Mike Rappl
Biographical details
Alma materCanisius
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1980–2014Canisius
Head coaching record
Overall831–526–2 (.612)
Tournaments3–22 (.120)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • 13x MAAC regular season (1993–1996, 1997–1999, 2001, 2002, 2006–2008, 2010)
  • 12x MAAC tournament (1993–1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007–2009)
Awards
  • 7× MAAC Coach of the Year (1992–1995, 1998, 2001, 2008)
  • Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame (2015)[1]
Records
  • Most MAAC wins by a coach in league history (253)
  • Most Wins by a coach at Canisius (831)
  • Most NCAA Tournament appearances by a MAAC coach (11)

Michael R. Rappl[2] is an American former basketball and softball coach. From 1980 until 2014, Rappl was the head softball coach at Canisius College.[3] While at Canisius, Rappl helped build the program from a club team into a perennial NCAA tournament team and is considered a legendary figure in Canisius athletics history.[4][5]

Coaching career

Softball

After graduating from Canisius in 1977, Rappl was tasked with building the school's softball program in 1980.[6] After posting a 5–9 record in his first season as head coach, Rappl led the program to 22 consecutive winning seasons, spanning from 1981 until 2002. Rappl ultimately led the Golden Griffins to 27 winning seasons in 35 years, winning 831 career games.[7]

Along the way, the Golden Griffins won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season championship 13 times, as well as winning the MAAC tournament 12 times, both records. The team qualified for the NCAA Division I softball tournament 11 times. Rappl is one of two MAAC coaches to win a game in the NCAA tournament, the other being former Niagara coach Al Dirschberger.[8][9]

While at Canisius, Rappl was named MAAC Coach of the Year a record seven times, winning the award each year from 1992 to 1995, 1998, 2001, and for the last time in 2008. His teams qualified for the NCAA tournament 11 times, doing so each year from 1994 to 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, and each year from 2007 to 2009.[10] Upon his retirement, Rappl was the most winningest head coach in any sport in MAAC history.[11] He has since been passed in this distinction by former Siena baseball coach Tony Rossi.[12][13]

Basketball

While serving as head coach of the Canisius softball team, Rappl also was the head coach of the women's basketball team from the 1986–1987 season until the 1992–1993 season. He finished his time as a basketball coach with a 93–94 record.[14][15]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Canisius Golden Griffins (America East Conference) (1980–1989)
1980 Canisius 5–9
1981 Canisius 9–4
1982 Canisius 12–10
1983 Canisius 12–8
1984 Canisius 15–8
1985 Canisius 28–9
1986 Canisius 20–6–1
1987 Canisius 17–8
1988 Canisius 16–9
1989 Canisius 20–9
Canisius Golden Griffins (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) (1990–2014)
1990 Canisius 21–11–14th
1991 Canisius 27–1011–22nd
1992 Canisius 22–76–02nd
1993 Canisius 36–310–01st
1994 Canisius 38–811–11stNCAA Regionals
1995 Canisius 28–1411–11stNCAA Play-In
1996 Canisius 33–711–11stNCAA Play-In
1997 Canisius 31–1410–21stNCAA Play-In
1998 Canisius 22–1814–21st
1999 Canisius 32–1214–21st
2000 Canisius 34–239–74thNCAA Regionals
2001 Canisius 28–1514–21st
2002 Canisius 33–1613–32ndNCAA Regionals
2003 Canisius 15–316–108th
2004 Canisius 23–309–73rdNCAA Regionals
2005 Canisius 22–1910–63rdNCAA Regionals
2006 Canisius 28–2313–31st
2007 Canisius 27–2112–41stNCAA Regionals
2008 Canisius 39–1415–11stNCAA Regionals
2009 Canisius 26–259–74thNCAA Regionals
2010 Canisius 34–1913–31st
2011 Canisius 20–217–96th
2012 Canisius 20–3011–53rd
2013 Canisius 22–256–107th
2014 Canisius 18–308–128th
Total:831–526–2 (.612)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ↑ "Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame announces 12 new members". wgrz.com.
  2. ↑ "Canisius College Softball" (PDF). section6.e1b.org.
  3. ↑ "Rappl announces retirement as Canisius softball coach". Buffalo News. July 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ "MIKE RAPPL – Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame".
  5. ↑ "Tributes on Twitter for retiring Canisius softball legend Mike Rappl". Buffalo News. July 29, 2014.
  6. ↑ "End of an Era: Rappl '77 Retires from Coaching | Canisius College - Buffalo, NY". www.canisius.edu.
  7. ↑ Gazette, Doug SmithNiagara (August 11, 2014). "Base Paths: Canisius' Rappl will be missed". Niagara Gazette.
  8. ↑ "Griffs Rappl Steps Down after 35 Years". wgrz.com.
  9. ↑ "Softball Postseason History". maacsports.com.
  10. ↑ Moritz, Amy (July 28, 2014). "Legendary Canisius College softball coach Mike Rappl steps down". Buffalo News.
  11. ↑ "Mike Rappl to Retire from Coaching". Canisius College Athletics. July 28, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Siena's Tony Rossi retiring after record-breaking tenure". Associated Press. March 7, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Tony Rossi, NCAA's longest-tenured DI baseball head coach, announces retirement | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com.
  14. ↑ "WBB ALL TIME RESULTS THROUGH 2023 (PDF)" (PDF). Canisius College Athletics.
  15. ↑ "Mike Rappl (2009) - Hall of Fame". Canisius College Athletics.
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