Back in 1995, Mike Candrea had already won three NCAA championship titles, was a runner-up twice and finished in third two times as the University of Arizona softball team's coach.
Candrea told the Star then that he didn’t want to be coaching when he was 50 years old.
“That’s not me,” he said.
Luckily for the Wildcats, he changed his mind on that subject.
Monday, Arizona announced a five-year contract extension — and raise — for Candrea that will keep him as Arizona’s softball coach until 2022, when he’ll be 66. Fresh off a Pac-12 title, Candrea has no plans to retire anytime soon, and UA athletic director Dave Heeke saw to it that Candrea is coaching UA well into the future.