Candrea’s Keynote Kicks Off NFCA Convention in San Antonio

Legendary former Arizona coach Mike Candrea was the keynote speaker for the opening reception of the 2023 NFCA Convention on Wednesday.

Candrea, now in his second year of retirement after nearly four decades of leading the Arizona program, spoke to a large crowd of coaches from different levels of the game. The keynote address served as the “official” opening of the convention, which will stretch through Saturday.

Before Candrea took to the stage, NFCA board president and Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan gave a short speech of her own. This convention is the first time that Candrea and former Michigan coach Carol Hutchins – the top two coaches on the career wins list – are both retired, and Drohan paid tribute to both of the game’s pioneers with personal stories of each.

On Candrea, Drohan referred back to a game during the 2006 season. Her Cats were a very good team, but, she mentioned, ran into the juggernaut that was Candrea’s own Wildcats. Somewhat dejected by her team’s lack of performance in the loss, Drohan recalled Candrea telling her after the game how good her team truly was. Taking an opportunity to encourage another coach in that moment, Drohan said, spoke to Candrea’s character.

On “Hutch”, who Drohan knows well after two decades of competition within the Big 10, a photo from the Mary Nutter Classic told the story. Taken during a game that Northwestern was playing in the tournament, the photo showed Hutchins on her knees, playing with Drohan’s young daughter in the grass behind a field. The Wolverines were warming up for their own game, Drohan said, but Hutch took the time to step to the side and share a few minutes with her daughter. That, she said, also spoke volumes about her friend.

Through the years, Candrea himself has seen a lot of softball, coached a lot of games, and mentored a lot of young women. Each of those achievements came into view – and were put into perspective – during his keynote address.

Candrea also has never been one to shy away from giving his honest opinion on anything – and his is an opinion worth listening to. Some highlights and one-liners – the latter of which Candrea is equally famous for:

Arizona’s storied program tradition, whether it’s winning national championships or turning out top-level talent, needs no introduction. Candrea offered his perspective on that, noting the importance of growing that aspect of a program. “Tradition is something you have to build. You have to make it important,” he said.

The presentation included a video that illustrated how far the game has grown, using the differences in Rita Hillenbrand Stadium and at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City as examples. Decades ago, both facilities were little more than recreational fields and both have now grown to be among the game’s best.

Speaking on the game’s growth in that same time period across decades, Candrea noted two specific happenings that helped vault college softball specifically. One, he said, was ESPN televising games consistently and frequently. The second was when the SEC arrived on the softball scene. “When the SEC came in, they brought football money,” Candrea said, noting that coaches salaries and stadium investments have risen significantly with the SEC largely at the forefront.

Candrea also advocated for the expansion of college stadiums across the country. “‘If you build it, they will come’ is my philosophy,” he said.

On retirement: “I bought a box to put my vitamins in. That’s how I know what day it is.”

On beginning his career in coaching: “I majored in business… until I took accounting. Then I said I was doing something else.”

On his hope for the game’s future: “I hope we all find a way to keep softball the way it is. That will be a challenge for all of us… we don’t have to do everything that football does.”

On the transfer portal: “Getting in the portal to chase a dollar figure doesn’t work for me.”

On the state of college softball: “As an outsider looking in, it seems like we’re not far from Division 1 softball being professional.”

On leadership: “Leadership has nothing to do with titles; it is about inspiring and empowering people.”

And, in perhaps his best pearl of wisdom in the address, speaking on handling failures and losses through the years, Candrea said, “The sun always came up and went down whether we won or not.”