Carol Hutchins
Encyclopedia
Carol "Hutch" Hutchins is an American softball coach. In 27 years as the head coach of Michigan Wolverines softball
(1985–2011), she has more than 1,200 career wins, more than any other coach in University of Michigan
history in any sport, male or female. As of the end of March 26, 2011, Hutchins had a career record at Michigan of 1,212 wins, 415 losses, and 4 ties, for a .744 winning percentage. She led the Wolverines to their first NCAA softball championship in 2005.
, Hutchins attended Everett High School
, where she was an All-City basketball player from 1973 to 1975. Hutchins also played for the Lansing Laurels, an Amateur Softball Association fastpitch team that finished as high as fifth nationally. After graduating from high school, Hutchins attended Michigan State University
, where she played on the Spartans' varsity basketball and softball teams from 1976 to 1979. Hutchins was Michigan's State's starting shortstop as a freshman and helped the Michigan State softball team win an Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Softball Championship.
in 1982. In 1983, she was hired as an assistant coach at Michigan, a position she held 1983-1984.
She became the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines
softball team in 1985. When she took over as head coach, Hutchins reportedly "had a tiny salary, an only slightly larger budget, and had to take care of her own field, throwing down lime and riding the lawn tractor." Hutchins joked that there is still a dent in the fence from a day the tractor "just went wild." Since Hutchins became Michigan's coach, the team has never had a losing season. Hutchin's teams have also won 12 Big Ten Conference
regular-season titles and 14 NCAA regional championships. She has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year on ten occasions and National Fastpitch Coaches Association ("NFCA") National Coach of the Year twice.
She led the Michigan softball team to its first NCAA Women's College World Series
championship in 2005. The 2005 Michigan team was the first team from East of the Mississippi River
to win the Women's College World Series. The Ann Arbor News
described the team's accomplishment this way:
After Michigan beat No. 1 ranked Arizona in March 2005, Hutchins told a reporter, "Yes, there is softball east of the Rockies." The performance of the 2005 team also set Michigan records in several categories:
After winning the World Series, Hutchins and her team visited the White House in July 2005, where they met with President George W. Bush
, something Hutchins called "a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
In March 2000, she recorded her 638th win, giving her more career wins than any other coach in University of Michigan history in any sport, male of female. In 2007, she became the seventh coach in NCAA softball history, and the first in any sport at the University of Michigan, to reach 1,000 career wins. After winning her 1,000th game, Hutchins told a reporter that her greatest pride did not come from the 1,000 wins, but from her ability to influence how her players look at life, "to get them to work together and to meet standards, to show them they can lead as women." When she was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame, her players presented her with a scrapbook with a note from one saying, "I came here a girl with potential and left here a woman with no limits." Hutchins noted that those 15 words matter more than the 1,000 wins.
In June 2011, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
announced that Hutchins had been selected for induction into the Hall at a ceremony set for September 15, 2011, in Novi, Michigan
.
Hutchins is an avid mountain biker and runner, and continued playing organized softball and hockey until 1998.
Michigan Wolverines softball
The Michigan Wolverines softball team represents the University of Michigan in National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I competition. College softball became a varsity sport at the University of Michigan in 1978. Carol Hutchins has been the head coach since 1985...
(1985–2011), she has more than 1,200 career wins, more than any other coach in University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
history in any sport, male or female. As of the end of March 26, 2011, Hutchins had a career record at Michigan of 1,212 wins, 415 losses, and 4 ties, for a .744 winning percentage. She led the Wolverines to their first NCAA softball championship in 2005.
Softball and basketball player
A native of Lansing, MichiganLansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
, Hutchins attended Everett High School
Everett High School (Michigan)
Everett High School is a public high school located on the south side of Lansing, Michigan. It is currently the music and performing arts magnet school for the Lansing School District....
, where she was an All-City basketball player from 1973 to 1975. Hutchins also played for the Lansing Laurels, an Amateur Softball Association fastpitch team that finished as high as fifth nationally. After graduating from high school, Hutchins attended Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, where she played on the Spartans' varsity basketball and softball teams from 1976 to 1979. Hutchins was Michigan's State's starting shortstop as a freshman and helped the Michigan State softball team win an Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National Softball Championship.
