The knuckle curve is a potent weapon for a pitcher. It dips and dances, baffling hitters. In 1985, it was Andy Katzman’s go-to pitch. With a 10-2 record, he helped John Burroughs School to its first state championship. Katzman is now the assistant coach of the Burroughs Bombers, where he’s been instrumental in leading the team to 10 district titles and three state championships over the past 38 years.

Andy Katzman’s coaching career

Next spring, when the Bombers play their first home game, it will be played at the brand new Katzman Field, named for “Coach Katter.” When he learned of the honor earlier this year, Katzman, 57, said: “It was both overwhelming and humbling.”

At Burroughs, he started as a shortstop and outfielder, eventually moving to the pitcher’s mound. After spending two years playing baseball at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, Katzman transferred to St. Louis University. He graduated with a degree in political science and joined the Burroughs faculty in 1989 as a coach.

Andy Katzman: Teaching life lessons through baseball

“I wanted to continue to fulfill my love of baseball and transfer it to coaching,” said Katzman, who attends Congregation B’nai Amoona. “They welcomed me with open arms, and the rest is history. It’s been great. I tell you, springtime rolls around, and it really is the greatest time of year.”

The transition from player to coach was natural for Katzman, said Steve Brown, his friend and one-time competitor. “I think we all knew at some point Andy was going to be a coach,” said Brown, a member of Temple Emanuel. “It was just in his DNA. You could tell by the way he played and everything that he was, he was going to be a coach. But it was more about learning the lessons of life through baseball.”

To be sure, Katzman did a good job of teaching baseball skills. He’s had several players move on to play Division 1 ball. Katzman coached all four of the sons of former Cardinal Andy Van Slyke, including Scott, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

One important aspect of Katzman’s coaching style is his focus on positivity, said to Dan Kodner, who played for him in 2005.

“He was a positive motivator,” said Kodner, who attends Temple Israel. “He’s got a very good baseball mind, and he’s a big heart. He’s fun, and it was a work hard, play hard, be nice to each other kind of culture.

“I remember one time, and this really stuck with me, it was a baseball lesson, but really more of a life lesson,” Kodner said. “I was pitching, and I got a bad call. I uttered something that I shouldn’t have, a little too loud.

“It wasn’t the ump that pulled me out of the game. It was Coach Katzman. He didn’t yell or scold me. He calmly sat me down and said, ‘Listen, perhaps you haven’t considered, there’s a ton of little kids here watching and learning and looking up to you. You can’t be saying expletives.’ That made him a role model to me. It was an illuminating moment.”

Andy Katzman: More than just a baseball coach

Katzman said he always tried to use sports as an entry point to prepare kids for adulthood.

“Baseball has always been a vehicle for me to use to teach bigger things,” Katzman said. “The important thing I can do is have an impact on these kids and have them hopefully be a little bit better than they were when they showed up. I think I’ve been successful at that.

“The most rewarding part of the job is the interaction that I have with the kids on a daily basis, the ability to have an impact on them and have them walk away with the knowledge of what it means to be a good person, what it means to treat other people fairly, to be nice to other people, to be nice to your teammates.”

Katzman Field

Katzman Field will be used for more than baseball. A new artificial turf can accommodate soccer and fall sports. A new scoreboard also is being installed.

Katzman learned of the honor during a donor event in May. The school kept it a secret until they raised enough money to renovate the field.

“I was speechless, which is really difficult at times for me to ever be,” he said. “I almost dropped to my knees. I was so touched by it.

“I’ve been doing something that I love for 35 years, and I guess I’ve left a good impression on a lot of families and a lot of kids I’ve coached. That really from the start of all of this has always been my goal. And hopefully teach kids not only baseball, but more important things like the next chapter in life, in college, and what happens after that.

“I always wanted the game that I coached to be fun. If they responded to me that way, I knew I had done my job.”

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