Hall of Fame
With over 710 victories, Sam Riggleman has won more baseball games than all most of his peers within intercollegiate baseball. On his path to returning to his alma mater, Spring Arbor Nazarene University, he coached at John Wesley College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Bethel College, and Dallas Baptist University. One would be hard pressed to create a list of stronger NCCAA baseball programs than this, and the continued success of those programs after he left is a testimony to Sam’s ability to make things better while creating a legacy for the future. Today’s Cougar players are receiving a return investment that was poured into Sam during his playing days as a Cougar, and he counts his current role at SAU as one of the greatest blessings in his life. Sam served as an instructor to the United States National Team in 1991 on its trip to Cuba and coached the 2001 NAIA All-star team that traveled to Czech Republic. He has coached and mentored MLB players Tim Belcher, Sean Bergman and Alan Levine. His current team entered the NAIA World Series as the number two seed, which is the highest in the school’s history. However, Riggleman’s impressive statistics and records cannot measure up to the number of young men that will join him and his wife, Kathy, in heaven because of the influence a coach chose to have on his players. The clear and consistent message from his players is that their lives have been radically altered once confronted with the Christian example of grace and discipline that Riggleman demonstrated every day at practice and games. The respect and appreciation of his current and former players is summed up by Jon Schaible, a junior on the 2007 Cougar team, “Coach always asks us what we are doing on a daily basis that will put us in the situation to succeed. Coach stresses that the Holy Bible is our playbook for life both here and for eterninty. He encourages us to read it, memorize it and execute it. He challenges us with the truth that in the Bible we will learn to be better people, players, husbands, fathers and men of God. Daily, Coach lives this expectation out in front of our team. He is simply the greatest example I know of what it is to live life for the Savior.”