John Rittman is an American collegiate softball coach for the Clemson Tigers. He was previously a head coach at Stanford and an assistant coach at USA Softball, Kansas, Washington, Minnesota, and Oregon. John has been actively providing quality guidance to collegiate players for more than two decades.
Early life
John Rittman was born on October 5, 1963. His father is a retired colonel, his mother is a homemaker, and he has four brothers. Rittman, an outfielder, began his college baseball career at Yavapai College before transferring to New Mexico State University, where he played for three seasons from 1983-1985.
As a junior in 1984, Rittman hit .338 with 50 hits, 27 RBI, and a home run in 51 games. Rittman earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from New Mexico State University in 1986. After transferring from Yavapai Junior College in Prescott, Arizona, he played outfield for the New Mexico State University baseball team for three years.
John Rittman career
John Rittman served as an assistant softball coach in Oregon from 1988 to 1990, in Minnesota from 1991 to 1992, and in Washington from 1993 to 1996. During that time, Oregon advanced to the 1989 Women’s College World Series, and Minnesota won the 1992 Big Ten Conference.
Rittman, who joined Washington’s first coaching staff in 1993, helped Washington win the 1996 Pac-10 championship and reach the finals of the Women’s College World Series. John was appointed head coach of the Stanford program in July 1996. During the 1994 season, the program’s varsity status changed.
Rittman served as head coach for 16 consecutive seasons from 1998 to 2013 at the NCAA Division I Softball Championship (an overall record of 750-351-3), one Pac-10 championship in 2005, five Super Regional trips, and two visits in the 2001 and 2004 Women’s College World Series.
Mendoza and Ramona Shelburne, a second Stanford player under Rittman, later worked as ESPN broadcasters. Allister played two seasons in the National Pro Fastpitch League before returning to Stanford as an assistant coach under Rittman from 2007 to 2009, before taking on the position of head coach in 2018.
Rittman left Stanford on June 2, 2014, after the Cardinal finished 5:19 in Pac-12 conference games that year. His retirement sparked controversy and revelations of a material violation of NCAA rules. He then served two seasons as an assistant head coach at Kansas and two stints as an assistant at USA Softball in 2015 and 2017.
Rittman was named Clemson’s first head coach on November 3, 2017, and the team played its first game of the 2020 season, but it was canceled due to COVID-19. Just three years after his appointment, he proved his worth by leading the Tigers in the Super Regionals.
John Rittman biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | John Richard Rittman |
| birth date | October 5, 1963 |
| Age | 61 years |
| Place of birth | United States |
| Profession | softball coach |
| University | New Mexico State University |
| qualification | graduate |
Physical Statistics | |
| Height | in feet inches – 5 feet 8 inches – in centimeters – 172 cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 82kg – in pounds – 180 pounds |
| Hair color | Brown |
| eye color | Brown |
John Rittman Family | |
| Father | – |
| Mother | – |
| Sister | – |
| Brother | – |
relationship status | |
| Marital status | Married |
| Who is John Rittman’s wife? | Lorie Rittman |
| Children | Two |
Personal life
Rittman is married to his wife Lorie, a former University of Oklahoma softball player. They have two sons, Justin, a UCLA grad and former Bruins defenseman, and Jake, a Notre Dame grad and former Fighting Irish player.
John Rittman Net Worth/Contract
Clemson University’s athletic department signed John for a five-year contract extension in 2022. Per the norms, John will lead the team through the 2027 season, but no details of his annual salary or allowances will be disclosed. Based on his decades-long coaching career and extensive experience, he must have amassed a considerable fortune.