San Antonio – When Charlie Migl came to St. Mary’s University in the fall of 1974, he thought he was simply going to college. He had no idea that over the next 34 years, St. Mary’s would become home.

It started out simply enough for Migl, who was a standout for baseball coach Elmer Kosub from 1975 to 1978. He earned honorable mention NAIA All-American honors in 1977, as well as All-Big State Conference recognition three times on the diamond for St. Mary’s.

After graduation, he became a coach at San Antonio’s Harlandale High School for two years. He came back to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 1982. When Kosub retired after the 1986 season, Migl took over as the head coach for the Rattler program.

What ensued after Migl took the head coaching position at St. Mary’s was magical. In his 21 years as the Rattlers mentor the program has won 764 games against just 360 losses. St. Mary’s has won 11 conference titles during his tenure and in the spring of 2001 came his crowning achievement – the NCAA Division II National Championship.

“I still remember when we won the championship,” Migl recalled. “That team was special. We had pitching, speed, power and we could play defense. It was just a team that was destined to win.”

“When we came back, all the people met us. St. Mary’s is a family and all the family members showed up that day.”

Migl’s teams have been the textbook definition of consistency. In his 21 years as head coach the team has produced a winning record 20 times. His teams have won eight conference titles, have advanced to the NAIA World Series three times and to the NCAA postseason twice. A total of 64 players have earned all-conference honors, while 21 have earned All-American recognition.

Numerous players have moved on to the professional ranks after their time at St. Mary’s, including Caleb Staudt, who was drafted by the Washington Nationals this past spring. Five former Rattlers are currently playing in professional baseball, including Jesse Gutierrez, who is playing for the Cincinnati Reds Triple-A affiliate.

While the NCAA title is undoubtedly his career highlight as a coach, there is another achievement, of a sort, that Migl remembers with nearly equal fondness. It occurred in the fall of 2002 when his daughter, Katy, enrolled at St. Mary’s. As all of his children have done, Katy took to sports just as her father did. Her aptitude was for volleyball, and she made her four years with the Rattlers one for the record books – literally. By the time she finished her eligibility after the 2005 season, Migl owned every dig record at St. Mary’s.

“When you have a family and you’re a coach, you find yourself sort of raising everyone else’s kids and sometimes you don’t have time for your own. I think it’s important to make time for your family. When Katy decided to come here I was excited. I love to see my kids play. I didn’t miss any home games and made as many of her road games as I could. It’s outstanding that we were able to do it at the same school.”

Migl has accomplished nearly everything possible as a coach. St. Mary’s University then asked him to do a little more off the field in recent years. He was named athletic director in 2000 and has served in that capacity ever since.

His tenure as director of athletics has been one of the most successful in school history with the Rattlers winning three of their five national championships and all three of their NCAA National Championships. In addition to the baseball team’s crown in 2001, the softball team won the NCAA title in 2002 and in 2006 Jamie Amoretti won the Rattlers first-ever individual national championship, taking the title at the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship.

After all he’s accomplished in his career as a coach and administrator, the question might now be: “What’s left”? Migl doesn’t see it that way of course. His enthusiasm for his current Rattler squad is as strong as it was for his other 21 teams. He wants to win another conference title and more.

What has made this ride truly special is family: his wife, Mary, and his three children, Tyler, Jason and Katy. Also his extended family, the community of people at St. Mary’s University, his former players and fans in San Antonio. It isn’t just winning that keeps Migl going, game-after-game and year-after-year. It’s about a love that goes deeper than just wins and losses. It’s about the love of family.

“St. Mary’s community has always been very dear to me. I appreciate what a lot of people have done for me. I think that it’s special, to graduate from a school and then come back and coach at the school. I really love working here.”

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