Arizona softball coach Mike Candrea announces retirment after 36 seasons with Wildcats

The Arizona Wildcats will need to replace a legend as Mike Candrea has decided to retire, marking the end of a legendary softball coaching career.

One of the most successful NCAA softball coaches of all time has decided to retire. Mike Candrea, the coach of the Arizona Wildcats, is retiring following Arizona’s most recent trip to the Women’s College World Series.

According to the University of Arizona, Candrea is retiring after 36 seasons with the Wildcats.

“It has been an honor to represent the University of Arizona for 36 years,” said Candrea in a press release. “I am indebted to every player, coach and member of my support staff that has made the Arizona softball experience one that I will cherish forever. When I arrived in 1985, I wanted to build a culture of excellence and compete consistently at the highest levels of Division 1 softball. Most of all, our goal was to prepare our student-athletes for life after softball and build relationships that would last a lifetime.”

Candrea has been inducted into multiple Hall of Fames throughout his career, including the National Softball Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2019. Candrea isn’t just one of the greatest coaches in Arizona Wildcats history, he’s one of the greatest coaches in NCAA Softball history.

That said, there’s also an argument to be made that Candrea is one of the greatest coaches in the entire history of NCAA athletics, regardless of the sport.

Mike Candrea has accomplished quite a bit during his time with the Arizona Wildcats

Under his leadership, Arizona has won a record 1,674 games, earned 24 trips to the Women’s College World Series, and claimed eight national titles. The Wildcats have been in the postseason 34 times during Candrea’s time as Arizona’s head coach.

But Candrea’s success hasn’t been limited to NCAA Softball, he’s also helped lead the United States women’s national softball team to a gold medal in 2004 and then a silver medal in 2008.

Arizona has not announced who will be tasked with replacing Candrea. The Wildcats did state that they will say goodbye to Candrea during a press conference on Tuesday, June 8.

According to the press release, Candrea will continue to serve the University of Arizona in “an advisory role” and is set to help out with “coaching development for the athletics department.”

Candrea isn’t the only legendary coach who has chosen to retire after making an appearance in the 2021 Women’s College World Series. Georgia’s Lu Harris-Champer has also made the choice to retire.

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