Mike Candrea Staying at Arizona Through 2022
Arizona announced on Monday that Wildcats Head Coach Mike Candrea has agreed to terms to extend his contract thru the 2022 season with a raise in salary up to 345,000 a season which is among the highest paid coaches in the sport.
“I’ve been blessed to lead our softball program for the last 32 years,” stated Candrea in Arizona press release. “I always tell people that I’ve never worked a day in my life because I’m doing what I love to do at a special place like Arizona. The University, the administration, and the Tucson community supports the game of softball, and that isn’t the case everywhere. I feel fortunate to be able to continue in my role as head coach, and I look forward to seeing what we can do as a program moving forward.”
Candrea has produced a 1,520-388-2 (.796) record in 32 seasons at Arizona which is the most wins by any Coach in Division 1 Softball and is 3rd all time in any level of Softball. Candrea became the fastest coach in NCAA history, in any sport at any level to win 1,500 games doing it on March 26 in a victory over Washington.
Most Wins in College Softball History at Any Level
Rank- Name – Years- Wins – Teams
1- Phil McSpadden-30 1,613 – Oklahoma City (88-present) * NAIA
2-Carol Hutchins- 34 1,527 – Ferris State(1982),Michigan(1985-present)
3- Mike Candrea – 30 1,520 – Arizona (1986-present)
Candrea has led the Wildcats to eight national championships and appeared in 22 Women’s College World Series including 16 in a row between 1988-2003. Candrea holds the record for most national championships and Women’s College World Series appearances.
Candrea also led the Wildcats to 11 conference championships, including the 2017 Pac-12 title. Candrea coached United States National Team to a Gold Medal in 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
“Simply put, Mike Candrea is the greatest coach in the history of softball,” Arizona’s Athletic Director Dave Heeke said in Arizona press release. “From the National Championships to the Olympic medals, nobody has done more to grow the sport of softball. During his time as head coach at Arizona, Mike has shown an incredible aptitude to produce not only excellent softball players, but also wonderful people, and we couldn’t be happier that he’s agreed to continue to lead our program well into the future.”
