Dietz won more than 1,200 games, coached many big leaguers including Tony Gwynn, Bud Black
Former San Diego State baseball coach Jim Dietz, the winningest coach in Aztecs history, died Sunday in Florence, Ore., from complications from Alzheimer’s and dementia, his wife Carol said.Dietz coached the Aztecs for 31 years from 1972-2002, compiling 1,230 wins, ranking in the top 40 all time. He averaged 40 wins over 31 seasons with a winning percentage of .620.In 2003, Tony Gwynn — who played for Dietz and succeeded him as coach of the Aztecs — honored his predecessor, retiring his No.
His Aztecs teams won a school-record 66 games in 1984, the most wins in the nation that season. His teams won eight conference championships and made eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the school’s first NCAA appearance in 1979. In 1990, the Aztecs lost to Stanford in the 1990 West I Regional championship game, missing out on the College World Series.
Before John Moores and Ron Fowler stepped up to build Tony Gwynn Stadium, Dietz and his players built a new Smith Field with seating, a clubhouse, restrooms and a concession stand.“There is no Buddy Black, no major league career, no managing in the big leagues without Jim Dietz,” said Black, who played 15 seasons in the majors and has managed more than 2,000 games for the Padres and now the Rockies. He came to San Diego State from Lower Columbia Junior College in Longview, Wash., in 1978.
Dozens of his former players are coaching or have coached high school and college baseball, including Bob Parry , Jeff Dufek , Rielly Embrey , Mark Smelko , Jeff Doyle , Ken Putnam , Darold Nogle and Steve Vickery . “Jim’s drills, his practices were things you remembered, things you carried with you,” Doyle said. “His signs were so complicated we missed a lot of them, so I learned not to use them when I coached.Dietz was also one of the top summer-league coaches, managing such players as Dave Winfield, Mark McGwire, Mark Langston, Mickey Tettleton, Spike Owen and Joe Carter in the Alaska Baseball League and with the Boulder Collegians.
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