by Patrick T. Maloney ’02

On May 6, 2004, Holy Cross’ head baseball coach Fran O’Brien, announced his retirement, and, athletic director, Richard M. Regan Jr., announced that associate head coach, Craig Najarian, would be promoted to the head coaching position. Having just finished his third season as an assistant to Coach O’Brien, Najarian is now the 17 th head coach of the Crusaders, who are heading into their 119 th season.

“It is extremely special for me to be head baseball coach at Holy Cross,” says Najarian. “For me, it’s almost surreal. I have a Division I head coaching job at a great school with great people. What more could I ask for?”

Najarian came to Holy Cross in 2001 after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Boston College. Prior to that, he spent two seasons at Wheaton College, where he was part of two NEWMAC Conference championship teams — in 1999 and 2000 — the second of which earned an NCAA Regional berth. Najarian began his career as an assistant coach at Brandeis University, which boasted three NCAA Regional teams and three UAA Conference championships during his tenure, from 1996-98. He was a four-year starter in the infield at Saint Anselm College, where he served as team captain in 1995.

Najarian’s father, Oscar, coached the men’s and women’s tennis teams at the College from 1973-98. The Najarians are just the second father-son tandem in the history of Holy Cross athletics to serve as head coaches at the College.

“I remember going to football and baseball games every weekend growing up,” says the younger Najarian. “My dad would collect tickets, while I ran all over the stadium and watched the games. I feel like an encyclopedia of 1980s Holy Cross sports history, after having seen so many great players play on both Fitton Fields. I even have a baseball that Ronnie Perry Jr. signed for me in 1980 sitting on my desk.”

Since the announcement of the promotion, both Najarian coaches have been getting congratulatory e-mails and phone calls.

“My father is on top of the world,” Najarian says with a smile. “The night after the promotion, I told him about it — and then asked if he had ever thought that I would be the head coach at Holy Cross. All he could do was smile because he is really a baseball guy at heart. He said he would look down onto the baseball field from the tennis courts and sometimes pine to be down there with Coach Jack Whalen.”

Next spring, Najarian will be taking over a young and talented squad that he helped bring to Mount St. James. In 2004, the Crusaders finished with a 9-11 record in the Patriot League — tied for third place — but missed the post-season tournament through conference tie-breakers. Najarian is eager for next season. “Our pitching depth is tremendous,” says Najarian. “The team’s core is young players who will all be returning, along with another talented class coming in.”

There should be some exciting times on Fitton Baseball Field in 2005.