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Legendary college baseball coach Augie Garrido dies at 79

Liz Roscher
Staff writer
Augie Garrido, the winningest college baseball coach in history, died on Thursday at 79. (AP)
Augie Garrido, the winningest college baseball coach in history, died on Thursday at 79. (AP)

Legendary baseball coach Augie Garrido has died at age 79 following a stroke, the University of Texas announced Thursday.

Augie Garrido might not be the most familiar name outside of Texas or college baseball, but he was an icon. His baseball career spanned six decades and included a stint at California State University, Fullerton, where he helped build the foundation that would turn that program into a college baseball powerhouse. But Garrido is best known for his time at Texas. He coached the Longhorns for 20 years, and became the winningest coach in college baseball history. He retired in 2016 with a record 1,975 wins and five national championships.

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His records are only a small part of his legacy. During his 20 years as the Longhorns’ coach, he made his mark on every student who played for him. A number of them have made it to the majors, and some are still playing. Cameron Rupp of the Philadelphia Phillies is a former Longhorn, as is Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants and Corey Knebel of the Milwaukee Brewers. Huston Street, who is a free agent right now, is also an alumnus of Garrido’s baseball program, and he tweeted a very touching tribute to his former coach.

Roger Clemens also went to Texas, and while he never played under Garrido, he had emotional words about the passing of the great coach.

More condolences were shared after the news of Garrido’s death became public. Garrido touched the lives of many, including writers who covered college baseball and players who faced the Longhorns. No one was shy about what Augie meant to them.

As a coach, Garrido had an impact on many people, and on college baseball as a whole. He left college baseball better than when he found it, which means he’ll never be forgotten.

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Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher