Bill Edwards has completed 20 seasons as Hofstra University Head Softball Coach, and he has been the architect of a program that has grown to national prominence. He has led Hofstra to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament in the 2004, 2005 and 2008 seasons, and helped the Pride capture a remarkable 11 straight conference tournament titles from 1998-2008, which is an NCAA Division I record for softball. His career record stands at 721-351-3 in 20 seasons, ranking him in the top 25 in NCAA history in career winning percentage.
Edwards guided Hofstra to a school record 45 wins in 2008, including two at the NCAA Regionals in Hempstead as it advanced to the regional finals for the third time. The Pride finished with a 45-13 record, while winning the Colonial Athletic Association regular season and postseason championships, earning Edwards the CAA Coach of the Year award. He also won the CAA Coach of the Year honor in 2009 after leading Hofstra to the regular season title with a 14-3 mark in conference play.
The 45 wins in 2008 broke the previous school record of 43, set in 2005, when Hofstra reached the NCAA Regional finals at Alabama with a 2-1 win over Arizona State. The year before, he led the Pride to the 2004 NCAA Regional finals at Stanford University, where the Pride won four games and fell just one win shy of reaching the Women's College World Series. Hofstra has won 12 NCAA Tournament games since 2003, including victories over Penn State, Nebraska, Auburn, Stanford and Arizona State, while defeating five pitchers who earned All-America honors during their careers.
While the last several seasons have been especially noteworthy on a national level, the Hofstra Softball program has also displayed consistent excellence over his 20-year career. Edwards and company have garnered 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, including six straight from 2003-08. In each of the last 18 seasons under Edwards, the Pride has won either a regular season or a postseason conference title, including 11 straight tournament championships from 1998-2008, breaking the previous record of nine straight conference titles set by Massachusetts from 1995-2003.
Edwards, who has been a part of 20 straight winning seasons at Hofstra, coached the Pride to a #21 ranking in the final 2004 NCAA Division I Softball Poll, and a #20 ranking in the final 1994 poll. He has also led the Pride to #1 rankings in the Northeast Region Poll in 1993, 1994, 1997 and 2000.
Edwards has been named the Regional Coach of the Year nine times in his career (1993, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008). His players have also earned All-America honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association five times, including twice by Crystal Boyd (1993, 1994) and once apiece from Alicia Smith (2000), Lisa Ciavardini (2000) and Amanda Hallaway (2003).
During the 2000 season, Edwards and the Pride set a then-school record with 42 wins, marking the third time that they had reached the 40-win plateau. Hofstra also won their third consecutive America East Championship and earned their second straight automatic bid to NCAA Regionals, where they defeated Louisiana-Lafayette before being eliminated 2-1 by seventh-ranked LSU.
In 1995, Hofstra's first season in the North Atlantic Conference, Edwards led the squad to a school-record 41-21 mark, the North Atlantic Conference Championship and a berth in Hofstra's second NCAA Tournament. For his efforts, Edwards was selected as the North Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year and Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. Edwards was also named the East Coast Conference Coach of the Year (1994) earlier in his career.
Edwards came to Hofstra from Commack High School where he coached softball for nine years. During his tenure at Commack, his teams compiled a 118-61 record and reached the Suffolk County Class A playoffs in seven of those nine years. His 1988 squad captured the Suffolk County championship and the Long Island championship, and finished third in the New York State Tournament.
Since 1986 Edwards has also served as head softball coach for the P.S.I. Couriers, an Amateur Softball Association (ASA) summer team. His 1987 team captured the Mid-Atlantic region championship and finished fifth in the national tournament, which marked the first time a Long Island team had competed in the national tournament. The P.S.I. Couriers also finished second in the region in 1986 and third in 1988 and 1989. He is also a past president of the Suffolk County Softball Coaches Association.
Edwards, a teacher in the Commack School District from 1967 through 1999, worked and coached at John F. Kennedy Junior High School, Wood Park Elementary School and Commack High School. He served two stints as freshman football coach at Kennedy Junior High School from 1972 through 1976, and 1979 and 1980, and was also the freshman baseball coach from 1975 through 1980. When he moved on to Commack, Edwards served as offensive coordinator from 1981 through 1983. During those three years, Commack won three league titles, two conference championships and one Suffolk County championship. In 1993 he served as head football coach at Commack.
In addition, Edwards also served as head ice hockey coach at Iona College from 1968 through 1979. At Iona, his teams posted a 174-58-14 record and captured four Metropolitan Collegiate championships. In 1988 Edwards was inducted into the Iona College Sports Hall of Fame.
Edwards and his wife, Janie, have two grown daughters, Shari, who played NCAA Division I softball at Northern Illinois University and coached at Hofstra, and Karen, a licensed practical nurse. Edwards received a bachelor's in physical education from Northern Michigan University in 1967 and a master's from the University at Stony Brook in 1975. The Edwards family resides in Nesconset, New York.
Edwards' College Coaching Record
1990 Hofstra University 19-17-1
1991 Hofstra University 24-13
1992 Hofstra University 35-7-1
1993 Hofstra University 37-12 (NCAA's)
1994 Hofstra University 39-16 (#20 in Nation)
1995 Hofstra University 41-21 (NAC Champions, NCAA's)
1996 Hofstra University 33-18 (NAC Regular Season Champions)
1997 Hofstra University 38-16 (America East Regular Season Champions)
1998 Hofstra University 39-17 (America East Champions)
1999 Hofstra University 40-19 (America East Champions, NCAA's)
2000 Hofstra University 42-21 (America East Champions, NCAA's)
2001 Hofstra University 37-26 (America East Champions, NCAA's)
2002 Hofstra University 28-25 (CAA Champions)
2003 Hofstra University 39-17 (CAA Champions, NCAA's)
2004 Hofstra University 38-21 (CAA Champions, NCAA Regional Finalists, #21 in nation)
2005 Hofstra University 43-16-1 (CAA Champions, NCAA Regional Finalists)
2006 Hofstra University 37-20 (CAA Champions, NCAA Regional Hosts)
2007 Hofstra University 41-15 (CAA Champions, NCAA Regional Hosts)
2008 Hofstra University 45-13 (CAA Champions, NCAA Regional Finalists)
2009 Hofstra University 26-21 (CAA Regular Season Champions)
Total 721-351-3
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