Merced College Matters: AD working on athletes' stories

Steve Cassady likes a good story.

Even better, he likes to tell a good story. The longtime Blue Devils coach and athletic director has begun writing a book with a subject he says hasn't been examined much, and with a story he believes is ripe for the telling.

"Some time ago I was sitting in a state athletics meeting, frankly feeling very bored," he said with a small laugh. "Everyone was worried about budget cuts, and I kept thinking, 'Hey, we've got a great product here. We just don't sell ourselves too well.' "

That meeting not only frustrated him, but it got him to thinking about the kind of stories that make community colleges unique places of opportunity.

"I thought we were underselling our product, which is our students. I realized that we have a lot of great stories out there. For example, Jackie Robinson is a product of community colleges. If it weren't for Pasadena City College, there'd be no Jackie Robinson and no integration of baseball the way it happened. But it started for him at a community college."

Cassady's proposal for his untitled book is to interview notable athletes who began their careers at community colleges and to make a case for how community college athletic programs should be celebrated and supported.

"There's a sitcom on TV called 'Community College,' and it's really a joke," he said. "Community colleges are treated pejoratively. I think we have a history of community college athletics that hasn't been told."

By the time the book is complete, Cassady says, he'll have spoken to at least 50 former community college athletes with references to about 100 more. The book will be organized into themes with "stories that say something." He estimates the final product will be 350 pages, of which he has written 125 pages with the rest of the book in outline form.

"I wrote the epilogue first, then started working toward the end. It's going a little slower than I had wanted as I'm waiting to hear from some of the athletes I've contacted. Hopefully, I'll get it wrapped up by the end of the year."

Some of Merced College's most successful student athletes will likely be profiled, including Oakland A's all-star pitcher Brian Fuentes and Detroit Tigers pitcher Doug Fister. Former Blue Devils running back Reuben Droughns, who earned a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants, is another likely subject.

Originally from Salinas, Cassady was first hired at Merced College as an English instructor. In those days, he says, English faculty taught everything from remedial English to Shakespeare.

He began coaching women's softball in 1988. That year, his team lost its first six games. "I thought I was going to be the only coach in the universe not to win a game." After that initial season, Cassady's teams would rack up 20 consecutive winning seasons with five conference championships. He took three teams to the state finals and produced numerous all-conference and all-state players and all-Americans. Dozens of his players would go on to earn full scholarships to four-year programs. Cassady would also achieve a milestone in community college athletics, becoming one of a select group of coaches to rack up more than 600 wins in his career.

"The best stories are unknown," he said. "For example, many people don't realize that Brian

Fuentes was cut from his high school team. Merced College gave him his chance, and now he's in his 11th season as a major league pitcher.

"A lot of people come here from nowhere, and they end up going somewhere. Like Tom Flores. Here's a guy from Sanger who got a start at community college, and now he's got four Super Bowl Rings."

If anyone can tell this story, Cassady can. His first book, "Spanning the Gate," published in 1978, has gone through three editions and is still in print. It is widely considered to be one of the best books documenting the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. He has written all or part of seven books on professional football, including one on the Oakland Raiders. He worked as a freelance writer for Pro Magazine and many of his stories have been anthologized.

"I learned a lot in those days hanging around pro football, and almost everything I learned I used in my coaching. I learned how teams won and how coaches got the best out of their athletes. I learned how to organize winning teams. And I learned about the impact JC sports had on these professionals."

Though he's not coaching these days, Cassady remains the Blue Devils' athletic director. He has no plans to retire anytime soon.

"I still feel young in my job and I feel good about what I'm doing," he said. "I'm not temperamentally wired for retirement.

"I understand the mission of community colleges, I was born into it. I'm proud of the part I've played in the delivery of that mission.

"My desire now is to tell our story and to showcase the success our athletes have achieved."

Merced College Public Information Office.