June 26, 2006
Texas A&M Athletic Director Bill Byrne announced the hiring of Mary Jo Firnbach as the new associate head softball coach on Monday.
Firnbach comes to Aggieland after serving the past seven seasons as the head coach of the Orange at Syracuse University, where she compiled an overall record of 174-169-1. Under her direction, SU established a new school record for victories (36) and made its third appearance in the BIG EAST Championship, earning Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2005.
?It was a very hard decision to leave Syracuse University,? Firnbach said. ?They?â„¢ve had so much support there for me and the program and we?â„¢ve done some great things there, but professionally I think this was a great move for me. Texas A&M has a great tradition as a university and also as a softball program, they?â„¢ve developed some phenomenal things here. Softball is really a big push right now and is getting a lot of television recognition, which is great for the sport, and A&M is right there in the mix. It?â„¢s a different environment; a different conference; a different experience. This is going to be a very exciting opportunity and I?â„¢m looking forward to it."
?I?â„¢m thrilled that MJ was willing to come down here and coach with us,? commented A&M head coach Jo Evans. ?What a great find for us to get a head coach from a Division I program. I?â„¢m excited about the opportunity to have her on our staff. I know that she is going to add a lot to our group, a lot of enthusiasm. She was a great player and a great coach and so it?â„¢s going to be a good fit.?
With the Aggie softball team, Firnbach?â„¢s major job functions will include providing instruction, demonstration and evaluation to individual players. On occasion Firnbach will help maintain records on the players, team and recruits, along with maintaining all compliance paper work.
As a student, Firnbach was a four-year standout at third base at Southern Illinois University, where in 1991 she earned an undergraduate degree in community health education. While at Southern Illinois, Firnbach was named team captain in 1991, a season in which the Salukis went 42-7 and were the Gateway Conference regular season and tournament champions. She was a two-time Gateway All-Conference first-team selection and an All-Midwest second-team selection.
On the professional level Firnbach played the 1991 season for the Raybestos Brakettes in Stratford, Conn. The Brakettes won the national championship and the gold medal at the Olympic Sports Festival. She also played with the Michigan Cruise in Ann Arbor, Mich., finishing fifth at the national tournament in 1994.
Firnbach entered the coaching profession immediately following graduation, serving as a volunteer assistant coach for two seasons at her alma mater, while completing her master?â„¢s degree in sport psychology. She served as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan from 1993 to 1995 where she helped lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten Conference regular season and tournament championship, the National Invitational Tournament title and to an appearance in the College World Series.
Firnbach then served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Illinois State for three years. The Redbirds won Missouri Valley Conference crowns in 1996 and 1997 before being named the head coach of the Orange in 2000.
Firnbach has also received several accolades recognizing her accomplishments on and off the playing field. She was named the Gateway Conference Athlete of the Decade for the 1980s and was Southern Illinois?â„¢ nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year in 1991. In 1996 Firnbach was inducted into the Southern Illinois University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Firnbach replaces Rich Wieligman, who left A&M after four seasons to assume head coaching responsibilities at Oklahoma State University.