Ed Cheff (c. 1943 – January 15, 2022) was an American

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He was the head coach for

Lewis–Clark State College Lewis–Clark State College is a public college in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States, located in North Central Idaho, north central Idaho at Lewiston, Idaho, Lewiston. Founded in 1893, it has an approximate annual enr ...

in Lewiston, Idaho, for 34 seasons (1977–2010), and was inducted into the

College Baseball Hall of Fame The National College Baseball Hall of Fame is an institution operated by the College Baseball Foundation serving as the central point for the study of the history of college baseball in the United States. In partnership with the Southwest Collect ...

in 2012.

Early years

Born in Butte, Montana, Cheff was raised in

Woodland, Washington Woodland is a city in Clark and Cowlitz counties in the State of Washington. Most residents live within Cowlitz County, in which the majority of the city lies. It is part of the ' Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The populatio ...

. He graduated from Woodland High School and

Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Originally chartered in 1867 as the Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, the college was relocated to Portland in 1938 and in 1942 adopted the name Lewis & C ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, where he played football and baseball for the Pioneers.

Coaching

Cheff started his coaching career as a high school football coach in

Tillamook, Oregon The city of Tillamook is the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The population was 5,231 at the 2020 census. History The city is named for the ...

. His first baseball coaching position was with Lower Columbia College in

Longview, Washington Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 37,818 at the time of the 2 ...

, where he coached the baseball team to a record in four seasons. In 1977, Cheff succeeded Ramon Hooker as head coach of the Lewis–Clark State baseball team. His Warriors won 16

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

(NAIA) titles. A total of 114 of his former players went on to play professionally, with fourteen reaching the major leagues. Cheff was named NAIA coach of the year eight times. Despite playing at the NAIA level, his teams defeated

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

baseball teams, including having a winning record against the

Washington State Cougars The Washington State Cougars (known informally as the Cougs) are the athletic teams that represent Washington State University. Located in Pullman, Washington, WSU is a member of the Pac-12 Conference in NCAA Division I. The athletic program com ...

. Cheff was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1994 and the

American Baseball Coaches Association The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) is the world's largest Amateur baseball in the United States, amateur baseball Manager (baseball), coaching organization. It was founded in 1945 as the American Association of College Baseball Coach ...

(ABCA) Hall of Fame in 2006. He won the ABCA's Lefty Gomez Award, given for lifetime achievement in amateur baseball, in 2009. He was a coach with the

United States national baseball team The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball t ...

(1991, 1994) and managed the

Alaska Goldpanners The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks are a collegiate summer baseball team which was founded in 1960 as an independent barnstorming team. The Goldpanners were charter members of the Alaska Baseball League at the league's inception in 1974. The ...

and

Anchorage Bucs The Anchorage Bucs Baseball Club is a college summer baseball team in Anchorage, Alaska. The team has been a member of the Alaska Baseball League since 1981. They were originally formed in 1980 as an Anchorage Adult League team. Team colors are ...

in the Alaska Baseball League. Cheff retired in 2010, after compiling a record at Lewis–Clark. He was inducted into the

National College Baseball Hall of Fame The National College Baseball Hall of Fame is an institution operated by the College Baseball Foundation serving as the central point for the study of the history of college baseball in the United States. In partnership with the Southwest Collect ...

in 2012.

Personal life and death

Cheff and his wife, Karen, a retired elementary school teacher, had three sons: Trever, Tyler, Toby. Cheff died at his home in

Sequim, Washington Sequim ( ) is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is located along the Dungeness River near the base of the Olympic Mountains. The 2010 census counted a population of 6,606. Sequim lies within the rain shadow of the Olympic ...

, on January 15, 2022, at the age of 78.

References

External links

LCSC Athletics Hall of Fame
– Ed Cheff
North Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame
– Ed Cheff
2022 Idaho Senate
– Resolution 114 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheff, Ed 1943 births 2022 deaths National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Lower Columbia Red Devils baseball coaches Lewis–Clark State Warriors baseball coaches Sportspeople from Butte, Montana Baseball coaches from Montana Baseball players from Montana

Early years

Coaching

Personal life and death

See also

References

External links