LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The NFCA is pleased to announce that Carolyn Todd Bray, the head coach at the College of Saint Mary, an NAIA school in Omaha, Neb., is the 2024 recipient of the Association’s Donna Newberry “Perseverance” Award, which recognizes an NFCA member coach who has demonstrated extraordinary strength of will and character in the fight to overcome a physical, mental, or social adversity that presented an additional challenge to the already demanding job of a coach.
Bray was struck in the head by a batted foul ball while coaching third during a spring break game in March in Florida. She suffered fractures to her skull, both orbital rims, temple and cheekbone among other injuries in the horrific accident. The incident, during which she was knocked unconscious, left her with a brain bleed and nerve damage that required significant recovery that continues to this day.
Worse yet, her husband, Chad, an assistant coach witnessed the event live, and somehow found the strength and fortitude to continue running the squad in her absence, as that is what she wanted, and later joined his parents, who had accompanied Carolyn to the hospital. For the remainder of the trip, he spent his nights at the ICU with his wife and his days coaching their team’s games.
Over the next six weeks, he split his time between being the primary caregiver for Carolyn and coaching the team, all while holding down his high school teaching job. The Brays brought in therapy dogs and made sure the players were getting counseling to help manage the effects of this traumatic incident.
“When this event happened, it is very realistic to say that Carolyn could have been killed in this moment,” Siena Heights head coach Laura Klutsarits said. “That is not an exaggeration in any capacity. What I believe qualifies Carolyn for this perseverance award over all others is what her fight and tenacity and strength in recovery did for everyone involved in that program along with all of us who know Carolyn and have the honor of calling her our colleague and friend.”
Carolyn eventually worked her way back to her team in a limited capacity at practices and games, helping Saint Mary end its season with a victory.
“She was able to spend some time with her team through the back part of the 2024 season and was able to persevere in a manner that not many people would be capable of,” Klutsarits said. “I have watched from afar a coach who very well could have been killed in this moment. She has struggled, she has had moments of doubt and she has had countless hours of doctor appointments.”
“Yet, throughout this ordeal, she has kept her student-athletes as her focus, she has kept their best interests at heart. (Carolyn) wasn't solely focused and worried about her own individual recovery, but theirs as well. We all can be inspired, and, when faced with our own less significant challenges in our lives, we can find the light to move forward.”
Bellevue University head coach Michala Cimino agreed.
“You can only imagine the healing and all the countless doctor appointments and follow-ups she has had,” Cimino said. “Through all of this, her biggest concern? Her team! Carolyn and her husband are a testament to the power of perseverance and serve as an inspiration to all of us.”
Bray will be recognized at the Awards Brunch on Dec. 7, the final day of the NFCA National Convention at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas. Her husband will also be honored at that event, as he is the 2024 Easton/NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year for the NAIA member division.
ABOUT NEWBERRY
Newberry, the all-time winningest coach in the history of NCAA Division III softball when she passed away in November 2010, spent 36 seasons with Muskingum College athletics. During that time, she transitioned the Muskies from a slowpitch team to a perennial national fastpitch contender in Division III.
Over those 36 seasons, Newberry amassed a record of 906-419-1 and helped guide Muskingum to 17 conference championships, 18 NCAA regional appearances, eight national championship appearances and the 2001 NCAA Division III national championship. Newberry was the only Division III coach to be named national coach of the year in two sports – softball and basketball. As Muskingum’s women’s basketball coach, Newberry earned 403 victories and three OAC championships.
She was a 10-time Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, a seven-time NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honoree and in 2001, the Muskingum staff was named as the NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year. In 2008, Newberry was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame.
Newberry demonstrated her perseverance as she coached what would be her final season in the spring of 2010. While undergoing chemotherapy treatments during her third bout with breast cancer, she led the Lady Muskies to the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament for the 25th consecutive time.
In the months before her death, Muskingum dedicated its softball field in her honor, renaming it the Donna J. Newberry Softball Field. In addition, Newberry finished a book about her coaching career and experiences — "You Must Play to Win: A Coach's Journey from the Pit to the Pinnacle.”
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its extensive awards and scholarships program, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from NFCA podcasts to a comprehensive drills database, to in-person events and a National Convention.
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