Michigan Woman
The Profound Legacy of Carol Hutchins
Barb Cossman
"All I ever wanted to do was be an athlete.”
Carol Hutchins grew up in Lansing, Mich., with a Marine and police officer for a father, and a mother who modeled gender equity in a pre-Title IX era. All Hutch wanted was to be like her brothers and play sports at a time when that wasn’t socially acceptable. She went on to be a two-sport athlete at Michigan State, playing basketball and softball.
Not many young adults would have the fortitude and courage to sue their own university, but Hutch did, and won as a college senior: Hutchins vs. Board of Trustees of Michigan State University.
“Winning that case at Michigan State was just the beginning for me as an advocate for women.”
Taking the baton from her mother, Hutch has been advocating for women her entire adult life. She has personally experienced and impacted the entire breadth of the Title IX era, competing beforehand with literally no resources and concluding her career as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legislation.
When her athletic career ended, Hutch turned to coaching, and what a career it has been. She is the ultimate leader and role model, mentoring and advocating for generations of women. Arguably the greatest coach in Michigan Athletics history, she has more career wins (1,684) than any U-M coach -- male or female -- and holds the NCAA softball record for career wins with 1,707.
And the Rest is History
Hutch began her coaching career as an assistant at Indiana in 1981 and just one year later assumed her first head coach position at Ferris State University. She led the Bulldogs to the 1982 NCAA Division II National Tournament and was named the conference coach of the year. She made what would be a life-changing move in 1983, becoming an assistant coach at Michigan. Two years later, in 1985, she became the program’s third head coach, taking the reins as one of U-M’s first full-time female head coaches. She’s been blazing trails ever since.
By the Numbers
In 39 years as a head coach, Hutch has accumulated an NCAA softball record 1,707 wins, 1,684 of which came in 38 years as Michigan’s leader. Her teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament every year since 1995, with the 2020 COVID-19 year being the lone exception. The numbers are staggering for the 18-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (yes, 18), who will say they aren’t “her numbers,” they’re her players’.
- 1,707-551-5 career record
- 1,684-540-5 Michigan record
- 662-177-22 Big Ten record
- 13 50-win seasons
- The 2005 Women’s College World Series title
- 22 regular season Big Ten titles, three times as many as the closest competitor
- 9 straight Big Ten regular season titles, 2008-16
- 10 Big Ten Tournament titles
- 29 NCAA Tournament appearances
- 12 Women’s College World Series berths
- 69 All-Americans, 23 on the first-team
- 20 Big Ten Players of the Year
- 16 Big Ten Pitchers of the Year
- 13 Big Ten Freshmen of the Year
But the numbers aren’t limited to performances on the field. Hutch’s student-athletes have earned 14 Academic All-America and 202 Academic All-Big Ten honors. Four have earned the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor, recognizing excellence in both academics and athletics.
And yet, none of these accomplishments are what Hutch values most.
“Being connected to my people is still what I value most. I really like home runs, I really like when we throw no-hitters, but we’re connected for life. It’s the most meaningful part of the whole gig for me,” Hutch told the Detroit News at the start of the 2022 season.
Hutch’s impact on women’s athletics is immeasurable. From helping other coaches with their contracts to writing letters to athletic departments because their facilities are sub-par. She empowers her female athletes to not take a backseat and to stand up for themselves. She’s not asking for more than the men have, she’s just asking for the same.U-M assistant coach Jen Brundage (FloSports)
Influencing the Game of Life
Hutch founded the Michigan Softball Academy in 2010 in conjunction with the program's annual "Pink Game." The academy is a one-day, on-field clinic for adults that concludes with an emceed event and auction. Raising funds for the American Cancer Society, the academy has raised more than $1.5 million in 13 years behind Hutch’s critical leadership.
Title IX and Hutch are practically synonymous. Her leadership and character are legendary, and her impact extends far beyond the field of play.
“I’ve had younger coaches say thank you and I look at them and tell them, ‘You’re next, this isn’t over,’” Hutch told FloSports. “You can’t say ‘Okay, I got everything I need, I’m just gonna focus on winning.’ That’s very small-minded. We’re not just here to win, we’re here to make our sport better and to make our people better.”
2005 National Champs!
On June 8, 2005, Michigan became the first school east of the Mississippi River to claim the NCAA Division I softball championship. In the third game of a best-of-three series, in 10 innings, U-M defeated UCLA, 4-1, rallying from a game-one loss to take the next two and make history.
That year's team posted a program-record 65 wins (with just seven losses!), including 32 straight along the way, spanning 47 days. They went on to win the Big Ten regular-season title, and won the tournament trifecta, claiming the Big Ten Tournament, NCAA regional and NCAA super regional titles.
2015 Women’s College World Series Runner-up
Michigan returned to the WCWS championship series in 2015, finishing runner-up after falling to Florida in the third game of the best-of-three series. That team boasted a 60-8 record, led the nation with 118 home runs, also set program records in runs scored (540) and runs batted in (504) and boasted a program-best five NFCA All-Americans.
The accomplishments and impact are too vast to enumerate.
Hutch is, quite simply, one-of-a-kind.
If you would like to express your gratitude or share your favorite Hutch memory, use the hashtag #ThankYouHutch when posting on social media.