Mark Marquess, a National College Baseball Hall of Famer who coached Stanford to a pair of national titles has died at the age of 78.
The school announced Friday that Marquess died, but provided no details on the cause.
A fixture for more than four decades in the dugout at Sunken Diamond on campus, Marquess guided the Cardinal to consecutive NCAA championships in 1987 and 1988.
Long known as ‘9’ for his No. 9 jersey, he retired in 2017 and ranks as the fourth-winningest coach in Division I history with a 1,627-878-7 career record.
Marquess typically arrived on campus in the early hours of the morning when most were still in bed, then go to sleep early to get ready for the next day.
‘This man was Stanford baseball,’ said David Esquer, Stanford´s current coach said.
Stanford coach Mark Marquess has died at the age of 78, it was announced on Friday
Marquess guided the Cardinal to consecutive NCAA championships in 1987 and 1988
‘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.’
A former first baseman, he played both baseball and football for Stanford when he arrived at the university in 1965. Marquess would go on to become a three-time NCAA Coach of the Year – in 1985, `87 and ´88 – and a nine-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year.
Along with the two College World Series titles, Stanford made 30 NCAA Tournament appearances, reached six NCAA Super Regionals and won 18 regionals during his tenure. The Cardinal also won the conference regular-season title 11 times.
Marquess was also a member of the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame, the American Baseball Coaches´ Association Hall of Fame and the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.
Marquess, who played in the Chicago White Sox organization from 1969-73 and reached Triple-A, also coached USA Baseball to an Olympic gold medal in 1988 when the sport was a demonstration event in Seoul, South Korea.
