In a story broke by Ben Jones of the Tuscaloosa News, Alabama is expected to name Louisiana Tech head coach Greg Goff as their replacement for Mitch Gaspard. Gaspard resigned at the end of the season after seven years at the helm of the Tide. Goff brings a 448-307 lifetime record in 13 years as a head coach at La. Tech, Campbell and Montevallo. The Bulldogs reached a regional this season and finished with a 42-20 record.
Goff was the head man at La Tech for two years, and had a 67-47 record. Prior to coaching the Bulldogs, Goff spent three years at Campbell University, where he had three straight 40-win seasons, the first in school history. Campbell reached the NCAA Tournament in 2014. Goff started his head coaching career at Montevallo College in Alabama, and in four years had a 152-84 mark, reaching the Division II World Series in 2006 and reaching post season play again in 2007.
The new skipper was pitching coach at SEMO in 1998-99 and at Kentucky from 1999-2003. A pitcher in college, Goff played two years at Jackson State Community College and two years at Delta State University, where he earned a BA in 1994 and a masters degree in 1996. Goff is married to the former Tina Newbill, and the couple has four daughters, Kara, Kiley, Kolby and Kenzie. (Much like Roger Clemens, he named all his children with names that begin with “K,” the symbol for a strikeout in baseball lingo.)
Overall, the hire isn’t the big splash hit that many yearned for, but Goff has a solid record in the smaller venues of college baseball. It remains to be seen if he can win on the bigger stage, and against the formidable competition in the SEC. Many fans had decided that their candidate would be Cliff Goodwin of Eastern Carolina University. Godwin was in the mix to the very end, and seemed to be the front-runner for much of the process.
David Pierce at Tulane was also a finalist for the job. Other names mentioned throughout were Bobby Pierce (now-retired Troy coach,) Dan Heefner (Dallas Baptist,) and John Cohen (Mississippi State.) As late as Wednesday, reports were coming out that Cohen was leading the race, and close to being hired. As Thursday unfolded, Godwin emerged as the man, but negotiations fell apart at the last minute, and kept the hire from happening.
From the start, Athletic Director Bill Battle had said he wanted someone with head coaching experience, with ties to the state of Alabama and that would up hold the values of the University and the baseball team. In Goff he feels he found his man. Time will tell, but much of the fan base does not share the enthusiasm of Coach Battle. We wish Goff the best, and will be behind him 100% as he accepts the challenge of leading the Tide.
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