Judi Garman
Encyclopedia
Judi Garman is a former college softball
coach. She was the head softball coach at Cal State Fullerton
from 1980 to 1999 and led Fullerton to the 1986 Women's College World Series
championship. Before coaching at Fullerton, she was the head coach at Golden West College
from 1972 to 1979 and led that school's softball team to four consecutive national junior college softball championships from 1976 to 1979. When Garman retired in 1999, she was the most successful coach in college softball history.
, the daughter of a Mennonite
minister. As a child, she moved with her family to Kindersley, Saskatchewan
, when her father was assigned as the pastor of a small town on the Canadian prairie. Garman played softball and ran track as a girl. She later recalled, "I didn't know it at the time, but growing up where I did was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. It wasn't until later that I found out that in most places girls weren't encouraged to play sports. But where I grew up, and in the family I grew up in, there wasn't much else to do. If I'd grown up in the United States, I might not have become an athlete or a coach."
Garman graduated from the University of Saskatchewan
in 1966 and played for two years on the Canadian women's national softball team
. She later moved to California and received a master's degree from UC Santa Barbara
in 1970.
in Huntington Beach, California
. While at Golden West, Garman supervised the construction of a softball complex that was considered one of the best in Southern California. From 1972 to 1979, Garman led the Golden West Rustlers to a record of 211 wins and 40 losses, and won four consecutive national junior college championships from 1975 to 1978.
. Fullerton played its first softball season in 1980 with limited facilities. Garman later recalled that the hardest part about the move was "leaving the beautiful facilities we had built at Golden West and coming over here to start with absolutely nothing." She noted that, in the first season at Fullerton, the right fielder had to learn how to play the sidewalk in front of her, the equipment was stored in a men's room, and "our electrical source for a pitching machine was an extension cord thrown out the window of the carpentry shop." The 1980 team played home games on three different fields, and Garman was responsible for transporting the equipment and concession supplies to the field in the back of her truck. A friend presented presented her players with homemade buttons that read, "Garman's Gypsies."
Despite the limited facilities, Garman quickly built one of the most successful softball programs in the United States. Between 1981 and 1988, she led Fullerton to eight consecutive 50-win seasons, including 59 wins in 1987, 57 wins in 1986, and 56 wins in 1983. She led Cal State Fullerton to the Women's College World Series
championship in 1986. She also led the Titans to four earlier trips to the College World Series, resulting in two second-place and two third-place finishes.
Garman retire as Fullerton's softball coach after the 1999 season. She was only 45 years old at the time of her retirement and told the Orange County Register that the breast cancer death of her close friend Vicky Larson, a former coach and girls athletic director at Loara High School
, was a major factor in her decision. Garman noted, "There's a lot I still want to do in my life while I'm healthy. This job has become seven days a week, 15 hours a day. I can't keep up that pace anymore."
Garman compiled a career record of 913 wins, 374 losses and 4 ties at Fullerton.
With 1,1249 wins in 28 years (913 at the Division I level), Garman was the winningest coach in college softball history at the time of her retirement. Her record for career wins was later broken by Margie Wright
.
Garman was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame
in 1993. She was also selected as Learning for Life's Woman of the Year in Sports in 1995.
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
coach. She was the head softball coach at Cal State Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs...
from 1980 to 1999 and led Fullerton to the 1986 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. Before coaching at Fullerton, she was the head coach at Golden West College
Golden West College
Golden West College or GWC, is a community college providing two-year associate of arts degrees, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges and universities...
from 1972 to 1979 and led that school's softball team to four consecutive national junior college softball championships from 1976 to 1979. When Garman retired in 1999, she was the most successful coach in college softball history.
Early years
Garman was born in Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaHarrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, the daughter of a Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
minister. As a child, she moved with her family to Kindersley, Saskatchewan
Kindersley, Saskatchewan
Kindersley is a town in west central Saskatchewan, Canada, located at Section 10, Township 29, Range 23, West of the 3rd Meridian, along highway 7, a primary highway linking Calgary, Alberta and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan...
