John Baggs

John Baggs (duluthnewstribune.com)

To me a hero is more than someone that is there to save you from the bad guys. They are more than someone you read about in comics that always save the day. A hero is someone personal to you that has made an impact on your life. A hero is someone that is always there for you. They are someone you look up to, a role model for your life. You should be inspired by your hero each and every day.

It is very important to have a hero in your life. A hero gives you someone to look up to, a role model for your personal life. A hero is someone who is always there for you through all the good times and the bad. They are someone who you should be able to go to anytime for advice. You need a hero in your life to look at as an example of what you want to accomplish in your life and how you want to be remembered.

My hero is our close family friend John Baggs. I call him my second father. He made a huge impact on my life. John and I had a very strong bond and I know I could go to him anytime I needed something or just wanted to talk. He was the head baseball coach for the Saint Scholastica Saints in Dulth, Minnesota. He was the youngest baseball coach ever to be hired at the time, at age 24. He built the program up to amazing standards. In his 17 years of coaching he led his team to a 531-197 winning record. He coached the All American team 12 times and has won countless coaching awards, including the Louisville Slugger Coach of the Year Award 12 times. Unfortunately two years ago, John passed away at the age of 44 to cancer. Despite all the awards he has received and all the games he has won, the thing most people remember him for is his amazing character. You can ask any one of his players and they will all say that Coach had a way of bringing the team together. They weren't just a team, they were a family. That's how I want to be remembered. Not necessarily for awards I received or records I broke, but for me - for my personality and the positive impact it had on others. That is why John Baggs is my hero.

John Baggs is an inspirational hero. He was the head baseball coach for 17 years at Saint Scholastics College in Duluth, Minnesota. He was the youngest baseball coach to be hired at the time. He brought this team to a .731 winning average with 531 wins to 197 losses. He was the coach of the All American Team and won the Louisville Slugger Coach of the Year Award 12 times. He passed away 2 years ago to cancer. Despite all his amazing success and accomplishments, the thing he was most remembered for was his character. All of these players said Coach had a special way of making the team a family. "You made friendships and close bonds with everyone on the team that I know will last a lifetime," says a former player. It's really hard to explain the special way John had dealing with people and his interesting coaching styles. It really is something you had to experience firsthand. I can tell you this much, though. John Baggs was a great man, father, and husband. A legacy in college baseball coaching, and wonderful hero.