Cliff Gustafson
{{Short description|American baseball coach (1931–2023)}}
{{sources|date=February 2007}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Cliff Gustafson
|image=Cliff Gustafson.jpg
| alt =
| caption = .
| current_title =
| current_team =
| current_conference =
| current_record =
| contract =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1931|2|12}}
| birth_place = Kenedy, Texas, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|1|2|1931|2|12}}
| death_place = Austin, Texas, U.S.
| player_years1 = 1952
| player_team1 = Texas
| player_positions =
| coach_years1 = 1953–1967
| coach_team1 = South San Antonio (TX) HS
| coach_years2 = 1968–1996
| coach_team2 = Texas
| overall_record = 1,466–377–2 (college)
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record =
| championships =
- 2× College World Series (1975, 1983)
- 22× SWC Regular season Champion (1968–1976, 1979–1988, 1991, 1992, 1996)
- 11× SWC Tournament champion (1979–1984, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994)
| awards =
- 1982 National Coach of the Year
- 1983 Collegiate Baseball Coach of the Year
- 1983 University of Texas Hall of Honor
- 1992 ABCA Hall of Fame
- 1994 Texas Sports Hall of Fame
- 1998 James Keller Sportsmanship Award
| coaching_records =
| CBASEHOF_year = 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.
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.{{cite news |url=https://www.expressnews.com/150years/military-sports/article/Gustafson-built-baseball-dynasty-at-South-San-6328622.php |title=Gustafson built baseball dynasty at South San |first=Mike |last=Finger |date=June 15, 2015 |work=San Antonio Express-News |access-date=June 18, 2021}}
= The University of Texas =
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, with finals appearances resulting in two national championships in 1975 and 1983.{{cite web |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2021-06-18/2021-ncaa-college-baseball-bracket-printable-college-world-series-bracket-pdf |title=NCAA Division I Baseball Championship History |website=NCAA.com |access-date=June 18, 2021}}
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. Coach Gustafson has been inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor (1983),{{cite web |url=https://texassports.com/honors/hall-of-honor/cliff-gustafson/633 |title=University of Texas Hall of Honor: Cliff Gustafson |website=texassports.com |access-date=June 18, 2021}} American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1992){{cite web |url=http://www.abcahalloffame.org/inductees/1992_gustafson_cliff?view=bio |title=American Baseball Coaches Association: Cliff Gustafson |website=abcahalloffame.org |access-date=June 18, 2021}} and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1994).{{cite web |url=https://www.tshofinductees.org/product-page/cliff-gustafson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810160108/https://www.tshofinductees.org/product-page/cliff-gustafson |url-status=usurped |archive-date=August 10, 2020 |title=Texas Sports Hall of Fame: Cliff Gustafson |website=tshofinductees.org |access-date=June 18, 2021}} He was named National Coach of the Year in baseball in 1983{{cn|date=June 2022}} and awarded the 1998 James Keller Sportsmanship Award.{{cite web |url=https://texassports.com/story.aspx?filename=120407aac_388&file_date=12/4/2007 |title=Texas Baseball History: Academic Honors |website=texassports.com |access-date=June 18, 2021}} He was also named an inaugural member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/college-baseball-hall-of-fame/class-of-2006 |title=2006 College Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees |website=MLB.com |access-date=June 18, 2021}}
He resigned in July 1996 amid a dispute regarding the financial arrangement related to https://www.newspapers.com/image/356800885/his summer baseball camp.{{cite web |url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/u-of-texas-coach-quits-after-audit/ |title=Texas Coach Quits After Audit |access-date=June 6, 2024}}
Head coaching record
{{CBB yearly record start | type = coach }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = University of Texas Longhorns[https://texassports.com/documents/2018/4/23//Texas_Baseball_Year_by_Year_Results.pdf?id=12058 "Texas Year-By-Year Results"]
| conference= Southwest Conference
| startyear = 1968
| endyear = 1996
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1968
| name = Texas
| overall = 23–11
| conference = 12–4
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1969
| name = Texas
| overall = 40–6
| conference = 14–2
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1970
| name = Texas
| overall = 45–8
| conference = 14–1
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1971
| name = Texas
| overall = 35–11
| conference = 15–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1972
| name = Texas
| overall = 50–9
| conference = 12–6
| confstanding = T-1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1973
| name = Texas
| overall = 50–7
| conference = 15–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1974
| name = Texas
| overall = 54–8
| conference = 20–4
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = national
| season = 1975
| name = Texas
| overall = 59–6
| conference = 23–1
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series champions
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1976
| name = Texas
| overall = 48–16
| conference = 19–5
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship =
| season = 1977
| name = Texas
| overall = 53–10
| conference = 17–7
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship =
| season = 1978
| name = Texas
| overall = 36–17
| conference = 12–12
| confstanding = 5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 1979
| name = Texas
| overall = 61–8
| conference = 22–2
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 1980
| name = Texas
| overall = 53–13
| conference = 18–6
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 1981
| name = Texas
| overall = 62–11–1
| conference = 16–5
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 1982
| name = Texas
| overall = 59–7
| conference = 12–4
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = national
| season = 1983
| name = Texas
| overall = 66–14
| conference = 18–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series champions
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 1984
| name = Texas
| overall = 60–14
| conference = 16–5
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series Runner-Up
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1985
| name = Texas
| overall = 64–14
| conference = 16–5
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series Runner-Up
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1986
| name = Texas
| overall = 51–14
| conference = 16–5
| confstanding = T-1st
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 1987
| name = Texas
| overall = 61–11
| conference = 18–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 1988
| name = Texas
| overall = 58–11–1
| conference = 18–2–1
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship =
| season = 1989
| name = Texas
| overall = 54–18
| conference = 14–7
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason = College World Series Runner-Up
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference tournament
| season = 1990
| name = Texas
| overall = 51–17
| conference = 15–5
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 1991
| name = Texas
| overall = 48–19
| conference = 14–7
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1992
| name = Texas
| overall = 48–17
| conference = 28–8
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship =
| season = 1993
| name = Texas
| overall = 51–16
| conference = 11–7
| confstanding = T-2nd
| postseason = College World Series
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference tournament
| season = 1994
| name = Texas
| overall = 43–21
| conference = 9–9
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship =
| season = 1995
| name = Texas
| overall = 44–19
| conference = 14–10
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1996
| name = Texas
| overall = 39–24
| conference = 17–7
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA Regional
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name = Texas
| overall = {{winpct|1466|377|2|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{winpct|472|151|1|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB yearly record end
| overall = 1,466–377–2 ({{winpct|1466|377|2}})
}}
After coaching
Until his death, Gustafson resided at his home in Austin, Texas.
Gustafson died on January 2, 2023, at the age of 91.[https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/college/2023/01/02/legendary-longhorn-baseball-coach-cliff-gustafson-dies-at-91/69771103007/ Legendary Longhorn baseball coach Cliff Gustafson dies at 91]
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.
In his 1,466 Longhorn games, as coach, Gustafson was never ejected from the game.
See also
{{Portal|Baseball}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Texas Longhorns baseball coach navbox}}
{{1975 Texas Longhorns baseball}}
{{1983 Texas Longhorns baseball}}
{{National College Baseball Hall of Fame}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gustafson, Cliff}}
Category:Texas Longhorns baseball coaches
Category:Texas Longhorns baseball players
Category:High school baseball coaches in the United States
Category:National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
Category:People from Kenedy, Texas
Category:Baseball coaches from Texas