The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Legendary former Softball head coach Clark to be inducted in NFCA Hall of Fame
12.11.2023 | Softball
After building Texas into one of the most successful programs in college softball, Clark earns spot among sport’s all-time greats.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Announced at the conclusion of the 2023 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday, Dec. 8, former Texas Longhorn softball head coach Connie Clark will be one of three inductees into the organization's Hall of Fall as a member of the Class of 2024.
Clark, who led the Longhorn program for 23 seasons with the first year as a club sport and the ensuing 22 as an NCAA varsity program, will be inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame alongside Gretta Melsted (head coach, Augustana University) and Tim Walton (head coach, University of Florida) on Dec. 6, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
Over the course of her legendary career at the helm of the softball program on the Forty Acres, Clark, who posted an 873-401-3 (.685) overall record, coached 132 Big 12 All-Academic honorees, 105 All-Big 12 Conference selections, 74 NFCA All-Region selections, 29 All-Americans, seven Big 12 Freshmen of the Year, five Big 12 Pitchers of the Years, two Big 12 Players of the Year, three USA Softball Collegiate Players of the Year and two Honda Awards for Softball.
Additionally, Clark coached nine national and junior national team members, including Cat Osterman (2004, 2008, 2020) and Christa Williams (1996, 2000) who won Olympic Gold Medals.
Five of Clark's Longhorn teams made an appearance in the NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS), including the 1998 squad that became youngest program to ever reach the WCWS after earning the opportunity in just the program's second-ever season. In 22 seasons under Clark, the Longhorns appeared in 19 NCAA Regionals, while earning four Big 12 regular season and tournament championships.
While also earning the Big 12 Coach of the Year honor on three different occasions, Clark and her staff were named the NFCA Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year in 2006 and the Speedline/NFCA Division I Coaching Staff of the Year in 2003.
Between 2009 and 2013, Clark and the Longhorns had a run of five consecutive seasons with 40-or-more wins and a top 20 national rankings at each season's end.
Prior to being appointed as the head coach at The University of Texas in June 1995, Clark spent five seasons (1990-95) as an assistant coach at Florida State University, where she assisted in guiding the Seminoles to five NCAA Regional trips and four WCWS appearances. During that five-season span, nearly every Florida State pitching record was broken under Clark's direction.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Clark was a pitcher on Team USA following a two-year standout career at Cal State Fullerton, where she posted a 53-8 career record with 458 strikeouts and a 0.37 earned run average (ERA) in 438.1 innings as a Titan. Prior to her stint at Cal State Fullerton, Clark pitched at Central Arizona Junior College under legendary softball head coach Mike Candrea. The duo led the program to back-to-back NJCAA championships in 1984 and 1985.
With next year's induction, the NFCA Hall of Fame will mark the fifth different Hall of Fame that Clark will be a member of: Arizona Softball Foundation (2005), NJCAA (2006), Cal State Fullerton Athletics (2009), Central Arizona Junior College (2010) and NFCA (2024).
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