BLINN’S CHURCH TO RECEIVE NJCAA COACHES LEGACY AWARD

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

The NJCAA has announced its first honorees for the Coaches Legacy Awards, which recognize the all-time winningest coaches in NJCAA history.  

Blinn College softball coach Rick Church has been named among over 200 recipients across 28 sports. 

"Being able to recognize our coaches, past and present, is a wonderful thing for the NJCAA, our member institutions, the coaches, and their families," said Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA President and CEO. "We look forward to having many of these coaches come together for us to celebrate their accomplishments and contributions to the NJCAA later this year." 

Honorees will be recognized at a luncheon on Tuesday, June 17, in Charlotte, N.C., prior to the 2025 NJCAA Hall of Fame and Awards event. 

To be eligible for the Legacy Award, coaches were required to achieve a minimum number of career victories or national championships in their respective sport.  

Softball nominees required a minimum of 800 wins, a benchmark Church achieved during the 2017 season. Fast forward to 2025, and the 2021 NJCAA Hall of Fame inductee has compiled a 1,017-493 record and currently ranks sixth in career victories among active NJCAA head coaches. 

Church was one of 19 softball coaches to win the Legacy Award. 

"I've never been one to strive for awards or recognition; you just go to work and do your job as a coach and hope you do it well enough that the accolades just become part of the journey," Church said. "I owe a lot of my success to my players and assistant coaches over the years who have bought into my philosophy on how to build a successful program, and it's an honor to be recognized by my peers and the NJCAA for what we've been able to accomplish." 

Currently in the midst of his 26th season at Blinn, Church has posted a 943-459 record as the Buccaneers' skipper. Church has led Blinn to seven region tournament championships and seven NJCAA national tournament appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 2003.