Baseball: Richard LaBounty ends retirement, returns as Pensacola Catholic baseball head coach

Richard LaBounty had a unique way of describing his decision to walk away from the dugout in 2016 following a legendary 33-year tenure as the Pensacola Catholic head baseball coach.

"I'm a worn-out tire on a car. The tire has turned and turned and now it just needs to be replaced. ... I just ran out of steam," he said then.

Fast forward six years, and let's just say the proper maintenance has been done. 

LaBounty has been rehired as the Crusaders head coach next season, ending a six-year retirement.

The announcement was made public via social media with a tweet from the school's baseball Twitter account. He will also continue to serve as athletic director at Catholic, a position he has held since 1988. 

"The off-time was time enough for me to change the tires," LaBounty said with a chuckle. "I was out of the game for six years and as each year went by, I missed it more and more.

"I'm excited to be back and excited for the opportunity to coach again. I didn't think that would happen."

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LaBounty second's stint as the program's skipper comes after Seth Currie resigned from the position late last month. Since taking over head coaching duties in 2019, Currie guided Catholic to two district titles and a 62-28 record in four seasons, which includes a 16-10 mark this past spring.

After Currie's resignation, Pensacola Catholic administrators asked LaBounty if he'd be willing to return. And after mulling it over and discussing it with his wife, Judy, the 62-year-old accepted the offer.  

"I think I've had time to rest and re-energize my batteries. I realized how much I really missed the game, but more importantly, how much I missed the relationships with my players and the coaches on my staff," he said. "When I started considering everything, I knew it was the right decision to come back. And everyday, I get more and more excited about the opportunity to get back out there." 

LaBounty says he's already received interest from three of his former players to join his coaching staff. 

Consider his resume and the Hall of Fame coach comes back with nothing to prove. From 1984-2016, LaBounty racked up an astounding 717-228-1 record during his first coaching stint at Catholic, good enough for a 75.8 winning percentage. During that time, the Crusaders captured 16 district titles, three state titles and a national championship in 2013 where the team went unbeaten at 30-0. 

Additionally, LaBounty led Catholic to three state runner-up finishes and playoff appearances in 23 of 33 seasons. 

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.