Kevin Smallcomb was charged with two extremely difficult tasks when hired as the head coach at Northern Colorado six years ago. Number one, transition the Bears baseball team back to Division I and number two, help find the Bears a conference to play in.

Smallcomb has accomplished the first task with gusto as the Bears are already known for playing some of the toughest schedules in Division I, including starting last season and this year with their first 24 games on the road.

He enters the 2008 season with 122 victories, the fourth most in school history and the Bears, for the first time, are eligible for post-season play as they have completed the reclassification process back to Division I. Smallcomb also continues to add to the rich tradition of a program that has been to 10 Division I College World Series (the 11th most all-time) and produced several pro players and a pair of Major League managers (Greg Riddoch and Tom Runnells).

The program had won just 56 total games in the three years prior to Smallcomb's hiring and had not had a winning season since 1998. That quickly changed in 2003 when Smallcomb led the Bears to the second-most wins in school history (34) and the program's second North Central Conference (NCC) Championship in the team's final year as a Division II team.

The 2004 season, the team's first of the four-year reclassification process, saw the Bears come up one win short of the first back-to-back 30-win season in school history as they played a very difficult schedule. The season also produced the program's first Division I batting and slugging champion in Patrick Perry, who hit .478, slugged .844 and was drafted in the seventh round by the Boston Red Sox, becoming the program's highest draft pick in 18 years.

Smallcomb was named the eighth head baseball coach in Northern Colorado history on June 20, 2002. In 2003, he took the Bears to the brink of the NCAA Regional and along the way helped the squad set or tie 27 individual and team records. Northern Colorado started that season 9-2, the program's best start in 18 years, were wire-to-wire champions in the NCC and started the conference season with an 8-0 record and eventually won 19 games (the most ever by an NCC team). They finished as the NCC Tournament runners-up and won 30 games in a season for only the third time in school history.

The 2004 season marked the team's first foray back into Division I since 1991, and the Bears jumped right into a full schedule with 44 of the team's 52 games against Division I teams. NC won 25 times against Division I teams and finished the season with a 10-10 record against fellow Division I Independents. Along the way the squad set or tied 10 more records and renewed some old rivalries, including playing the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the first time in 13 years.

The 2005 season proved to be a little more difficult than the previous two, mainly attributed to the fact the Bears played a brutal schedule, as it featured 18 games against six teams that made the NCAA Tournament (Arizona, Arkansas, Creighton, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wichita State) that season. The Bears capped the season by winning the Division I Independent Invitational, an event they hosted for the second consecutive season. In that event, the Bears topped South Dakota State, Utah Valley State and 2004 champion NYIT to capture the championship.

2006 was a season of great success and streaks as the team went 21-30 overall. The team will best be remembered for a pair of wins over nationally-ranked teams (No. 2 Nebraska and No. 12 Arkansas), a sweep of Big 12 Tournament Champion Kansas and repeating as Division I Independent Invitational Champions. The Bears finished the season on a six-game winning streak which included all four victories in the Independent Invitational in Sioux Falls, S.D.

2007 marked the final year of transition to Division I and the Bears played their first 24 away from Jackson Field, including four straight contests against teams in the top 30 in No. 26 Nebraska and No. 6 Arkansas. The Bears dropped all four contests and struggled with consistency throughout the season, going 16-35.

The next step for Smallcomb and the program will be to gain conference affiliation in the near future. As an athletic department, Northern Colorado joined the Big Sky Conference in 2006, but the Big Sky does not sponsor baseball. That leaves the baseball program to find another home to solidify its presence in Division I.

"There are challenges to being an independent, so we are actively pursing conference affiliation," Smallcomb said. "Being a part of a conference would solidify our schedule and give us a lot more home games among other things."

Smallcomb reached a personal milestone during 2004, winning his 300th game as a collegiate head coach with a 5-0 victory over the University of Iowa at the Hawkeye Classic on March 26. Smallcomb was also able to reach the 100-win plateau at Northern Colorado in 2006, a feat that only three other coaches have achieved in school history. He is just 28 wins shy of reaching his 400th career win.

"Longevity, quality student-athletes and good coaching staffs make for a successful coaching record," Smallcomb added. "I've been fortunate to have all the right ingredients to make that happen in my tenure as a head coach."

Of his wins, 250 came as the head baseball coach at Mendocino Junior College in Ukiah, Calif., where Smallcomb coached the Eagles from 1992 to 2002. His squads reached the California Community College playoffs on four occasions (1994, 1995, 1996, 1999), he was selected conference Coach of the Year in 1996 and he compiled an overall record of 250-147.

Smallcomb served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Arkansas in 1989 and 1990, where he earned his master's degree in sport management. His first assistant coaching job came at American River College in Sacramento, Calif., where he coached from 1985-89. He earned his bachelor's degree in social science with minors in coaching and history from California State University-Sacramento in 1985, where he was a standout infielder for the Hornets (1981-82). He still ranks in the school's top 10 for stolen bases in a season (40) and a career (52).

Smallcomb's collegiate coaching career includes seven years in the Alaskan Collegiate Baseball League. Smallcomb has coached several major leaguers in the Alaskan league or community college level, including Texas Rangers pitcher Eddie Guardado. Seven players Smallcomb has coached at Northern Colorado have gone on to play minor league baseball, and Brennan Garr is currently pitching for the Frisco RoughRiders, the AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

Smallcomb and his wife, Julie, have two children, Katerina and Kyndle.

The Smallcomb File
CollegeSacramento State
Familywife, Julie;
daughters Katerina & Kyndle


Coaching History
2002-PresNorthern Colorado
Head Coach
1992-02Mendocino JC
Head Coach
1991Mendocino JC
Assistant Coach
1989-90Arkansas
Graduate Asst.
1985-89American River
Assistant Coach


Head Coaching Resume
Year    School          Record
1992    Mendocino J.C.  16-15
1993    Mendocino J.C.  20-14
1994    Mendocino J.C.  21-12
1995    Mendocino J.C.  22-10
1996    Mendocino J.C.  34-8
1997    Mendocino J.C.  23-12
1998    Mendocino J.C.  22-13
1999    Mendocino J.C.  29-12
2000    Mendocino J.C.  22-11
2001    Mendocino J.C.  21-16
2002    Mendocino J.C.  20-24
2003    No. Colorado    34-21
2004    No. Colorado    29-23
2005    No. Colorado    22-34
2006    No. Colorado    21-30
2007    No. Colorado    16-35

Total                   372-290 (.562)
at Mendocino            250-147 (.630)
at NC                   122-143 (.460)