The opportunity to start from square one was too much for Fran Riordan to pass up.

Riordan, the winningest manager in Frontier League history, will step up a level in the independent ranks to manage the Lake County Fielders for the club’s maiden voyage in the Northern League.

The 34-year-old amassed 435 victories and three league championships over nine seasons managing in the Frontier League for the Richmond (Ind.) Roosters and Kalamazoo (Mich.) Kings.

“It’s very exciting to be a part of a new organization from the ground up,” Riordan said. “To be a part of something where you can build and see it come together from inception to the finish.”

The Fielders, a Zion-based expansion franchise owned in part by actor Kevin Costner, are scheduled to compete in the Northern League next June. While construction on the estimated $17 million, 8,000-seat baseball stadium on Green Bay Road has yet to begin, the Lake County baseball club was able to get its first choice in a manager.

Fielders’ President Rich Ehrenreich announced the Riordan hire on Monday.

“Kevin (Costner) and I feel that our community deserves the best in everything we do,” Ehrenreich said in a statement. “When it comes to winning games, Fran was at the top of our list from Day 1.”

Riordan’s initial foray into managing was a matter of circumstance. In 2001, a 25-year-old Riordan was an All-Star for the Richmond franchise only to see the Roosters’ front office and management situation “fall apart.” The first baseman was offered the chance to be player/manager and snapped it up.

“It kind of fell in my lap,” Riordan said. “I was fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity at a very young age to play and manage at the same time. It was something I fell in love with.

“It gave me a lot of experience and two different perspectives. It was something that made me hungry to learn more and become the best I could be on the management side.”

The first two years were an early indication of Riordan’s abilities. He guided the Roosters to back-to-back Frontier League championships in 2001 and 2002. After finishing up his playing career in the Northeast League with the North Shore Spirit in 2003, Riordan returned to the Frontier League in 2004.

In Kalamazoo, Riordan had four winning seasons, including the 2005 championship. Last season, Riordan led Kalamazoo to a 58-38 (.604 winning percentage) mark and an East Division title.

The move to the higher class of independent baseball was the logical next step for Riordan, who will relocate to the area with his wife Cassie and two daughters Brooke, 3, and Sadie, 6 months.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do this without their support,” Riordan said. “For her to agree to do this was very important to me. My family will move out to the area for the season and it should be pretty fun.”

Riordan said his duties will mirror the ones he had in Kalamazoo. That means he will serve as the Fielders field manager and be in charge of baseball player personnel decisions.

“It’s my responsibility to build the team from the ground up,” Riordan said. “It’s something that’s important to me and this was a good fit because of that freedom and flexibility.”

The first order of business is tabbing his pitching and hitting coach. On Oct. 22, Riordan and the Fielders will begin to fill out their roster when the Northern League dispersal draft occurs.

Each of the six current Northern League clubs protect 11 players. The Fielders will get to select two players from each team in the unprotected pool.

“We will have a foundation of players that have experience in the Northern League,” Riordan said.

The Northern League, entering its 18th season, currently has teams in Schaumburg, Ill., Joliet, Ill., and Gary, Ind., as well as in Kansas City, Kansas, Fargo, N.D., and Winnipeg, Canada.

The Rockford (Ill.) Riverhawks are making the jump from the Frontier League to the Northern League for the 2010 campaign.