Wayne Graham

Wayne Leon Graham (April 6, 1936 – September 3, 2024) was an American college baseball head coach. He is known for being the head baseball coach for the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas. He coached one College World Series championship team and five NJCAA World Series championship teams. Also a former professional baseball player, Graham played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.

Early life Graham was born in Yoakum, Texas on April 3, 1936. His father, Earl, later moved the family to Houston for work, but also was employed as a Southwestern Conference umpire. Wayne was the batboy for the 1945 semi-pro Finger Furniture baseball team coached by his father.

Playing career Graham attended Reagan High School in Houston, winning a Texas state baseball championship in 1952. He subsequently played college baseball and studied engineering at the University of Texas, where he played two seasons under coach Bibb Falk. In order to earn money to support his wife and two children at the time, Wayne left school to pursue a professional baseball career.

Graham was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1957. He played eleven years in pro ball, with the Phillies and Mets organizations. Graham was named Texas minor league player of the year in 1962 after hitting .311 for the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers.

Graham received two brief MLB call-ups in the early 1960s. In early , he was recalled by the Phillies, playing in ten games for manager Gene Mauch.

His coaching career began at Scarborough High School in Houston. Those five national titles in six years eventually led to Graham being named Junior College Coach of the Century by Collegiate Baseball. In his 11 seasons at San Jacinto, Graham posted a 675–113 record (.856 win percentage), earned five national coach of the year awards, and produced multiple professional players, most notably pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. On April 16, 2016, Graham won his 1,100th Division I game (3–2 over Western Kentucky). He has more than 1,600 wins as a collegiate head coach. Graham was also largely responsible for Rice's on-campus baseball stadium, Reckling Park, being built in 2000.

In 2004, Graham once again presided over history, as three Rice pitchers were drafted in the first eight picks of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, the only time three teammates have ever been selected in the first round. Graham never had a losing season as a high school or college coach until his final season at Rice in 2018. His contract was not extended after that season.

In 2012, Graham was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Head coaching record College