The Rice Thresher, Vol. 88, No. 25, Ed. 1 Friday, March 23, 2001 Page: 25 of 32
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THE RICE THRESHER SPORTS FEATURE FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2001
25
1
m
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IW
winner
With Rice baseball
already among the
nation's elite, Wayne
Graham makes
school history with
his 400th win.
Story by Jose Luis Cubri'a
Photos by Renata Escovar
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Win No. 401 puts a smile on Wayne Graham's face shortly after his top-ranked Owls came from behind on two different
occasions to defeat 16th-ranked Baylor University at Reckling Park Tuesday night.
ForRiceand college baseball fansaround
the country, it was an image they may
never forget.
And chances are that not one person saw
it happen live.
The day was June 1 6, 1999, and Wayne
Graham's Rice Owls were in the College
World Series. Rice trailed the University of
Alabama 4-2 late in a game that would send
the loser home for the summer.
Damon Thames, Rice's all-American short-
stop, was at the plate with two runners on.
After falling behind 0-2, he fouled off four or
five pitches before ripping a line drive down
the left field line. The ball was ever-so-
slightly hooking foul.
As Thames did his best Carlton Fislc im-
pression all the way down the first base line,
all eyes were on the laser that, just instants
after it left Thames' bat, hit the foul pole
screen for a home run, giving Rice a late 5-4
lead in the biggest game in school history.
'He's taken a program that
hadn't won a conference
championship and made it
into a national power/
— Bobby May
Athletics director
As the scene unfolded, few were looking
at Graham in his customary spot in the third
base coach's box, but there was No. 37,
pumping his fists, jumping up and down, turn-
ing pirouettes and losing every ounce of
composure.
Rice wound up losing the game in the
bottom of the ninth. But the image of Graham
celebrating was a signature moment, and
one that would never have been noticed if
not for some great work by an anonymous
ESPN cameraman.
Replays of the celebration dance, which
still regularly appear on College World Se-
ries highlight reels, showed a display of pure,
unbridled emotion that, nearly two years
later, still gives you chills.
"It was about survival," Graham said.
"Damon had put us back into a position to
survive. And it may have even been a little bit
about love for the player that did it, because
he was such a wonderful player to be around.
He was just fun.
"It was all about passion for the game.
And for survival. The idea that we may live to
play another day."
It was Wayne Graham letting go in a rare
moment of visible elation, allowing his emo-
tions to take over while in the heat of battle.
It was Wayne Graham enjoying the game
that has been his lifeblood for more than 50
years.
And counting.
" Grahai'rt)' Whose llst'of accomplisfftnenTs is
already a mile long, reached yet another
milestone Sunday when he won his 400th
game as Rice's head coach.
Graham's record at Rice is now an impres-
sive 401-184, giving him a school-record
.685 winning percentage.
It's not nearly as glamorous as his 500th
win will be two or three seasons from now.
But the achievement, which was honored by
commemorative T-shirts featuring a drawing
of Graham, is still important, if only because
he accomplished it less than midway through
his 10th season.
"It took me by surprise," said Graham,
who took over the program prior to the
1992 season. "I wasn't even keeping count.
It's important to me, but the main significance
is the fact that we're averaging over 40 wins
per year. I think that's significant, particu-
larly when you look at the first three years."
In Graham's first three seasons, Rice man-
aged 29. 36 and 34 wins. Since then, the
Owls have not won fewer than 42 and set a
school record for wins in 1999 with 59.
"To bring this program here just shows
how good he is," fifth-year senior pitcher
Jeff Nichols said. "I don't know if they'd ever
had a 40-win season before he got here, and
now he's averaging 40. He's turned the pro-
gram around."
Actually,'Rice had one 40-win season
before Graham's arrival, a 4 1 -1 4 campaign
in 1984. Now the program has managed six
straight, and a seventh is well on its way for
the top-ranked Owls.
It's hard to fathom how a school like Rice,
with its notoriously weak athletic department
and stringent emphasis on academics, can
consistently field an elite team in any sport.
Graham always knew it could be done.
"I wouldn't have come to Rice if I didn't
think we could do it," he said. "I wouldn't
have gone into a situation where I didn't think
that type of thing was possible."
Success is nothing new for the Houston
native. He played high schooi baseball at
Reagan High School before going to the
University of Texas for two years, where he
played under legendary UT coach Bibb Falk.
Then came an 11-year professional ca-
reer, most of which he spent in the minor
leagues. He did break into the big leagues on
two occasions, including a 10-game stint with
the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962 and 20 games
with the New York Mets the following year.
Following his days as a ballplayer, Gra-
ham returned to UT to finish his education,
receiving a B.S. in physical education in 1 970.
He added a master's degree in education
from the University of Houston in 1973.
Arouncf the" same time, he began coaching
high school baseball, first af Scarborough
High School for nine seasons, then at Spring
Branch High School for one. In those 10
years, Graham won nearly 90 percent of his
district games, but he says he came very
close to getting out of coaching.
"I would've taught for a number of years
and then gone into school administration,"
Graham said. "In fact, i almost did. At Spring
Branch, they offered me a grade level
principalship.
"I thought about it because I didn't want to
continue coaching high school baseball for-
ever. And it looked like I was going to. It was
tempting, but then right after I turned that job
down, that year I got the San Jacinto job."
Graham took the reins of San Jacinto
Junior College's baseball program in 1981
and immediately made it the premier pro-
gram in the nation. In 1 1 seasons at San Jac,
Graham's teams won 1 1 conference champi-
onships, five national championships and
nearly 84 percent of their games.
Graham's list of honors at San Jac —
including being named the junior college coach
of the century by Collegiate Baseball — is
endless. But he wasn't finished. Following the
1991 season, Graham decided to move on
once again, this time taking his dream job as
head coach of the Rice baseball team.
The man who hired him, Rice Athletics
Director Bobby May, said the hire was a
perfect fit.
Continued on Page 30
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In his 10th year at the helm, Wayne Graham has turned the Rice baseball program into one
of the nation's best. Under Graham, the Owls have won five straight conference
championships, including four Western Athletic Conference titles in a row.
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Stoler, Brian. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 88, No. 25, Ed. 1 Friday, March 23, 2001, newspaper, March 23, 2001; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443094/m1/25/?rotate=90: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.