A native of Opelousas, Louisiana, John Stanford came to Middle Tennessee State University in the 1950s after serving in the Air Force, where he gained acclaim as a softball and baseball pitcher. He made his mark on MTSU baseball as one of the OVC’s winningest pitchers for each of his four seasons.
After graduation, he entered the professional ranks, pitching two seasons for the Washington Senators organization. Stanford then coached at Shelbyville Central High School in Shelbyville, Tennessee and Motlow State Community College in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He won Tennessee Junior College Coach of the Year honors for each of his three seasons at Motlow State, 1971-73. At Shelbyville, he was known not only for his outstanding high school teams, but also the four divisional champion American Legion teams he built.
In 1974, he returned to his alma mater, developing one of the most respected diamond programs in college baseball. His MTSU Blue Raider record of 402-272-4, is second only to his hand-picked successor, Steve Peterson. His teams won OVC titles four times and the league’s Southern Division crown five times. Blue Raider squads under Stanford made repeated trips to the NCAA Tournament and he earned multiple Coach of the Year honors. Coach Stanford built a reputation as a top recruiter and developer of talent.
As Athletic Director, he was the spearhead of a building and fund- raising program that has given MTSU one of the finest college baseball facilities. He also worked to upgrade the golf program and advocated for the formation of the women’s softball program and facilities.
If you ask Coach Stanford about his more that 400 career victories in 14 seasons as a head coach, he won’t tell you about his four OVC Championships or his four trips to the NCAA Tournament. In keeping with his modest character, what he will tell you about are the fine players who came to MTSU as boys and left as men, ready to face life’s challenges.