Longtime Stanford baseball coach Mark Marquess died Friday, the university announced. He was 78.

https://twitter.com/StanfordBSB/status/2017333066793161143

Marquess led the Cardinal to back-to-back NCAA Division I titles in 1987-88, part of a 41-season career overseeing the program that began in 1977.

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“This man was Stanford baseball,” Stanford coach David Esquer, who succeeded Marquess in 2017, said in a statement. “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.”

Inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021, Marquess finished as the fourth-winningest coach in Division I history with a career record of 1,627-878-7 (.649).

Marquess was a three-time NCAA Coach of the Year recipient (1985, 1987-88) and nine-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year honoree (1983, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1997-99, 2003). He guided Stanford to a pair of College World Series championships, 30 NCAA Tournament appearances, six NCAA Super Regional titles, 18 NCAA Regional crowns and 11 conference regular-season championships.

Marquess also won International Coach of the Year honors in 1988 after leading the United States Olympic team to a gold medal at the Seoul, South Korea games.

Marquess had worked at Santa Clara University as Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics since 2018.

“Mark made an indelible impact on the lives of all who had the pleasure of knowing him,” Santa Clara AD Heather M. Owen said in a statement. “He was a pillar in the baseball community, a coaches’ coach, and a friend to all. We will forever carry “9”‘s unflappable spirit. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the entire Marquess family and our friends in the Stanford community.”

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