Softball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Mississippi State added another Hall of Famer to its staff in October as Alan Colglazier, one of the top pitchers in the men’s fastpitch game, joined the Bulldog coaching staff.
Colglazier will work with the Mississippi State pitchers and catchers in addition to recruiting, camp administration, practices and equipment maintenance.
The Pueblo, Colo., native has worked extensively mentoring young hurlers at the high school and collegiate levels. His expertise in the circle comes firsthand following a career of over 20 years as one of the world’s top pitchers in the men’s game.
In addition to being inducted into his hometown’s hall of fame, Colglazier’s outstanding playing credentials landed him an induction into Colorado’s ASA Hall of Fame and the International Softball Congress Hall of Fame in 1994.
Colglazier brings a highly-decorated résumé to Mississippi State after most recently opening his own instruction academy — Planet Fastpitch — to mentor aspiring players.
Colglazier takes joy in being able to pass along the skills he learned on the field. He makes the move to mentoring pitchers in the collegiate game after he spent a decade preparing the hurlers at Centennial High School for the collegiate level.
During his tenure at CHS, he guided the Bulldogs to four of the program’s eight state tournament appearances. In his first season at the school, his squad won its opening-round game before falling in the quarterfinals.
The following year, the team rode the momentum of that appearance and defeated Cheyenne Mountain and Windsor before suffering a two-run setback to Berthoud in the 4A semifinal.
The success continued in 2001, with the squad advancing to a second-straight state semifinal showing. His teams constantly performed well in the district and region, and in his last season at the helm, he guided Centennial back to the state tournament.
Colglazier’s collegiate experience came in the 1996-97 year as he served as interim head coach for NCAA Division II member Southern Colorado (now Colorado State University-Pueblo).
He made his mark on the program in his lone season at the helm, coaching the Thunderwolves to the program’s first winning season in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
He also coached Timmi-Jo Miller — one of the top players in Southern Colorado history — to first-team, All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors.
Colglazier became the interim coach at Southern Colorado four years after returning to his home state following a couple of seasons at Kingman Junior High School in Arizona.
Prior to the trek from the mountains to the desert, Colglazier spent five years coaching at Pueblo East High School. In his five seasons, he led the Eagles to state tournament appearances in 1991 and 1992.
A 1974 graduate of Southern Colorado in physical education, Colglazier was considered one of the top pitchers in the world during the prime of his playing career.
Colglazier pitched all over the world, earning over 350 awards and honors for his efforts in the circle. During his 20-year playing career, he competed in 18 World Tournaments and earned four All-World honors (1980, 1983, 1985 and 1986) in addition to his hall of fame accolades. He also was named an All-American Pitcher six times by the ASA.
In 1980, Colglazier not only pitched, but coached, the Aurora (Ill.) Home Savings squad to the International Softball Congress World Championship, earning first-team All-World pitcher honors after going 3-0 and striking out 26 while allowing just two earned runs over 20.2 innings.
That same year he won a silver medal at the 1980 National Sports Festival. Two years later, he had the opportunity to represent the United States at the 1982 Pan-Am Games. He added another national championship to his résumé in 1983 when he served as pitcher and coach in winning the Canadian National Championship.
Colglazier ended his stellar playing career ranked ninth in ISC World Championship starts and 10th in appearances. During that 20-year span he also won 30 games, placing him in the top 20 all-time.
Coaching Career
- 1988-92: Head Coach, East (Colo.) High School
- 1991-92: Head Coach, Kingman (Ariz.) High School
- 1993-96: Head Coach, Risley (Colo.) Middle School
- 1996-97: Interim Head Coach, University of Southern Colorado
- 1999-08: Head Coach, Centennial (Colo.) High School
- 2010-present: Assistant Coach, Mississippi State University
Playing Career
- One of the top pitchers in the world during his playing career
- Inducted into the International Softball Congress Hall of Fame in 1994
- Named to the Colorado ASA Hall of Fame
- Played in 18 World Tournaments
- Named All-World four times
- Six-time ASA All-American
- Played for the United States in the 1982 Pan-Am Games
