LAS VEGAS -- Fran Riordan, a former All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and All-Region standout for the Allegheny College baseball team, will continue his lengthy career in professional baseball this summer.

On January 25, the Oakland Athletics announced that Riordan will return as the manager of the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators. The former Gator has led Oakland's top affiliate since 2018 and has guided the team in Las Vegas since 2019. Riordan has been involved in the pros as either a player or manager every year since graduating from Allegheny in 1997.

The 2019 Pacific Coast League (PCL) Coach of the Year and a Frontier League Hall of Famer, Riordan has nearly 1,200 wins as a manager in affiliated and independent leagues. As the skipper for Oakland's top minor league team, he has finished with a winning record in three of his four seasons. His 2019 team won the Pacific Southern Division Championship and returned to the playoffs for the first time in five years. 

After playing seven seasons of indy ball, including three as a player-manager, Riordan moved to the dugout full-time in 2004. He won three Frontier League championships (2001-02 and 2005) and was a three-time All-Star selection (2000-02). In addition to his Hall of Fame induction, the Frontier League named its annual citizenship award in his honor.

With the Gators, Riordan was included on the All-Region First Team as a senior and was a second-team honoree as a junior. The slugging first baseman still holds Allegheny's single-season record for hits (83) and ranks second all-time with 32 career home runs.