Tommy John to Become Pitching Coach at North Carolina After Season Ends

Tommy John of the New York Yankees, who has won 262 major league games with six clubs, was named pitching coach at the University of North Carolina Wednesday and will join the Tar Heels when the Yankees end their season.

The announcement was made by North Carolina Athletic Director John Swofford and baseball Coach Mike Roberts. A Yankee spokesman said the club knew nothing of the appointment.

John, 43, has a 3-1 record for the Yankees this season. He was placed on the 21-day disabled list July 12 with a strained Achilles’ tendon suffered July 8.

In a career spanning 23 years, John has compiled a record of 262-208. The only active pitchers with more wins are 300-game winners Steve Carlton of the San Francisco Giants, Tom Seaver of the Boston Red Sox, Phil Niekro of the Cleveland Indians and Don Sutton of the Angels.

John was a 20-game winner on three occasions, going 20-7 with the 1977 Dodgers and 21-9 and 22-9 with the Yankees in ’79 and ’80. He led the American League in shutouts in 1966 and 1967 with the Chicago White Sox and again with the Yankees in 1980.

“I’m pleased that Tommy has chosen to begin his coaching career at Carolina,” Roberts said in a prepared statement. “All of us involved with the baseball program look forward to working with him. We feel his professional pitching experience will certainly help our program and particularly our young pitching staff in the future.”

John will hold a news conference in Chapel Hill today.