More Than a Number
Apr 01, 2024 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Pete Hughes wore a purple windbreaker and never wiped his eye. The Kansas State head coach stood just outside the dugout and watched a video unfurl across the screen behind the rightfield wall prior to facing Texas on Thursday. In the video, K-State athletic director Gene Taylor and former players took turns saying thank you and congratulations to Hughes for his impact on and off the baseball field.
It was a tribute video to celebrate Hughes' 800th career victory.
Hughes was hired by Taylor on June 8, 2018. His 26-year journey as a head coach began at Trinity University (1997-98) and took him to Boston College (1999-2006), Virginia Tech (2007-13) and Oklahoma (2014-17).
Hughes is one of just 25 active Division I head coaches to reach the milestone 800 wins, and he has the most victories of any active head coach in the Big 12 Conference.
In 26 seasons as head coach, Hughes' teams have finished .500 or better 23 times while 84 of his players have been selected in the Major League Draft, including 21 taken in the first 10 rounds.
Hughes' coaching career began long before he became a head coach. He began his coaching career at Hamilton College in New York in 1990-91, serving as an assistant in football while serving as top assistant and recruiting coordinator for baseball. He continued in that dual role at Northeastern University in Boston from 1991-1996 when he landed his first job as a head coach at Trinity.
A native of Brockton, Massachusetts, Hughes and his wife Debby have five children: Thomas, Hal, Dominic, Grace and P.J. Thomas serves as the team's assistant coach. Dom was an outfielder at K-State. Hal finished his career at Rice. P.J. is set to play baseball at Richmond.
D. Scott Fritchen: What were your thoughts and emotions when you saw your 800th win tribute video on the screen at Tointon Family Stadium?
Pete Hughes: Amazing. I saw kids from my first win to my last win right in front of me and everything in between. To me, that's what the profession is all about, is building lasting relationships that mean something. Yeah, shoot, I was surprised, and I don't like attention drawn to myself, especially when you're a coach with 40 guys. I didn't let the impact of the video get in the way of what we set out to do. It was special. It was emotional. It's a heck of a thing when you have that many people become a part of your life and your family.
Fritchen: When you hear "800 wins" what comes to mind?
Hughes: I think about getting win number 801. It's cliché, but it is true. I've never been motivated by milestones or numbers, I get motivated by people and relationships, and it's on to the next game and on to the next win and getting our program to another level. I'm consumed with it, especially at Kansas State.
Fritchen: You're one of 25 Division I baseball coaches to have 800 or more wins. What does that mean to you?
Hughes: It means I've been fortunate enough to coach for a long time and to get a chance. When you get fired in this profession of college baseball, you don't get recycled like you do in football and basketball, so I'm fortunate enough that Gene Taylor gave me a chance to wear purple and continue winning games and building the program.
Fritchen: You said that you saw former players on the tribute video that you coached from your first day to present day. What do you remember most about your first-ever win?
Hughes: My first win, I've never been that nervous on an athletic field in my life. I just remember it was against National Christian University and the head coach was Mike "The Hitman" Easler. Mike had been a star player for the Red Sox when I was growing up, so for me to get my first win against one of my Red Sox idols was a pretty cool thing.
Fritchen: What do you enjoy most about being a coach?
Hughes: I just love competing, you know? I was never good enough in the sport to continue playing after college, but I had that competitive spirit that needed to be appeased. I needed to be in the arena, and there was no better way to do that than being a player or a coach. I just love the competition.
Fritchen: Was baseball your first love growing up?
Hughes: I think football was. I grew up in a football town. We played every sport every season, but my first love was football. With baseball, I just love working like crazy at something and being able to compete 56 times a season and Major League players get to compete 162 times. The NFL doesn't get to do that. That's why I love baseball and it's so unique. I could never handle losing. In football, you have to wait a whole week and sometimes if you're a bad team a couple weeks before you start to feel good again. There's no other sport like baseball, where in 24 hours you can start feeling good again. That's what I love about baseball. You get to play a lot and work hard, and you're disciplined with your craft, and you get to compete a lot.
Fritchen: What position did you play in baseball?
Hughes: I was always a shortstop until I got a little older and kids were better than I was, so I got moved to the corners. I played third base.
Fritchen: What position did you play in football?
Hughes: Quarterback. I played both football and baseball at Davidson College because they were both very important to me and I wanted to get a degree and play football and baseball, and Davidson College was the school that gave me the opportunity to do that.
Fritchen: What made you want to be a coach?
Hughes: You get a chance to put a uniform on and influence the lives of kids and be around competition, you know? Hopefully, you're a big role model, and a big influence in the growth of these kids as baseball players and as human beings, and they get their degree, and they're great husbands and fathers.
