January 21, 2009

Hargrove to add another honor to illustrious career

Well respected as one of the greatest National Junior College Athletic Association softball coaches in the country, Cowley County Community College’s Ed Hargrove will be inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame on Jan. 31.

Hargrove, who is the winningest active NJCAA softball coach in the nation, was inducted into the NJCAA Softball Hall of Fame in 2007. Later that same year, Hargrove received the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission “Outstanding Achievement Award”.

Cowley College athletic director, Tom Saia, feels fortunate to have Hargrove leading the Tiger softball program.

“There is not a better softball coach in the NJCAA,” Saia said. “He’s nothing but class and a leader for the athletic department. He’s also a great role model for our student-athletes and is a good friend of mine.”

Hargrove, an outstanding athlete, played football at Cowley County Community Junior College during the 1965 and 1966 seasons and graduated from the school in 1967. He was an all-conference right tackle for the Tiger football team.

He went on to receive a baseball scholarship to Fort Hays State University, where he saw playing time at first base and third base for the top-20 ranked baseball team.

After graduation, he went on to work 14 years as a Recreational Therapist at the Winfield State Hospital. Looking for a career change, Hargrove was hired at Cowley College in 1983 as the director of financial aid and Board of Trustees clerk.

“I was so thankful to be hired as financial aid director, I felt like I had a new lease on life,” Hargrove said.
Members of the interview committee knew of Hargrove’s athletic background and made it clear they did not want him pursuing coaching. So, when Ben Cleveland stepped down from coaching the baseball team and Hargrove was asked to take over, he politely declined.

Afraid he may have gotten on then Cowley president Dr. Gwen Nelson’s bad side, Hargrove didn’t say no the next time he was asked to coach a Tiger athletic team, this time being the softball team in the fall of 1984.

“I wasn’t going to tell Dr. Nelson no twice,” Hargrove said.

Hargrove was hired on an interim basis and so far, 25 years later, has never had the interim tag removed.
“I guess it just got dropped,” Hargrove said.

Funny how things work out, now 25 years later, Hargrove is the winningest active NJCAA softball coach in the nation and is set to be inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame.

“I felt coaching softball was something that was meant to be,” Hargrove said. “I enjoy the competition and hope to teach the players as much as I can in order to help them move on to the next level.”

Hargrove looks back fondly on winning the program’s first Region VI title in 1986 as the team rallied to score two runs in the bottom of the 15th inning to beat Johnson County.

He also longs for another shot at that elusive national title after placing fourth twice in the past four years.
“I relive that (2-1, 10-inning) loss to Phoenix (at nationals in 2006) and think how close we were to winning a national championship,” Hargrove said.

Hargrove has been named Jayhawk East Coach of the Year six times.

“Obviously, no matter what kind of a coach you are, you have got to have the players to win,” Hargrove said.

His former players speak glowingly when talking about the man that has 865 career wins, and has guided the Tiger softball program to 15 Jayhawk East Conference Championships, five Region VI Championships and four appearances at the NJCAA National Softball Tournament.

“I truly enjoyed playing under coach Ed, and I think everyone who goes through this program does,” said Suzanne Kerr-Unruh, a former player and current assistant coach with the Lady Tiger softball team. “He is an easy going, caring and inspiring coach who is dedicated to his players success on the field and off. He stays in touch with so many of his players after leaving Cowley. If it’s helping them with references for jobs, or just getting updated on their lives when their softball careers are over, he always wants to know how they are.”

Kerr-Unruh, who was a two-time All-American at Cowley, was inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. She spent three years as an assistant at Cowley (2004-06) before recently returning to the team.

“To be able to coach with Ed is an honor,” Kerr-Unruh said. “He is a great mentor and wonderful to work with.”

As well as being a great coach, Kerr-Unruh believes Hargrove is tremendous at spotting talent.
Hargrove’s athletes have also excelled in the classroom, capturing six academic national championships.

“It’s good to know we will be one of the top teams in the nation every year and we have gone about it the right way,” Hargrove said.

The success his wife, Linda, had at Cowley, drove Hargrove to succeed. Linda was among the first class of inductees into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000, and is the winningest coach (316-112) in the Lady Tiger basketball program’s history. She is the only Cowley coach to take basketball and volleyball teams to the national tournament, and compiled a coaching record of 292-115-12 in her 10 seasons as head volleyball coach of the Tigers.

Having grown up in Arkansas City, Hargrove estimates he either played against or watched about 75 percent of the individuals in the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame. He also played with as many members of the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame as he played against.

The honor is one that Hargrove does not take for granted.

“These are people I idolized as a kid or a little older,” Hargrove said. “To think I am going to be alongside them is something I never could have imagined.”