GOOD SPORTS: Retired SEMO coach, administrator Cindy Gannon didn't stray from her "passion" for long

Former SEMO coach and administrator Cindy Gannon poses for a portrait Tuesday at the Marquette Tower.

Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian

Good Sports is a weekly Thursday feature that appears in the Southeast Missourian, as well as online at Semoball.com. It profiles the life of a person connected to sports and allows our readers the opportunity to know the people who are impacting athletics throughout Southeast Missouri in a deeper way.

Today: Southeast Missouri State University Athletics Hall of Fame honoree Cindy Gannon talks with Southeast Missourian sports reporter Jeff Long.

Gannon will be inducted into the SEMO University Athletics Hall of Fame Feb. 7. Gannon, 57, is a SEMO alumna and has spent most of her professional life at her alma mater. The Cindy Gannon Walk for Women has raised to-date more than $500,000 in scholarships for Southeast student-athletes. Gannon originated the Dig for Life Volleyball Tournament, which in 2019 attracted 60 high school teams. Volleyball is Gannon's sport and she is the winningest coach in school history recording 366 victories. After 31 years with the university, Gannon retired in 2018 as senior associate director of athletics and senior women's administrator. Three weeks after leaving Southeast, Gannon became the assistant general manager of the Cape Catfish baseball club.

You've spent all these years in Cape Girardeau. Are you a native?

No, I'm from DeSoto, Missouri, in Jefferson County (about 90 miles north of Cape.) I have two younger brothers and at my mother's insistence, we all went to college. All three of us have bachelor's and master's degrees. My dad died while I was in high school.

Were you active in sports as a teenager?

At DeSoto, I played in the only three sports open to girls at the time -- volleyball, basketball, and track. In track, I was in the triple and long jumps, the 4x4 relay, and the 400-meter run. I've always loved sports. I'm passionate about athletics. If a volleyball match is on TV, I can't pass it up. I sit down and watch.

Being from DeSoto, you're not far from St. Louis. What made you choose Southeast?

I didn't start out at SEMO. My first two years (1980-1982) were at Mineral Area College on a basketball scholarship where I picked up an associate's degree. I had some family that went to Southeast. SEMO was still close to home and affordable. At the time, I imagined I'd graduate and go back to DeSoto and teach physical education.

How would you describe your playing career at Southeast?

Brief. I saw a sign for volleyball tryouts and showed up and made the team. As a junior, I hurt my back, which sidelined me as a player but opened coaching as my future profession. When I couldn't play anymore, (Coach) Lana Flynn hired me as a student assistant during my senior year. After getting my bachelor's, I stayed on as a graduate assistant in volleyball and softball.

How did you become the volleyball coach?

After two years as an assistant coach in volleyball and softball, SEMO went Division 1 and that was my opening. I was named the women's softball coach and Lana got the volleyball job. But the AD at the time, and this was 1988, saw that we both had a passion for the other's job. I can tell you I'm much more into volleyball so Lana and I switched positions. Volleyball is such a tight-knit community and it's fast-paced, which I like.

What made you give up coaching?

My mother's death in 2001 from breast cancer was a pivotal moment. Her passing was the inspiration behind starting Dig for Life. I suppose you could say my mind got diverted. I started soul-searching and started to imagine coaching elsewhere. Around that time, former interim athletic director Carroll Williams suggested administration as my next step. I took some time to think about it. In 2004 I told then-A.D. Don Kaverman that I would be done coaching after the season and would love to continue in a new capacity. That's when the job of senior women's administrator fell to me.

Did you ever want to become SEMO's athletic director?

Yes. In fact, I was interim A.D. twice and the second time, I applied for the top job. It was disappointing not to get (the job) but I figured the stars had aligned a certain way and it wasn't supposed to be.

You retired but that didn't last long, did it?

Well, credit (former Redhawks baseball coach) Mark Hogan. Mark and I had been suitemates at the university and had long talked about doing something together professionally. When I was wrapping up my time at Southeast, we went out for a drink and Mark proposed the idea of working for a new professional baseball team that was starting up -- which became Cape Catfish. It didn't have the nickname yet. Mark had been named the team general manager. I was intrigued and we met with team president Jim Limbaugh and they wanted me but needed principal team owners Anissa and Andy Patel to give their blessing. They did and here I am.

How is life different for you today?

I'm really enjoying the Catfish. The team plays 60 games in 70 days and while the season is underway, it's grueling. Lots of detail work. I deal with marketing, operations, ticket, and merchandise sales. But it's such a change from the university in the (Catfish) offseason. At Southeast, I'd go weeks without a day off. My job at SEMO was fast-paced. There was committee work and some traveling too. With the Catfish, I can play golf, read, do home projects and reconnect with friends. It's been a good transition.

What would you like folks to know about the Catfish?

First, we want to provide a fun environment that's affordable. A place welcoming of the whole family yet a venue at which you could also get a beer. Capaha Field, thanks to the investment made by ownership, looks great. Not only do the Catfish and its fans benefit, so do the Capahas and the university. We all use it and we're partners. We're a night league, all of our games are at 6:35 or 7:05. We don't compete with the Capahas, who play in the afternoon. Oh, and we're a wooden bat league. The Capahas play with aluminum bats. We have 32 players and our host families in our first year (2019) were phenomenal. I'd call it a storybook season since we went to the title game of the Prospect League. By the way, we have a waiting list of people who want to host players in 2020. We want the experience our players have to be first-class. Mark and I said to one another that as long as we're having fun (with the Catfish), we'll keep at it. So far, we're having fun.

How do you feel about your coming Hall of Fame induction?

It's humbling. Southeast is where I got my start and I'm so honored to be included.

What would you like people to know about the Walk for Women, which now has been named in your honor?

We started this event in 2008 to do two things: bring attention to the accomplishments of female athletes and provide scholarships to student-athletes. What people assume, wrongly, is that the scholarships just go to women. No, they go to both women and men.

What would you say to a young person who wants to follow in your footsteps?

If we're talking about coaching, I'd say the job is a challenge. Aside from the games, getting and losing recruits is always emotionally-charged. If we're talking about administration, you must wear different hats. In the job I had, you must monitor federal Title IX requirements, follow NCAA rules and meet equity and diversity targets. Finding the right balance between the welfare of coaches and student-athletes demands a lot of skills.