The Award

Named after the late Jerry Kindall, former Major League player and head baseball coach at the University of Arizona, the Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching Award has been presented annually since 2006 by FCA to a college or high school head baseball coach who best exemplifies the FCA Values of Integrity, Serving, Teamwork and Excellence on and off the baseball field.

The award’s namesake, Jerry Kindall, passed away on Christmas Eve 2017. The legendary coach and baseball standout was well-known and respected among his peers and those he coached over the years. He was the first person in NCAA history to win NCAA Division I College World Series titles as both a player and a head coach, winning a title as the shortstop for the 1956 National Champion University of Minnesota Golden Gophers; and later coaching the University of Arizona Wildcats to three national championships (1976, 1980 and 1986) over 24 seasons. Kindall was a 3-time ABCA National Coach of the Year; the recipient of ABCA’s prestigious Lefty Gomez Award in 1999; and inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

FCA presents this award annually at the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Convention.

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