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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, March 23, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 14, 2004 Binney to retire at end of 2005 season Southern Oregon University softball coach Larry Binney has announced he will step down upon completion of the 2005 season for personal reasons. "My decision to leave is centered around having more time to spend with my family," the second-year Raider coach said. "The time commitment involved with coaching and recruiting at the college level is considerable, and I want to have the opportunity to be with family and play with my grandkids." One of the most successful coaches in Oregon history, Binney, 58, came out of retirement to take over the SOU softball program in July 2003, and he helped Southern repeat as Cascade Conference champion in 2004 with a program-best 40-12 record. The team finished the year ranked 22nd and it fell to top-ranked Simon Fraser, B.C. in the NAIA Region I tournament championship. "We have a talented group of players with the potential to be much better than last season," Binney said. "The most difficult thing about this decision was telling the players this will be my last season. I care a great deal about each of them as athletes and as individuals, and I’m really going to miss them." The 1970 SOU graduate and former Raider baseball first baseman/outfielder spent 32 years in the Medford school district as a teacher and coach. Advertisement Binney guided the North Medford High softball team from 1982 until 2000 and again (on an interim basis) in 2002 and built the Black Tornado program into one of the country’s best. He compiled a 471-103-1 career record (an 82-percent win percentage), including a 277-38 effort against Southern Oregon Conference foes (.879). The six-time league, five-time state and 1998 national coach-of-the-year honoree guided NMHS to 16 conference titles and four state championships. Binney said he hopes the university will have his successor in place by February in order to streamline the transition and ongoing student-athlete recruitment efforts. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s