Athletes

Having dedicated 30 years to the UCLA Bruins’ program as both a player and a coach, Sue Enquist has earned a place in the school’s record books and in softball history. The kinesiology major was a leading student-athlete under coach Sharron Backus until she graduated in 1980 and joined the coaching staff as an assistant for nine seasons. As the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) tournament's leading hitter, Enquist led UCLA to the 1978 AIAW title - the first of many she helped the University capture. UCLA's first softball All-American, Enquist led the Bruins twice in batting average and triples and three times in doubles. She established the UCLA career batting average record after completing her career with a .401 and held the record for 24 years. Enquist has achieved several other softball accomplishments outside of her time at UCLA. While playing for the Raybestos Brakettes, Enquist was a three-time Amateur Softball Association (ASA) All-American and won four ASA National Championships (1976-1978, 1980). She also won gold medals at three National Sports Festivals, the 1978 world championships and the 1979 Pan American Games. In 2000, Enquist joined Lisa Fernandez and Dot Richardson, having her No. 6 Bruins jersey retired. Enquist assumed Backus’ role as head coach after she retired and matched her success as a player. Enquist’s coaching career with UCLA includes 10 NCAA championships, the most of any school. After the 2006 season Enquist retired with a 887-175-1 record, earning her the distinction of the winningest softball coach among all active coaches at the time. In total Enquist has 1,314 wins in her Bruin softball career as both a player and coach. Enquist’s 27-year career as a coach earned her many accolades, including the 2004 C. Vivian Stringer Coaching Award by the United States Sports Academy for her accomplishments at UCLA, a hall of fame induction by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (2005), the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) National Coaching Staff of the Year award (2004), the National Coach of the Year (1992), and three Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards (1995, 1999 and 2006). In 1993 Enquist became the first softball inductee to the UCLA Hall of Fame. Enquist also had a successful career coaching on the international level. She was involved with the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team for the 1996 Olympic Games, the first year softball was an event. Among the players from that team, seven were former Bruins who were all coached by Enquist at UCLA. Enquist was also the head coach of the 1993 Olympic Festival Championship team, the USA Pre Elite National Team in 1994 and the gold-medal-winning 1994 world championship team. Off the field, Enquist has produced a series of more than 20 instructional videos and authored the book “101 Offensive Drills for Softball.” Enquist is also an inventor, having successfully launched the SB401 training bat and the Kwik-Slide sliding wrap.(8/08)