Greg Goff's goal for Alabama baseball is Omaha
The path that led Greg Goff to the University of Alabama wasn’t one he could have planned on. It started with his career as a Division II pitcher and wound through coaching stops at small schools throughout the southeast.
He arrived at moribund programs at Montevallo, Campbell University and Louisiana Tech during the last 11 seasons as a head coach and moved on after taking each to the NCAA tournament. Now he has arrived as the head baseball coach at Alabama.
“Today accumulates a lot of movement, a lot of tears, a lot of relationships and a lot of goodness in people,” Goff said at his introductory press conference on Friday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. “It’s an honor for me to be a part of this and be standing in front of you today.”
UA coaches, officials, fans and former players assembled at the stadium as he and his family were welcomed. Goff, 46, brings experience as a former SEC assistant and as a head coach in college to his first job leading a major college program.
“Our new coach has experience at every level,” UA director of athletics Bill Battle said. “Everywhere he’s been, he has won. He was the pitching coach at Kentucky for four years. He was the head coach at Montevallo, so he knows the state of Alabama.”
Goff never envisioned himself arriving at a place like this from where he began. A decade ago he was head coach at Montevallo, and was introduced to the pull that the University of Alabama holds over the rest of the state. But even then, he said, it was too much to hope to find himself leading the Crimson Tide.
“I remember a young man that was a player (at Montevallo), he comes out on the field and has a University of Alabama hat on,” Goff said. “So I looked at it and said ‘Hey buddy, that’s the University of Alabama, you need to take that hat off.’ He just smiled and kind of went on about his business. And I said ‘Hey buddy, I’m not kidding. This is the University of Montevallo. We’re going to be proud of who we are.’ So that was my first step with the University of Alabama. Everybody in this state just grows up loving the Tide. As a small school in the state we had to fight that a little bit. Tell you what, I’m glad to be on this side right now.”
He said he had other chances to return to the SEC in recent years as an assistant but those opportunities didn’t feel right.
It was different when Battle contacted him about the opening in recent weeks.
“When Coach Battle called and we talked about the Alabama job, I thought I was dreaming,” he said. “I wouldn’t have left Ruston, Louisiana if it wasn’t my dream job.”
There were still details to be worked out as of Friday. Goff said he’d wait to see how Louisiana Tech’s coaching situation played out and would speak with Alabama’s previous staff before hiring any assistants. Terms of contract was not announced, though Battle said Goff’s salary would place him in the middle of SEC coaches.
But Goff was sure of plenty of other things. He spoke about locking down in-state recruits and drawing on championship experience from other coaches in Alabama’s athletic department. He described a philosophy of building a program built on pitching and defense, and leading a team with effort and attitude.
“My goal is to load the Grand Slammers club up from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and take you to Omaha, Nebraska in the next few years,” Goff said. “That’s my goal. I promise you, the good lord willing, we’ll bring in the right players, the right energy and the right passion, we’re going to get there.”
His trip to Tuscaloosa may have completed on Friday morning, but a path to Omaha will take longer. Goff didn’t want to waste any time.
"Coach (Battle) looked at me and says 'Do you want to be the next coach at the University of Alabama?'” he said, describing the job offer. “Before he even got it off, I said 'Yes, sir.' My dream come true."
Reach Ben Jones at ben@tidesports.com or 205-722-0196.