Dick Birmingham was an internationally known clinician and legendary Hillcrest High School baseball coach. He also was president of Dick Birmingham Sports, a company specializing in baseball instruction at all levels.
Birmingham is in several Halls of Fame, including those for the Missouri Baseball Coaches Association, the Iowa Baseball Coaches Association, and the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame. The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 2002.
Birmingham was the head baseball coach at Hillcrest High School for 25 years and served as the Hillcrest American Legion Baseball head coach for 18 years. He was the American Legion Baseball Coach of the Year in 1970 and the National High School Baseball Coach of the Year in 1979.
Birmingham was head of instruction and sales director at Mickey Owen Baseball School near Miller for 12 years and director of that school for 12 years. He also was a partner and director of Instruction for Baseball Schools USA for three years.
Birmingham was a co-founder and executive director of the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association and served on the Baseball Advisory Committee for the Missouri State High School Activities Association for more than 13 years.
Birmingham's teams won more than 1,000 games. His high school teams won a state championship, reached the state semifinals five times, won district titles 10 times and conference titles 15 times. His American Legion teams were national runners-up twice, won three state championships and twice finished second in the state.
Birmingham was Hillcrest's first baseball coach after the school opened in 1958. Its baseball field bears his name.
