Johnny Wiggs, the 59-year-old head coach of Santa Fe College’s baseball team, said he’s looking forward to retirement — but he’s grateful for a long career.
Wiggs will retire Aug. 3 after 20 years as the Saints head coach. He led Santa Fe to 626 wins and two Junior College World Series appearances, one of which the team finished as national runner-up.
Born in Polk County, Wiggs played baseball throughout grade school. He put on his first jersey at 7 years old and hasn’t had an offseason since.
Wiggs attended Valencia Community College in Orlando and later transferred to Santa Fe after one year. He pitched for the Saints for a year before transferring again to UF.
Wiggs joined the Gators’ baseball team in 1988.
In high school, he made a list of three life goals. One was to pitch for the Florida Gators, he said.
Wiggs’ second goal was to pitch in the College World Series, which he saw through when he went with the Gators to their first-ever World Series appearance in 1988. The season gave him his favorite memory as a player.
“We knew at the time how special it was and what a big deal it was for us to get to the World Series,” Wiggs said.
After his time at UF, he played in the minor leagues for organizations like the Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox from 1989 to 1995.
Wiggs always knew he wanted to get into coaching. He began that part of his career in 1992 when he joined Santa Fe as a pitching coach under previous head coach Harry Tholen.
He then went on to coach at Gainesville High School, UF, Jacksonville University and Polk State College. When Tholen retired from Santa Fe in 2007, Wiggs applied for — and was subsequently granted — the head coach position.
Returning to Gainesville “felt like home” for Wiggs, he said. Making a difference in the kids’ lives is what he valued most.
“It’s helping a kid through a tough moment or preparing them for the future,” he said. "Athletics in general is hopefully preparing us to be the best employee, husband and father we can be.”
During his time at Santa Fe, Wiggs coached five players who went on to play Major League Baseball, including New York Yankees pitcher Ryan Yarbrough and Washington Nationals pitcher Brad Lord.
Wiggs said he’s grateful for every kid he’s coached. He joked he’s gotten “soft” with his coaching in the last few years.
Ryan Chase, a 20-year-old sports management junior, has played under Wiggs for two seasons and describes him as “tough-loving.”
“He’s a coach that will go to war for you, and he will fight for you,” Chase said. “He will also be the hardest one on you, so that when you get to the next level and get to those hard obstacles in life, you will be prepared for them.”
Wiggs made Chase feel completely prepared for his transition to the University of Kansas to play D1 baseball in the fall, he said.
Travis Yeckring played under Wiggs in 2009, when the team won the state championship and finished national runner-up in the Junior College World Series. He was also an assistant coach for Wiggs from 2014 to 2019.
Years later, Yeckring said he remembers Wiggs’ competitive mentality with his players.
“I think it really trickles down to the guys and how hard they work,” he said. “It was like a ‘never give up’ mentality.”
Wiggs always had an open-door policy after practice or whenever the players needed him, he said — especially in the struggle of getting through college, which Yeckring called a tough time in life.
For now, Wiggs will continue to run the baseball camps for Gatorball Academy, an Alachua-based baseball and softball club. However, he’s looking forward to retirement to be with his wife and three daughters.
“I’m going to be a great house husband,” he said.
Contact Tess Lippincott at tlippincott@alligator.org. Follow her on X @tesslippincott.
Tess Lippincott is a third-year journalism major, spanish minor, and meteorology and climatology certificate student. This is Tess' first semester at the Alligator and first time on the university desk. She also works as a deputy editor for WUFT-FM. In her free time, Tess loves playing pickleball, running, and reading. If she's not working you can find her with her roommates and friends.
