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The Worst Baseball Coach Ever?
Recently, our local newspaper featured a high-school baseball coach who just earned his 800th victory. This particular coach began his career at age 24, and during the following 46 years, his teams averaged 17 wins per season, never had a losing season, and won multiple league, sectional, and state championships. Those are amazing accomplishments for this 70-year-old educator who plans to retire after this season. Congratulations and God bless!
As I thought about this amazing man and his remarkable achievement, I began to wonder, who’s at the other end of the spectrum, a coach who did not have anywhere near that much success at this same endeavor? Unfortunately, I did not have to search far for the answer. I, too, actually coached high-school baseball for a short time during my teaching career, and our record during my tenure may be the worst ever.
From 1981 to 1983, I coached the varsity baseball team at a small, Catholic school in upstate New York. That particular school closed a few years later due to low enrollment, so the records from those years might not be readily available, but believe me, they are etched in my brain forever. I have tried to forget but to no avail. During those three years, we won a total of six games, and we lost 44, a winning percentage of .012. That’s terrible. That’s horrific. That’s simply hard to believe. And how could any coach even…
