USF Baseball Coach Eddie Cardieri Wins C-USA SAAC Coaches Choice Award

Eddie Cardieri

University of South Florida head baseball coach Eddie Cardieri has been honored as the recipient of the second annual Conference USA Student Athlete Advisory Committee’s (SAAC) Coaches Choice Award, it was announced today. The annual award goes to the coach in Conference USA who best exemplifies a commitment to creating a positive academic and athletic atmosphere while fostering the student athlete’s development and welfare.

The SAAC Coaches Choice Award is based on several criteria, including: 1) interaction and participation with athletic and campus community, 2) commitment to academics, 3) athletic achievements and improvements, and 4) motivation, innovation and creativity. Each school’s SAAC representative nominates one coach from their institution for this award and all 15 SAAC representatives vote to determine the winner.

"I am honored to accept the SAAC Coaches Choice Award,” said Cardieri. “I was taken back by this because it's one of the greatest honors I've ever received. When you receive a 'Coach of the Year' award that is generally from your peers which is special in itself, but very seldom do you receive an award that comes from student-athletes, so this is very special.”

"We have always emphasized community service and academics because it's important that our players have the correct priorities while they are at USF as well as after they leave our campus,” added Cardieri. “I have always wanted our student-athletes to grow as people and become solid citizens so they can be successful in the future whether baseball is a part of that future or not. So much of that involves giving back to our community. It is important to those they are serving, but really it is just as beneficial to our players as they grow into men."

Cardieri continually stresses the importance of academics to his players. He was an active member of the USF Athletic Department’s Academic Task Force and in this capacity, he served to consult on departmental academic issues such as the absence policy, requirements of post-el student-athletes, etc. In this forum, he contributed thoughtful insight from a coaching perspective and was an advocate for the student-athlete. Academic commitment and achievements are the first order of business at the initial team meeting each semester and they are the first order of business at the “exit” meeting at the end of each season, thus demonstrating its priority to each player. Cardieri meets weekly with a member of the Academic Support Staff in request of updates on the statuses of each of his players. In addition, he follows-up with email communication forwarded to him regarding academic issues. Cardieri schedules an academic meeting with the Academic Support Staff for every prospective student-athlete and his parent and/or guardian during the campus visit. He participates in this meeting and offers his support of USF’s academic program and his team’s academic accolades.

Cardieri and his team are visible figures in the Tampa Bay community. He coordinates a weekly trip to the Shriners Hospital whereby 4 to 5 of his players interact with the children who are being treated for physical disabilities. Cardieri was extremely supportive of the Moffitt Cancer Center’s Drive For A Cure campaign. At this event, representatives from his team attended tables at every entry of the Sun Dome arena during a USF men’s basketball game. At these tables, Cardieri’s players greeted fans and solicited donations for the Moffitt Cancer Center.

He keeps his players continually informed regarding issues that pertain to student-athletes. Cardieri personally maintains a bulletin board in his locker room in an effort to keep his players up-to-date on relevant issues as they relate to academics, athletics, community service, and student welfare, and keeps his players updated on events and news pertaining to the Conference USA Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

“Coach Cardieri really gets involved in the lives of his players, not only while they’re at USF, but after graduation,” said Bulls second baseman Mike Macaluso. “If your goal is to play professionally, he does what he can to get you an opportunity at that level. If your goal is to join the work world, he also does what he can to help you network. I have noticed that at our games, many former players come to the game to talk with Coach and he not only remembers all of their names, but the names of their wives, and their children….he’s amazing.”

Cardieri just concluded his 18th season as head coach at South Florida. He has posted 644 wins at USF and has led the Bulls to nine NCAA appearances. A five-time conference Coach of the Year, Cardieri posted his 700th collegiate victory at Saint Louis on April 13, 2003.

In addition to his coaching duties at USF, Cardieri has served as the chair of the Conference USA Baseball coaches for the last five years.

This marks the second straight year that the SAAC Coaches Choice Award has been given to a Conference USA baseball coach. Last season, outgoing East Carolina coach Keith LeClair, who continues to courageously battle ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), was honored as the first-ever recipient of the award.