Cliff Gustafson (born February 12, 1931) 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.
![]() | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (February 2007) |
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | (1931-02-12) February 12, 1931 (age 91) Kenedy, Texas |
Playing career | |
1952 | University of Texas |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1953-1967 | South San Antonio High School |
1968-1996 | University of Texas |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 1,466-377-2 (college) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
| |
Awards | |
| |
College Baseball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Gustafson, 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 and went on to play professional baseball.
After briefly playing baseball professionally, Gustafson embarked on a successful 14 year high school coaching career that began in 1953 at South San Antonio High School in San Antonio, Texas. During his 14 seasons at South San, Gustafson’s teams won the Class 3A State Championships an impressive six times: 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967.[1]
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, with finals appearances resulting in two national championships in 1975 and 1983.[2]
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. Coach Gustafson has been inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor (1983),[3] American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1992)[4] and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1994).[5] He was named National Coach of the Year in baseball in 1983[citation needed] and awarded the 1998 James Keller Sportsmanship Award.[6] He was also named an inaugural member of National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.[7]
Gustafson resides at his home is Austin, Texas. He enjoys spending time with his family and continues to proudly support The University of Texas Longhorns.
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Texas Longhorns[8] (Southwest Conference) (1968–1996) | |||||||||
1968 | Texas | 23-11 | 12-4 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
1969 | Texas | 40-6 | 14-2 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
1970 | Texas | 45-8 | 14-1 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
1971 | Texas | 35-11 | 15-3 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
1972 | Texas | 50-9 | 12-6 | T-1st | College World Series | ||||
1973 | Texas | 50-7 | 15-3 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
1974 | Texas | 54-8 | 20-4 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
1975 | Texas | 59-6 | 23-1 | 1st | College World Series Champions | ||||
1976 | Texas | 48-16 | 19-5 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
1977 | Texas | 53-10 | 17-7 | 2nd | |||||
1978 | Texas | 36-17 | 12-12 | 5th | |||||
1979 | Texas | 61-8 | 22-2 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
1980 | Texas | 53-13 | 18-6 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
1981 | Texas | 62-11-1 | 16-5 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
1982 | Texas | 59-7 | 12-4 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
1983 | Texas | 66-14 | 18-3 | 1st | College World Series Champions | ||||
1984 | Texas | 60-14 | 16-5 | 1st | College World Series Runner-Up | ||||
1985 | Texas | 64-14 | 16-5 | 1st | College World Series Runner-Up | ||||
1986 | Texas | 51-14 | 16-5 | T-1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
1987 | Texas | 61-11 | 18-3 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
1988 | Texas | 58-11-1 | 18-2-1 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
1989 | Texas | 54-18 | 14-7 | 3rd | College World Series Runner-Up | ||||
1990 | Texas | 51-17 | 15-5 | 2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
1991 | Texas | 48-19 | 14-7 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
1992 | Texas | 48-17 | 28-8 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
1993 | Texas | 51-16 | 11-7 | T-2nd | College World Series | ||||
1994 | Texas | 43-21 | 9-9 | 4th | NCAA Regional | ||||
1995 | Texas | 44-19 | 14-10 | 4th | NCAA Regional | ||||
1996 | Texas | 39-24 | 17-7 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
Texas: | 1466–377–2 (.795) | 472–151–1 (.757) | |||||||
Total: | 1,466-377-2 (.795) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
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.
Texas Longhorns head baseball coaches | |
---|---|
|
Texas Longhorns 1975 College World Series champions | |
---|---|
| |
| |
|
Texas Longhorns 1983 College World Series champions | |
---|---|
| |
| |
|