FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
SEATTLE – Northwest native and National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Famer Dave Dangler has joined the Washington baseball staff as its pitching coach, Husky head coach Lindsay Meggs announced today.
"The baseball program at the University of Washington took a huge step forward today with the hiring of new pitching coach Dave Dangler," Meggs said. "Not only is Dave well respected and well connected in the Northwest, his relationships across the country in professional baseball will help us to recruit nationally. In addition to his ability to recruit, Dave is a proven developer of pitchers. His track record both as a head coach and a pitching coach reflects his commitment to player development. Dave Dangler develops young pitchers into Major League prospects."
Dangler, who attended Madison High School in Portland, Ore., and earned degrees from Western Oregon and Portland State, is the former head coach Portland State, Linn-Benton Community College (Albany, Ore.) and Yavapai College (Prescott, Ariz.). He also served as a professional scout for the Expos, Marlins and Orioles organizations and spent the 2010 season as pitching coach at Notre Dame.
In February of 2010, Dangler was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. He had already been inducted into the Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame and the Northwest Community College Hall of Fame.
"I am extremely excited to get the opportunity to become the new pitching coach at the University of Washington," Dangler said. "The UW has a great academic reputation, and along with Coach Meggs’ vision for future success, and the challenge of competing in the Pac-10, I can’t wait to get started.
"Having Pacific Northwest roots as both a player, coach, and scout I hope to help continue to attract talented Northwest players to Washington and draw on my experience to help recruit other areas of the country," Dangler continued. "I believe my background will allow me to help the Husky pitching staff to develop their full potential as we pursue the goal of a championship and trip to Omaha."
Dangler’s head coaching career began at Linn-Benton (1977-83) and continued at Yavapai (1984-94). He led Linn-Benton to three Junior College World Series berths (1979, 1980, 1981) and then coached Yavapai to the NJCAA National Championship in 1993. His 1986 Yavapai squad, which included future Major League great Curt Schilling, finished third in the nation.
Dangler is one of only two coaches in JC history ever to have taken two different colleges to the NJCAA World Series. He earned the National Coach of the Year in 1993 and was a regional coach of the year on five occasions. In 18 seasons at LBCC and Yavapai, he compiled a 516-350 overall record. In that span, he coached eight JC All-Americans and had 44 players (including 23 pitchers) taken in the Major League draft.
After the 1994 season, Dangler left Yavapai to become the head coach at Portland State, then a member of the Pac-10’s Northern Division, where he served until the 1998 season.
Dangler went on to spend 11 years as a professional scout for Montreal (1999-2001), Florida (2001-05) and the Baltimore (2005-09). He earned the scout of the year award for the Expos in 2001 and for the Marlins in 2003 and also spent a season as the manager of the Expos’ Gulf Coast League team in 2001.
Last season, he served as pitching coach at Notre Dame, where three members of pitching staff were selected in the 2010 MLB Draft.
Growing up in Portland, Dangler was a pitcher of an American Legion national championship team. He graduated from Western Oregon and earned a master’s degree from Portland State.
What They’re Saying About Dave Dangler
"If there’s any young pitcher out there who’s looking for a coach who can develop him as a man and as a pitcher. Dave Dangler would be the first guy I’d point to."
– Harold Reynolds, longtime Major Leaguer who played American League ball under Dangler in Corvallis, Ore.
"Dave Dangler is a great guy with exceptional knowledge in all areas in the game of baseball. His feel for pitching and ability to teach and develop young arms sets him apart from most. I have the utmost respect for him as a man and a teacher of the game. He will be a wonderful asset for the University of Washington Baseball program."
– Stan Meek, Florida Marlins scouting director
"I’ve had the privilege of working with and knowing Dave for over 30 years. He is a good man and a person of the highest integrity. He is a very good pitching coach. He is adept at identifying pitching talent and is excellent at developing that talent."
– Kurt Kemp, Atlanta Braves director of player development and former assistant coach at Oregon State
"I think this is a great hire by Coach Meggs and for the University of Washington. Dave Dangler is one of the brightest and most articulate guys in our game."
– Ritch Price, University of Kansas head baseball coach and Oregon native
"Dave Dangler was far more than my junior college coach, he was as much a life coach as anything to me and the lessons he taught me off the field are ones I’ve carried throughout my life. I can’t tell you how excited I am to learn he is now heading up the UW pitching staff, that leads me to believe they’ll be contending rather quickly in their division and nationally. I would also tell any kids considering a future in the game, that spending a couple of years under his tutelage is the absolute perfect solution to preparing yourself to play at the highest level."
– Curt Schilling, 20-year Major League Pitcher and six-time All-Star who played for Coach Dangler at Yavapai College
