His story is the stuff of dreams for any kid who has pulled on a glove and picked up a baseball, but Colorado Rockies Manager Buddy Black’s pursuit of the game might have ended in high school if not for a former head baseball coach at Lower Columbia College.Nearly five decades have passed since Black graduated from Mark Morris High School and “crossed the alley” that separates it from the Lower Columbia College campus. He made the short trek at the urging of Ed Cheff, the highly successful Red Devils baseball coach. Cheff, who coached four years at LCC before moving to Idaho’s Lewis-Clark College in 1977, is enshrined in the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. He died in 2022.
“Ed was very adamant about my potential,” Black said. “I was an undersized, left-handed pitcher and first baseman. My senior year, there weren’t any offers from major schools in the Northwest encouraging me to come to their school,” Black said. “In other words, nobody was really knocking down my door to have me come play for them. Ed, on the other hand, had a meeting with my father and I about what he envisioned if I went to Lower Columbia.”
Cheff’s vision could not have been sharper. Black grew as a player and student during his two years at LCC, helping the Devils into the playoffs and drawing the attention of larger college baseball programs. Black transferred to San Diego State University, where he earned a business degree and more baseball accolades. He was drafted as a pitcher by the Seattle Mariners in 1981 and began a 15-year professional career for six teams, highlighted by a World Series title in 1985 with the Kansas City Royals. He amassed a career record of 121 wins, 116 losses, an earned run average of 3.84, and 1,039 strikeouts.
Black became a coach after his playing career ended in 1995 and was the Anaheim Angels’ pitching coach when they won the 2002 World Series. He was hired to manage the San Diego Padres in 2007 and was named National League Manager of the Year in 2010. He has managed the Rockies since 2017.
Black traces his baseball success to the decision to attend LCC in 1975.
“After talking to Coach Cheff, that fueled my true passion for baseball. I love baseball and I wasn’t ready to walk away from any potential future as a collegiate baseball player,” he said.
“The opportunity that Lower Columbia provided was just what I needed at that time in my life: The opportunity to get into a good program with a great coach with the assurance that it was going to get better, that I was going to get stronger and if I had the talent I was going to play. It was my opportunity to continue. For me, it worked out.”
Black said the entire LCC student-athlete experience proved invaluable. “I took all the classes I needed, with the idea of getting a college degree,” he said. “I got out of it what I put into it and I put in a lot. Teachers and counselors were pushing me and challenging me and it was great.”
Black said colleges such as LCC continue to offer opportunities to aspiring student-athletes.
“I have that conversation a lot with kids out of high school who still want to play; they have that passion and desire,” he said. “They might not be suited right now for a four-year program and a bigger school so the junior college route is the way to go for a lot of young players. That’s their opportunity. I cite myself as an example of what can happen.”
Black is a financial contributor to the college and has stayed in touch through his close high school friend, LCC Athletic Director Kirc Roland. He said he is proud of the college and pleased that it continues to serve the community so well. As a member of the Red Devils Hall of Fame, Black’s name is featured on the outfield wall at Story Field. He said that honor also provides him with an opportunity to tout his alma mater to baseball scouts that visit his old ballpark to evaluate pro prospects.
“If I see one of those scouts, they say ‘hey, I was at Lower Columbia and I saw your name on the wall’,” he said. “They want a little history, how I got there. That’s always fun for me."