made his way around Illinois Field.

Among the first to extend congratulations was pitching coach Dan Hartleb. After two years as a player for Jones at SIU and the last eight on his Illini coaching staff, Hartleb knows perhaps better than anyone at the UI what win No. 1,000 means to the veteran coach.

"Itch usually doesn't get caught up with a bunch of wins and things, but I think in the past few days Itch has sat down and really looked back and realized what a thousand wins are," Hartleb said. "And I think it's something he's very proud of and something he's worked very hard at."

One day earlier, after Jones had moved within one victory of the milestone, Hartleb told his boss, "Itch, that's a lot of games."

"And for the first time," Hartleb continued, "he kind of got a smile on his face and said, "Yeah, you know, you look back and you've got some great memories.' "

And some great stories to tell Richard Caleb Jones when he gets a little older.