Florida Atlantic University Athletics
A Blast from the Past
6/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
A Blast from the Past" with Rich Freebourn, Florida Atlantic University alumnus and former Owls baseball player recently took time to discuss his experience as a student-athlete playing and coaching for FAU.
Name: Rich Freebourn
Class: 1993 (Played in '91, Assistant Coach 92-93)
Position Played: Pitcher
Describe your baseball experience at FAU: It was shorter than I had hoped. I'll never forget the last time I held the ball. I pitched three scoreless innings of middle relief at Florida and got us out of a bases loaded jam that kept us in the lead. The Gators were my favorite childhood team, was full of players I had played against from elementary school through high school and junior college. We were a below .500 among Divison II schools and they were the SEC powerhouses.
That outing was the best pitching performance of my FAU career. I had finally overcome my fears, faced down Division I opponents, and was gaining confidence. After starting the season balking in the winning run at Tampa without throwing a pitch, I felt I had finally come back and earned the respect of my teammates.
Two days later I was diagnosed with a fused bone spur through the tendon in the elbow of my pitching arm. Are you kidding me? I had just experienced the proudest moment of my career. Needless to say surgery was the only alternative. It was the only alternative because my pitching career was over without it and I had finally felt like I made it. The surgery went well; however they had to cut all the way through the tendon, making the recovery time longer than expected. In the summer of 1991, I worked every day with the FAU trainers and local physical therapists. I must have thrown 100,000 tennis balls against the wall in the breezeway near the pool. However, I couldn't throw a baseball without pain.
I would never pitch in a college game again. A few weeks into the `91-`92 Fall season, Coach Cooney called me into his office. I just knew I was going to get cut. I had already used my red shirt year so there was no sitting out. After a few minutes of discussing my arm, Coach asked if I thought I could get ready in time for spring. I knew deep down inside it was over. I couldn't even extend my arm without pain let alone throw a ball for a strike. Instead of cutting me, Coach asked if I would be interested in becoming an assistant coach. You see, we had a bunch of players in camp, enough to field a JV team. Coach was offering me an opportunity to manage the JV team and help him with the pitchers on the Varsity team. Of course I said yes, in fact, hell yes!
That year, we had 15 full-time JV players, mostly freshman. We played 12 games against area junior college teams and even made a road trip to my alma mater, Edison CC in Ft. Myers. A few of the guys made it up to the varsity squad later in the year and got playing time. One (Tim Harikkala) was even drafted that year and had a long career in the major leagues. Certainly, I had learned a lesson that good things can come from personal tragedy.
Most cherished moment playing baseball at FAU: In the game against Florida (mentioned before), I came out of the bullpen with the bases loaded in a tie ball game. I was facing ALL-SEC third baseman Herbert Perry and the Gator crazies were all over me. Perry grounded into an inning ending 5-4-3 double play. As I'm running into the dugout, our third baseman, Louis Orihuela, slams his glove into my back pushing me down the dugout stairs and screams, "If you ever throw a spitball again with the bases loaded I'm going to kill you! I almost threw that ball into right field because it was covered in goo." All I could do was laugh. Thank you Gaylord Perry for extending my career.
Best road trip experience: Honestly, every road trip we took from 91-93 was fabulous. The team camaraderie, although different each year, was what made it special. You hear the craziest things and smell some of the funkiest odors ever when traveling. In those days, we traveled in vans, converted handicap buses, old school buses, or whatever would run. We even had to push one home from a game in Miami because it broke down on I-95.
The best trip had to be in 92 with a trip to Baltimore/Washington DC. We played Georgetown, UMBC, Coppin State, and George Mason. Since all of the games were during the day and our hotel was near the new Camden Yards Ballpark, we got to walk over each night and see the Orioles play.
Last FAU baseball game you attend and the outcome: 2003 NCAA Regional Tournament at Miami against Florida. FAU had beaten Florida earlier in the tournament and needed a win to face Miami in the finals to move on to the Super Regional. It was an absolute slugfest and the Owls fought valiantly but lost 22-14.
Current Career: I am currently an Executive Vice President and General Manager of Brown & Brown Insurance in Norfolk, VA. We are part of a national publicly traded insurance brokerage. Our office primarily specializes in Marine/Maritime Insurance. Our team insures everything from Commercial Fishing vessels (some of our clients are on the Discovery Channel show Swords - Life on the Line), to casino cruise ships, to ship yards and their related subcontractors. I started my career in insurance after graduating with a Mathematics degree from FAU in `93. I've worked for Aetna, Travelers, and Brown & Brown, over the last 18 years.
Family: In October of '93, I married my FAU sweetheart, Brooke Knopp. Brooke and I moved to the west coast of Florida and had Taylor Jordan (now 17) and Logan Ashley (now 15). Brooke passed away from cancer in 1998 at the age of 24. After transferring to our Indianapolis office in 1999, I met and married by best friend, Cori. She and I were lucky enough to add Reagan Marie (now 10) to our family in 2000. Cori is a semi-pro scrap booker and makes the most beautiful greeting cards. Taylor is going to be a senior in high school and plays the bassoon in the concert band. Logan will be a sophomore and Reagan will be in fifth grade. Both girls are competitive cheerleaders for the 2011 National Champion Renegades Cheer Club.
Has playing baseball helped you in life? Or taught you anything that you can use in the real world? What FAU baseball has done for my life begins and ends with Coach Cooney and Coach McCormack. The leadership skills taught by these two individuals have stayed with me throughout my professional career and personal life. These coaches taught me that the character of the individual is important to the success of a team. Also, your character is revealed during adversity. After going through a couple of personal tragedies, I can honestly say they are absolutely correct.
One thing you would pass on to this year's team: Never stop competing. The memories of accomplishment you will have later in life will be enhanced by the memories of the struggle. Each minute in the weight room, each stride on the track, each swing in the batting cage, and each fungo taken at practice all lead up to how you are going to perform when the lights are on and it's game time. The team that practices perfect and learns how to compete together can accomplish anything. You now stand on the shoulders of the many that have come before you. Don't waste this moment thinking about yourself and what's in it for you. Compete each day to improve the team and improve the program. I guarantee you will never be part of a better team experience than you have right now.