Coaching career
After graduating from Michigan State in 1979, Hutchins attended Indiana University where she received a master's degree in physical education in 1981. She began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Indiana in 1981 and next became the head coach at Ferris State UniversityFerris State University
Ferris State University is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1884 as the Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge Nathan Ferris, an educator from New England who later served as governor of the State of Michigan and finally in the US Senate where...
in 1982. In 1983, she was hired as an assistant coach at Michigan, a position she held 1983-1984.
She became the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
softball team in 1985. When she took over as head coach, Hutchins reportedly "had a tiny salary, an only slightly larger budget, and had to take care of her own field, throwing down lime and riding the lawn tractor." Hutchins joked that there is still a dent in the fence from a day the tractor "just went wild." Since Hutchins became Michigan's coach, the team has never had a losing season. Hutchin's teams have also won 12 Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
regular-season titles and 14 NCAA regional championships. She has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year on ten occasions and National Fastpitch Coaches Association ("NFCA") National Coach of the Year twice.
She led the Michigan softball team to its first NCAA Women's College World Series
Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series is the final portion of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship for college softball in the United States. The tournament format consists of two four-team double-elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket then compete in a best-of-three title game series...
championship in 2005. The 2005 Michigan team was the first team from East of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
to win the Women's College World Series. The Ann Arbor News
Ann Arbor News
The Ann Arbor News was a newspaper serving Washtenaw and Livingston counties in Michigan. Published in Ann Arbor, under various names from 1835 to 2009, The News was part of Booth Newspapers, owned by Advance Publications Inc. The News was published in the afternoons Monday through Friday and in...
described the team's accomplishment this way:
"What happened during the past five months might be the most unlikely accomplishment in the history of a storied athletics program, analogous to setting out to win an NCAA hockey title at the University of New Mexico. Then doing it. Now, before you dismiss that as hyperbole, consider a few factors. Like the fact that, because of cold weather, the Wolverines played their first 33 games on the road, roughly half the season. Try doing that in football or basketball. Then there's recruiting. Softball is still a sport dominated by West Coast talent. ... There's a reason no team East of the Mississippi had won an NCAA softball title until now."
After Michigan beat No. 1 ranked Arizona in March 2005, Hutchins told a reporter, "Yes, there is softball east of the Rockies." The performance of the 2005 team also set Michigan records in several categories:
- The team's 65 victories was the most in school history;
- The team recorded 32 consecutive victories between February 13, 2005, and March 30, 2005; and
- The team's 103 home runs tied for the second most in NCAA history.
After winning the World Series, Hutchins and her team visited the White House in July 2005, where they met with President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, something Hutchins called "a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
In March 2000, she recorded her 638th win, giving her more career wins than any other coach in University of Michigan history in any sport, male of female. In 2007, she became the seventh coach in NCAA softball history, and the first in any sport at the University of Michigan, to reach 1,000 career wins. After winning her 1,000th game, Hutchins told a reporter that her greatest pride did not come from the 1,000 wins, but from her ability to influence how her players look at life, "to get them to work together and to meet standards, to show them they can lead as women." When she was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame, her players presented her with a scrapbook with a note from one saying, "I came here a girl with potential and left here a woman with no limits." Hutchins noted that those 15 words matter more than the 1,000 wins.
Honors and personal life
In 2006, Hutchins was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame. She has also been inducted into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame.In June 2011, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports people. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director Biggie Munn, president of the Greater Michigan Foundation Donald Weeks, general manager of the...
announced that Hutchins had been selected for induction into the Hall at a ceremony set for September 15, 2011, in Novi, Michigan
Novi, Michigan
Novi is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,224, an increase over the 2000 census count of 47,386. The city is located approximately northwest of the center of Detroit, and northeast of the center of Ann Arbor. The city is located...
.
Hutchins is an avid mountain biker and runner, and continued playing organized softball and hockey until 1998.
See also
- National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of FameNational Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of FameThe National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame was established in 1991 to recognize coaches who have made extraordinary contributions to the sport of softpitch softball. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association is a professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches from all...
- List of college softball coaches with 800 career wins