Mike Rappl

Last updated
Mike Rappl
Biographical details
Alma mater Canisius
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1980–2014 Canisius
Head coaching record
Overall831–526–2 (.612)
Tournaments3–22 (.120)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • 13x MAAC regular season (1993–1996, 1997–1999, 2001, 2002, 2006–2008, 2010)
  • 12x MAAC tournament (1993–1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007–2009)
Awards
  • 7× MAAC Softball Coach of the Year (1992–1995, 1998, 2001, 2008)
  • MAAC Women's Basketball Coach of the Year (1992)
  • Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame (2015) [1]
Records
  • Most MAAC wins by a coach in league history (253)
  • Most Wins by a coach at Canisius (831)
  • Most NCAA Tournament appearances by a MAAC coach (11)

Michael R. Rappl [2] is an American former basketball and softball coach. From 1980 until 2014, Rappl was the head softball coach at Canisius College. [3] While at Canisius, Rappl helped build the program from a club team into a perennial NCAA tournament team and is considered a legendary figure in Canisius athletics history. [4] [5]

Contents

Coaching career

Softball

After graduating from Canisius in 1977, Rappl was tasked with building the school's softball program in 1980. [6] After posting a 5–9 record in his first season as head coach, Rappl led the program to 22 consecutive winning seasons, spanning from 1981 until 2002. Rappl ultimately led the Golden Griffins to 27 winning seasons in 35 years, winning 831 career games. [7]

Along the way, the Golden Griffins won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season championship 13 times, as well as winning the MAAC tournament 12 times, both records. The team qualified for the NCAA Division I softball tournament 11 times. Rappl is one of two MAAC coaches to win a game in the NCAA tournament, the other being former Niagara coach Al Dirschberger. [8] [9]

While at Canisius, Rappl was named MAAC Coach of the Year a record seven times, winning the award each year from 1992 to 1995, 1998, 2001, and for the last time in 2008. His teams qualified for the NCAA tournament 11 times, doing so each year from 1994 to 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, and each year from 2007 to 2009. [10] Upon his retirement, Rappl was the most winningest head coach in any sport in MAAC history. [11] He has since been passed in this distinction by former Siena baseball coach Tony Rossi. [12] [13]

Basketball

While serving as head coach of the Canisius softball team, Rappl also was the head coach of the women's basketball team from the 1986–1987 season until the 1992–1993 season. He finished his time as a basketball coach with a 93–94 record, and was named MAAC Coach of the Year for the 1991–1992 season. [14] [15] [16]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Canisius Golden Griffins (America East Conference)(1980–1989)
1980Canisius 5–9
1981Canisius 9–4
1982Canisius 12–10
1983Canisius 12–8
1984Canisius 15–8
1985Canisius 28–9
1986Canisius 20–6–1
1987Canisius 17–8
1988Canisius 16–9
1989Canisius 20–9
Canisius Golden Griffins (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)(1990–2014)
1990Canisius 21–11–14th
1991Canisius 27–1011–22nd
1992Canisius 22–76–02nd
1993Canisius 36–310–01st
1994Canisius 38–811–11st NCAA Regionals
1995Canisius 28–1411–11st NCAA Play-In
1996Canisius 33–711–11st NCAA Play-In
1997Canisius 31–1410–21st NCAA Play-In
1998Canisius 22–1814–21st
1999Canisius 32–1214–21st
2000Canisius 34–239–74th NCAA Regionals
2001Canisius 28–1514–21st
2002Canisius 33–1613–32nd NCAA Regionals
2003Canisius 15–316–108th
2004Canisius 23–309–73rd NCAA Regionals
2005Canisius 22–1910–63rd NCAA Regionals
2006Canisius 28–2313–31st
2007Canisius 27–2112–41st NCAA Regionals
2008Canisius 39–1415–11st NCAA Regionals
2009Canisius 26–259–74th NCAA Regionals
2010Canisius 34–1913–31st
2011Canisius 20–217–96th
2012Canisius 20–3011–53rd
2013Canisius 22–256–107th
2014Canisius 18–308–128th
Total:831–526–2 (.612)

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

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References

  1. ↑ "Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame announces 12 new members". wgrz.com. June 3, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Canisius College Softball" (PDF). section6.e1b.org.
  3. ↑ "Rappl announces retirement as Canisius softball coach". Buffalo News. July 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ "MIKE RAPPL – Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame". June 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Tributes on Twitter for retiring Canisius softball legend Mike Rappl". Buffalo News. July 29, 2014.
  6. ↑ "End of an Era: Rappl '77 Retires from Coaching | Canisius College - Buffalo, NY". www.canisius.edu.
  7. ↑ Gazette, Doug SmithNiagara (August 11, 2014). "Base Paths: Canisius' Rappl will be missed". Niagara Gazette.
  8. ↑ "Griffs Rappl Steps Down after 35 Years". wgrz.com. July 29, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Softball Postseason History". maacsports.com.
  10. ↑ Moritz, Amy (July 28, 2014). "Legendary Canisius College softball coach Mike Rappl steps down". Buffalo News.
  11. ↑ "Mike Rappl to Retire from Coaching". Canisius College Athletics. July 28, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Siena's Tony Rossi retiring after record-breaking tenure". Associated Press. March 7, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Tony Rossi, NCAA's longest-tenured DI baseball head coach, announces retirement | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com.
  14. ↑ "WBB ALL TIME RESULTS THROUGH 2023 (PDF)" (PDF). Canisius College Athletics.
  15. ↑ "Mike Rappl (2009) - Hall of Fame". Canisius College Athletics.
  16. ↑ "Women's Basketball All-MAAC Awards".
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