Cliff Gustafson 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.
During this time he became the most successful head coach in NCAA Division I baseball history, a record relinquished in 2005 to his successor as UT baseball head coach, Augie Garrido.
Gustafson, born February 12, 1931, 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.
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After briefly playing baseball professionally, Gustafson coached at South San Antonio High School for fourteen seasons, winning seven Texas State championships.
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, and two national championships in baseball 1975 and 1983.
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 retired in 1996 and was finally inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. He was named National Coach of the Year in baseball in 1982 and 1983. He was also named an inaugural member of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Since his retirement, Gustafson, divides his time between his home in southwest Austin, Texas and his ranch in Cameron, Texas, northeast of Austin.
| Year | School | Overall Record |
SWC Record |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Texas | 23-11 | 12-4 | SWC Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1969 | Texas | 40-6 | 14-2 | SWC Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1970 | Texas | 45-8 | 14-1 | SWC Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1971 | Texas | 35-11 | 15-3 | SWC Champion |
| 1972 | Texas | 50-9 | 12-6 | SWC Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1973 | Texas | 50-7 | 15-3 | SWC Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1974 | Texas | 54-8 | 20-4 | SWC Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1975 | Texas | 59-6 | 23-1 | SWC Champion National Champions |
| 1976 | Texas | 48-16 | 19-5 | SWC Champion |
| 1977 | Texas | 53-10 | 17-7 | |
| 1978 | Texas | 36-17 | 12-12 | |
| 1979 | Texas | 61-8 | 22-2 | SWC Champion SWC Tournament Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1980 | Texas | 53-13 | 18-6 | SWC Champion SWC Tournament Champion |
| 1981 | Texas | 62-11-1 | 16-5 | SWC Champion SWC Tournament Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1982 | Texas | 59-7 | 12-4 | SWC Champion SWC Tournament Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1983 | Texas | 66-14 | 18-3 | SWC Champion SWC Tournament Champion National Champions |
| 1984 | Texas | 60-14 | 16-5 | SWC Champion SWC Tournament Champion CWS Appearance National Runner-Up |
| 1985 | Texas | 64-14 | 16-5 | SWC Champion CWS Appearance National Runner-Up |
| 1986 | Texas | 51-14 | 16-5 | SWC Champion |
| 1987 | Texas | 61-11 | 18-3 | SWC Champion SWC Tournament Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1988 | Texas | 58-11-1 | 18-2-1 | SWC Champion SWC Tournament Champion |
| 1989 | Texas | 54-18 | 14-7 | CWS Appearance National Runner-Up |
| 1990 | Texas | 51-17 | 15-5 | SWC Tournament Champion |
| 1991 | Texas | 48-19 | 14-7 | SWC Champion SWC Tournament Champion |
| 1992 | Texas | 48-17 | 28-8 | SWC Champion CWS Appearance |
| 1993 | Texas | 51-16 | 11-7 | CWS Appearance |
| 1994 | Texas | 43-21 | 9-9 | SWC Tournament Champion |
| 1995 | Texas | 44-19 | 14-10 | |
| 1996 | Texas | 39-24 | 17-7 | SWC Champion |
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1466-377-2 | 472-151-1 | 22 SWC Championships 11 SWC Tournament Championships NCAA Record 17 CWS Appearances 2 National Championships |
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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.
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