Tallahassee Community softball head coach Patti Townsend to step down after season
The Patti Townsend era will end after two decades.
The longtime Tallahassee Community College softball head coach announced that she will step down at this season's end after 20 years.
The Eagles are currently 21-15 (3-11 Panhandle) this year with six regular season games remaining as they vie for a Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA)/National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Tournament spot.
“I have loved every moment spent working with this program,” Townsend said in a released statement. “These student-athletes mean the world to me, and I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to help them along their journey.
"But at the end of this season it is time for me to step aside and pursue other opportunities in life."
Townsend, only the third head coach in TCC softball program history, was hired in July 2003.
The Michigan softball alumna and two-time Big 10 Player of the Year (1992, 1993) began her coaching career in 1994 as a graduate assistant at Florida State under Dr. JoAnne Graf.
Townsend has an overall record of 505-482-1 as eleven of her teams have qualified for the FCSAA State Softball Tournament.
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Townsend's tenure at TCC includes a FCSAA Championship (2014), three NJCAA Region 8B/FCSAA Gulf District Championships (2008, 2011, 2014), and a Panhandle Conference Championship.
Her last eight teams have been recognized academically by the NJCAA for finishing a 3.0 team grade point average.
"I’ve never done this job for myself, it’s always been for the players," Townsend said. "They are the ones who have made TCC Softball what it is and seeing them succeed here and beyond is why I am a coach.
"I will always be a supporter of TCC Softball and Athletics.”
TCC will conduct a nationwide search led by director of athletics Chuck Moore as the program looks to fill its head softball and men's basketball coach positions after Rick Cabrera's departure to NCAA Division I Northwestern State.
“Patti Townsend’s name will forever be synonymous with TCC Softball,” Moore said. “For over two decades she has been a respected leader for our student-athletes, helping mold them into outstanding young women.
"She and her players have always been great representatives of TCC Athletics, within our College, locally and on the national stage. Her mark on TCC softball will never be forgotten.”
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TCC Softball: Patti Townsend leaving at seasons after two decades
