- Cliff Gustafson
-
Cliff Gustafson is a former Texas high school & college baseball coach who was, for twenty-nine seasons, the head coach of The University of Texas at Austin Longhorn baseball team.
During this time he became the most successful head coach in NCAA Division I baseball history, a record relinquished in 2005 to his successor as UT baseball head coach, Augie Garrido.
Gustafson, born February 12, 1931, is a native of Kenedy, Texas. He played baseball at UT, including the 1952 team that won the Southwest Conference championship and reached the College World Series. Gustafson posted a .308 batting average for his collegiate career.
Contents
Coaching career
South San Antonio High School
After briefly playing baseball professionally, Gustafson coached at South San Antonio High School for fourteen seasons, winning seven Texas State championships.
The University of Texas
In 1968, after hanging up initially on University of Texas football coach & athletic director, Darrell Royal (Gustafson thought it was a prank phone call) Gustafson took a pay cut to coach the baseball team at The University of Texas at Austin. While there, he led the Longhorns to twenty-two [Southwest Conference] Championships, a record seventeen College World Series appearances, and two national championships in baseball 1975 and 1983.
Many of Gustafson's players went on to play Major League Baseball. Among that group are Jim Acker, Billy Bates, Mike Brumley, Mike Capel, Roger Clemens, Dennis Cook, Scott Coolbaugh, Keith Creel, Kirk Dressendorfer, Ron Gardenhire, Jim Gideon, Jerry Don Gleaton, Burt Hooton, Bob Kearney, Brooks Kieschnick, Keith Moreland, Calvin Murray, Spike Owen, Karl Pagel, Mark Petkovsek, Shane Reynolds, Andre Robertson, Bruce Ruffin, Calvin Schiraldi, J.D. Smart, Greg Swindell, Jose Tolentino, Richard Wortham, and Ricky Wright.
Gustafson retired in 1996 and was finally inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. He was named National Coach of the Year in baseball in 1982 and 1983. He was also named an inaugural member of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
In 1999 Gustafson sued UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds claiming Dodds used a falsified financial document to help force the coach's resignation.[1] A judge dismissed the lawsuit.[2]
After coaching
Since his retirement, Gustafson, divides his time between his home in southwest Austin, Texas and his ranch in Cameron, Texas, northeast of Austin.
Head coaching record
Year School Overall
RecordSWC
RecordNotes 1968 Texas 23-11 12-4 SWC Champion
CWS Appearance1969 Texas 40-6 14-2 SWC Champion
CWS Appearance1970 Texas 45-8 14-1 SWC Champion
CWS Appearance1971 Texas 35-11 15-3 SWC Champion 1972 Texas 50-9 12-6 SWC Champion
CWS Appearance1973 Texas 50-7 15-3 SWC Champion
CWS Appearance1974 Texas 54-8 20-4 SWC Champion
CWS Appearance1975 Texas 59-6 23-1 SWC Champion
National Champions1976 Texas 48-16 19-5 SWC Champion 1977 Texas 53-10 17-7 1978 Texas 36-17 12-12 1979 Texas 61-8 22-2 SWC Champion
SWC Tournament Champion
CWS Appearance1980 Texas 53-13 18-6 SWC Champion
SWC Tournament Champion1981 Texas 62-11-1 16-5 SWC Champion
SWC Tournament Champion
CWS Appearance1982 Texas 59-7 12-4 SWC Champion
SWC Tournament Champion
CWS Appearance1983 Texas 66-14 18-3 SWC Champion
SWC Tournament Champion
National Champions1984 Texas 60-14 16-5 SWC Champion
SWC Tournament Champion
CWS Appearance
National Runner-Up1985 Texas 64-14 16-5 SWC Champion
CWS Appearance
National Runner-Up1986 Texas 51-14 16-5 SWC Champion 1987 Texas 61-11 18-3 SWC Champion
SWC Tournament Champion
CWS Appearance1988 Texas 58-11-1 18-2-1 SWC Champion
SWC Tournament Champion1989 Texas 54-18 14-7 CWS Appearance
National Runner-Up1990 Texas 51-17 15-5 SWC Tournament Champion 1991 Texas 48-19 14-7 SWC Champion
SWC Tournament Champion1992 Texas 48-17 28-8 SWC Champion
CWS Appearance1993 Texas 51-16 11-7 CWS Appearance 1994 Texas 43-21 9-9 SWC Tournament Champion 1995 Texas 44-19 14-10 1996 Texas 39-24 17-7 SWC Champion TOTALS 1466-377-2 472-151-1 22 SWC Championships
11 SWC Tournament Championships
NCAA Record 17 CWS Appearances
2 National ChampionshipsAchievements
National Championships: 1975, 1983
SWC Championships: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996
SWC Tournament Championships: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994
Collegiate Career Record: (1968–1996): 1466-377-2 (.795)
NCAA Tournament Record: 122-55 (.689)
National Coach of the Year: 1982, 1983
College World Series Appearances: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1993
Coached 35 First Team All Americans, 12 Second Team All Americans, and 9 Third Team All Americans
Inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Named an inaugural member of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Gustafson's Longhorns had a 39-0 record against minor league & semi-pro teams in exhibitions.
Trivia
- Superstitiously ate peanut butter & crackers before games
- Thinking it was a prank call, Coach Gustafson hung up the phone on Darrell Royal, when the then UT football coach & athletic director called him to offer him the job as baseball coach for The University.
- Gustafson's Longhorns played the Texas Rangers four years going 0-4 in exhibitions.
See also
- List of college baseball coaches with 1,000 wins
References
- ^ "UT's Dodds seeks to dismiss lawsuit". August 20, 1999. http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/082099/sta_LD0627.001.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
- ^ "Deron Gustafson Passes Away At 46". January 4, 2008. http://www.kbtx.com/sports/headlines/13060742.html. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
Texas Longhorn head baseball coaches F. Weikart (1897) • A. C. Ellis (1898–1899) • Maurice Gordon Clarke (1900) • A. C. Ellis (1901–1903) • Ralph Hutchinson (1904–1906) • H. R. Schenker (1907) • Brooks Gordon (1908) • A .C. Ellis (1909) • C. A. Keith (1910) • Billy Disch (1911–1939) • Bibb Falk (1940–1942) • Blair Cherry (1943–1945) • Bibb Falk (1946–1967) • Cliff Gustafson (1968–1996) • Augie Garrido (1997– )
Categories:- Texas Longhorns baseball coaches
- Texas Longhorns baseball players
- People from Austin, Texas
- 1931 births
- Living people
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