In 1992, Wayne Graham took over a baseball program at Rice that hadn’t won a conference championship in nearly 80 years. But in his 27-year tenure as the Owls head coach, he transformed Rice baseball into a perennial national powerhouse, impacting the lives of countless players, coaches, fans and media members in the process.
The coaching legend passed away in Austin, Texas, Tuesday night at 88.
“From where I sat at Fox 26, what Wayne did with Rice baseball was nothing short of a miracle,” said Mark Berman, former Fox 26 sports director, who covered Rice from 1980-2023.
“He made Rice baseball a destination point for Houston reporters. If we covered the Astros, Texans, Rockets and other college programs, Rice baseball had to be on our radar.”
Graham’s success at Rice warranted media coverage to say the least. He compiled a 1,173-528-2 record and led the Owls to 23 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 Super Regionals, seven appearances in the College World Series and the university’s first NCAA team national championship in 2003.
“Coach Graham, for my money, is one of the top two or three coaches in the history of college baseball,” said Kendall Rogers, managing editor of D1Baseball. “He will forever be known as a member of college baseball’s Mount Rushmore.
“In addition to his prowess as a coach, I was lucky enough to call coach Graham a friend. I’ll miss our chats about the day’s scores, but let it be known that his impact on our sport will not be forgotten. He’s a legend, and his mark on the sport will always be felt.”
Turning a program around isn’t easy work, and the players Graham coached attest to the hard work and toughness he demanded in order for the team to reach such lofty heights.
“Coach Graham is the best I’ve ever been around at demanding mental toughness from his players,” said Lance Berkman, who played under Graham from 1995-97.
After leaving Rice, Berkman played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. He is a six-time All-Star and won a World Series championship and the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award with the Cardinals in 2011.
“If you had any aspirations to have a professional career or to be a successful competitor, coach Graham was exactly what you’d need if you’re an 18-year-old knucklehead coming out of high school,” Berkman said. “He was tough, but he made everybody that played for him better.”
“I always say the two people that had the biggest impact on me are my dad and coach Graham in terms of my baseball career. Coach Graham taught me how to win. He’s a winner, and I hope he is remembered for that.”
Roger Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young award winner, MVP and two-time World Series champion in the MLB, described Graham as the “best of the best” in a statement.
“Coach Wayne Graham was one of the best of the best — a baseball lifer,” Clemens said. “A great coach but a far better teacher of the game. He gave young men life lessons to carry with us forever. I will miss coach and his funny stories we had together over the years.”
One of the many players Graham had a profound influence on was Austin Davis, a Rice outfielder from 2001-04 and team captain for the 2003 Rice baseball team that won the College World Series.
“Everyone shows up on campus completely different — size, weight, skill. Coach was able to see through all that and put the best people on the field and get the most emotionally and physically out of each and every person,” Davis said. “I fit into the category of somebody who was not a prototypical player, but he found a spot for me and made it work. And I’m very appreciative.”
Davis said he and many other former players have been communicating in group text messages since hearing the news, discussing and recalling the impact that Graham had on them as players and as people.
“He was a visionary and a man of unbelievable talent, intellect and passion,” Davis said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
That intellect made him a hand-in-glove fit at Rice, Berkman said. Graham often referenced literature and novels during practice to drive home his coaching points.
“He was super smart and extremely well-read,” Berkman said. “He was pretty funny too. He’d make these comments where you’re just like, ‘Man, that’s pretty sharp.’
“He was the perfect coach for Rice. He really appreciated education, and the whole Rice experience I think was a natural fit for him.”
In his application letter to then-athletic director Bobby May in 1991, Graham promised that he could turn Rice into a “nationally renowned baseball program.” It’s safe to say he delivered on that promise, Davis said.
“Nobody believed him at first, but he had that vision,” Davis said. “And sometimes, whether you’re trying to win a national championship or invent the light bulb, you have to do some things that a lot of people say aren’t going to happen. He did that, and it was fun to be a part of.
“There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it — he is Rice baseball. When you think about Rice, it’s hard not to see him.”