Louisiana-Lafayette’s Michael Lotief named 2016 Donna Newberry “Perseverance” award recipient

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The National Fastpitch Coaches Association is honored to announce Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Michael Lotief as the 2016 recipient of its Donna Newberry “Perseverance” Award.

The award, named for the longtime Muskingum College and 2008 NFCA Hall of Fame coach who died in November 2010 after amassing a 906-419-1 mark over 36 seasons, recognizes an NFCA member coach who has demonstrated extraordinary strength of will and character in the fight to overcome a physical, mental or social adversity that presented an additional challenge to the already demanding job of a coach.

Lotief joins Notre Dame head coach Deanna Gumpf (2014) and the late John Keyes (2015), head coach at North Fort Myers (Fla.) High School as recipients of this prestigious award. He will be formally presented with the award at the 2016 NFCA Convention in New Orleans on Friday, Dec. 9 during the Softball Summit.

In the past two seasons especially, but for decades, Michael Lotief has endured his fair share of medical adversities. He hasn’t let them stop him. One can argue that there are not many coaches- when faced with a similar situation- who would stand out in the coach’s box and fight as hard as he has.

But then again, the words “fight” and “battle” are commonplace in Lotief’s vocabulary. They are key components of his character and reason he’s survived his life’s health trials.

“He’ll be quick to deflect the praise upon others as he views all associated with the game of softball as having played a key role in his therapy,” said Matt Hebert (Louisiana-Lafayette Sports Information). “He is a hero to myself and many others and a living testament that the attitude you bring to your fight is the most paramount survival skill in working your way through whatever hardship life, or softball, throws your way.”

His “fight” was instilled during his battle with throat cancer in the early 1990s. And it was renewed- and made stronger- during a recent bout with severe throat infections in spring 2015.

Near the halfway point of the 2015 season, prior to the Ragin’ Cajuns trip to Texas State, Lotief’s throat infections led to pneumonia in his lungs. He watched the Texas State series via webcast from a hospital after undergoing surgery, and didn’t travel with the team out of state the remainder of the regular season. During this time, he did not miss any practices once released from the hospital.

One would assume his involvement during the second half of the 2015 season would be limited. His “fight” was increased tenfold.

He’ll be quick to tell you that being around his team and the game he loves became his therapy. Sitting at home and dwelling in self-pity wasn’t an option.

Instead he was at practice every day- even a few days after surgery- working to make his team better by spending countless hours in the batting cages. He was in the dugout at home games, even though it might have been a risk to his recovery.

Perhaps the most visible sign of his fight to overcome and persevere came in the NCAA postseason. At this point in his recovery, he was wearing a backpack with an instrument which provided his nutrition and had to be working 24 hours a day. What did he do? He strapped on the backpack and proudly fought with his team out on the field.

“Coaching is my passion,” said Lotief. “It’s what I do, it’s who I am. It’s not as much as me watching her swing the bat as much as it is my connection to her, to make a difference in her life as a person and growing and learning and fighting. All of those values. And her connection to me, she makes me better.”

The battle didn’t stop at the end of the 2015 season. Lotief’s recovery continued over the summer months with several hospital visits and medical procedures. In August, a trachea tube was placed into his throat to open his airway and improve his breathing.

He entered the 2015-16 season with morning therapy sessions as part of his daily routine. He then went straight to his office and began preparing for afternoon instruction with his team.

Those around him could see his strength increase day-by-day, week-by-week and ultimately month-by-month. He didn’t miss a beat during the spring 2016 season, returning to the coach’s box full-time, traveling on all road trips (a fair share of them 10-plus hour bus rides) and fulfilling speaking engagement one after the other despite having the trachea.

In addition to the normal coaching duties of lineup cards, pre-game warmups, pregame pitching to batters, in-game decisions and many more details, Lotief had to assure his own physical needs such as nutrition and hydration were tended to especially when the Ragin’ Cajuns played doubleheaders.

None of the extracurricular tasks took his mind off of his chief task of battling for his players- whether it was encouragement pitch-by-pitch during an at bat or engaging an umpire to assure a situation was handled fairly. In Loteif, the player saw the courage to fight. Through them, Lotief was made stronger.

“When you’re in battle with people- I know people think that’s getting dramatic, but that’s what we do, we go to battle together every weekend over an eight-to-10-month period- and when stuff like that happens you get to peer inside of their soul. You get to see who they are,” Lotief said. “What our sport does in the journey and the process and the climb, what it does is it connects us. It brings us together.”

We’re living life together,” Lotief said. “Don’t think it’s just softball, we’re living life. Softball is just what brings us together.”

-- Courtesy of Matt Hebert, Louisiana-Lafayette Sports Information