Legendary Oregon State University baseball coach Pat Casey announced his retirement Thursday, in an emotional press conference.
After winning his third national championship as the Beavers' coach, Casey said he is retiring. But as the 59-year-old made the announcement and fielded reporters' questions, Casey seemed unconvinced that leaving the game he loved, after almost a quarter century, was the right decision.
“I have no oceans to sail, I have no mountains to climb, I have no hobbies, I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do," Casey said, drawing laughs from reporters.
"But I am ever grateful," he said, "because I am a blessed man.”
Casey circled back repeatedly to his bond with players. He said he deeply appreciates the relationships he’s built with his players over more than two decades at Oregon State. He said those connections mean more than his three national titles with the Beavers.
"National championships are awesome, and they go in trophy cases and people can look at them and they mean a lot, but they don't mean one damn thing if you don't have a relationship with the people you work with," Casey said.
"I think of the players I've coached in the past, whether you're chewing on them, or loving on them, or whatever, those guys made my life," Casey said. "I think about the people that I've coached, and that will still send me a text when we win a game... husbands, doctors, teachers, players... I've learned more from my players than they ever learned from me."
The decision to retire was clearly not easy for Casey. He expressed doubts even as OSU President Ed Ray and athletic director Scott Barnes thanked him, and as reporters asked questions.
"Maybe I'll miss it, maybe I'll miss it, maybe I made a mistake, and if I did, I'll be the first one to tell you, and I'll try to get back into coaching," Casey said.
OSU announced it intends to keep Casey as an associate athletic director, a position that Casey appeared ambivalent about.
"I don't feel that good about it, I mean, like, I'm a coach," Casey said.
"I think I'd be beneficial being around our athletic department, but I'm a coach - I mean they can dress me up, but I'm a coach."
At the same time, Casey also said he'd signaled to colleagues in the spring that he might be coaching his last season. He said the job hadn't been easy. He described feeling “miserable,” even as the Beavers put together a historic title run.
Casey said ultimately the decision to retire came from a concern that he continuing might not be fair to the people he felt closest to: his players.
"I can't go on the field, and not be 100 percent sure that I can do what I want to do the way I want to do it," Casey said.
"I really believe [players] can look you in the eye and they can read you, and I think if I'm out there and I'm trying to coach - I don't think that's fair to them."
OSU will celebrate Casey at an upcoming football game, and will name part of the Beavers’ stadium “Casey Corner” in his honor. Casey’s top assistant, Pat Bailey is stepping in as interim head coach.