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Legendary college baseball coach Mark Marquess died on Friday, Stanford University announced. He was 78.
Marquess was in the dugout for the Cardinal for 41 years. He led Stanford to back-to-back college baseball national championships in 1987 and 1988. He retired from the sport in 2017 and is No. 4 on the all-time college baseball wins list with a record of 1,627-878-7.
“This man was Stanford baseball,” Stanford’s current head coach David Esquer said in a statement. “He was my coach, and like a father to me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. This is a great loss for the Stanford community, the Stanford baseball family and myself. I love that man.”
Marquess was lovingly known as “9” because of the iconic No. 9 jersey he wore in the dugout.
“We are deeply saddened and mourn the passing of Mark Marquess,” Stanford athletic director John Donahoe said in a statement. “’9’ was a true icon in every sense and an ambassador for Stanford University. His contributions to developing young men both on and off the field was always at the forefront. ‘9’ impacted countless lives in so many ways and we express our sincerest condolences to his family.”
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Marquess had been ingrained in Stanford since he first started his collegiate career. He played both baseball and football for Stanford when he arrived on campus in 1965. He would go on to win the NCAA Coach of the Year three times and Pac-10 Coach of the Year nine times.
Under Marquess’ leadership, Stanford made 30 NCAA Tournament appearances, six NCAA Super Regionals and won 18 regionals. He was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame, the American Baseball Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame and the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.
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He played in the Chicago White Sox organization from 1969-73, reaching the Triple-A level. He was the head coach of USA baseball when the Americans won the gold medal in 1988.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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