Mitch Gaspard: Coaching the Athlete, Growing the Individual
3/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Four postseason appearances. Twenty players selected in the Major League Baseball draft. More than 175 wins in just over five full seasons. Those are Alabama baseball head coach Mitch Gaspard's credentials, but that's just during his time as the head man for the Tide.
Gaspard's coaching roots go all the way back to Houston, where he spent his first season as an assistant coach in 1988. From there, he headed to Louisiana-Lafayette for four seasons, Northwestern State for two and then made his first stop in Tuscaloosa.
From 1995-2001, he assisted legendary Crimson Tide skipper Jim Wells lead Alabama to four SEC Tournament Championships, five NCAA postseason appearances and three births in the College World Series. From there, Gaspard headed to Northwestern State for his first head coaching job from 2002-2007, where he collected 210 wins and claimed two Southland Conference championships, one SLC Tournament title and one NCAA Regional appearance.
But it was his dedication to the Crimson Tide, his pride for the University and his belief in the Alabama way that brought him back to the Capstone in 2008 to help out Coach Wells once again. Two years later, Gaspard was appointed the head coach and he has taken advantage of it ever since.
Not only dedicated to his team on the field, Gaspard makes sure that when his players leave Tuscaloosa they are well-rounded men. It his unwavering dedication to getting the best out of his players and molding them into model athletes and adults that has led him to become one of the most respected coaches in college baseball.
RollTide.com caught up with Coach Gaspard to find out what it is about baseball, coaching and Alabama that makes his current job a dream come true.
