A FAREWELL TO LEGENDARY COACH AUGIE GARRIDO
The players. They were what Augie Garrido really cared about when it came to coaching the game he loved.
The University of Texas said goodbye to the coaching icon on Monday and several men who played for him gave touching remembrances of their times with Garrido the coach, the man, the teacher and friend in a twohour memorial service at the Erwin Center.
From All-Americans Mark Kotsay and Huston Street to the bullpen catcher on his final team, they all told stories of how Garrido impacted their lives.
Street, speaking through blinding tears, toldof the phone calls he got from his former coach after each of his three sons were born. After leading Texas to its first College Series in nearly 20 years in 2002, Street went on to play for five MLB managers but counts Garrido as tops as far as impact on his career.
“The beauty of coach was his ability to articulate what you needed at that moment,” Street said. “We were all the same to him. He was the best coach I’ve been around in my entire life.”
The true measure of a person is what’s said about them when they are gone. Garrido left a lasting legacy and the mourners assembled were there to pay ultimate respect to the coach who won a record 1,975 games along with five CWS titles. Even greats whose college careers ended long before Garrido arrived in Austin
Rick Barnes and Jody Conradt, UT’s former football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball coaches who coached with Garrido. David Pierce, Garrido’s successor, attended as did a dozen Longhorns players. Texas women’s basketball coach Karen Aston and athletic director Chris Del Conte also came to pay their respects.
During the two-hour service, songs were sung by the Longhorn Singers and local artist Roderick Sanford. “The Eyes of Texas” was performed by the Longhorn band. Two videos were played, one of which was narrated by Kevin Costner, a friend of Garrido’s. A letter of condolence from former President George W. Bush was read. Tears were shed by Brown and fellow speakers Huston Street and Joe Martelli.
Plenty of stories also were told.
Street, a 13-year MLB veteran, spoke of Garrido’s dismissal of the concept of pressure. Former UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds drew a laugh when he claimed Garrido’s cooking show was the only coaching show he’d watch on Longhorn Network. Martelli, who played and coached at Cal State Fullerton, said Garrido refused to use sub-par facilities as an excuse as he was building the Titans into a national power.
Former Texas bullpen catcher James Barton regaled about Garrido motivating the Longhorns by locking them out of their locker room ahead of a run to the 2014 College World Series. Along with Texas basketball coach Shaka Smart, Barton also shared the last text message he received from Garrido.
“I got to spend hundreds of hours with Augie,” Barton said. “I had to soak it in that I got to play for a legend, that’s pretty cool.”
Mark Kotsay, who won an NCAA title with Garrido at Cal State Fullerton before embarking on a 17-year MLB career, issued a reminder that Garrido was the last person to take credit for his team’s successes. Kotsay discussed the meaningfulness behind Garrido’s fabled rants and life lessons. He asked the attendees to put their horns up to honor Garrido.
Kotsay also used the analogy of a home run — somewhat ironic, considering Garrido’s penchant for smallball baseball — to describe the legacy left behind by his coach.
“When you see a homerun ball disappear over the fence, you know it doesn’t cease to exist. It’s just out of your view,” Kotsay said. “Even though he might just be out of our view, I believe that Augie will always be with us. All of us can honor his legacy as we teach what he taught us — humility, effort and trust.”
With a career record of 1,975-951-9, Garrido is the all-time winningest coach in college baseball history. He won three national titles at Cal State Fullerton before guiding the Longhorns to NCAA crowns in 2002 and 2005.
Dodds recalled on Monday wanting to hire Garrido after he was impressed by a postgame interview given by the coach when he was still at Fullerton. Garrido was eventually tabbed to replace Cliff Gustafson, and he won 824 games with the Longhorns from 1997-2016.
Garrido is survived by his wife, Jeannie, and daughter, Lisa. Garrido was buried at the Texas State Cemetery on Sunday, next to former UT football coach Darrell K Royal.