FROM STAFF REPORTS

Four National Junior College Athletic Association baseball coaches with over 3,500 combined wins—including Spain Park High School Principal Larry Giangrosso—have been inducted into the 2018 class of the NJCAA Baseball Hall of Fame.

Two former coaches, Jerry Halstead and Giangrosso, join two current head coaches, Thomas Arrington and Dave Burroughs, in this year’s class.

Halstead led John A. Logan (Illinois) for 33 seasons before calling it a career in 2016 while Giangrosso was a staple for Central Alabama from 1990-1999.

Arrington has been an instrumental figure for San Jacinto-North (Texas) since 2001 and is coming off of a World Series appearance in 2017. Burroughs has been at the helm of Cowley (Kansas) since 1988.

Giangrosso started the Central Alabama baseball program from scratch in 1990. 320 wins later along with numerous contributions to the association have left a lasting impact on the NJCAA baseball landscape from Giangrosso.

During his tenure, Giangrosso was a three-time recipient of the Alabama Junior College Conference Coach of the Year and the 1988 recipient of the Region 22 Coach of the Year. Under his guidance, Central Alabama won three division titles and one conference championship. From 1993-1999, Giangrosso also served as the Director of Athletics at Central Alabama. For his efforts, “Gino” was inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2001.

Giangrosso’s impact on the NJCAA baseball world was felt on a multitude of levels. Giangrosso served as the NJCAA Baseball Conference Chairman from 1992-1999, the NJCAA Membership Public Relations Chairman, NJCAA Coaches Association Vice President, and the President of the NJCAA Coaches Association in 1999. Giangrosso also served as head coach of the NJCAA National Baseball Team in 1998.

After serving as head coach of the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 1999-2006, Giangrosso entered the education sector. Giangrosso currently serves as principal of Spain Park High School and resides in the area with his wife Karen, and they have two children, Pete and Meredith, and two grandchildren, Emily and Tripp.

Giangrosso received his Honorable Discharge from the United States Air Force reserves in 1997 and the Alabama Army National Guard in 1988.