UT Baseball Coach
Augie Garrido
Notes from Evan Smith
"At the risk of turning this show into the University of Texas Monthly Talks, let us take a moment to praise, yet again, a member of the Longhorn Athletic Department's coaching staff. No, not Mack Brown, though the head football coach deserves a doff of the helmet for leading his team to its second shot at the national championship in five years. No, not Rick Barnes, though the head basketball coach has built a squad that is every bit as good as any other in the country this year - and can credibly make a claim on a Final Four spot this March. No, not inspirational track coach Bev Kearney, or Olympic gold-worthy swim coach Eddie Reese. Today we're talking about someone whose superlatives are truly unmatched, not only by his UT peers but anywhere in the country, someone who has truly earned a place in the collegiate sports annals - and not just those covered in burnt orange. Augie Garrido, the head baseball coach at UT since 1996, is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division I baseball history and one of only two Division I coaches with more than 1,700 career victories. He is one of only three coaches in history to win five or more NCAA titles, the only coach with National Championship teams in four different decades, and the only coach in the modern era of NCAA football, baseball or men's or women's basketball to lead teams from two different schools to victory in the national title game. While the Vallejo, California, native had quite a distinguished career prior to UT, notably in a total of 21 years at Cal State Fullerton, where he won three national championships his tenure at UT, he has been pretty magnificent here on the Forty Acres. Two national titles, plus two second-place finishes. Five Big 12 Conference championships. Twice named National Coach of the Year. A 567-269 record over thirteen seasons. On top of all that, Augie, as everyone calls him, is a heck of a nice guy -- a zen master of sorts, full of life's wisdom; omeone who believes deeply in sports as metaphor, who believes that playing hard and honorably is more important than winning. In other words, he's the coach we all wish we played for. " - Evan Smith, Texas Monthly Talks, Broadcast 02.11.10