Ed Cheff Stadium
ABOUT ED CHEFF
Cheff was the face of the LCSC baseball program since his arrival in 1977 until his retirement after the 2010 season. He posted a 1,705-430-2 record with LCSC for a .799 winning percentage. His win total ranks second only to Wichita State's Gene Stephenson's 1,724 wins with the same program in all of college baseball. His win total also is fourth all-time among all college baseball coaches.
Cheff's accomplishments are nothing short of amazing. Under his leadership, the Warriors captured 16 NAIA national titles during a 25-year span, won at least 40 games for 30 straight seasons, and produced 114 players who were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, including 14 who have made it to the big leagues.
During Cheff's tenure, LCSC played in 11 consecutive NAIA World Series championship games and won eight. To put this in perspective, no other program has won more than four NAIA Series titles in its 54-year history. LCSC has been to the Series a record 29 times, more than double than any other NAIA program, including 28 under Cheff. Of those 28 appearances, LCSC finished fourth or higher 25 times.
Cheff also has been inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame, the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and been selected the winner of the ABCA's Lefty Gomez Award for his lifetime contributions to amateur baseball. He was named the NAIA Coach of the Year eight times. Cheff's teams also produced 72 NAIA All-Americans and three NAIA Players of the Year.
Cheff, who was raised in Butte, came to LCSC after a successful coaching career at Lower Columbia Community College in Longview, Wash. He replaced Ramon Hooker at LCSC following the 1976 season when the Warriors made their first appearance in the NAIA World Series and finished second to Lewis College in Illinois. One of the trademarks of Cheff's teams was their mental toughness. LCSC lost more than 20 games only once in a season and during his last seven years, his teams averaged 50 wins and only 8.6 losses.
Cheff's teams also were regularly involved in the community and with community projects. Players regularly served as mentors at area elementary schools, helped with cleanup at the Lewiston Roundup, and also did work at an animal refuge, among being involved with other local events, fundraisers, and volunteer programs.
During his time at LCSC, Cheff also was on the coaching staff for Team USA in 1991 and again in 1994 when he served as hitting and third-base coach at the World Championships. He also spent seven summers coaching baseball in the Alaska Collegiate League, which features college baseball players from across the United States.
Only three active coaches have compiled more wins than Cheff. University of St. Francis coach Gordie Gillespie is 1,852-938 in 58 years, followed by University of Texas' Augie Garrido at 1,768-59-2 in 43 seasons. Stephenson is at 1,724-596-2 after 34 seasons.
On May 11, 1996, Cheff captured his 1,000th career victory with a doubleheader sweep over Central Washington, becoming only the third coach in NAIA baseball history to win 1,000 games. He became only the fourth coach at any level to win 1,500 games during the 2006 NAIA World Series.
