by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
For 21 years Matt Goldbeck has been an integral part of the baseball program at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Today, the former Blue Devil standout is the new head coach.
“Being from the community and graduating from Washington High School just down the street, this is a dream job for me,” Goldbeck, 44, said. “You never want to be the guy who replaces a Hall of Famer but I’m extremely excited about the opportunity and overwhelmed by the support I’ve received from the community and alumni. I love the game of baseball and being around kids aspiring to get to the next level.
“I received more than 40 emails from former and current players about how much Matt has impacted their lives which really says a lot about Matt’s passion, character and leadership,” Athletic Direction Tony Tompkins said. “He’s going to take an innovative approach to preparing his team while keeping the foundations laid by Coach (Steve) Burleson. I am very confident that Matt can continue the academic success of our baseball program and al so compete and win in the region and at the national level.”
“I’ve never seen anyone more qualified or deserving of a job,” concurred Burleson, who retired after 36 years in the position July 31. “Not only does he have an incredible passion for baseball but has trained for the job for 21 years and performed it admirably.”
Goldbeck joined Burleson’s coaching staff in the fall of 1993, serving as third base coach and working with the infielders.
“He’s been fully involved with every aspect of the program and the last half of this past season, made the decisions on pitching changes,” Burleson said.
In addition, Goldbeck has served as Manager of Athletic Facilities in charge of concessions, scheduling and setting up of facilities for the last 17 years. A 1989 graduate of Washington High School, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Management of Recreation and Athletic Facilities from Ottawa University and a Master’s in Education with concentration on coaching from Central Michigan.
Goldbeck played two seasons at KCKCC, hitting .319 as a freshman and .309 as a sophomore when he earned All-Jayhawk Conference honors and was named the recipient of the team’s most coveted honor, the Mike Haen Hustle Award. He continued his undergraduate work at Washburn University where he hit .396 and had a 3-0 pitching record in earning the team’s Most Valuable Player Award.
As head coach, Goldbeck will be making his debut in arguably the strongest community college baseball conference in the nation.
“I’m aware of just how competitive this conference is from top to bottom year in and year out,” said Goldbeck, who will start the fall season with 43 candidates including “a good returning sophomore group.”
“We’ve got such a great tradition on which to build going back to most notably David Segui and Kevin Young, guys I looked up to when I was in high school,” he said. “We’ve also got a great baseball complex to help us reach everyone’s goal of trying to win the conference and hopefully advancing to the NJCAA World Series.”
Goldbeck is the fifth Blue Devil baseball coach. David Klein initiated the program in the spring of 1975 and took the team to the NJCAA World Series in 1976. He stepped down as head coach following the 1978 season.
His assistant, Mike Haen, was elevated to head coach only to be killed in the line of duty as a reserve police officer.
Ken Gonzales coached the 1978-1979 season before leaving to become a scout with the Kansas City Royals.
Burleson was named to the position in the fall of 1979 and compiled a 36-year record of 1,136-697, a winning percentage of .614. He will be honored on Oct. 24 as part of KCKCC’s annual Alumni Game.
Married in 1994, Goldebeck and his wife, Diana, also a former KCKCC athlete, have two sons, Kaleb, 14, and Gehrig, 11.
Alan Hoskins is the sports information director at KCKCC.