Rice University announced Wednesday that longtime former head baseball coach Wayne Graham died Tuesday at his home in Austin, Texas, at the age of 88.
Graham took over as head coach in 1992, and until then, Rice had never won a conference championship. By the time Graham retired after the 2018 season, the Owls had won 18 regular-season conference championships, made the NCAA Tournament every year from 1995 to 2017, and made the College World Series seven times, winning the whole thing in 2003. Graham was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Additionally, Graham is one of just 71 coaches in college baseball history to win at least 1,100 games and one of just 41 to do it all at the same school. He is also credited with developing Rice’s Olde English “R” logo, which was first used only in baseball and eventually adopted by the university for all athletic events.
Current Rice head coach and longtime major leaguer Jose Cruz Jr, who played for Graham from 1992-95 mourned the loss in a statement released by the school.
“I am deeply sorry to hear about the passing of a man who had a significant impact on my life. His encouragement to push us beyond any and all limits has been a valuable lesson that I carry with me and strive to apply as I follow in his footsteps. The example of being committed to greatness no matter what others thought was possible was evident here at Rice, and his accomplishments here are and will always be a source of joy for all Owls. He will always be celebrated, remembered, and missed. Rest in peace, Coach Wayne Graham. My heartfelt condolences to Tanya and the family.”
Cruz was one of nineteen first-round picks drafted under Graham’s teaching, along with Lance Berkman, Matt Anderson, Phillip Humber, and others.
