Titan Baseball Coach Resigns for Texas Job

Augie Garrido, who built Cal State Fullerton into a college baseball power with three national championships in 21 seasons, resigned Wednesday to become head baseball coach at the University of Texas.

Garrido said there were few jobs that could have lured him away, but Texas--with a rich baseball tradition and outstanding facilities--was one of them.

Garrido said he will sign a multiyear contract, expected to pay about $200,000 a year, including fringe benefits. Garrido’s annual base salary at Fullerton was slightly less than $100,000, but that did not include endorsements and his summer baseball camp.

Garrido accepted what he called a “really exciting challenge” to replace Cliff Gustafson, who announced his retirement after 29 years at Texas a month ago.

Garrido, 58, ranks third among active coaches with 1,152 career victories. His Fullerton teams won national championships in 1979, 1984 and 1995, and 15 conference titles.

Garrido and former USC Coach Rod Dedeaux are the only coaches to win national championships in three decades.

Fullerton has reached the College World Series in Omaha three times in the last five years. But regarding Texas, Garrido said: “They’re ready to continue moving forward with [improving] their facilities, and they’re moving into the new Big 12 Conference.

“I think that really will be challenging. The opportunity and the challenge at Texas are a big part of it.”

Garrido’s associate head coach, George Horton, has said he plans to remain at Fullerton and is expected to be the top candidate to replace Garrido. Horton, 41, coached Cerritos College for six years with a 226-53 record, including three California community college championships.

“A part of me feeling so good about all this right now is that I feel George would make a great head coach for Fullerton,” Garrido said. “He’s definitely ready for it.”

A university spokesman said Fullerton would follow normal hiring procedures, and that the job would be advertised nationally.

“We are sorry to see Augie go, but we wish him well,” Fullerton Athletic Director John Easterbrook said. “He has done a great job of coaching and building a nationally prominent program.”

Said University President Milton A. Gordon: “Augie’s greatest success is clearly his baseball players, who have learned the lifelong skills of teamwork, selflessness and discipline from him.”

Seven of Garrido’s players have been first-round selections in baseball’s annual amateur draft, and outfielder Mark Kotsay, a member of the U.S. Olympic team, was the ninth pick overall this year by the Florida Marlins. Former Fullerton players Tim Wallach and Phil Nevin, along with Kotsay, have won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s top amateur player.

“This all happened unexpectedly, as far as I’m concerned,” Garrido said, who did not apply for the job but was recommended by the Texas search committee.

Gustafson, the winningest coach in Division I college baseball and a longtime friend of Garrido, announced his retirement after questions were raised about finances involving the school’s summer baseball camps. Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds learned that an unauthorized bank account was being maintained in connection with the baseball camps, violating school policy.

Gustafson, 65, also had come under criticism in Texas in recent years when the program failed to measure up to past success. Texas won national championships in 1975 and 1993 and reached the College World Series 17 times under Gustafson.

At Fullerton, Garrido had expressed concerns that Titan Field was not up to standards to be considered as a site for an NCAA regional tournament, but Garrido said Wednesday he had been assured that Gordon and Easterbrook are committed to those improvements.

Texas, however, has consistently been host to NCAA regional tournaments at Disch-Falk Field, which has a seating capacity of more than 7,000.

“I think Fullerton is going to continue to move forward,” Garrido said. “President Gordon has accepted the responsibility to complete the stadium, and baseball has become a priority. There’s probably less need for me there now than there was before.”

Garrido said the circumstances are “much different now” than when he left Fullerton in 1987 to become head coach at Illinois.

“When I went to Illinois, I thought the Fullerton program was dead in the water,” Garrido said. “At that point, I thought it was going backward because of the inconsistency in the commitment to baseball then, but this is just the opposite. I think the future is bright now for Fullerton baseball, and it will reach its full potential.”

Garrido coached at Illinois three years, with his teams winning two Big Ten championships. He returned to Fullerton when his successor, Larry Cochell, became coach at Oklahoma.

Garrido said he is excited about Texas’ commitment to baseball as it joins the new Big 12 Conference next year. The Southwest Conference disbanded after this year, with Texas and three other Southwest schools merging with the old Big Eight Conference.

“I think this new conference is going to be one of the best in the country,” Garrido said. He said he was assured by Dodds that baseball will continue to be a priority at Texas.

Garrido said the most difficult aspect of moving will be leaving Southern California, his friends and associations at Fullerton.

“That’s the tough part,” Garrido said. “But I’ve been to Austin a lot, and I like it a lot. But I’ve developed a lot of meaningful relationships at Fullerton, and in the area, and I’ll miss that.”

* TEXAS HOOKS AUGIE: Money and a new conference helped get Garrido to Texas. C1

* COVERAGE: C4

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Titan’s Legacy

Here’s a look at the coaching career of Cal State Fullerton’s Augie Garrido, who became baseball coach at Texas on Wednesday.

Year: School (Record)

1969: San Francisco State (25-14)

1970: Cal Poly SLO (15-33)

1971: (39-11-1)

1972: (31-18)

1973: Cal State Fullerton (19-33-1)

1974: (37-17)

1975: (36-16-1)

1976: (48-15)

1977: (44-14)

1978: (44-13)

1979: (60-14-1*)

1980: (49-18-1)

1981: (47-18)

1982: (51-23)

1983: (50-21-1)

1984: (66-20*)

1985: (36-32-1)

1986: (36-21)

1887: (44-17)

1988: Illinois (26-20)

1989: Illinois (42-16)

1990: Illinois (43-21)

1991: Cal State Fullerton (34-22)

1992: (46-17)

1993: (33-17)

1994: (47-16)

1995: (57-9*)

1996: (45-16)

1,150-522-7

* Won national championship

****

Titans In the Majors

Nineteen players from Cal State Fullerton have reached the majors since Augie Garrido became coach:

Player: Teams

Dan Boone: Angels, Padres

Dan Whitmer: Angels, Blue Jays

Tim Wallach: Expos, Dodgers, Angels

Jeff Robinson: Giants, Pirates, Yankees, Angels, Cubs

Andre David: Twins

John Christensen: Mets, Red Sox, Mariners, Twins

Greg Mathews: Cardinals

Bill Moore: Expos

Mike Harkey: Cubs, Rockies, Angels, Athletics

Mike Schooler: Mariners, Rangers

Shane Turner: Phillies

John Fishel: Astros, Yankees

Kevin Reimer: Rangers, Brewers

Dan Howitt: Athletics

Larry Casian: Twins

Andy Mota: Astros

Jose Mota: Padres

Gary Buckels: Cardinals

Phil Nevin: Astros, Tigers

Source: Cal State Fullerton