Pacific Index

Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Sports

Judy Sherman compiled a 418-146 record in her 27 years as the head softball coach at Pacific.

Judy Sherman is a legend at Pacific. She coached the softball team from 1968-1995 and was inducted into the Pacific University Hall of Fame in 2005. Her number one jersey is retired and hangs in the lobby of the Pacific Athletic Center.

The new softball complex, Sherman/Larkins Field, was named in her honor and the inaugural games were played on April 5. Before the game, a ceremony was held to honor Sherman for her dedication to the university.

I sat down with Sherman a few days before the dedication to get her take on the new fields and to see what they mean to the person who has done more for Pacific's softball program than anyone else.



Q: What do the new facilities mean to athletics?



A: This is huge for both the city of Forest Grove and Pacific University. It is just awesome that we are able to offer athletes in a smaller community a top-notch place to compete.



Q: How long have the plans to build new facilities been in the works?



A: We've needed these fields since Cindy Schuppert and I got here in 1967. We used to play softball on the Little League field at Joseph Hale Elementary and on the northwest field of Lincoln Park, which had a grass infield. Those fields were so rough I have no idea how my players fielded ground balls, but they made it look easy. I've scooped, sponged, vacuumed, and burned fields to get the water off. I even had a friend from the National Guard bring a helicopter over to dry off the field.



Q: Aside from the physical aspects, what do the new facilities represent for athletics?



A: They mean pride for Pacific athletics. There are so many more opportunities for athletes now. Pacific offers a greater number of sports. We have great training facilities to keep our athletes safe. We have access to excellent, full-time coaches. It used to be that whoever was available that we could talk into taking the job would become the coach. I came here and they told me they had a basketball team with no coach, and that's how I got the job. My assistants weren't paid - I felt great if I could get the $50 or $100 for the season. And the first time we made the national tournament for softball, the university told us there was no money in the budget for playoffs, so we raised $10,000 in one week to keep our season going.

Continued...

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