FCA BASEBALL ANNOUNCES
WINNER OF JERRY KINDALL
CHARACTER IN COACHING AWARD

This year's recipient of the Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching Award is Dr. Carroll B. Land.  Coach Land has earned this award because he has been, and remains today, an outstanding role model for all who love the sport of baseball; who love Christ as Lord & Savior; and who desire to stand tall for good and for God while living out their lives as baseball coaches or players.  Dr. Land has, throughout his career, exemplified the Christian principles of Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork, and Service.  He is a gifted man who walks with Christ and who has passed on his extraordinary talents and experience by impacting the lives of thousands of athletes, coaches, baseball executives, and military service members. 

Named after Jerry Kindall – former major league player and retired head coach at the University of Arizona – the Character in Coaching Award is presented annually to the college or high school baseball coach who best exemplifies the Christian principles of Character, Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork and Service on and off the baseball field.

               
Dr. Carroll Land, a graduate of Pasadena College in 1961, received his Masters of Science in Education from the University of Southern California in 1963.  Additionally from USC, in 1977 he earned his PH.D.   

              
Coach Land is a legend in the world of NAIA baseball.  He has served Point Loma Nazarene University, currently an NAIA school in the Golden State Athletic Conference, as a player, coach, professor, and administrator.  However, Dr. Land’s devotion to NAIA Baseball goes far beyond his own university, having served as president of the NAIA and American Baseball Coaches Association, and as a board member to both the United States Baseball Federation and the United States Olympic Committee.  In 1993, the San Diego City Club named Coach Land “Citizen of the Year” for his character, his community influence, and his commitment to servant leadership.

              
Over the years, Dr. Land has been honored with three Hall of Fame inductions: The Point Loma Hall of Fame, the ABCA Hall of Fame, and the NAIA Hall of Fame.  In 1998, Point Loma’s baseball field, which Baseball America acclaimed as “America’s Most Scenic Ballpark”, was renamed:  “The Carroll B. Land Stadium” in tribute to the man who guided the team for nearly four decades.  The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics also chose Coach Land as the 2000 – 2001 NAIA West Regional Director of the Year. 

              
Other honors received by Dr. Land include the Robert E. Smith Achievement Award, The ABCA Lefty Gomez Award, and the retirement of his Point Loma Nazarene baseball jersey, number 36.

              
Dr. Land has been Point Loma’s Athletic Director since 1968, remaining in the position after his retirement as coach in 1999.  As Head Coach of the Crusader Baseball Team, a position he held for 39 years, his squad won back-to-back NAIA District 3 and Far West Region titles, and finished fifth at the 1994 NAIA College World Series and third in 1993. 

             
Also in 1993, Coach Land began his association with the U.S. Military All-Stars where he has served in various positions including Head Coach and Pitching Coach.  He has proved to be an excellent addition to the program as a mentor and leader to the young military men in uniform.  In 2006, as the head coach, he enjoyed the exceptional results produced by one of the most talented military baseball teams ever assembled, claiming its record 10th Armed Forces Championship and posting an overall record of 41-17.

            
As an accomplishment alongside all the baseball accolades, Carroll and his devoted wife, Barbara, celebrated 54 years of marriage in December.  They have been blessed with two children, (Shurie) and Brian, and one granddaughter, Dorothy Anne, born to (Shurie) and her husband, David.

           
Congratulations, Dr. Land, for your selection as the 2009 Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching Award Recipient and thank you for using your coaching platform to demonstrate impeccable character and to model …with consistency … the value of placing God first, family and others second, and yourself last!