(06-02-2018 11:47 AM)Ranger Wrote:  Greatest college baseball coach ever.

(05-31-2018 02:26 PM)Gravy Owl Wrote:  

(05-31-2018 01:57 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Had he come, I believe Rice would have been among the leading SWC schools in going after African American athletes.

Was that seen as a plus by the powers-that-were at Rice in 1967?

Quote:Wayne Graham’s career comes to an end

You could make a strong argument that perhaps no coach did as much as Graham at Rice when it comes to resources and competition in the region. When Graham took over the Owls program following a stint at San Jacinto (Texas) College, where he coached Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, among others, it was a challenge. The Owls had little history on the baseball front and played in one of the worst facilities in Texas.

Even with those challenges, Graham immediately got the Owls back on the winning track and led them to prosperity. Rice made its first CWS appearance in 1997 and tripped to Omaha again two years later. Rice’s administration took notice and the Owls opened a beautiful new ballpark — Reckling Park — in 2000. They were no longer a program with a sub-par facility, thanks to Graham.

What Graham accomplished the rest of his career is remarkable. He guided the Owls to a national title with a series win over Stanford in 2003, and the program made seven total trips to college baseball’s Promised Land in his tenure. Furthermore, he led the program to 12-straight conference championships in both the WAC and Conference USA, a streak that ended in 2009.

The Owls also put together an impressive NCAA tournament streak under Graham with 23-straight trips to the postseason. In 2017, the Owls were on the brink of missing the tournament with no at-large chances entering the C-USA tournament. However, they stormed through the tourney and beat Southern Miss to extend the streak to 23 games. That streak ended this year at the hands of Florida Atlantic in dramatic fashion.

Graham’s tenure might have come to a somewhat ugly end as he clashed with Rice administrators about his dismissal, but his contributions to our sport and to Rice University will not be forgotten. He was an amazing coach and will always be Rice’s ‘OG’