Larry Cochell

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}{{Infobox college coach

| name = Larry Cochell

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|66|2006|05|08}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/a-new-start-to-life/article_36d83c64-8694-588c-bca5-5839d1f21bd4.html|title=A new start to life|first=John E.|last=Hoover|date=8 May 2006 |access-date=27 September 2018}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 =

| player_team1 =

| player_positions =

| coach_years1 = 1967–1969

| coach_team1 = Emporia State

| coach_years2 = 1970–1971

| coach_team2 = Creighton

| coach_years3 = 1972–1976

| coach_team3 = Cal State Los Angeles

| coach_years4 = 1977–1986

| coach_team4 = Oral Roberts

| coach_years5 = 1987

| coach_team5 = Northwestern

| coach_years6 = 1988–1990

| coach_team6 = Cal State Fullerton

| coach_years7 = 1991–2005

| coach_team7 = Oklahoma

| overall_record = {{Winning percentage|1,331|813|3|record=y}}

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships = *1× College World Series (1994)

2× PCAA (1973, 1974)
5× Midwestern City Conference/Midwestern Collegiate Conference (1981–1983, 1985, 1986)
1× Big West Conference (1990)
2× Big Eight Conference (1992, 1995)
1× Big 12 Conference Tournament (1997)
Big West Conference Baseball Coach of the Year (1990)

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

Larry Cochell is an American former professional coach in NCAA Division I college baseball. He coached baseball for the Emporia State Hornets (then known as Kansas State Teachers College), the Creighton Bluejays, the Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles,{{cite web|url=http://lagoldeneagles.com/documents/2016/5/19//Baseball_Media_Guide_2016.pdf?id=1502|title=16 baseball media guide - Cal State LA|website=lagoldeneagles.com|access-date=27 September 2018}} the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, the Northwestern Wildcats, the Cal State Fullerton Titans, and the Oklahoma Sooners.

Career

He took three programs to the College World Series, doing so with Oral Roberts in 1978, Cal State Fullerton 1988 & 1990, and Oklahoma in 1992, 1994 & 1995, being the first coach to do so (with Ron Polk and Andy Lopez doing the feat in later years). He went 8–10 in six appearances.{{Cite web |title=CWS Coaching Records (1947-2011) |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_cws_RB/2012/8-CWScoachingrecords.pdf |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=NCAA.org}} It was with Oklahoma that he received his highest success, leading them to a national championship at the 1994 College World Series in his fifteen seasons with the club. During his time at Oklahoma, he had his two of his sons play on the team, Chad (1997–2000) and Craig (1992–1993), with the former playing 126 total games and hitting .255 for his career.{{cite web|url=http://www.soonersports.com/ViewContent.dbml?CONTENT_ID=1961963&DB_OEM_ID=31000#Cochell__Cr_|title=Career Statistics - The Official Site of Oklahoma Sooner Sports|website=www.soonersports.com|access-date=27 September 2018}} He is one of 56 coaches with over 1,100 wins, having a record of 1,331–813–3, 21st most.

Controversy and aftermath

On April 29, 2005, reports surfaced that he used racial remarks to describe one of his players, notably saying in an interview before an ESPN2 telecast of the Oklahoma-Wichita State game that “There are honkies and white people and there are niggers and black people. Dunigan is a good black kid ... There’s no nigger in him.”, which he used to describe Oklahoma's freshman outfielder Joe Dunigan III. On May 1, 2005, he resigned, with Sunny Golloway serving as interim head coach for the rest of the season.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=2051357|title=OU's Cochell: Resigning was 'right thing to do'|date=2 May 2005|website=ESPN.com|access-date=27 September 2018}} After the resignation, he was offered positions in minor league baseball and work in Europe, but he turned them down, citing how he wanted to spend time with his family and deal with his health, particularly blockage in two of his arteries that were found around the time of his stepping down.{{cite web|url=http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=208791712|title=OU Baseball Media Guide|access-date=27 September 2018}}

Head coaching record

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Kansas State Teachers College|startyear=1967|endyear=1969|conference=Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1967

|name=Emporia State

|overall=16–17

|conference=

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1968

|name=Emporia State

|overall=25–14

|conference=

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1969

|name=Emporia State

|overall=29–13

|conference=

|postseason=NAIA World Series}}

{{CBB yearly record subtotal

|name=Emporia State

|overall={{Winning percentage|72|44|record=y}}

|confrecord=

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Creighton Bluejays|startyear=1970|endyear=1971|conference=Independent}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1970

|name=Creighton

|overall=25–7

|conference=

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1971

|name=Creighton

|overall=24–21

|conference=

}}

{{CBB yearly record subtotal

|name=Creighton

|overall={{Winning percentage|49|28|record=y}}

|confrecord=

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles|startyear=1972|endyear=1974|conference=Pacific Coast Athletic Association}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1972

|name=Cal State Los Angeles

|overall=23–27

|conference=12–6

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|championship=conference

|season=1973

|name=Cal State Los Angeles

|overall=31–20

|conference=13–5

|confstanding=1st

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|championship=conference

|season=1974

|name=Cal State Los Angeles

|overall=35–18

|conference=18–5

|confstanding=1st

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles|conference=Independent|startyear=1975|endyear=single}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1975

|name=Cal State Los Angeles

|overall=12–30

|conference=

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles|conference=West Coast Athletic Conference|startyear=1976|endyear=single}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1976

|name=Cal State Los Angeles

|overall=16–33

|conference=4–14

|confstanding =7th

}}

{{CBB yearly record subtotal

|name=Cal State Los Angeles

|overall={{Winning percentage|117|128|record=y}}

|confrecord=

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Oral Roberts Titans|startyear=1977|endyear=1980|conference=Independent}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1977

