Thirty-one years, 11 national championships. And seemingly
overnight, the run ends.
UCLA softball coach Sue Enquist, who has played for or coached
all 11 of the Bruin’s title teams, will step down from
coaching effective Jan. 1, UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero
announced on Tuesday. Enquist has not completely left UCLA, as she
will now serve as director of major gifts for the UCLA Athletics
External Relations Office.
According to Enquist, 49, it was a decision that had nothing to
do with any personal strife or health concerns. After an
illustrious career that built UCLA into the first and only softball
dynasty, and following her team’s eighth straight appearance
in the Women’s College World Series, Enquist said she decided
in the early summertime that it was time to walk away.
“It’s extremely difficult to say goodbye to all
those players,” Enquist said. “It was a shock for them.
While I’m sad that they were surprised, I didn’t want
to run out of gas.”
Several members of her softball team and the UCLA athletic
department have implored her to stay, considering how young she is
to be entering retirement. To call Enquist’s retirement
unique is an understatement ““ she’s leaving while her
No. 1 recruiting class is entering the program. But Enquist said
she always wanted to leave while still on top, rather than hang
around too long.
“I really wanted to leave while I was still in love with
everything,” Enquist said.
The past two months have been spent getting a permanent coaching
staff in place to make the transition as seamless as possible.
Longtime assistant coach Kelly Inouye-Perez has been named
Enquist’s successor, and she will take over in January. Gina
Vecchione will stay on as an assistant coach.
Inouye-Perez, who has hired former Bruin great Lisa Fernandez as
an assistant coach, had a hard time putting into words exactly what
Enquist means to UCLA softball.
(Enquist) is a legend in our sport,” she said. “She
encompasses everything about UCLA softball. It’s so big to
me, but she keeps it so simple. She’s not
replaceable.”
Enquist was the program’s first All-American player in
1978, helping the Bruins win their first softball title that year.
After she graduated in 1980, Enquist served as an assistant coach
under Sharron Backus. From 1989 to 1997, Enquist co-coached the
program with Backus before completely taking over the duties. Since
then, she has won three more titles.
Enquist was softball’s first inductee into the UCLA Hall
of Fame. She has the highest winning percentage of any current or
former Division I coach (.835). The biggest blemish on her legacy
was a recruiting violation that prompted the NCAA to erase her 1995
NCAA title from the record books.
Perhaps of more symbolic worth, Enquist was the first
scholarship softball player for UCLA ““ a university that is
largely responsible for the growth of American softball.
Enquist has been an integral player in the transformation of her
sport. UCLA was building a softball dynasty in the 1980s and 1990s
while other programs across the country were just in their
infancy.
“I’m so proud that UCLA has invested in the softball
program and other sports that aren’t always on the front page
of the newspaper,” Enquist said.
While the Bruins no longer dominate the WCWS like they once did,
Enquist has repeatedly pointed out that the increased parity is a
tribute to the growth of softball in recent years. As she abruptly
ends her tenure as UCLA’s coach, Enquist insists she will
remain an ambassador for her sport.
“I love the game and I will continue to be a loud voice
for softball,” she said.
Over the years, Enquist has been unofficially given the title as
the second wizard of Westwood. Her comparison to John Wooden has as
much to with her relationships with her players as it does her
string of titles.
“Sue was about life as much as she was about
softball,” said Stacey Nuveman, who is the all-time NCAA
leader in home runs with 90. “What she taught superseded any
fielding, hitting or softball lessons. She made sure every player
walked away with a degree and life lessons.”
As Enquist prepares to hand over her program at the start of the
new year, she admits her decision has prompted a lot of questions.
But she maintains her humble approach, even as she ends the most
storied run in the entire sport.
“I didn’t want to be the person who talked about
retirement for 12 months,” she said. “A lot of people
have tried to talk me out of it. Maybe they’re just testing
my decision.”