Gene Stephenson (born August 31, 1945)[1] is an American former college baseball coach, who served as the head baseball coach at Wichita State from 1978 to 2013.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 31, 1945 Council Grove, Kansas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1965–1968 | Missouri |
| Position(s) | First baseman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1969 | Missouri (assistant) |
| 1973–1977 | Oklahoma (assistant) |
| 1978–2013 | Wichita State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 1837–675–3 (.731) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| College Baseball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2014 | |
Career
editWhen he arrived at Wichita State, he inherited a program that had been dormant for over seven years. In his first year, despite not playing a home game until their 18th game, his Shockers finished with a winning record. In his third year, they made the first NCAA tournament appearance in school history, and in his fifth they advanced all the way to the title game. The team, with four first team All-Americans (seven overall), lost to Miami. This was all the more remarkable considering that until 1984, they played at a bare-bones stadium with only a tiny bleacher section for seating. The momentum from their 1982 title game appearance helped spearhead the building of a permanent facility, Eck Stadium, in 1985.
Under his leadership, the Shockers made seven College World Series and 26 NCAA tournament appearances, including 14 straight from 1987 to 2000. His teams never had a losing season. His 1982 team went 73–14, establishing an NCAA record for single-season wins.[2] Stephenson won his first CWS championship in 1989; also in 1989, the Shockers won 24 consecutive games.
Prior to coaching at WSU, he served as an assistant coach at Oklahoma. During that tenure, the Sooners won five league championships, and went to five College World Series.
For most of the day on July 10, 2005, Stephenson was the head coach of Oklahoma. Several hours after accepting the job, however, Stephenson decided to remain at Wichita State, reportedly due to scholarship issues at Oklahoma.[3]
After 36 years, Stephenson was fired on June 4, 2013.[4][5][6][7]
Personal life
editBorn in Council Grove, Kansas; Gene attended Guthrie High School, Guthrie, Oklahoma, then attended the University of Missouri with his first year on a football scholarship. He had better luck playing baseball, however; as a first baseman under legendary coach Hi Simmons, he was an All-American in 1967. Stephenson served a three-year stint in the United States Army, spending one year in Vietnam. Gene has two children, Jay and Ginny.[8]
His younger brother is Phil Stephenson, who played under him from 1980 to 1983. Gene and Phil were inducted into the Guthrie High School Hall of Fame in 1994. Gene was a first team all-state honoree in football and baseball in his senior year.[8]
Head coaching record
editThe following is a table of Stephenson's yearly records as an NCAA head baseball coach.[9][10]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita State Shockers (Missouri Valley Conference) (1978–2013) | |||||||||
| 1978 | Wichita State | 43–30–1 | |||||||
| 1979 | Wichita State | 65–15 | 10–2 | ||||||
| 1980 | Wichita State | 53–12–1 | 7–1 | NCAA Regional | |||||
| 1981 | Wichita State | 56–15 | 15–1 | 1st (West) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1982 | Wichita State | 73–14 | 15–1 | 1st (West) | College World Series Runner-up | ||||
| 1983 | Wichita State | 55–18 | 7–1 | 1st (West) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1984 | Wichita State | 40–22 | 7–7 | 4th | |||||
| 1985 | Wichita State | 68–20 | 15–5 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1986 | Wichita State | 45–18 | 12–8 | 2nd | |||||
| 1987 | Wichita State | 59–20 | 13–7 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1988 | Wichita State | 56–16–1 | 16–4 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1989 | Wichita State | 68–15 | 13–5 | 1st | College World Series champions | ||||
| 1990 | Wichita State | 45–19 | 14–6 | T–1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1991 | Wichita State | 66–13 | 21–3 | 1st | College World Series Runner-up | ||||
| 1992 | Wichita State | 56–11 | 18–3 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1993 | Wichita State | 58–17 | 17–3 | 1st | College World Series Runner-up | ||||
| 1994 | Wichita State | 45–17 | 19–2 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1995 | Wichita State | 53–17 | 24–8 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1996 | Wichita State | 54–11 | 24–4 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1997 | Wichita State | 51–18 | 21–7 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1998 | Wichita State | 56–7 | 26–1 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1999 | Wichita State | 59–14 | 24–7 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2000 | Wichita State | 44–21 | 24–8 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2001 | Wichita State | 42–24 | 21–11 | 2nd | |||||
| 2002 | Wichita State | 47–17 | 23–9 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2003 | Wichita State | 49–27 | 19–13 | 2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2004 | Wichita State | 49–16 | 28–4 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2005 | Wichita State | 51–24 | 16–8 | 2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2006 | Wichita State | 46–22 | 15–9 | 3rd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2007 | Wichita State | 53–22 | 20–4 | 1st | NCAA Super Regional | ||||
| 2008 | Wichita State | 48–17 | 19–5 | 1st | NCAA Super Regional | ||||
| 2009 | Wichita State | 30–27 | 11–7 | 3rd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2010 | Wichita State | 41–19 | 15–6 | t-1st | |||||
| 2011 | Wichita State | 39–26 | 14–7 | 2nd | |||||
| 2012 | Wichita State | 35–25 | 12–9 | 3rd | |||||
| 2013 | Wichita State | 39–28 | 15–6 | 2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| Wichita State: | 1837–675–3 (.731) | 590–192 (.754)[a] | |||||||
| Total: | 1837–675–3 (.731) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Incomplete (records unavailable for 1978)
References
edit- ^ "NCAA® Career Statistics".
- ^ "The History of Shocker Baseball" (PDF). GoShockers.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 23, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Kimmey, Will (July 12, 2005). "True Shocker: Stephenson returns to Wichita State". Baseball America. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- ^ Chronicling 36 years with Gene Stephenson at Wichita State; The Wichita Eagle; June 4, 2013.
- ^ Sexton says Stephenson’s 36-year tenure could’ve ended differently; The Wichita Eagle; June 4, 2013.
- ^ "Sources: Wichita State's Gene Stephenson given choice of his exit as baseball coach; The Wichita Eagle; June 3, 2013". Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- ^ "Bob Lutz: Stephenson has final chance to protect legacy; The Wichita Eagle; June 3, 2013". Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- ^ a b "Gene Stephenson Official Biography; Wichita State University". Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
- ^ "History & Records" (PDF). 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Media Guide. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- ^ "History" (PDF). Wichita State Shockers Baseball Media Guide. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 6, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.