CMU Head Coach Margo Jonker Announces Retirement
Story Courtesy of Central Michigan Sports Information
MOUNT PLEASANT – Central Michigan softball head coach Margo Jonker announced her retirement on Monday, leaving as one of the greatest head coaches in NCAA Division I softball history.
"It has been an amazing 40 seasons and I will really miss working with these fantastic student-athletes, but it is time for me to step aside and let someone else be the gatekeeper for this program," Jonker said. "It is never easy to leave something you love but I am so thankful to have so many amazing memories.
"Everything accomplished during my time here is because of the young women who have come through this program and one of the things I still enjoy most is when they come back, and I can see what outstanding people they have become. While I will miss the day-to-day coaching, I will always love this sport and the great people who are in it."
Jonker finishes her career with a record of 1,268-808-7, the ninth-most wins in NCAA Division I history. She has led the Chippewas to the NCAA Tournament 13 times, to a record 10 MAC Tournament championships, 10 MAC regular-season titles – also a record -- and one berth each in the NCAA Women's College World Series and the AIAW College World Series.
"Simply said, Margo Jonker is a legend in the sport of softball, in the Mid-American Conference and at Central Michigan University," Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Michael Alford said. "She has had an amazing impact on hundreds of student-athletes, making sure that their success was always the top priority. Her success on the field is unmatched but even greater is the fact that nearly every young woman that went through her program graduated and went on to success in their adult lives. Our entire department will miss her immensely and I hope she stays connected to our program because she will always be a tremendous resource."
Jonker was named the MAC Coach of the Year a record 10 times and was selected as the NCAA Mideast Region Coach of the Year in 1987 and Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year in 1994 and in 2000. She is a member of five halls of fame: National Fastpitch Coaches Association (inducted in 2003), Grand Valley State University (1990), Michigan Amateur Softball (2000), West Ottawa High School (2001) and Metro Detroit Amateur Softball Association (2014). She is one of just 38 college coaches to be enshrined in the NFCA Hall of Fame.
Jonker has coached eight All-Americans and 53 all-region selections including 30 first team honorees. CMU has had 87 All-MAC First Teamers and 39 All-MAC Second Teamers during her tenure. Under Jonker, the Chippewas have earned seven MAC Player of the Year honors, three MAC Pitcher of the Year awards, six MAC Freshman of the Year honors, and seven times a CMU player has been named the MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Academic success has also been a hallmark of Jonker's program. CMU has had three Academic All-Americans under her -- second-team pick Jen Skuta in 2002, and third-team selections Jeanette Schrand (1991) and Nicole Weston (2000). Jonker has also coached 67 academic all-conference players. The softball program has won the Dick Enberg Team Leadership award three times since the recognition began in 2007.
Fifteen former CMU softball student-athletes have been inducted into the Marcy Weston CMU Athletics Hall of Fame. The 1982 and 1987 teams have also been inducted.
Jonker has also represented CMU on the international stage, serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic softball team that won the gold medal in the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia. She also was involved with USA Softball's top international teams for several years, and in 1998 served as an assistant coach for the American team that captured gold in the World Championships in Japan.
Jonker has coached in the Mid-American Conference since the league began sponsoring the sport in 1982. During her time in the league, 70 other head coaches have been a part of the conference in the sport. Her 521 MAC victories are 252 more than second-place Karen Linder of Kent State and her career win total of 1,268 is 720 more than Linder's second-place mark. During Jonker's tenure, CMU missed the MAC Tournament just once in the 28 years that it has been contested.
CMU honored Jonker during the 2008 season by renaming the Chippewas' facility Margo Jonker Stadium.
A Holland, Mich. native, Jonker joined the CMU athletics department in 1979, and took the reins as the head coach of the softball program in 1980, succeeding Marion Russell, a graduate assistant who guided the team in its inaugural 1979 campaign.
When Jonker arrived at CMU, she served as an assistant volleyball coach in addition to her softball duties. She earned her master's in athletic administration from CMU in 1981.
Jonker earned her bachelor's degree in physical education from Grand Valley State in 1976 and was named the Lakers' Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.
She began her coaching career at Grand Valley as the pitching coach from 1977-79, while also serving as the softball coach at West Ottawa High School in 1978-79, and as the volleyball coach at Hope College from 1976-78.
Additional Jonker Highlights:
• On April 22, 2010, the Chippewas defeated Michigan State, 5-1, to give Jonker her 1,000th career victory, making her the 11th Division I coach at the time to reach that milestone.
• Jonker's 2004 team started its season by knocking off No. 5 Oklahoma, 3-2; and No. 4 Washington, 1-0. CMU went on to win the MAC regular-season title that year, and those two victories helped it earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
• In 2005, Jonker led her team to a 5-4 win over Michigan, which was ranked No. 1 at the time would eventually go on to win the national title.
• Jonker's 2002 squad set a MAC record with a .958 winning percentage, finishing 23-1 in conference play. After dropping its opener, CMU reeled off 23 consecutive conference victories.
• Jonker's 1987 team compiled an 11-1 league mark for a .917 win percentage, which is second in MAC history. The '02 and '87 Chippewas are the only one-loss teams in league history.
• In 1997, the Chippewas forced Michigan to a second championship game in the NCAA Regional in Ann Arbor before falling. Two seasons later, CMU began a stretch of four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, a program record.
• In 1987, Jonker led CMU to MAC and Mideast Regional crowns and a fifth-place finish at the College World Series. It was the highest finish for a Chippewa team since an AIAW fourth-place effort in 1982.
• In 1982, Jonker's third season, the Chippewas won a program-record 51 games and captured their first MAC title. The squad advanced to the AIAW National Championships in Oklahoma City, where CMU finished fourth with a 4-2 record. The 51 wins remains a MAC record.
• The 51 wins by Jonker's 1982 squad remains the most ever by a MAC team. The 45 wins by her '86 team is second all-time for a MAC school.
• The 26 league wins recorded by Jonker's '96 team ranks second all-time in the MAC.
Coach Jonker's retirement is effective June 30. She will provide leadership for the program until a new head coach is named.
