Gingerich awarded Purdue Baseball Alumnus of the Year

By RICHIE HALL

sports@readthereporter.com

In the 1980s, Rex Gingerich helped the Purdue University baseball team make history.

Gingerich returned to Purdue on Feb. 1 to speak at the First Pitch Dinner and also pick up a prestigious award. Gingerich was recognized as the Purdue Baseball Alumnus of the Year for his steadfast commitment to the university and Purdue Athletics over the years.

Gingerich, the founder and CEO of Chariot Automotive Group and a 40-year veteran of automotive sales, pitched for the Boilermakers from 1984-87, helping lead the program to a then program-record 37 wins in 1986 and the team’s first NCAA Regional bid in 1987.

“Forty years ago, you’re not thinking about ever being in that position,” said Gingerich, who now lives in Westfield. “To get recognized like that is very humbling. I was very honored and humbled and appreciative to be recognized, for sure.”

Gingerich was a star at Kokomo High School before heading to Purdue, where he established himself as a solid pitcher for the Boilermakers. He threw in 54 games with 26 starts, totaling 204 innings pitched. From 1984 to 1987, Purdue compiled a record of 135 wins, 102 losses and three ties.

“It was a great honor, great privilege,” said Gingerich. “I’ve always thought that it was a special way to be able to go to college, to be a part of the baseball team and have the relationships with all the players and coaches that I had and still have 40 some years later.”

Gingerich graduated with a general management degree from the Krannert School of Management. He remembers that the curriculum included “marketing, there was finance, business law, accounting, economics.”

Working ahead

He also took an entrepreneurial class, in addition to the core curriculum as well. Gingerich managed his education well with playing baseball. Some of the keys to that were having a relationship with his professors and learning time management, which included being prepared to work ahead.

“There was an added value to the education of life and getting things done,” said Gingerich. “I always looked at it as a real privileged and a treat and was honored to have that experience.”

Technology and computers were becoming more widespread in the 1980s, but college student-athletes were still decades away from being able to take online classes, although Gingerich thinks studying online is harder to do.

“We had a block so we could get in classes,” said Gingerich. “Primarily, our classes were in the morning. Then we would have the afternoons free. If there was a home game during the week, we could go to class in the morning and not miss anything. If we were on the road, we would have to miss classes. They would allow you to turn your work in early or turn it in late. That was a skill set that you learned, to be able to communicate, stay in front of things so you don’t get in a big hole.”

Gingerich already had automotive sales experience before getting to college. He began working for his family’s dealership, McGonigal Buick Cadillac GMC, while still in high school. Rex’s father Ivan Gingerich, 95, is still one of the owners of McGonigal, having started working there in the late 1940s.

“He’s been officially employed there for 71 years,” said Rex Gingerich.

In 1991, Rex Gingerich participated in the General Motors Dealership Management Development program, which provides training and education on how to run a car dealership. He continued his dealership education in 1994 by attending the National Automobile Dealers Association’s “Dealer Candidate Academy.”

“That program really gave me the confidence to manage and operate and own a car dealership,” said Gingerich. “I bought my dad’s partner out in 1995. The degree from Purdue and my on-the-job training gave me the confidence to move forward.”

Gingerich bought three more dealerships over the next 25 years, purchasing the fourth one in 2020, the year that Chariot Automotive Group was formalized. “That’s our umbrella company that provides support to the dealership,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gingerich still maintains ties to the Boilermakers. He said he still stays in touch with “five or 10” teammates and mentioned that there is an alumni weekend every spring, “so you catch up with a lot more guys.” One of Gingerich’s teammates, Doug Schreiber, was the Purdue coach from 1998 to 2016.

There was also a second-generation Gingerich on the Boilermakers’ team. Wes Gingerich, Rex’s son, played for Purdue from 2020 to 2024.

“That was extremely gratifying,” said Rex Gingerich. Being able to do that in my career, to play there was such an awesome thing. Just to see your son be able to have that same kind of experience 40 years later, that’s another dream come true. To succeed and to thrive, continue to be the best version of himself, it’s pretty neat.”

“I grew up a big Purdue fan,” said Wes Gingerich. “It was my dream school to go and play there.” Wes said when he got offered, he was “super excited. I was just happy to make my dad proud and to follow in his footsteps.”

Wes Gingerich also played all four years at Purdue, graduating last May with a degree in selling and sales management.

“He played outfield,” said Rex Gingerich. “He was primarily center field, but he would play any position in outfield.”

Wes Gingerich had one more year of eligibility after graduating from Purdue, so he is currently playing as a graduate student at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., and participating in a one-year program called not-for-profit leadership.

Wes also returned to Purdue a few weeks ago to see his father speak and receive his award.

“I think it’s awesome,” said Wes Gingerich. “He loves Purdue and he loves baseball. It meant a lot to him to receive the award. It was good for him to think about his time playing and reflect on that. I enjoyed hearing him speak at the First Pitch dinner.”