Episode 251: Harold Northcott

When you think baseball in Central Alberta, one family name is synonymous with the game: Northcott. And while he may too humble to admit it, Harold Northcott is an Alberta baseball legend. The Clive, Alberta native had a storied playing career which took him to Eastern Oregon University, where he helped the Mountaineers set team records for wins in each of his three seasons. That’s where he also earned the nickname “The Giant Killer” for becoming the first pitcher in school history to beat two games against big PAC-10 teams. Northcott went on to represent Canada on the international stage a number of times, including being named the most valuable Canadian at the 1985 Intercontinental Cup. He started his coaching career in 1988, helping guide numerous teams in St. Paul, Rocky Mountain House and elsewhere to provincial titles. He’s also served as the Canadian National Youth Team pitching coach in the 1990s, which featured names like Jordan Zimmermann, Ryan Dempster and Eric Gagne, then coached with the National Senior Team at the Pan Am Games amongst others. His wife, Barb, is heavily involved in the game, and all three of his kids – Dustin, Chad and Heidi – all blazed their own trails in baseball. Recently, a little birdy by the name of Brad Mills told us that his long-time friend was being inducted into the EOU Athletics Hall of Fame this month. As it turns out, the recognition was a long time coming, as was this great conversation I had with Harold Northcott last week.