Fritchen: Who are some coaches you grew up admiring?
Hughes: I got to work around some great coaches. My dad was a coach, a basketball coach. Then I went to Boston College, and I was around the winningest hockey coach in college history — Jerry York. I got to be around one of the greatest coaches in college football history at Virginia Tech — Frank Beamer. These are the guys that I would watch, how they went about their business every day, and the impact they had on communities and people, but never changing who they were as men, and never letting the ego of winning an athletic contest get in the way of who they are and what their purpose was. So, I learned a lot from those two guys, specifically.
Fritchen: What is your advice to young coaches out there?
Hughes: Don't get caught up in the money. Money always comes to people who work hard and make good decisions. If it's money-based, then you're not going to go very far in this profession. Don't get caught up in your next job. Get caught up in doing a phenomenal job where you're at and where your feet are. Good things always happen to people who are great people with a great work ethic.
Fritchen: What are your proudest of in your coaching career so far?
Hughes: That I put five kids through college.
Fritchen: How many years would you like to coach?
Hughes: As long as they allow me. Believe me, if I lose my edge, energy or connection with the kids, I have a wife that'll tell me that's it.
Fritchen: What have you learned most about yourself during this journey?
Hughes: During this career? I don't know. There are some ups and downs in this profession, and we've seen mostly highs, and we've seen the lows. It's a phenomenal way to raise a family, but it's also a cruel way to raise a family. But I've learned that I'm resilient, you know, and I've learned that I can coach kids from all over the country and from different socio-economical backgrounds, and different geographical areas, and you can bring them all together and have a common goal. There's nothing more rewarding than that. I've been able to do that. I've learned that I have a knack for surrounding myself with really good people, and that's been the key to my entire career.
Fritchen: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Hughes: You talk about 800. There are more than 800 players, coaches, support staff, like our trainers and equipment guys, and our strength coaches that are behind the scene, and our administrators who support and fight the backroom battles, there are more than 800 of them out there that goes into that number. There's no other uniform I'd rather wear to hit any milestone than Kansas State. Anything I can do to bring attention to this community is just the thrill of a lifetime.
Pete Hughes wore a purple windbreaker and never wiped his eye. The Kansas State head coach stood just outside the dugout and watched a video unfurl across the screen behind the rightfield wall prior to facing Texas on Thursday. In the video, K-State athletic director Gene Taylor and former players took turns saying thank you and congratulations to Hughes for his impact on and off the baseball field.
It was a tribute video to celebrate Hughes' 800th career victory.
Hughes was hired by Taylor on June 8, 2018. His 26-year journey as a head coach began at Trinity University (1997-98) and took him to Boston College (1999-2006), Virginia Tech (2007-13) and Oklahoma (2014-17).
Hughes is one of just 25 active Division I head coaches to reach the milestone 800 wins, and he has the most victories of any active head coach in the Big 12 Conference.
In 26 seasons as head coach, Hughes' teams have finished .500 or better 23 times while 84 of his players have been selected in the Major League Draft, including 21 taken in the first 10 rounds.
Hughes' coaching career began long before he became a head coach. He began his coaching career at Hamilton College in New York in 1990-91, serving as an assistant in football while serving as top assistant and recruiting coordinator for baseball. He continued in that dual role at Northeastern University in Boston from 1991-1996 when he landed his first job as a head coach at Trinity.
A native of Brockton, Massachusetts, Hughes and his wife Debby have five children: Thomas, Hal, Dominic, Grace and P.J. Thomas serves as the team's assistant coach. Dom was an outfielder at K-State. Hal finished his career at Rice. P.J. is set to play baseball at Richmond.
Hughes spoke with K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen about reaching his 800th career victory and his journey through baseball.Celebrating 800 wins and looking ahead to what's next.
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) March 28, 2024
Congratulations, Coach - always showing what it means to be a Wildcat!#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/vbGNMScV1u
D. Scott Fritchen: What were your thoughts and emotions when you saw your 800th win tribute video on the screen at Tointon Family Stadium?
Pete Hughes: Amazing. I saw kids from my first win to my last win right in front of me and everything in between. To me, that's what the profession is all about, is building lasting relationships that mean something. Yeah, shoot, I was surprised, and I don't like attention drawn to myself, especially when you're a coach with 40 guys. I didn't let the impact of the video get in the way of what we set out to do. It was special. It was emotional. It's a heck of a thing when you have that many people become a part of your life and your family.
Fritchen: When you hear "800 wins" what comes to mind?