, when her father was assigned as the pastor of a small town on the Canadian prairie. Garman played softball and ran track as a girl. She later recalled, "I didn't know it at the time, but growing up where I did was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. It wasn't until later that I found out that in most places girls weren't encouraged to play sports. But where I grew up, and in the family I grew up in, there wasn't much else to do. If I'd grown up in the United States, I might not have become an athlete or a coach."
Garman graduated from the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
in 1966 and played for two years on the Canadian women's national softball team
Canada women's national softball team
|- align=center bgcolor=white valign=middle |bgcolor=white| 5th || 1996 Atlanta|- align=center bgcolor=white valign=middle |bgcolor=white| 8th || 2000 Sydney|- align=center bgcolor=white valign=middle |bgcolor=white| 5th || 2004 Athens...
. She later moved to California and received a master's degree from UC Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
in 1970.
Golden West College
Garman began her head coaching career at Golden West CollegeGolden West College
Golden West College or GWC, is a community college providing two-year associate of arts degrees, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges and universities...
in Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
. While at Golden West, Garman supervised the construction of a softball complex that was considered one of the best in Southern California. From 1972 to 1979, Garman led the Golden West Rustlers to a record of 211 wins and 40 losses, and won four consecutive national junior college championships from 1975 to 1978.
Cal State Fullerton
In July 1979, Garman was hired as the first softball coach at California State University, FullertonCalifornia State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs...
. Fullerton played its first softball season in 1980 with limited facilities. Garman later recalled that the hardest part about the move was "leaving the beautiful facilities we had built at Golden West and coming over here to start with absolutely nothing." She noted that, in the first season at Fullerton, the right fielder had to learn how to play the sidewalk in front of her, the equipment was stored in a men's room, and "our electrical source for a pitching machine was an extension cord thrown out the window of the carpentry shop." The 1980 team played home games on three different fields, and Garman was responsible for transporting the equipment and concession supplies to the field in the back of her truck. A friend presented presented her players with homemade buttons that read, "Garman's Gypsies."
Despite the limited facilities, Garman quickly built one of the most successful softball programs in the United States. Between 1981 and 1988, she led Fullerton to eight consecutive 50-win seasons, including 59 wins in 1987, 57 wins in 1986, and 56 wins in 1983. She led Cal State Fullerton to the 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 1986. She also led the Titans to four earlier trips to the College World Series, resulting in two second-place and two third-place finishes.
Garman retire as Fullerton's softball coach after the 1999 season. She was only 45 years old at the time of her retirement and told the Orange County Register that the breast cancer death of her close friend Vicky Larson, a former coach and girls athletic director at Loara High School
Loara High School
Loara High School is a public, four year International Baccalaureate American high school in the Anaheim Union High School District, located in the city of Anaheim in Orange County, California. The campus consists of 2,578 students and 111 certificated staff. As of 2008 the student to teacher...
, was a major factor in her decision. Garman noted, "There's a lot I still want to do in my life while I'm healthy. This job has become seven days a week, 15 hours a day. I can't keep up that pace anymore."
Garman compiled a career record of 913 wins, 374 losses and 4 ties at Fullerton.
International coaching
Garman returned to coaching in 2001 as the head coach of the Italian national softball team. She led Italy to the European Championship and a fifth-place finish at the 2002 ISF Women's World Championship.Coaching records and Hall of Fame
In March 1996, Garman became the first college softball coach to win 1,000 games (including 211 wins at Golden West) with a 1-0 win over Long Beach State.With 1,1249 wins in 28 years (913 at the Division I level), Garman was the winningest coach in college softball history at the time of her retirement. Her record for career wins was later broken by Margie Wright
Margie Wright
Margie Wright is a college softball coach. She has been the head softball coach at California State University, Fresno—more commonly known as Fresno State—since 1986. She led the Fresno State Bulldogs to the NCAA national softball championship in 1998 and is the NCAA's all-time winningest...
.
Garman was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame
National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame
The 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...
in 1993. She was also selected as Learning for Life's Woman of the Year in Sports in 1995.
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