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall=35–17

|conference=

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1978

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall=45–12

|conference=

|postseason=College World Series

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1979

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall=34–24

|conference=

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1980

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall=38–16

|conference=

|postseason=Midwest Regional

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Oral Roberts Titans|startyear=1981|endyear=1986|conference=Midwestern City Conference/Midwestern Collegiate Conference}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|championship = confboth

|season=1981

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall=45–10–1

|conference=6–0

|confstanding=1st {{Small|(South)}}

|postseason=Midwest Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|championship=confboth

|season=1982

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall=49–13

|conference=7–1

|confstanding=1st {{Small|(South)}}

|postseason=Midwest Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1983

|championship = confboth

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall=51–17

|conference=9–1

|confstanding =1st {{Small|(South)}}

|postseason=Midwest Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1984

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall=38–23–1

|conference=7–5

|confstanding =2nd {{Small|(South)}}

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|championship = confboth

|season=1985

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall=50–19

|conference=10–2

|confstanding =1st {{Small|(South)}}

|postseason=Midwest Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|championship = confboth

|season=1986

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall=43–20

|conference=6–0

|confstanding =1st {{Small|(South)}}

|postseason=Mideast Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record subtotal

|name=Oral Roberts

|overall={{Winning percentage|428|172|1|record=y}}

|confrecord=

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Northwestern Wildcats|startyear=1987|endyear=single|conference=Big Ten Conference}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1987

|name=Northwestern

|overall=23–20–1

|conference=5–11

|confstanding=T–4th {{Small|(West)}}

}}

{{CBB yearly record subtotal

|name=Northwestern

|overall={{Winning percentage|23|20|1|record=y}}

|confrecord=

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Cal State Fullerton Titans|startyear=1988|endyear=1990|conference=Pacific Coast Athletic Association / Big West Conference}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1988

|name=Cal State Fullerton

|overall=43–18

|conference=12–3

|confstanding=3rd

|postseason=College World Series

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1989

|name=Cal State Fullerton

|overall=30–27

|conference=10–11

|confstanding=5th

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1990

|championship=conference

|name=Cal State Fullerton

|overall=36–23

|conference=13–5

|confstanding=1st

|postseason=College World Series

}}

{{CBB yearly record subtotal

|name=Cal State Fullerton

|overall={{Winning percentage|109|68|record=y}}

|confrecord={{Winning percentage|35|19|record=y}}

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Oklahoma Sooners|startyear=1991|endyear=1996|conference=Big Eight Conference}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1991

|name=Oklahoma

|overall=40–23

|conference=13–11

|confstanding=2nd

|postseason=South Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|championship=conference

|season=1992

|name=Oklahoma

|overall=43–24

|conference=17–7

|confstanding=T–1st

|postseason=College World Series

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1993

|name=Oklahoma

|overall=31–24

|conference=13–14

|confstanding=5th

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|championship = national

|season=1994

|name=Oklahoma

|overall=50–17

|conference=21–9

|confstanding=2nd

|postseason=College World Series champions

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|championship=conference

|name=Oklahoma

|season=1995

|overall=42–16

|conference=21–7

|confstanding=1st

|postseason=College World Series

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1996

|name=Oklahoma

|overall=32–25

|conference=14–12

|confstanding=3rd

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|name=Oklahoma Sooners|startyear=1997|endyear=2005|conference=Big 12 Conference}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1997

|championship=conference tournament

|name=Oklahoma

|overall=39–20

|conference=18–11

|confstanding=4th

|postseason=South I Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1998

|name=Oklahoma

|overall=42–20

|conference=17–11

|confstanding=4th

|postseason=Atlantic II Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=1999

|name=Oklahoma

|overall =30–29

|conference=12–18

|confstanding=8th

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=2000

|name=Oklahoma

|overall =41–23

|conference=20–10

|confstanding=3rd

|postseason=Baton Rouge Super Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=2001

|name=Oklahoma

|overall =25–33–1

|conference=13–16–1

|confstanding=7th

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=2002

|name=Oklahoma

|overall =35–27

|conference=15–12

|confstanding=4th

|postseason=Clemson Super Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=2003

|name=Oklahoma

|overall=23–31

|conference=10–17

|confstanding=7th

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=2004

|name=Oklahoma

|overall=38–24

|conference=19–8

|confstanding=2nd

|postseason=Coral Gables Super Regional

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

|season=2005

|name=Oklahoma

|overall =23–20*

|conference= 7–11*

|confstanding=5th

|postseason={{refn|name=NCAA|group=N|On May 1, Cochell resigned from the program due to racially insensitive remarks, one month before the 2005 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. The team finished with an overall record of 35–26 (14–13 in the Big 12). Sunny Golloway led the team to the Tournament, where they lost in the Oxford Super Regional.}}

}}

{{CBB yearly record subtotal

|name=Oklahoma

|overall={{Winning percentage|511|336|1|record=y}}

|confrecord={{Winning percentage|223|163|1|record=y}}

}}

{{CBB yearly record end

| overall = {{Winning percentage|1331|813|3|record=y}}

}}