JOLIET, Ill. - Brian Michalak, a 1983 University of St. Francis baseball alumnus and the program's top assistant coach for the past four seasons, has been named to succeed the retired Gordie Gillespie as the head coach of the Fighting Saints.
Michalak, 49, inherits a program that Gillespie has directed to the NAIA National Baseball Championship Opening Round each of the past two seasons and one which finished the 2011 campaign with a 41-14 record and a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship.
Gillespie, college baseball's all-time winningest coach (1,893 wins in 59 seasons at Lewis University, Ripon College and St. Francis), announced his retirement last week after completing his second tour of duty (1977-95 and 2006-11) as head coach of the Saints' tradition-rich program.
"I have no doubt that Brian will continue the long-standing legacy of the USF baseball program that Gordie created and Tony (Delgado) maintained," said Dave Laketa, USF director of athletics, who made the announcement on Wednesday. "It's always extra special to have someone that played in the program come back and oversee it. That tells a lot about our program and University.
"I'm sure that had I opened the search, we would have received a ton of quality applicants," continued Laketa. "However, very few would have had the experience that Brian had. To have played for Coach (Gillespie) in the program for four years and then to have been his top assistant the past four years, as the commercial says, 'That's priceless.'"
Michalak joined the USF staff prior to the 2008 season after serving as head coach at North Central College in nearby Naperville for five years. He posted a record of 88-114-2 with the NCAA Division III Cardinals, leading the program to three fourth-place finishes in the rugged College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin in his final three seasons. His last three squads compiled a 37-26 record in the CCIW during that span.
Prior to the North Central post, Michalak spent 15 years as a coach and instructor at neighboring Lewis University. He served as an assistant baseball coach to Irish O'Reilly from 1993-2002 and was also the head coach of the Flyers' women's basketball team during those nine seasons. He directed the Lewis women's team to a 117-126 record and the school's third-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II National Basketball Tournament in 1998 with a team that finished 23-5. Highlighting his nine-year tenure on the Flyers' bench was a three-year stretch (1998-2000) in which his clubs posted a cumulative record of 57-25.
He also spent three years as an assistant coach for the Lewis men's basketball program prior to taking over the women's head coaching position.
"Brian has worked for two of the best coaches in college baseball in Gordie and Irish O'Reilly over at Lewis," added Laketa. "He has definitely been groomed well for this position, especially over the past four seasons with Gordie's expansion of Brian's duties during that time."
Michalak is a Lockport native and played football and baseball for the Porters before graduating in 1979. He was a four-year utility infielder - playing second base, shortstop and third base - for St. Francis and Coach Gillespie. As a senior, he helped lead the Saints to a sixth-place finish at the NAIA World Series in Lubbock, Texas.
"I am honored to be selected as the next baseball coach at St. Francis," said Michalak. "Back when I was in college, I never dreamed that I would someday replace Coach Gillespie. Like everyone else, I just thought that Coach would be here forever.
"St. Francis is a pretty important place in my life," continued Michalak. "To be the head coach of such a great program, a program that helped shape my life and my professional career is a very special feeling."
Michalak played for Gillespie as a collegian and got his first chance to coach with his mentor during a brief stay as an assistant football coach at Joliet Catholic High School in the mid-1980s. As an assistant at Lewis and the head coach at North Central, he had the opportunity to coach against Gillespie. The lessons he has learned from him are innumerable.
"The thing that sticks with me the most about Coach Gillespie is his belief that the wins and losses are not the most important thing in coaching," said Michalak. "What counts is the preparation for what is ahead in the lives of the student-athletes. Coach Gillespie taught many life lessons and he did that better than anybody I know. When I left St. Francis, I felt that I was prepared for whatever was in front of me in my professional career and my personal life and I have Coach Gillespie to thank for that."
Gillespie, who has legions of former players now coaching in various sports around the country, was delighted with the selection of Michalak as his successor.
"I couldn't be happier," said the Hall of Fame coach who won over 2,400 games in baseball, basketball and football during his 59-year coaching career. "Brian is a great team man, a fine person and a tremendous role model for the young people that he coaches. He is a workaholic and a consummate baseball man with a great baseball mind.
"His enthusiasm and effort make him a great pleasure to be around, both for his fellow coaches and his players. He's got a lot of (former USF coach and Gillespie assistant) Tony Delgado in him and it was a wonderful experience for me to have him as my ‘right bower.'"
With Gillespie's retirement, the roles will be somewhat reversed. The former USF coach has agreed to stay close to the Saints' program as a Special Advisor to the Athletics Department and Baseball Program. While he won't be on the field every day, Michalak will certainly keep Gillespie and his baseball acumen nearby.
"I will be talking with him every day about our team, our players and our program," said Michalak. "There certainly is no one better to turn to than Coach Gillespie when you need some baseball and mentoring advice."
Michalak, his wife Sharon and their four children - daughter Caley (17) and sons Patrick (15), Aaron (12) and Sean (8) - reside in New Lenox.
