A pair of Tiger greats honored in North Carolina

Legendary Cowley College baseball coach Dave Burroughs and Lady Tiger softball coach Ed Hargrove received the Coaches Legacy Award presented by Nufabrx. The award was created to recognize and celebrate the all-time winningest coaches in NJCAA history.

This was the first time since 1938 that the NJCAA recognized the achievements and proud legacy of coaches at one time.

Hargrove won 1,142 games in his 30 years (1985-2014) as coach of the Tiger softball team. After being inducted into the NJCAA Softball Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009, Hargrove thought his coaching awards were a thing of the past.

"I kind of consider this Legacy Award the 'Cherry on Top' of my coaching career,' Hargrove said. "When I retired 11 years ago, I figured I would just fade away, out of sight, out of mind. Then out of the blue, I get word that I am going to be recognized, along with 17 other softball coaches, for being one of the winningest softball coaches in NJCAA history."

Burroughs won 1,301 games and two JUCO World Series titles in his 32-year career (1988-2020) at Cowley College. Burroughs was previously inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010, the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, and the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2018.

"You never get anywhere alone," Burroughs said. "I had a lot of help along the way. I enjoyed representing our college and our community, especially the baseball program. What an honor this was."

Hargrove and Burroughs' presence is still felt at Cowley College as Hargrove's former player and assistant coach, Jenny Hoyt, has been the head softball coach since his retirement, and Burroughs' brother, Darren, has been in charge of the baseball program.

For Ed and Dave, Tuesday's event was a day to reminisce and celebrate their success at Cowley College.

"Not being egotistical, but it was rewarding to know that we hadn't faded completely away," Hargrove said.