Stanford’s NCAA regional elimination loss on Saturday marked the end of an era. Head coach Mark Marquess, who announced his retirement at the beginning of the season, has guided the team for decades, becoming a fixture of Cardinal baseball. The following is a breakdown of Marquess’ key accomplishments over his long career at the helm.
1,627: Total wins
Marquess is one of just four Division I coaches to reach the 1,600-win milestone, and one of three to do it at one school. He also holds the honor of having the most wins in Pac-12 history. Over Marquess’ career, the Cardinal have gone 1,627-878-7.
41: Number of seasons as head coach
Stanford has flourished during Marquess’ four decades as skipper. The team finished .500 or better in 39 of those 41 seasons, putting together six years with 50 wins, 21 40-win campaigns, 37 30-win seasons. The Cardinal finished this year with 42 wins, their most since the 2004 season.
2: NCAA team championships
The Cardinal won back-to-back team titles in 1987 and 1988 after 53- and 46-win seasons, respectively. The 1987 win came after surviving LSU with a 1oth-inning walk-off grand slam by then-freshman Paul Carey in an elimination game. “Winning the national championship was an experience no one on our team will ever forget,” said Marquess in 1987. “To realize the dream of being champions is a very special feeling. It’s something that stays with you forever.”
3: NCAA Coach of the Year awards
Marquess was named National Coach of the Year in 1985, 1987 and 1988. He was also awarded Conference Coach of the Year a fitting nine times, most recently in 2003.
1: Olympic gold medal
Serving as the head coach, Marquess lead the United States to victory in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, culminating in a 5-3 win against reigning champion Japan. As baseball was considered a demonstration sport in the 1988 Games, medals were awarded, but did not count in the respective national medal totals. The U.S. National Team placed first one other time — in the 2000 Sydney Games.
60: Major Leaguers who played under Marquess
Along with 1987 hero Paul Carey, Marquess guided a host of future MLB players. Ed Sprague, who was part of the NCAA Championship teams, would go on to win two World Series titles with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993. Most recently, pitcher Jeremy Guthrie was part of Kansas City’s pennant runs in 2014 and 2015, earning a World Series ring in 2015 for his contributions.
9: A historic jersey number
Known colloquially by his jersey number, “Nine” will surely go down as one of the most successful head coaches in Stanford history. Part of the program for well over the majority of its 58 years, Marquess left his mark on Cardinal baseball with his leadership ability, developing players with an attention to teamwork and responsibility. Marquess’s jersey number was retired following his final regular season home game on May 21, the first retired number in program history.
Contact Laura Anderson at lauraand ‘at’ stanford.edu.