Givens Not Reinstated as Softball Head Coach

By Leopard Nation · Published June 7, 2016 · Updated June 8, 2016

Chet Givens Louisville Leopards Softball Head Coach

The Louisville Leopards Administration chose to not reinstate Varsity Softball Head Coach Chet Givens late Tuesday Afternoon at Louisville High School. The administration is looking to go in a “different direction” with a new coach starting next season. They have declined to comment on specifics at this time.

Givens led the Lady Leopards Softball program to 8 consecutive Outright NBC Championships in 8 Seasons at the helm. He finishes as the winningest coach in Louisville Softball history with an overall record of 168-50 (.771) and a dominating NBC record of 106-6 (.946). His team record mark of 168 wins is more than any two previous coaches combined.

Givens took over the program in 2009 when it was in shambles. Leopards Softball was coming off two of its worse seasons in program history going 6-22 (.214) in 2007 and 9-17 (.346) in 2008.

Upon Givens hiring, the program immediately turned into a winner. Louisville won their first ever Outright League Title in Softball as they went 11-3 in the NBC. In addition, that conference record tied the best previous mark of any coach before him.

Since then the Lady Leopards have gone 95-3 over the past seven seasons. Those last 7 seasons have also been Louisville’s best 7 seasons in terms of winning percentage in school history. He was also voted NBC Coach of the Year 7 times.

In 2010 the Lady Leopards finished a perfect 14-0 in the league and had their first 20-win season in team history (21-6). The next year they topped that with an all-time best mark of 24-2 highlighted by a win over eventual State Champion North Canton Hoover 3-2.

Louisville followed that up by going 14-0 in the NBC three seasons in a row. This was part of a 58-game conference winning streak that lasted a span of 1,469 calendar days. The Leopards also won 42 straight road games in league play. Givens coached teams were completely dominate against conference foes with the following head-to-head records:

Alliance 15-1
Canton South 16-0
Carrollton 15-1
Marlington 14-2
Minerva 16-0
Northwest 5-1
Salem 10-0
West Branch 15-1

Louisville won at least one tournament game in every single season under Givens leadership. His tournament record in Division I was 10-8 and in 2013 the Lady Leopards finished as Massillon District Runner-Ups only falling to eventual state champion North Canton Hoover.

Prior to his hiring, the Diamond of Dreams was in poor condition. Givens renovated the stadium by restoring the dugouts, hand-painting the artwork in the dugouts himself, helping find the money to buy a tarp for the field, etc. Givens constantly made sure the field was in ship-shape and provided the best possible environment for the girls.

There have been at least 12 players in the Givens era that have played at a level that has earned them spots on college teams. They include the following: Emily Cantley, Brooke Cox, Katie Cozy, Brittany Flanigan, Desi Givens, Amy Hoover, Emily Isla, Grace Jackson, Jordan Monnot, Chandler Rice, Annie Woolf, and Kylie Zifer.

For Givens, coaching Lady Leopards Softball was more than just a job. It was his legacy and the mark he has left on the Louisville Softball program will never be forgotten.