Larry Hays walked into a room full of spectators feeling a wide range of emotions, but one he did not feel was regret.
After 22 years as the Texas Tech baseball team's head coach, Hays announced Monday he would step down from his post effective immediately. He leaves as the all-time winningest coach in program history. His 1,509 wins also makes him the fourth-winningest coach in NCAA history.
"You're looking at someone who's really thankful," an emotional Hays said. "I'm thankful to Texas Tech for allowing me to get to do this this long. Through the good times and bad times, it was good. Everything was good."
Hays will still keep close to the program as he will serve in a developmental role and will help assist with renovation at Dan Law Field.
Craig Wells, the athletic department's chief of staff, said he is excited to work with Hays on renovating Dan Law Field.
"For 22 years here, we could not, absolutely not have a better person both on and off the field representing Texas Tech and our baseball program," he said. "Without a doubt, we also are very, very lucky in the fact that we could not have a better person heading up our efforts to make Dan Law Field the field that it needs to be than Larry Hays."
Hays is retiring from a prolific career which consists of 38 years as a collegiate head coach. He took a Red Raider team with a losing tradition and turned it into a winning program. The program's overall record was 550-576 before Hays was coach, including an 18-33 season with a 2-19 record in conference play in 1985. At Hays' retirement, the program is now 1,365-1,054-9. Hays had two losing seasons since he took over as Tech's head coach in 1987. He also claims nine Coach of the Year awards.
During his 22 seasons, the Red Raiders won two regular-season conference championships as Southwest Conference champions in 1995 and Big 12 Conference champions in 1997, the conference's inaugural season. They also claimed two conference tournament titles in the SWC in 1996 and the Big 12 in 1998. Tech had nine consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with the first being in 1995. During that year, the Red Raiders made it to the Midwest Regional.
Under Hays, Tech had 36 players named to the All- Southwest Conference team, 18 players named First Team All-Big 12 and 14 All-Americans.
Hays' influence is felt in the Major Leagues with 84 of his players being drafted and 17 playing in the MLB. The only Major League draftees to come from Tech all played under Larry Hays. "Larry has accomplished a lot of great things in baseball here at Texas Tech," Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers said in a press release. "We appreciate the time and effort over the years that he has given to our baseball program. Texas Tech is considered to be a strong and viable program in the Big 12 Conference thanks to his leadership."
Associate head coach Dan Spencer, who was named head coach designate on April 29, will take over for Hays. He will be the program's eighth head coach in school history.
Hays said if there was one regret in his decision, it is not making a successful run with his current coaching staff.
"You're not going to be able to get one regret out of me but one," he said, "and that is I didn't get to have the fun of having a run with (my coaching staff) like I did my other staff."
Hays said there were many factors that involved his decision to step down, but none of them had anything to do with the team's performances. The team has not made the conference tournament for the past two season.
With many years credited to his career, Hays said he looks forward to the many possibilities that lie ahead of him and life after coaching.
"I've been head coach for something like 50 something teams," he said. "That's fun to do, but every once in a while, you think you're old. I'm sitting there thinking 'why am I doing this?' For two reasons and they weren't good reasons. One: didn't have a good year and I got a lot of pride and I don't want to go out that way. Another reason: what am I going to do? I know I'm done coaching but I think I'm young enough to do something. I've got the energy. I want to do something. I had a lot of people tell me, 'If you ever quit, coach, I got something for you.' Well, I'm going to make those calls and see what it is."
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