John Lewis is 63 years old and wants to spend more time with his four grandchildren.

He's found a way to do it.

Lewis confirmed Monday he's retiring as the head baseball coach at Kirkwood Community College after 32 years, four trips to the junior college World Series and 1,095 victories.

"Reflecting back, it was a great run," he said. "I guess I spent half my life at Kirkwood."

Lewis was an assistant coach at Kirkwood for one season in 1979, then became the head coach in 1980. He's been at the helm ever since, cranking out successful teams on a regular basis.

"He worked hard to get everybody to play at their best level," Xavier baseball coach Dave Schemmel remarked. "I'm impressed with the consistency with which his teams played. Season-in, season-out, they're always at the top."

The Eagles finished second at the NJCAA Division II World Series in 1995, placed third in 1998, finished fifth in 1999, placed eighth in 1993 and won numerous conference titles.

Former assistant coach Gordy Nordgren, now an assistant at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, said his best memories of his time coaching with Lewis were the trips the Eagles made to the national tournament.

"Second in the nation in '95 was probably the most fun I've ever had coaching," Nordgren said. "We lost the first game and then we rolled five or six straight and then we lost the championship. That was a lot of fun."

Lewis was the Iowa Junior College Coach of the Year six times, the Regional Coach of the Year four times and was inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January.

"I feel fortunate," he said. "We've had a lot of good kids go through the program."

Willie Collazo and Wes Obermueller played for Lewis on their path to the Major Leagues. He also sent numerous players to NCAA Division I schools and other four-year colleges.

Darren Lewis played baseball for his father at Kirkwood. Both of Lewis' sons, Darren and Jeremy, helped their father coach the Eagles through the years.

Lewis retires with an overall record of 1,095 wins and 589 losses. He was No.7 among active junior college coaches in total victories when the 2011 campaign began.

Kirkwood finished 32-26 this season. Lewis debated whether to retire or not, saying for weeks it was 50-50, before finally deciding to call it a career. His wife, Sandy, also has retired, which played an important role in his decision.

"Kirkwood and the administration gave me an opportunity way back," he said. "I feel fortunate that they gave me that opportunity. I thank them for that and for giving me the resources to do what I did."

Kirkwood is conducting a national search for a successor. Lewis thinks two of his long-time assistant coaches, Brian Miller and Casey Pauli, are qualified for the job.

Lewis said all of Kirkwood's returning players and all of the new recruits have been informed of his decision. Michael Rooney of Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Ben Larison of Linn-Mar and Blake Helms of Xavier have been planning to play for the Eagles next season.

"I'm still going there for sure," Rooney said. "The assistants are still there and I like them a lot."

Rooney's father, Randy, said Lewis had told the family during the recruiting process that he may be retiring in the near future.

"I'm sure it just hit (Lewis) that it was the right choice," Michael Rooney said. "I'm sure he'll miss it ... I almost expected it. I thought it might be next year, maybe, but not this year."

Lewis said it appears all of the returning players and new recruits will stick with the program. "Everybody is pretty much staying in place," he said.