STANFORD, Calif. - Mark Marquess, Stanford’s Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball, announced on Monday that the 2017 campaign will be his final season as head coach.
One of the premier coaches in college baseball history and a man whose uniform number – 9 – is synonymous with the Stanford baseball program, Marquess’ upcoming final season will represent his 41st overall on The Farm as head coach.
“I have been blessed to have such a long and fulfilling association with Stanford University, a university that I deeply love,” said Marquess, who guided the Cardinal to back-to-back NCAA championships in 1987-88. “It’s time for the University to implement a succession plan for our program and the 2017 season will be my last as head coach, but my time at Stanford has been beyond special and I will leave with incredible memories of our program and what we have accomplished.”
“I would like to thank the entire Stanford community for allowing me to spend my coaching career at our world-class university. Throughout my years at Stanford, I have been honored to teach and coach phenomenal student-athletes and incredible teams. I am grateful to the assistant coaches who have been a part of our program throughout my tenure – their partnership was invaluable to me in developing our players and our program. I would also like to thank families, friends and fans that have supported me and Stanford Baseball throughout the years – and most importantly, the many parents who entrusted their sons to me and our program. And last but certainly not least, I would like to thank my wife, Susan, and our three daughters, Bridget, Anne and Maureen, and our eight grandchildren, for loving Stanford baseball as much as I have and all of their support through the years.”
“I want to thank Mark for all he has done to develop our baseball program into one of the most successful in the country,” said Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics Bernard Muir. “Not only is Mark an exemplary representative of Stanford University and well respected by his peers, Mark has made an unforgettable impact on the lives of numerous student-athletes spanning four decades. Mark’s tireless dedication and passion for mentoring young men proved instrumental in positioning our program for long-lasting success. I am extremely appreciative of his contributions and we both remain committed to ensuring the future success of Stanford baseball.”
Since arriving on campus as a two-sport athlete in baseball and football in the fall of 1965, Marquess' impact upon Stanford baseball is beyond measure, even by the benchmark of his long list of academic and athletic accomplishments. During his five-decade association with Stanford, Marquess has been the architect of a program that is nationally recognized as one of winning baseball and consummate student-athletes.
A member of the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, Marquess will open the 2017 season as the nation’s second-winningest active head coach with a career record of 1,585-862-7 (.647).
A three-time NCAA Coach of the Year recipient and nine-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year honoree, Marquess has also guided the Cardinal to 29 NCAA Tournament appearances, 14 College World Series (CWS) berths, six NCAA Super Regional crowns and 12 Pac-10 regular-season championships. On Feb. 9, 2001, Marquess became the 23rd NCAA Division I baseball coach to reach the 1,000-win plateau with a victory over Florida State.
Marquess owns a 131-64 career record in postseason play, including an 82-27 mark in NCAA Regionals, a 13-10 ledger in the NCAA Super Regionals and a 36-25 record in CWS competition. Marquess' clubs have advanced to postseason play in 29 of a possible 40 seasons, including a school-record 13 straight campaigns from 1994-2006.
A culture of winning baseball has been successfully developed under Marquess, with 38 of his 40 teams finishing at .500 or better. Additionally, Marquess has presided over 20 teams that have won at least 40 games, including a school-record stretch of 10 consecutive 40-win campaigns from 1995-2004. Six of Marquess’ teams reached the 50-win mark.
Stanford has traditionally excelled in conference play under Marquess, who has guided the Cardinal to a 639-467 record in league action. During his tenure, the Cardinal captured 12 conference titles and finished either first or second a total of 23 times (including Southern Division finishes) while most recently winning back-to-back championships in 2003-04.
The Cardinal has also achieved at a high level in the classroom under Marquess. In seven of the last 10 years, the baseball program has produced a 100 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR), and in no year has the GSR been less than 93 percent. Additionally, of the 60 former student-athletes who have reached the majors under his leadership, 52 earned their degrees.
Stanford's success under Marquess has paid dividends at the next level as well, as his players are normally very visible on the radar screens of professional baseball scouts. Over 200 Cardinal players have been chosen in the draft since 1977, including 25 first round or compensation picks since Jack McDowell in 1987.
Marquess has also developed several fine young coaches who were either former assistants or players on The Farm, including current skippers in California head coach David Esquer, Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf and San Jose State head coach Dave Nakama, along with former Santa Clara head coach Mark O'Brien.
Marquess has also been a well-known coach on the international level. In 1988, he won International Coach of the Year honors after leading the United States to a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. Marquess guided his club to a 4-1 record, defeating Japan, 5-3, to capture the first gold medal in baseball for the United States.
As head coach of the USA National Team, Marquess skippered the club to a silver medal at the 1987 Intercontinental Cup Tournament in Cuba. In the summer of 1984, he served as an assistant coach on the USA squad that competed at the World Amateur Championships that were also played in Cuba.
Serving as head coach of USA Baseball in 1981, Marquess guided the U.S. collegiate team to a gold medal at the World Games in Santa Clara. Following that accomplishment, he led the club to the gold medal at the Intercontinental Cup in Edmonton, Canada. Marquess’ squad edged Cuba, 5-4, in the finals to mark the first time since 1970 that the United States had beaten the Cubans in international competition. In addition, Marquess became the first to post victories over the Cuban team as both a player and a coach.
From 1989-98, Marquess served as president of USA Baseball, an organization that handles all aspects of amateur baseball - from the youth level through the college-aged player and the Olympic squad.
Marquess' success as a coach can be traced to his days as a player. A three-year starter at first base for Stanford (1967-69), he earned All-America first-team honors in 1967 and garnered second-team All-America recognition in 1968. He was also named first-team All-Pac-8 and All-District-8 in both 1967 and 1968. Marquess' name remains etched in the school's record book, as his .404 batting average in 1967 ranks fifth all-time on the school's single-season list and his 15 career triples are tied for fifth.
Marquess competed on the 1967 USA Pan American Games team that captured the gold medal. One of the greatest two-sport athletes ever on The Farm, Marquess completed his collegiate baseball career with three seasons on the Stanford football squad as a quarterback, split end, defensive back and punt returner.
A member of the American Baseball Coaches' Association Hall of Fame, Marquess is also a member of the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.
After graduation, Marquess signed with the Chicago White Sox organization in 1969 and spent four seasons as a professional baseball player before getting a taste of coaching as a player and coach with Des Moines' Triple-A team in 1973. Marquess was an assistant coach on the Boulder Collegians squad that captured the 1975 National Semi-Pro championship. The following year, his Boulder team placed third at the national tournament.
Prior to his appointment as head coach at Stanford in 1977, Marquess spent five seasons (1972-76) on The Farm as an assistant under Ray Young. Marquess’ Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball title was made possible through a large gift to the baseball program from the Nelsons, who endowed the position in 1987.
Marquess earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Stanford in 1969. He completed his master's degree in political science at San Jose State in 1976.