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FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES ANNOUNCES WINNER OF

JERRY KINDALL CHARACTER IN COACHING AWARD

 

Long Time Coach, Elliott Johnson Recognized at ABCA Convention

 

 

(Kansas City, MO) – Known for building champions both on the field and in life, longtime college baseball coach Elliot Johnson has been selected by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as the recipient of the 2008 Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching Award.  Johnson received his award during the FCA Breakfast held Saturday, January 5 at the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Convention in Philadelphia.

 

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. 

 

Entering his 28th year in college coaching, Johnson has a long resume of success as he takes over as head baseball coach at Southern Nazarene in 2008.  He joins SNU after successful stops at Olivet Nazarene, where he led the Tigers to two NAIA World Series appearances, Taylor University, Trevecca Nazarene University and LeTourneau University. 

 

Johnson has compiled an 804-414 career record and his teams have appeared in 18 NAIA district or regional tournaments, winning eleven conference, district or national titles. He was named Coach of the Year six times during the decade of the 1980’s"Elliott Johnson symbolizes what a Christian coach is all about…He's not a coach that just so happens to be a Christian, he truly is a Christian coach,” said Mark Gassman, FCA’s Senior Vice President of Field Ministry.  “Ministry to the lost is more important than wins and losses to Elliott Johnson, but God has honored him with over 800 wins."

 Active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action and other sports ministries, Johnson has written 25 inspirational books and numerous baseball articles.  His video, “The Building of a Baseball Player,” is required viewing by the National Youth Sports Coaches Association and by Kids Sports Network for certification of youth baseball coaches.  He has produced a total of six videos on coaching techniques and player development. 
Kindall was the honorary first recipient of the award at the 2006 FCA Baseball Breakfast in January 2006.  Mark Johnson of Sam Houston State was last year’s award winner.  

About FCA
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the heart and soul in sports, is touching millions of lives... one heart at a time. Since 1954, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been challenging coaches and athletes on the professional, college, high school, junior high and youth levels to use the powerful medium of athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ.  FCA is the largest Christian sports ministry in America and focuses on serving local communities by equipping, empowering and encouraging people to make a difference for Christ.

 

MEDIA CONTACT

Tom Rogeberg

Senior VP – Communications & Marketing

816-876-2279

trogeberg@fca.org

 


Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching Award
A coach has the opportunity to impact more people in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Many leaders in business, government and education attribute their success to lessons learned from a coach.

At FCA Baseball, we want to inspire coaches to be coaches of character. Each year at the American Baseball Coaches Association Convention, FCA Baseball will present the Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching Award, which 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. 

Nominations for future award winners can be made at the FCA Baseball Breakfast each year, or by submitting a high school or college coaches name to FCA Baseball at baseball@fca.org 

FCA at the American Baseball Coaches Convention
The American Baseball Coaches Association Convention is attended by over 4,000 college and high school baseball coaches annually.  The presence of The Fellowship of Christian Athletes at the convention creates a unique platform for our ministry to encourage and challenge baseball coaches to leave a positive legacy in their communities that will last forever. 

FCA Baseball hosts evening socials that are a great opportunity to catch up with friends, meet some new peers in the coaching profession and enjoy fellowship. FCA Baseball also hosts the annual Saturday morning Breakfast that features a guest speaker and the Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching Award. 

COACH JERRY KINDALL
A native of St. Paul, MN., Kindall was the first person in NCAA history to win a baseball national championship as both a player and a coach. In addition to his three titles at the University of Arizona as a coach, Kindall played shortstop for the 1956 National Champion University of Minnesota team. 

Signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1956, Kindall went on to play eight seasons in the Major Leagues with the Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. Following his professional career, Kindall went on to become the University of Arizona Wildcats head skipper from 1973-1996. He is Arizona's all-time leader in career wins finishing his coaching career with a record of 860-580-6. 

A three time national ABCA Coach of the Year, he guided the Wildcats to three national championships at the College World Series in 1976, 1980, and 1986. His Wildcat teams also produced an amazing 34 All-America players during his coaching tenure.  A total of 209 players who played for Coach Kindall at Arizona went on to sign contracts to play professional baseball, including 32 Major Leaguers. 

Although Coach Kindall's coaching resume is impressive, those who know Jerry either as a coach or as a peer, are most impressed by the kind of person he is both on and off the baseball diamond. FCA Baseball can think of no other coach that exemplifies more the Christian Principles of Character, Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork and Service than does Jerry Kindall. 

Coach Kindall is a member of both the University of Minnesota and University of Arizona Hall of Fames, and was the recipient of the American Baseball Coaches Association Prestigious Lefty Gomez Award in 1999

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