Steve Cassady has finished his 12th year as Blue Devil Athletic Director. A graduate of Salinas High School, Hartnell JC, UCLA, and San Francisco State University, Steve was hired by Merced College as a full-time English Instructor in 1973. For the next dozen years he doubled as a sportswriter specializing in professional football and earning a national reputation. In that period he attended nine Super Bowls as a working writer; authored all or part of five books; contributed articles to several others; wrote nearly 100 magazine articles, most of them for PRO magazine; and ghostwrote for five years a daily radio commentary for John Madden. In 1988, Don Odishoo hired him as head coach of the Merced College softball program, which had been discontinued for a season. In his nineteen seasons as coach, Cassady's softball teams have won over 500 games and from 1998 to 1999 his team's posted a 63-16 record including a school record 51-8 in 1999. His teams have made the post-season playoffs fourteen of the past fifteen years. His teams finished first in Northern California twice, and in 1999 they finished 3rd in the State. During this time of the late 1990s the Lady Blue Devils won the CVC twice, and in 1999, he was named the Coach of the Year by the Softball Coaches Association. Steve was named Athletic Director in July 1995.

Steve is married to Cynthia, and they have three children, Candace, Corey, and Stephen II.

Allen has almost finished his thirteenth year here at Merced College. He has been the women's head basketball coach the last eleven years and has a record of 265-128. In those same ten years his teams have won seven conference championships and made it to State Final Eight three of the last four years.

For the past six years Allen has also been one of Coach Cassady's assistant coaches working with the outfielders. During this time he has also been a first base coach.

Allen is a graduate of Merced College, and California State University, Stanislaus with a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education. Allen is about to start working on his Master's Degree at the United States Sports Academy. Allen has recently been made the full-time.

Allen lives in Merced with his wife Barbara, and their son Allen.

 

Richard Randall is chairman of the Political Science Division at Merced College and is committed to helping Blue Devil Athletics wherever possible. Richard is an outstanding teacher. He has been named campus Teacher-of-the-Year so often the award should be retired in his name. In an extremely busy professional schedule, Randall still finds time to help with softball as an executive assistant. Richard is married to Christina and has two children, a daughter in high school, Kristen and a son in middle school, Ryan, who is an outstanding competitive swimmer.

Mickee Burrows-Stillman played for the She-Devils in 1995 and 1996. She was an all-conference centerfielder with outstanding speed and exceptionally fast bat. She graduated from Stanislaus State with a business degree. She originated the position of conditioning coach. Under her expert tutelage, She-Devil players find themselves in exceptional physical condition--they can run faster, hit harder, and compete better. Mickee is married and has two daughters, Shelby and Sasha.