Oakland Hires Healey, Kaline As Co-Head Coaches
Oakland on Tuesday announced it has hired Jacke Healey and Colin Kaline as co-head coaches.
Healey was the Golden Grizzlies’ top assistant coach for the past three seasons, while Kaline, the grandson of Hall of Famer Al Kaline, was an assistant coach at Florida Southern, a Division II school, the last three years.
Oakland becomes the lone Division I school with co-head coaches, an arrangement athletic director Jeff Konya acknowledged is unusual. He said he did not enter the search process thinking this was a possibility, but as the interview process evolved, he settled on co-head coaches.
“Jacke and Colin did such a tremendous job in their on campus interviews that it made sense from that perspective and a few other reasons,” Konya said. “Their career arcs are similar, they’re similar in age and they both were receptive. They thought it was a fantastic idea.”
In addition to the abnormal power structure, Oakland will have one of the youngest dugouts in the country. Healey is 28 years old and Kaline is 27. New Orleans coach Blake Dean, 28, was the youngest coach in the country this year.
Konya said their age will allow them to better relate to their players and help them on the recruiting trail.
The arrangement doesn’t come without some complications that will have to be worked out. Konya said there weren’t many compliance issues raised by having co-head coaches, but Oakland will only be able to have one full-time assistant coach because the NCAA limits baseball to three full-time coaches. Healey and Kaline will also have to work out which one of them will be able to discuss calls with umpires, as baseball rules limit that responsibility to just one coach.
Other practical issues like recruiting decisions and in-game management will likely be a collaborative effort, Konya said.
“Most people who hear about this situation, their first question to me is ‘Who is going to make the call to the bullpen in the seventh inning or the bunt sign in the eighth?’” Konya said. “From a baseball perspective, it’s going to force them to be on the same page and be strategic. Rather than looking in the mirror to come up with a game plan, it’s going to force them to be collaborative.”
Healey and Kaline replace John Musachio, who was Oakland’s coach for the last nine years. Musachio went 169-294. The Golden Grizzlies have not had a winning season since 1997.
| 2016 COACHING CHANGES | ||
| School | Departures | Arrivals |
| Alabama | Mitch Gaspard | Greg Goff |
| Alabama State | Mervyl Melendez | Jose Vazquez |
| Appalachian State | Billy Jones | |
| Army | Matt Reid | Jim Foster |
| Butler | Steve Farley | Dave Schrage |
| Central Florida | Terry Rooney | Greg Lovelady |
| Florida International | Turtle Thomas | Mervyl Melendez |
| Furman | Ron Smith | Brett Harker |
| Jacksonville | Tim Montez | Chris Hayes |
| Kentucky | Gary Henderson | Nick Mingione |
| Lamar | Jim Gilligan (ret.) | Will Davis |
| Liberty | Jim Toman | |
| Louisiana Tech | Greg Goff | Lane Burroughs |
| Missouri | Tim Jamieson | Steve Bieser |
| Nebraska-Omaha | Bob Herold | |
| Northwestern State | Lane Burroughs | Bobby Barbier |
| Oakland | John Musachio | Jacke Healey, Colin Kaline |
| Purdue | Doug Schreiber | Mark Wasikowski |
| San Jose State | Dave Nakama | Jason Hawkins |
| South Dakota State | Dave Schrage | |
| SIU-Edwardsville | Tony Stoecklin | Sean Lyons |
| Southeast Missouri State | Steve Bieser | |
| Texas | Augie Garrido | David Pierce |
| Tulane | David Pierce | |
| Villanova | Joe Godri | |
| Wright State | Greg Lovelady | Jeff Mercer |
| Youngstown State | Steve Gillispie | Dan Bertolini |
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