Gene Stephenson Appreciation Thread

[Veritas]

Thanks for all you've done for the WSU baseball program. You started it from nothing more than a dirt lot with no stands into a National Champion and a facility infrastructure that is competitive throughout the country. Raising a lot of that money on your own. You helped create an expectations monster that as time went on became harder to feed. You might have made a few mistakes over the past 3+ decades, but who in life doesn't.

Most importantly, you were loyal to your kids, and your assistant coaches even at the possible detriment of your own career. When other coaches over-recruited and discarded players prior to the season, you stuck with YOUR players. When other programs bombarded you with offers you were loyal to WSU, even after a brief bit of Kemnitz insanity pulled you to OU for about 20 hours.

You have a stadium of former players who have turned out to be wonderful people, with a lot of those positive attributes due to you. When the chips were down (BC incident), you didn't throw your player under the bus to save your own skin.

I can't imagine any coach in any sport at WSU having a more successful run than you have had and a greater positive influence.

Gene Stephenson: You ARE Wichita State and I am extremely thankful for all the great things you accomplished.

[molly jabali]

Well, I will reply. Certainly there is NO WSU baseball without Gene...at least in the way it has developed. His win totals are outstanding. His number of pro players is phenomenal(until recently).Winning a national title is a dream only to 99% of all the coaches who coach at that level. Truly an outstanding coach in many ways. His kids graduated and generally were not problems .Those are good things.

[SPEShockAlum]

Thanks, Gene. You're the reason I knew about Wichita State in the first place, at first only as a place I wanted to play baseball someday, then a place I wanted to be because I fell in love with the University and the city. While I think all parties are ready for a new chapter, I am sorry that your era has ended the way it has.

[1972Shocker]

Bob Lutz wrote a column implying Gene needs to go out peacefully and passively in order to protect his legacy.

I don't think that's the case. Gene probably needs to avoid throwing a tantrum, which I think he will, but if wants to express an opinion that he thinks his firing is wrong or misguided I don't think that should have any impact on his legacy. His history is what it is and how he chooses to depart will only be a very small part of the history and unless he goes totally ballistic should have no negative impact on his legacy. Now if Gene decides to get mean-spirited and personal that's something else.

[shox1989]

Bob Lutz wrote a column implying Gene needs to go out peacefully and passively in order to protect his legacy.

I don't think that's the case. Gene probably needs to avoid throwing a tantrum, which I think he will, but if wants to express an opinion that he thinks his firing is wrong or misguided I don't think that should have any impact on his legacy. His history is what it is and how he chooses to depart will only be a very small part of the history and unless he goes totally ballistic should have no negative impact on his legacy. Now if Gene decides to get mean-spirited and personal that's something else.

I think Lutz should have retired gracefully years ago. This is the pot calling the kettle black in my opinion.

[kcshocker11]

Thanks Coach! You made us proud.

[DwShock]

Thanks coach. You put college baseball on the map. Good luck in whatever you decide to do next.

[WSUwatcher]

I think Lutz should have retired gracefully years ago. This is the pot calling the kettle black in my opinion.

Lutz? Indeed -- if you want to talk about someone who REALLY doesn't know how to go out (or anywhere else) gracefully...

As for Gene, no coach in an NCAA sport* at Wichita State has ever accumulated the record Gene did -- not even close -- and it's almost unimaginable that anyone ever will. And that's not to disparage in any way Hall of Famer Ralph Miller, even if his greatest renown came elsewhere, or for that matter what achievements Gregg Marshall might be able to pile up if he stays long enough. It's just that what Gene did, and the circumstances under which he did it, especially for his first 30+ years, are all but unparalleled in the world of college baseball -- not just here, but anywhere. You could look at a lot of sports and a lot of coaches before finding one with the stature of Gene Stephenson, and we are lucky to have had him. I hope he goes on to overtake Augie Garrido someday, and also to get his 2000 wins if that's what he wants.

(*I specified "an NCAA sport" because WSU actually does have one other larger than life coach in the great Gordon Vadakin, whose role in building Shocker bowling boggles the imagination, just as Stephenson's did in baseball. How in the world did one city and one college end up with both Stephenson AND Vadakin? Amazing.)

EDIT -- One more thing: my all-time favorite moment as a sports fan (and I've been one for a long time and, as an Alabama football fan, rooted for lots of champions) was watching the 1989 CWS championship game in Omaha. Hands down -- even now, I marvel when I think of it. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Gene. Nothing can take that away.