Some sad news to report today: Paul Nix, Auburn's longest tenured baseball coach, died Monday at the age of 76.

Nix coached the Tigers for 22 years from 1963-84, finishing his time with a 515-376 record and leading Auburn to a pair of NCAA College World Series berths in 1967 and 1976. His teams also won three SEC championships, one SEC tournament title and six SEC divisional titles. Nix earned conference coach of the year honors five times.

“Paul Nix was a great Auburn man and we are extremely saddened by his passing,” Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said in a release. “He laid a strong foundation for our baseball program and brought it national recognition with Auburn’s first-ever College World Series appearance. He was well respected by his players and developed many that went on to have successful careers in and outside of baseball. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Coach Nix,” Auburn baseball coach John Pawlowski said. “Coach Nix elevated this program to new heights during his 22 years as the head coach. ... This is a tremendous loss for the Auburn family.”

Nix also coached at Troy for six seasons prior to coming to Auburn. In 28 years as a head coach, he had a 592-413 record.