.jpg)
Recent from talks
Wayne Graham
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Wayne Graham
Wayne Leon Graham (April 6, 1936 – September 3, 2024) was an American college baseball head coach. He is known for being the head baseball coach for the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas. He coached one College World Series championship team and five NJCAA World Series championship teams. Also a former professional baseball player, Graham played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.
Graham was born in Yoakum, Texas on April 3, 1936. His father, Earl, later moved the family to Houston for work, but also was employed as a Southwestern Conference umpire. Wayne was the batboy for the 1945 semi-pro Finger Furniture baseball team coached by his father.
Graham attended Reagan High School in Houston, winning a Texas state baseball championship in 1952. He subsequently played college baseball and studied engineering at the University of Texas, where he played two seasons under coach Bibb Falk. In order to earn money to support his wife and two children at the time, Wayne left school to pursue a professional baseball career.
Graham was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1957. He played eleven years in pro ball, with the Phillies and Mets organizations. Graham was named Texas minor league player of the year in 1962 after hitting .311 for the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers.
Graham received two brief MLB call-ups in the early 1960s. In early 1963, he was recalled by the Phillies, playing in ten games for manager Gene Mauch. Graham then appeared in twenty games for the 1964 New York Mets under the tutelage of legendary skipper Casey Stengel. He batted .127 in 55 at-bats in his short major league career.
When his playing career ended, Graham returned to the University of Texas to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education in 1970, and he later added a master's degree in physical education at the University of Houston in 1973.
His coaching career began at Scarborough High School in Houston. Graham coached for nine seasons at Scarborough and one year at Spring Branch High School before moving on to coach junior college baseball at San Jacinto College in Houston.
Beginning in 1981, Graham turned San Jacinto into one of the best junior college baseball teams in the country. After regular conference titles in Graham's first few seasons, the Gators became a dominant force in 1984 when they began a run of seven consecutive 50-win seasons and berths in the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. After losing in the 1984 championship game, San Jacinto won three consecutive titles from 1985 to 1987. After falling short again in 1988 by taking second place, the Gators went back-to-back in 1989 and 1990. Those five national titles in six years eventually led to Graham being named Junior College Coach of the Century by Collegiate Baseball. In 1988, Graham skippered the Hyannis Mets, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Cape Cod Baseball League. In his 11 seasons at San Jacinto, Graham posted a 675–113 record (.856 win percentage), earned five national coach of the year awards, and produced multiple professional players, most notably pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.
Hub AI
Wayne Graham AI simulator
(@Wayne Graham_simulator)
Wayne Graham
Wayne Leon Graham (April 6, 1936 – September 3, 2024) was an American college baseball head coach. He is known for being the head baseball coach for the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas. He coached one College World Series championship team and five NJCAA World Series championship teams. Also a former professional baseball player, Graham played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.
Graham was born in Yoakum, Texas on April 3, 1936. His father, Earl, later moved the family to Houston for work, but also was employed as a Southwestern Conference umpire. Wayne was the batboy for the 1945 semi-pro Finger Furniture baseball team coached by his father.
Graham attended Reagan High School in Houston, winning a Texas state baseball championship in 1952. He subsequently played college baseball and studied engineering at the University of Texas, where he played two seasons under coach Bibb Falk. In order to earn money to support his wife and two children at the time, Wayne left school to pursue a professional baseball career.
Graham was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1957. He played eleven years in pro ball, with the Phillies and Mets organizations. Graham was named Texas minor league player of the year in 1962 after hitting .311 for the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers.
Graham received two brief MLB call-ups in the early 1960s. In early 1963, he was recalled by the Phillies, playing in ten games for manager Gene Mauch. Graham then appeared in twenty games for the 1964 New York Mets under the tutelage of legendary skipper Casey Stengel. He batted .127 in 55 at-bats in his short major league career.
When his playing career ended, Graham returned to the University of Texas to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education in 1970, and he later added a master's degree in physical education at the University of Houston in 1973.
His coaching career began at Scarborough High School in Houston. Graham coached for nine seasons at Scarborough and one year at Spring Branch High School before moving on to coach junior college baseball at San Jacinto College in Houston.
Beginning in 1981, Graham turned San Jacinto into one of the best junior college baseball teams in the country. After regular conference titles in Graham's first few seasons, the Gators became a dominant force in 1984 when they began a run of seven consecutive 50-win seasons and berths in the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. After losing in the 1984 championship game, San Jacinto won three consecutive titles from 1985 to 1987. After falling short again in 1988 by taking second place, the Gators went back-to-back in 1989 and 1990. Those five national titles in six years eventually led to Graham being named Junior College Coach of the Century by Collegiate Baseball. In 1988, Graham skippered the Hyannis Mets, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Cape Cod Baseball League. In his 11 seasons at San Jacinto, Graham posted a 675–113 record (.856 win percentage), earned five national coach of the year awards, and produced multiple professional players, most notably pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.
Recent media