Hughes: I think about getting win number 801. It's cliché, but it is true. I've never been motivated by milestones or numbers, I get motivated by people and relationships, and it's on to the next game and on to the next win and getting our program to another level. I'm consumed with it, especially at Kansas State.
Fritchen: You're one of 25 Division I baseball coaches to have 800 or more wins. What does that mean to you?
Hughes: It means I've been fortunate enough to coach for a long time and to get a chance. When you get fired in this profession of college baseball, you don't get recycled like you do in football and basketball, so I'm fortunate enough that Gene Taylor gave me a chance to wear purple and continue winning games and building the program.
Fritchen: You said that you saw former players on the tribute video that you coached from your first day to present day. What do you remember most about your first-ever win?
Hughes: My first win, I've never been that nervous on an athletic field in my life. I just remember it was against National Christian University and the head coach was Mike "The Hitman" Easler. Mike had been a star player for the Red Sox when I was growing up, so for me to get my first win against one of my Red Sox idols was a pretty cool thing.
Fritchen: What do you enjoy most about being a coach?
Hughes: I just love competing, you know? I was never good enough in the sport to continue playing after college, but I had that competitive spirit that needed to be appeased. I needed to be in the arena, and there was no better way to do that than being a player or a coach. I just love the competition.
Fritchen: Was baseball your first love growing up?
Hughes: I think football was. I grew up in a football town. We played every sport every season, but my first love was football. With baseball, I just love working like crazy at something and being able to compete 56 times a season and Major League players get to compete 162 times. The NFL doesn't get to do that. That's why I love baseball and it's so unique. I could never handle losing. In football, you have to wait a whole week and sometimes if you're a bad team a couple weeks before you start to feel good again. There's no other sport like baseball, where in 24 hours you can start feeling good again. That's what I love about baseball. You get to play a lot and work hard, and you're disciplined with your craft, and you get to compete a lot.
Fritchen: What position did you play in baseball?
Hughes: I was always a shortstop until I got a little older and kids were better than I was, so I got moved to the corners. I played third base.
Fritchen: What position did you play in football?
Hughes: Quarterback. I played both football and baseball at Davidson College because they were both very important to me and I wanted to get a degree and play football and baseball, and Davidson College was the school that gave me the opportunity to do that.
Fritchen: What made you want to be a coach?
Hughes: You get a chance to put a uniform on and influence the lives of kids and be around competition, you know? Hopefully, you're a big role model, and a big influence in the growth of these kids as baseball players and as human beings, and they get their degree, and they're great husbands and fathers.
Fritchen: Who are some coaches you grew up admiring?
Hughes: I got to work around some great coaches. My dad was a coach, a basketball coach. Then I went to Boston College, and I was around the winningest hockey coach in college history — Jerry York. I got to be around one of the greatest coaches in college football history at Virginia Tech — Frank Beamer. These are the guys that I would watch, how they went about their business every day, and the impact they had on communities and people, but never changing who they were as men, and never letting the ego of winning an athletic contest get in the way of who they are and what their purpose was. So, I learned a lot from those two guys, specifically.
Fritchen: What is your advice to young coaches out there?
Hughes: Don't get caught up in the money. Money always comes to people who work hard and make good decisions. If it's money-based, then you're not going to go very far in this profession. Don't get caught up in your next job. Get caught up in doing a phenomenal job where you're at and where your feet are. Good things always happen to people who are great people with a great work ethic.
Fritchen: What are your proudest of in your coaching career so far?
Hughes: That I put five kids through college.
Fritchen: How many years would you like to coach?
Hughes: As long as they allow me. Believe me, if I lose my edge, energy or connection with the kids, I have a wife that'll tell me that's it.
Fritchen: What have you learned most about yourself during this journey?
Hughes: During this career? I don't know. There are some ups and downs in this profession, and we've seen mostly highs, and we've seen the lows. It's a phenomenal way to raise a family, but it's also a cruel way to raise a family. But I've learned that I'm resilient, you know, and I've learned that I can coach kids from all over the country and from different socio-economical backgrounds, and different geographical areas, and you can bring them all together and have a common goal. There's nothing more rewarding than that. I've been able to do that. I've learned that I have a knack for surrounding myself with really good people, and that's been the key to my entire career.
Fritchen: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Hughes: You talk about 800. There are more than 800 players, coaches, support staff, like our trainers and equipment guys, and our strength coaches that are behind the scene, and our administrators who support and fight the backroom battles, there are more than 800 of them out there that goes into that number. There's no other uniform I'd rather wear to hit any milestone than Kansas State. Anything I can do to bring attention to this community is just the thrill of a lifetime.
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