Donald Francis TrickerONZM is a former player and coach of theNew Zealand national softball team (Black Sox) and former senior advisor of high performance coaching at the New Zealand Academy of Sport. He served as high performance manager for New Zealand Rugby from 2010 to 2018, when he joined the San Diego Padres as director of player health and performance.
Tricker's grandfather was one of the country's leading softball umpires and played a key role in introducing the game to the Wellington region.[1]
Tricker played softball forPorirua until he was 22 then moved toPoneke Kilbirnie, claiming regional and national titles with both clubs,[1] and played for the Black Sox on and off between 1986 and 1991.[2]
Tricker began his softball coaching career at Poneke Kilbirnie in 1996, while he was still playing, and was named Black Sock coach two years later.[1] He coached the team to two world championship wins in 2000 and three consecutive world titles.[3] He retired as national coach in 2004, being replaced byEddie Kohlhase.[4]
In 2002, after six years in theinformation technology sector, Tricker was appointed as senior advisor of high performance coaching at the New Zealand Academy of Sport, a unit ofSport and Recreation New Zealand.[5] Tricker andAuckland lawyer Mike Heron prepared a report into theAll Blacks earlyWorld Cup exit.[6] In 2010 theNew Zealand Rugby Union has appointed Tricker as the High Performance Manager.[7]
In 2018, he joined Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres as director of player health and performance.[8]
Tricker was named coach of the year at the 2000Halberg Awards, after leading the team to a world series victory in South Africa[5] In the2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed anOfficer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to softball.[9]
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