Blue Wahoos' Advocate Roger Mayo, Decorated Prep Coach, Gets Hall of Fame Honor
Roger Mayo was once a pitchman for Blue Wahoos Stadium, pushing the return of affiliated baseball in Pensacola and the groundbreaking in 2009 for the now-acclaimed bayfront ballpark. He was then a fixture as Escambia High baseball coach, a role he held for 32 years. “Everywhere I went, everyone I
Roger Mayo was once a pitchman for Blue Wahoos Stadium, pushing the return of affiliated baseball in Pensacola and the groundbreaking in 2009 for the now-acclaimed bayfront ballpark.
He was then a fixture as Escambia High baseball coach, a role he held for 32 years.
“Everywhere I went, everyone I talked to, there were people undecided,” said Mayo, remembering the crossroads moment in the community’s history. “And I was telling people then, you don’t realize, this is a baseball town. Look at all the talent that has come from here. People will support it.
“I heard, ‘Oh no they won’t.’ I said, they will come to baseball in Pensacola. I said, wait and see what happens. And of course, now, the rest is history.
“The entire downtown area of Pensacola has changed because of (team owner) Quint Studer and the Blue Wahoos. I travel all over today and people bring up the stadium and Blue Wahoos.”
Mayo’s own history, his dedication to coach, has brought a significant moment.
The Alabama native, who can claim being recruited to play tight end by college football legends Bear Bryant at Alabama and Vince Dooley at Georgia, was inducted January 11 into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
The 49th FACA Hall of Fame luncheon ceremony was held at the Drury Plaza Resort in Lake Buena Vista, near the entrance to Disney World. Mayo became only the fourth Pensacola area high school coach in any sport to be chosen for this organization’s highest honor.
The Blue Wahoos honored Mayo in 2021 for his long-time impact as a baseball coach and administrator. In addition, Quint Studer has been a guest speaker spoke at a statewide FACA event that wowed the gathering.
“I will never forget that,” Mayo said. “Quint was just awesome. Everyone that day commented on how he was one of the best we’ve ever had speak to us.”
In addition to Mayo’s sterling record as Escambia High coach, complete with 520 wins – a 16 per-year average – a 1991 state championship and 12 playoff appearances with his teams, he’s been a long time baseball advocate in Pensacola.
When the Blue Wahoos revived the Fred Waters Youth Clinic in 2023, a free event for youth baseball and softball players, Mayo was one of the instructors. He worked the event in June 2024 with two of Escambia High’s greatest players, Kevin Saucier and Dennis Lewallyn.
Saucier was part of the Philadelphia Phillies historic 1980 World Series championship team as a reliever, helping deliver the first title in 100 years to the franchise. He now works for the Blue Wahoos during the season, helping coordinate with MLB scouts and teams’ executives in town for home games, as well as visiting teams’ hotel stays.
Lewallyn pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers, making his debut in 1975, then became a long time coach in the Atlanta Braves organization. Both Lewallyn and Saucier played for Fred Waters when he was the Escambia coach in that era.
When Mayo retired from coach in 2016, he cherished adding to the history of baseball success in Pensacola.
“When it comes to awards as a coach, it can only happen because of all the many great coaches who worked so hard for me and the many players,” he said. “No coach can do it without that. I never caught, hit or thrown a baseball on that field, but we won a lot of games.
“I’ve had 23 different (former players) come back and coach. If I had done things terribly wrong, I don’t think they would have come back here and worked and be part of it, so that has meant a lot.
“It’s not the wins, it’s seeing these players become productive citizens, become great fathers, great husbands.”
One of those former players is current Escambia High athletic director Ryan James, who was part of the Gators’ 1991 Class 3A state championship team.
“In all honesty, it’s a dream come true to work your way from Myrtle Grove (youth baseball) to Escambia and be part of that 1991 state championship team,” James said. “I can remember the year before, we took our lumps. We were all 15 and 16 years old and started playing (American) Legion ball.
“The first half of that summer we got our brains beat out. But the second half of that summer, I don’t think we lost another game. We won two or three tournaments and from there it led into the following seasons where we won the state championship. And that led me into coaching.”
Mayo grew up a talented two-sport athlete. His offers included Alabama and Georgia. He wound up starting his football career at Georgia with hope of playing baseball.
When that didn’t happen, he transferred to Jackson State and played both sports. That led into coaching. Former Escambia High football coach Dwight Thomas, who coached running back legend Emmitt Smith, persuaded Mayo in 1986 to join the staff at Escambia.
“I figured it up. I had gone 54 years as a player or a coach, putting a baseball on in the spring when I walked off,” Mayo said. I knew I had given it everything I had. It was time. I hung my ego up. I knew I didn’t need it anymore.”
At the urging of his daughter, Mayo submitted his qualifications for consideration into the FACA Hall of Fame and was chosen this year.
“I just thought it would be a validation for my kids as to why I didn’’t see them grow up,” he said. “Because I was on a ballfield.
“It shows that maybe what you did wasn’t all bad. In my opinion, the true measurement of a coach is not wins or losses. It’s not titles, it’s longevity. Being in a place a long time. To stay in a very competitive area for a long time means you didn’t do any thing wrong.”
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