Coach 1983 - 2017; Athletic Director 1996 - 2017
The lasting imprint left by Scott Carnahan on Linfield Athletics in general, and the Wildcats baseball program in particular, is perhaps too great to summarize in only a few short minutes.
Affectionately known by many as simply “Carney,” Carnahan’s career at Linfield began as a student-athlete in 1969 where he was recruited to compete in the sports of football, basketball and baseball. Graduating in 1973, he went on to teach and coach at Lower Columbia College near his hometown of Randle, Washington.
By 1983, he had been hired to serve as Linfield head baseball coach with no thought of becoming the college’s athletic director, a role he would eventually assume in 1996.
As Linfield baseball coach for 26 seasons, Carnahan’s teams won 12 Northwest Conference championships and finished second on six other occasions. Between 1992 and 1996, his teams won a noteworthy five straight conference championships. Carnahan also lays claim to being the winningest baseball coach in Linfield history with a stunning total of 617 games won.
To those who know him, Carnahan’s coaching success at Linfield was not a surprise, nor did it go unrecognized. He was named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year 11 times and NAIA District 2 Coach of the Year three times. Due to his success in the junior college ranks at Lower Columbia College, Carnahan was inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame in 2008 and is also a member of the Lower Columbia College Hall of Fame.
One of the pinnacle moments of Carnahan’s coaching career came in 2013 when the Linfield program brought home the NCAA Division III national championship. Carnahan was touted for his pivotal work with the pitching and catching staffs while his own protégé, Scott Brosius, the 1998 World Series most valuable player, led the team as head coach.
In 1996, Carnahan ascended to athletic director, taking over for his former college coach, Ad Rutschman. As Carnahan paved his own way as athletic director, it became evident he would leave a lasting mark, too. Carnahan’s fingerprints can be seen throughout Linfield’s athletic venues. Linfield’s premier sports facilities would not have been possible without Carnahan’s resourcefulness and skills as builder of personal relationships.
During Carnahan’s tenure as athletic director, he launched stadium and press box construction projects at the baseball, softball and the soccer/lacrosse facilities. His most ambitious undertaking was the 2004 overhaul of Maxwell Field in which artificial turf was installed, the running track was modernized, a video replay screen was added, a new pressbox installed and stadium lighting added.
Carnahan retired in the spring of 2017, leaving behind a winning legacy. Under his watch, Linfield won four team national championships and 13 individual national titles, earned 54 Northwest Conference championships and 163 individual titles, and qualified for NCAA postseason appearances 54 times.
He and his wife, Cathy, continue to live in McMinnville.
