Cliff Gustafson
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 . | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 12, 1931 Kenedy, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | January 2, 2023 (aged 91) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1952 | Texas |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1953–1967 | South San Antonio (TX) HS |
| 1968–1996 | Texas |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 1,466–377–2 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
| College Baseball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Clifford L. Gustafson (February 12, 1931 – January 2, 2023) was an American high school and college baseball coach who was, for twenty-nine seasons, the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, representing the University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
[edit]Gustafson was a native of Kenedy, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns, 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 in 1953.[1]
Coaching career
[edit]South San Antonio High School
[edit]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 seven times: 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966,1967.[2]
The University of Texas
[edit]In 1968, after hanging up initially on University of Texas football coach and athletic director Darrell Royal, thinking 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 22 Southwest Conference Championships, a record 17 College World Series appearances, with finals appearances resulting in national championships in 1975 and 1983.[3]
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 has been inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor (1983),[4] American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1992)[5] and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1994).[6] He was named National Coach of the Year in baseball in 1983 by Collegiate Baseball[7] and awarded the 1998 James Keller Sportsmanship Award.[8] He was also an inaugural member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.[9]
Gustafson resigned in July 1996 amid a dispute regarding the financial arrangement related to his summer baseball camp.[10][11]
Head coaching record
[edit]| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas Longhorns[12] (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 | |||||||||
After coaching
[edit]Until his death, Gustafson resided at his home in Austin, Texas.
Gustafson died on January 2, 2023, at the age of 91.[13][7]
Achievements
[edit]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.
Gustafson was never ejected from the game while coaching the Longhorns.[14][15]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Cliff Gustafson Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Finger, Mike (June 15, 2015). "Gustafson built baseball dynasty at South San". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "NCAA Division I Baseball Championship History". NCAA.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "University of Texas Hall of Honor: Cliff Gustafson". texassports.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "American Baseball Coaches Association: Cliff Gustafson". abcahalloffame.org. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "Texas Sports Hall of Fame: Cliff Gustafson". tshofinductees.org. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ a b Howe, Jeff (January 2, 2023). "Cliff Gustafson, coach of two Texas baseball national championship teams, dies at 91". 247Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ "Texas Baseball History: Academic Honors". texassports.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "College Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees". College Baseball Hall of Fame.
- ^ Halliburton, Suzanne (July 17, 1996). "UT investigating summer baseball camp". Austin American-Statesman. p. 1.
- ^ "Texas Coach Quits After Audit". August 2, 1996. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Texas Year-By-Year Results"
- ^ Davis, Kirk; Bohls, Danny (January 2, 2023). "Legendary Texas Longhorns baseball coach Cliff Gustafson dies at 91". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Cantu, Rick (January 13, 2023). "Former Texas coach Cliff Gustafson remembered as baseball icon, family man, music lover". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Kurkjian, Tim (May 2, 1994). "Cliff Gustafson". Sports Illustrated.
. | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 12, 1931 Kenedy, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | January 2, 2023 (aged 91) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1952 | Texas |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1953–1967 | South San Antonio (TX) HS |
| 1968–1996 | Texas |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 1,466–377–2 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
| College Baseball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Clifford L. Gustafson (February 12, 1931 – January 2, 2023) was an American high school and college baseball coach who was, for twenty-nine seasons, the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, representing the University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
Gustafson was a native of Kenedy, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns, 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 in 1953.[1]
Coaching career
South San Antonio High School
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 seven times: 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966,1967.[2]
The University of Texas
In 1968, after hanging up initially on University of Texas football coach and athletic director Darrell Royal, thinking 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 22 Southwest Conference Championships, a record 17 College World Series appearances, with finals appearances resulting in national championships in 1975 and 1983.[3]
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 has been inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor (1983),[4] American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1992)[5] and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1994).[6] He was named National Coach of the Year in baseball in 1983 by Collegiate Baseball[7] and awarded the 1998 James Keller Sportsmanship Award.[8] He was also an inaugural member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.[9]
Gustafson resigned in July 1996 amid a dispute regarding the financial arrangement related to his summer baseball camp.[10][11]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas Longhorns[12] (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 | |||||||||
After coaching
Until his death, Gustafson resided at his home in Austin, Texas.
Gustafson died on January 2, 2023, at the age of 91.[13][7]
Achievements
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.
Gustafson was never ejected from the game while coaching the Longhorns.[14][15]
See also
References
- ^ "Cliff Gustafson Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Finger, Mike (June 15, 2015). "Gustafson built baseball dynasty at South San". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "NCAA Division I Baseball Championship History". NCAA.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "University of Texas Hall of Honor: Cliff Gustafson". texassports.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "American Baseball Coaches Association: Cliff Gustafson". abcahalloffame.org. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "Texas Sports Hall of Fame: Cliff Gustafson". tshofinductees.org. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ a b Howe, Jeff (January 2, 2023). "Cliff Gustafson, coach of two Texas baseball national championship teams, dies at 91". 247Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ "Texas Baseball History: Academic Honors". texassports.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "College Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees". College Baseball Hall of Fame.
- ^ Halliburton, Suzanne (July 17, 1996). "UT investigating summer baseball camp". Austin American-Statesman. p. 1.
- ^ "Texas Coach Quits After Audit". August 2, 1996. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Texas Year-By-Year Results"
- ^ Davis, Kirk; Bohls, Danny (January 2, 2023). "Legendary Texas Longhorns baseball coach Cliff Gustafson dies at 91". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Cantu, Rick (January 13, 2023). "Former Texas coach Cliff Gustafson remembered as baseball icon, family man, music lover". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ Kurkjian, Tim (May 2, 1994). "Cliff Gustafson". Sports Illustrated.