Phil McSpadden has built the nation’s best small-college softball program and most storied program in the NAIA at Oklahoma City University, capturing eight national championships.
McSpadden has compiled myriad accolades, including becoming an NAIA hall of famer in 2007. He has been recognized as national coach of the year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association three times, NAIA coach of the year eight times, region coach of the year once and three-time Sooner Athletic Conference coach of the year. He and his staff have been NFCA NAIA coaching staff of the year twice.
In his 24th year at OCU, McSpadden has guided OCU to eight national championships, the most in NAIA history, and three national runner-up finishes in 22 trips to the NAIA Championships. He has coached 39 individuals who became all-American, 25 first-team all-Americans and 23 NAIA scholar-athletes, as well as five NAIA players of the year, two NAIA pitchers of the year, three NAIA catchers of the year and three four-time all-Americans. Four former OCU players have helped their country win Olympic medals.
OCU has captured 10 regional titles, five bi-district titles, five district titles and 14 Sooner Athletic Conference titles under McSpadden. OCU has won 14 of 16 conference championships.
McSpadden came to OCU in 1988 and started a tradition of dominance with a bang by guiding the team to three consecutive national tournaments. After missing the tournament in 1991, McSpadden’s teams have qualified for the national tournament every year. McSpadden has a 1,222-296 record in that span.
Prior to coming to OCU, McSpadden coached at Ponca City and Dewey high schools, compiling an impressive 127-40 record in five years while leading teams at both schools to state tournaments. While at Dewey, his teams won the school’s first three crowns in any sport.
A native of Vinita, Okla., McSpadden played baseball at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and Oral Roberts. He graduated from ORU in 1977 with a business management degree. He earned his master’s degree in business education from Oklahoma State in 1980.
McSpadden has two sons, Matthew and Aaron.
