Sandy Montgomery, SIUE’s longest-tenured coach, resigns from softball program

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville legendary softball coach Sandy Montgomery is retiring effective Oct. 1. SIUE Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Hewitt made the announcement today after informing the softball team members.

In the interim, Montgomery will focus on her administrative responsibilities and will not be involved in the day-to-day running of the softball program. Assistant Jessica Jones was tabbed as the interim successor to Montgomery.

The longest-tenured Cougars head coach, and one of the most successful, Montgomery concluded her 30-year SIUE career with a record of 1,051-540-2, for a winning percentage of .660.

“We are grateful for all of Coach Montgomery’s contributions to Cougar athletics during her SIUE tenure,” Hewitt said. “Her teams not only performed at a championship level on the field but also carried that excellence into the classroom. Her loyalty and dedication to this University is immeasurable. The successes she brought to the University are significant. Her contributions to our Division I journey irreplaceable; her Alumni every year remain consistently engaged with our program. We all wish her well in her future endeavors. She will be missed by so many.

Montgomery also served as a Cougars associate director of athletics and helped lead the department from the NCAA Division II ranks to NCAA Division I membership in 2008.

Among her greatest achievements as a coach was leading the Cougars to their only softball national championship in 2007. That team also earned a spot in the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame.

“Throughout my years, I have been fortunate to coach and build amazing relationships with many tremendous players. These relationships will continue to be an important part of my life,” Montgomery said. “There is never a good time to coach that final season as I have always found myself waiting for another class to graduate. I am in a great place in my life right now. Softball and SIUE will always be a huge part of my life, but the time has come. As I have always said, once a Cougar, always a Cougar.”

SIUE began its Division I journey in the 2009 season with a 40-10 record. The Cougars completed the Division I transition by winning the OVC Tournament in 2014, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Championship.

Montgomery first came to SIUE in the fall of 1981 as a student-athlete under Cindy Jones. She was inducted into the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame as a player after setting many of the school records for pitching. While coaching all of the players who would go on to break her records, she continues to hold the record for the lowest earned run average in a career (0.85) and shutouts (42).

“It’s been a great run, and I’ve really enjoyed working with so many great student-athletes. I am very thankful for my time at SIUE,” Montgomery said. “It has been my home for more than half of my life. There are so many people who have been instrumental in my career that I would like to thank; Cindy Jones, Vaughn Vandegrift, Brad Hewitt, Valerie McCoy, my family, especially my father for his endless support, and of course Coach Jones for her loyalty and dedication to our program from the moment she arrived on campus.

Montgomery’s Accomplishments

• National Champions – 2007
• NCAA Division I Tournament Appearances – 2014
• Great Lakes Regional Champions - 2006, 2007
• NCAA-II Tournament Appearances - 1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Conference Titles - 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014
• OVC Regular Season Titles - 2015
• National Coaching Staff of the Year – 2007
• Regional Coaching Staff of the Year - 2003, 2006, 2007
• Conference Coach of the Year - 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2015
• 11 All-Americans since 1989
• 57 All-Region players since 1989
• 79 All-Conference players since 1995
• 50-win seasons - 2002, 2006
• 40-win seasons - 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2017
• 30-win seasons - 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2013, 2014
• 14 straight 30-win seasons - 1996-2009

Records by Season

*SIUE was issued two forfeits in each season.

Conference record in parentheses

#National Champions

This story was originally published July 27, 2018 at 5:20 PM.