Gene Stephenson
| Sport(s) | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
August 30, 1945 Guthrie, Oklahoma |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri |
| Playing career | |
| 1965–1968 | Missouri |
| Position(s) | 1B |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1969 | Missouri (asst.) |
| 1973–1977 | Oklahoma (asst.) |
| 1978–2013 | Wichita State |
Gene Stephenson is an American college baseball coach, who served as the head baseball coach at Wichita State from the start of the 1978 season until June 2013, after that year's season was complete. As of the end of the 2012 season, he had compiled a 1798-647-3 (.735) record. He has the second most wins among active coaches, and ranks second all time in career victories. Only Augie Garrido of the Texas Longhorns has had more wins. He reached 1200 career wins in 22 seasons, a record. On May 21, 2003, he became only the third head coach in NCAA history to win 1400 games, and on May 21, 2005, he became only the second coach to win 1,500 games. Augie Garrido reached that mark two weeks later, and has since surpassed his win total.
When 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 tournaments from 1987–2000. His teams never had a losing season. His 1982 team went 73–14, establishing an NCAA record for single-season wins. Stephenson won his first CWS championship in 1989; also in 1989, the Shockers won 24 consecutive games.
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