Legendary Rice University baseball coach Wayne Graham died Tuesday night in Austin, Texas, the university announced Wednesday. He was 88.
"I am deeply sorry to hear about the passing of a man who had a significant impact on my life," former major league player and current Rice head coach Jose Cruz Jr. said in a statement. "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."
Graham was hired as Rice's head coach in 1992 and guided the Owls until 2018. He took over a program that had only seven winning seasons in the previous 78 years. Graham led Rice to a 1,173-528-2 record and the school's first ever postseason berth in 1995. Under Graham, Rice went to the College World Series seven times and won the 2003 National Championship.
Dozens of Graham's players went on to play in the big leagues, including Lance Berkman and Anthony Rendon. Rice had 14 players selected in the first round during Graham's tenure, including 1997 No. 1 overall pick Matt Anderson, and three of the top eight picks in 2004: Philip Humber (No. 3 overall), Jeff Niemann (No. 4), and Wade Townsend (No. 8).
Prior to joining Rice, Graham turned San Jacinto College into a junior college powerhouse. San Jacinto went 675-118 under Graham from 1981-91 and won the NJCAA World Series in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, and 1990. Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were among those who played under Graham at San Jacinto.
Coach Wayne Graham was one of the Best of the Best!
— Roger Clemens (@rogerclemens) September 4, 2024
A baseball lifer! Great Coach, but far better teacher of the game! Gave us young men life lessons to carry with us forever.
I will miss Coach, and his funny stories we had together over the years.
A Winner!
Thanks for…
Graham began his career in baseball as a player in the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets systems from 1957-67. Primarily a third baseman, he received cups of coffee with the Phillies in 1963 and the Mets in 1964. Graham appeared in 30 MLB games.
Graham was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012. He was named conference Coach of the Year 10 times with Rice, and the junior college Coach of the Century for his time at San Jacinto.
