Santa Clara Athletics Hall of Fame
In his first run as head coach for Bronco Baseball, John. J. “Paddy” Cottrell, earned a 76-46 overall winning record. After 5 years as head coach, Cottrell left for 10 years to be a scout for the Texas Rangers. However, Cottrell’s love for Bronco Baseball ran deep, so he returned to Santa Clara for his second stint as head coach from 1961-64. He finished his career with an overall record of 178-90, placing him third on Santa Clara’s all-time list behind fellow legendary coaches Sal Taormina and John Oldham. Cottrell sent 26 of his players onto to play professional ball, but his most notable success was his ‘62 team. This Bronco Baseball team finished 1st in the WCC Conference and only lost to Michigan 5-4 in a marathon championship game that went 15 innings. He was inducted into the Santa Clara Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973.
