The ‘Wizard of SF Ball’ who led HaeTae to six Korean Series titles.
Cha Dong-cheol (60), who made a name for himself by coaching his alma mater, Kookmin University, for 25 years starting in December 1997, shortly after his retirement from the professional ranks, has been named the head coach of Korea Golf University in Hwaseong, Gangwon Province.
Cha, who retired as the head coach of Konkuk University, took over as the new head coach of KU’s baseball team on March 1.
He had already been offered the job as the founding coach of the baseball team in 2020, but he declined due to his retirement age. He only gave advice.
He waited four years. They brought him back, too scared to retire.
There’s a reason. Cha’s reputation in the world of college baseball is enormous. Cha is the man who put KU baseball on the map in the 2000s.
Countless players have gone on to become professionals, coaches, and even frontline school teachers.
Lotte slugger Jeon Jun-woo, pitcher Moon Moon-chan, KIA outfielder Lee Chang-jin, and LG pitcher Yoo Young-chan are among the players Cha coached in college.먹튀검증
Korea Golf University, which has a weak presence in college baseball, has taken the first step to grow into a solid team from next year with Cha as its coach. The news of his appointment has already attracted players.
“There are already three students who have taken a leave of absence from school, reapplied, and took the math test,” Cha said, expressing his gratitude.
Myung has already experienced the top of college baseball. “I don’t have any greed. He just wants to provide a second chance for players who are desperate to play baseball again.
“I’m already older than them,” he said, “and my oldest son plays baseball, but I treat them like my own children. I just want to give back to the game of baseball.”
The energy and enthusiasm of his playing days hasn’t waned. He’s motivated.
“College baseball has changed a lot, and since the players are not selected by the coach, I had to change my coaching methods. I tried to get into the players’ minds as the times changed, not just into my frame. You have to be strict when you are strict, and you have to be able to get into their minds and let them go. I learned how to win from Hae Taek Baseball, and how to coach from LG.”
Cha Dong-cheol, a graduate of Gwangju Ilgo Konkuk University, has been a professional pitcher since 1986, where he excelled as a starter and in the bullpen.
He learned the split finger fastball (SF) over the shoulder from Jang Myung-bu, a 30-win pitcher for the Sammi Superstars, and used it to cook hitters. Now commonly known as a splitter, it was a novelty at the time. He was called “the wizard of SF” and rose to prominence.
He won 29 games in his four years with Hae Taeyang and won four consecutive Korean Series titles with 21 saves.
Cha Dong-cheol, who moved to LG as a “championship agent,” won his first championship in 1990, his first year with the team, and won five consecutive Korean Series titles. By 1994, he had won six championships in his career.
Cha’s career as a coach has been characterized by strong competitiveness at Haetae and rational leadership after moving to LG. Now, he is ready to pass on all these condensed experiences and know-how to the players who will take on new challenges in the baseball team at Korea Golf University.
He has a systematic coaching system in place. He has brought in Kim Yong-wei, another college baseball legend who led Kyungnam University to the ranks of powerhouses, as his head coach. A young coach who will breathe and sweat with the players has already been appointed.
At the Korea Golf University, which uses the Hwaseong Baseball Stadium, all students live in dormitories and take golf lessons together. There is also the possibility of turning into a golf professional.
In addition to relatively good athletic conditions, the school has recruited some of the best coaches in college baseball.
You can expect a rapid development different from the past. A new challenge has begun for Cha Dong-cheol, a coach who has made his mark on college baseball.