Cliff Gustafson Dies: In the United States, Cliff Gustafson (February 12, 1931 – January 2, 2023) was a high school and college baseball coach who led the Texas Longhorns for the University of Texas at Austin for a total of 29 seasons.
Kenedy, Texas, was where Gustafson was born and raised. He played collegiate baseball for the Texas Longhorns at the University of Texas at Austin. He was a member of the 1952 squad that won the Southwest Conference and advanced to the College World Series. When Gustafson graduated from college, he was ready to take his.308 hitting average to the next level in professional baseball.
Former Texas Baseball Coach Cliff Gustafson Dies At 91!
On Monday morning, the world lost Cliff Gustafson, the former baseball coach at the University of Texas and the all-time leader in collegiate baseball coaching victories. He was 91. At 4:50 a.m., with his daughters Jann and Jill by his side, Gustafson passed away peacefully from congestive heart failure.
Jann Gustafson Shepperd remarked, “He was incredibly distinctive and just the best parent.” From 1968 through 1996, Gustafson led Texas to two national championships and 1,466 victories. His replacement, the late Augie Garrido, and then a later coach at Florida State, Mike Martin, surpassed his win record.
Gustafson is now the eighth-best coach in Division I NCAA history and ranks fifteenth all-time. He still holds the record for the most significant winning percentage in Division I history (.792).
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Born in Kenedy on February 12, 1931, Gustafson became a successful high school baseball coach at South San Antonio, leading his team to six Class 3A state titles before accepting the Longhorns’ post and carrying on the traditions set by Bibb Falk and Billy Disch.
He was hired by Darrell Royal, the former head football coach and athletic director at the University of Tennessee, and he even took a pay cut to secure the job. Fans and players knew “Coach Gus,” as he was affectionately called, for his meticulous preparation and long intrasquad games that often went on into the sunset.
Fans everywhere treasured his No. 18 jersey. His Longhorn teams won 22 Southwest Conference Championships, and he was voted national coach of the year twice (1975, 1983). Texas won six national titles during his tenure as head coach.
Word is out now. Coach Gus. An amazing man passed peacefully this morning with his daughters by his side. A lot of young men lives were changed in the 3, 4, and sometimes more years they spent in his guidance. He will always have a place in my heart. RIP COACH GUS. #18forever pic.twitter.com/Jdul8fmwb3
— greg swindell (@GregSwindell) January 2, 2023
Gustafson played baseball for Texas as well, and he was a member of the 1952 team that went to the College World Series after winning the Southwest Conference. Even though he sat on the bench next to Falk while he was out for the season with an ankle injury, he still felt it was a valuable experience for his future as a coach.
More than 6,000 fans at UFCU Disch-Falk Field gave him a standing ovation when he witnessed Texas’ win over Air Force in the NCAA superregional in June. This was the only game he attended all of last season.
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Emma is a Master of Science candidate at the California Institute of Technology. Since approximately four years ago, she has been a freelance writer, producing content for newspapers, magazines, blogs, and the internet