NMMI Sports Press
It wasn’t about the wins and losses, the trophies and accolades, and at times, it wasn’t even about baseball.
For longtime Colt assistant baseball coach Steve Rogers, it’s been about the relationships and memories that never fade with time.
“At the Hall of Fame ceremony, my phone was blowing up with messages from kids that I haven’t talked to or been around for 20 years,” Rogers said. “That’s the real reward, knowing you had a lasting impact on a person’s life.”
Rogers was inducted into the New Mexico Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Friday evening in Albuquerque. The call to the Hall is often the last step in a coach’s career, but Rogers dipped his toe in the retirement waters briefly after the 2022 state championship season before finding his way back to the diamond.
“It was January and the kids had just gotten back from break, Saturday morning practice on the big field and I had nothing better to do…and I’ll admit I was missing it,” he said.
Rogers saw former Bronco shortstop Brad Blackwell trying to conduct practice without a full coaching staff and after a short chat with the rookie head coach, Rogers was back in the saddle.
“It sounds selfish, maybe a little conceited, but that program belongs to Charlie and I. They didn’t have winning seasons before we took over. And after 23 years, that’s our baby. And I know Brad’s parents and I’ve known Brad since he was a baby. I’m not saying he would’ve failed without me, but it’s a tough job for a new coach and I couldn’t sit on the couch knowing I had something to offer.”
Rogers path to the New Mexico hall began on the other side of the world in Italy, where a 19-year-old Marine put his name in for a head coaching gig with one of the base’s six little league teams.
“Some admiral called and said, son, you’re too young,” Rogers recalled. “I went to my colonel and told him the situation, he got on the phone with that admiral and said, ‘if my Marines are old enough to guard your base, they’re old enough to coach your kids. And that’s how I got into coaching.”
Rogers was born in Oxford, England to an Air Force veteran of three wars. The family made their way to Roswell when the senior Rogers was assigned to Walker Air Force Base. But it wasn’t family tradition that led the under-sized player to military service.
“I had a little interest from some schools, but I was short, kinda fat, I knew my skill level and more importantly, my maturity level and I knew if I tried to play college ball I’d probably be thrown out from partying too much,” Rogers said. “I needed to grow up and wanted to challenge myself, so I joined the Marines.”
His little league squad won the base championship that first season, but after three years in Italy, Rogers was sent stateside where he spent the rest of his five years of military service as a reporter, taking photos and writing stories about various aspects of Marine life.
Rogers’ next coaching opportunity saw him guiding his young son’s team in the Noon Optimist Pee Wee league and then the Minors, which led to an introduction to another Noon Op dad, a meeting that would change the coaching fortunes of both men for years to come.
“My catcher’s mom knew Charlie Ward, but I didn’t know him from Adam,” Rogers said. “We both had 10-year-old sons with enough talent to move up to the Majors and once we sat down to talk, we learned we were pages out of the same book. If I was page one, he was page two.”
After three years of Majors and a Junior season together, Ward took the assistant baseball coach position at NMMI. A few years later, in 2000, Ward earned the head coach job and his first call was to Rogers.
In their first season, the Colts finished 11-11, marking the first time a NMMI high school baseball team ended its season at .500 or better since 1967.
In 2001, the Colts were underdogs, but completed an exhilarating run to the Institute’s first baseball state title, then repeated in 2002 with a dominant squad that rattled off 21 wins in a row. The Colts made numerous playoff appearances since ’02 before capturing a third state title in 2022.
Rogers unwavering dedication to Colt Baseball and more importantly the cadets he coached, meant long hours and sacrificing his health at times. Rogers spent 15 years as a 911 dispatcher, with 10 years as supervisor working 12-hour night shifts.
That arrangement kept Rogers free for practice and games, but meant little sleep most days. Burning the candle at both ends and a lack of healthy eating habits ballooned Rogers to over 300 pounds. He had four heart attacks, three during games that he didn’t tell anyone about, as well as an emergency surgery to repair his burst intestines.
Rogers never blamed his health problems on the job. He was always willing to make those sacrifices for his players. As a Marine veteran, Rogers could relate and connect with NMMI cadets and often used simple tasks to help bring teams together.
“One year I had spit shining classes in our locker room,” he said. “It was a skill they needed at NMMI, but it wasn’t really about teaching them to make their shoes shinier. It was a bonding period. They forgot about baseball, NMMI and their girlfriend back home. When your just rubbing polish in a circle, you let your guard down and you get to know each other. I think that’s when I became ‘Tata’.”
Tata, which is Spanish slang for dad or grandpa, was a nickname bestowed by some of the many great Colt players that hailed from Mexico. It is also Italian for nanny or childminder.
“I feel very blessed for the opportunities NMMI has given me, from (former athletic director and coach) Lefty Stecklein to (current AD) Jose Barron and all the folks I’ve worked with for the past 20-plus years,” Rogers said. “I am still in disbelief that I was given this honor. It’s been about the boys from Day 1.”
Ward introduced Rogers at the Hall ceremony Friday and said he couldn’t have had the high level of success at NMMI without Rogers at his side.
“Steve Rogers is NMMI Baseball!” Ward said. “Besides his commitment to his family, his dedication to NMMI and our cadet-athletes is second to none. Steve is one of my very best friends and I love him very much. He deserves as much credit as anyone for what the Colts have accomplished.”
Blackwell was more than happy to have Rogers by his side for his first season as a head coach, not just for his coaching skills, but for a different perspective on the game from an older generation.
“Hall of Fame ‘Coach Rog’ is brilliant, works well with the kids and has been a staple of the Colt Baseball program for almost 25 years,” Blackwell said. “His commitment to the program is unmatched and our success is a testament to his great coaching. I’m very grateful to work alongside him.”
Barron, who started at NMMI in 2003 as an athletic trainer and has served as AD since 2014, has observed Rogers in action for 20 years and said the life lessons he teaches his players set him apart from other successful coaches.
“Whether serving our country proudly as a U.S. Marine or dedicating countless hours to NMMI, Steve has been a selfless and committed part of the Institute family,” Barron said. “He goes above and beyond the call of duty and always puts the cadets first, teaching lessons that go beyond the game. I am so proud to have Steve on our staff. He truly deserves this honor.”
Rogers made a point to acknowledge the parents of his players, who go the extra mile to help make their kids’ NMMI athletics experience the best it can be.
“I could not imagine more supportive parents, and they don’t just show up for their sons. They show up for all our kids, far from home and away from their own families,” he said. “That’s what we’ve tried to do here with this program; create a family.”