Sharron Backus
| Sport(s) | Softball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born | February 12, 1946 |
| Playing career | |
| 1961–1963 | Whittier Gold Sox |
| 1964–1966 | Orange, CA Lionettes |
| 1967–1975 | Raybestos Brakettes |
| Position(s) | Shortstop, Third baseman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1975–1997 | UCLA |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 847–167–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Nine national championships | |
Sharron Backus (born February 12, 1946) is a former softball player and coach. She played as a shortstop and third baseman on seven Amateur Softball Association national championship teams from 1961 to 1975. She served as the head softball coach at UCLA from 1975 to 1997 and led her teams to nine national collegiate softball championships. At the time of her retirement in 1997, she was the winningest college softball coach in the history of the sport Backus has been inducted into both the National Softball Hall of Fame and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Backus attended Cal State Fullerton and played for 15 years as a shortstop and third baseman in the Amateur Softball Association ("ASA") from 1961 to 1975. She played on seven ASA championship teams, including the 1961 national championship with the Whittier Gold Sox and five national championships with the Raybestos Brakettes between 1971 and 1975. She also played on two teams that won international crowns. Backus was a second-team All-American in 1961 with the Gold Sox and a first-team All-American in 1964 and 1966 with the Orange, California Lionettes.
Backus began her coaching career at UCLA in 1975. She was the head softball coach at UCLA for 23 years from 1975 to 1997 and led the Bruins to nine national championships.
Backus was hired as a part-time coach by Judith Holland, UCLA senior associate athletic director. Holland recalled, "I had seen her play, and she was probably one of the best shortstops who ever played the game." Backus was a physical education teacher at a high school in Anaheim, California when she was hired by UCLA and kept her teaching job for the first couple years after being hired at UCLA. Backus taught in Anaheim in the mornings and drove to UCLA for practice and games in the afternoon. Holland recalled that UCLA paid Backus about $1,500 year as a part-time coach, "and I don't think the money even paid for her gas."
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