On March 31 Steve Cramblitt was one of four coaches inducted into the Utah Sports Foundation Hall of Honor for distinguished high school coaches. Cramblitt said, “To be honored is a wonderful thing, but it’s more about the people you work with and the talented players. I was always just trying to teach responsibility and to try hard and I knew that would make them successful in their future.” Cramblitt began coaching at Taylorsville High School as an assistant baseball coach for four years, and then was head coach for 24 years. He’s also coached at Skyline High School, Juan Diego Catholic High School and is currently an assistant pitching coach at Riverton High School. 

During Coach Cramblitt’s coaching career, he won 437 games, nine state championships and 17 region championships. 12 of those region championships occured when he was coaching at Taylorsville High School. Cramblitt said, “Baseball is a great avenue to teach teenagers how to be good citizens, respect people in the community and be disciplined. I pushed the young men hard because I knew that is what it takes to be successful.” Throughout Cramblitt’s coaching career, he has seen success come about in many of his young players who became college players and even played in the Major Leagues. Cramblitt says, “I see how successful they are and I really enjoy that I played a small part in that.”   

Cramblitt attributes his loves for baseball to many different people. He said, “I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and my dad and I would sit and listen to the Baltimore games and sometimes he would take me to those games.” Cramblitt’s cousin, who played in the Major Leagues, also had an impact on his desire to play the game. “I thought a lot of him and I saw how successful he was,” he said.  

When Cramblitt was in college at Frostburg State in Maryland, his baseball coach, Bob Wells, had a great influence on his desire to become a coach. Cramblitt said, “I was just an average player myself and he turned me into a decent player and taught me how to play the game. He gave us a big playbook that I used throughout my coaching career. There were offense and defense plays that he taught us that I used.” 

Another coach that impacted Cramblitt was his jr. high coach, Fred Brandenburg. “I appreciated his personal discipline and his ability to teach fundamentals. He took time to make sure that his athletes were doing well academically also.”  

The Utah Sports Foundation Hall of Honor recognizes head coaches for their success in athletics and the positive influence they have on the young people they coach, through their example of hard work, dedication and leadership. Steve Cramblitt truly fulfills every aspect of this honor. For example, when Cramblitt first became the head coach of Taylorsville High School baseball, they didn’t have a pitching coach. So, he attended camps and learned the techniques of pitching. After his hard work and dedication to learning a new skill, his strength actually became pitching. 

Cramblitt said, “In baseball you try to form a chemistry where guys care about each other and enjoy what they are doing.” It doesn’t take receiving an award for Cramblitt to enjoy playing the game as well as influencing the young men he coaches.