Woody Hunt, coach of the Cumberland University Bulldogs baseball team (the reigning NAIA national champs by the way), has been named the Rawlings-NAIA Coach of the Year. This is the second time Coach Hunt has won the award. (I know, you’re dying for a Woody Woodpecker reference but I’ve got way too much class for that.)
Hunt is one of only six coaches in history to register 1,000 career victories in the NAIA and owns a career record of 1,284-523-3. The Bulldogs have appeared in 11 NAIA World Series, including five in the last seven seasons, claiming national championships in 2004 and 2010 as well as runner-up finishes in 1995 and 2006.
“This is a very prestigious honor, but it’s really a team accomplishment,” said Hunt. “Everything we get as coaches reflects on our team. We were such a singular unit as a team this season and I’m more proud of our team than any individual accomplishments.”
When I called Coach Hunt to congratulate him I asked him the one question all the rest of the gutless sports media was too timid to ask: How did he feel now about his role in the Watergate break-in? Coach Hunt patiently explained that I was confusing him with E. Howard Hunt, but I can’t find any evidence that E. Howard Hunt ever coached a collegiate baseball team, NAIA or otherwise.
The award will be presented at the 2011 Rawlings-NAIA Awards Luncheon in Nashville, Tenn., on January 7th.
To read the late Mike Kuchwara’s rave review of my One-Man Show in which I played Woody Hunt, Woody Hayes and Woody Paige, click here: http://www.cumberland.edu/athletics
So I lied. Big deal.
Related Articles
- Sioux Falls atop NAIA poll (sportingnews.com)
- Simon Fraser girds for NCAA-2 experience (canada.com)
Balladeer's Blog 