Sam Houston State University softball coach Bob Brock was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies this past weekend in College Station.
Brock ranks 12th among NCAA Division I active softball head coaches with a record of lifetime record of 842-443-1 in his 22 seasons at Sam Houston, Texas A&M and Baylor.
He has won three national championships and is a former Women’s Professional Fastpitch League head coach.
“This is a terrific honor for Bob, a man who has had such an impact on the sport of softball in Texas, playing a roll in building the programs at three universities — Texas A&M, Baylor, and now Sam Houston State,” SHSU Director of Athletics Bobby Williams said. “We all are very proud for Bob.”
Brock has been the head coach at his alma mater, Sam Houston State, for five seasons. He was voted as Southland Conference “Coach of the Year” after directing SHSU to a runner-up finish (the Kats’ best since 1993) and to the finals of the 2005 SLC post-season tournament. Midway through the 2005 season, Brock became the 24th head coach in NCAA Division I softball history to post more than 800 coaching victories.
Brock came to SHSU after three years as assistant coach for the University of Tennessee Volunteers. He helped direct the Vols to their first appearance in the NCAA Regional playoffs.
Brock served as head coach at Baylor from 1980 to 1981 and at Texas A&M from 1982 to 1996. Six times he directed teams to the College World Series, winning national titles in 1982, 1983 and 1987 and finishing as runner-up in 1984 and 1986.
In 1997, he was head coach of the Tampa Bay Firestix in the Women’s Professional Fastpitch League. He joined the University of Tennessee staff in 1999. He also managed his own hitting and pitching clinics in College Station for nine years. Brock has coached 21 All-Americans, 60 All-Regional honorees and two members on gold medal winning U.S. Olympic Teams. He was honored as National Softball “Coach of the Year” in 1983 and received National Softball Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year honors in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1991.