Wednesday, February 10, 1999
Coach sets legacy with 800th victory
BASEBALL: Adams thanks players, assistants for helping cement
his name in UCLA record books
By Rocky Salmon
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Last Saturday, UCLA baseball head coach Gary Adams reached a
milestone.
Going into the game against Georgia Tech, Coach Adams was trying
for his 800th win, having failed in his previous two attempts.
Aided by a brilliant performance by pitcher Josh Karp, UCLA
finally put together a complete game and the Yellow Jackets were
spanked, 12-3.
"My 800th win was a good one," Adams said. "We put together a
complete game and everything came together."
Adams has been a mainstay in the baseball program, taking over
the head coaching position in 1975.
Before coming to UCLA, he coached in the Division II ranks at
Pepperdine, where he was named Division II Coach of the Year in
1974 and compiled 188 wins over five years.
Then he became a Bruin, coming back to where he played
collegiate ball. Through 1959 to 1962, Adams was UCLA’s second
baseman.
In his first season at UCLA the Bruins placed third and were
31-22. With a good start, Adams never looked back, only failing to
reach the .500 mark five times in his career.
In 1997, Adams surpassed the all-time Bruin career win record.
In the 13-5 win over Minnesota, Adams skipped over Art Reichle’s
record 747 wins over 30 years.
In his 25 years at UCLA, he has amassed a total record of
801-648-7, giving him a .553 winning percentage.
Even more impressive is that 32 of Adams’ former Bruins have
made the trip to the big show, including Jim Parque and Troy Glaus
last year.
But Adams is not all about winning; the 800 wins only tell a
small part of what he believes in. From the start, Adams stressed
that he wanted his players to graduate and that took priority over
anything else.
To date, Adams graduates 100 percent of his players from
UCLA.
For Adams, 800 wins is more of a tribute to his players and
assistant coaches then it is to him.
It is because of this dedication to his players that UCLA has
built up a formidable program, including Adams’ first-ever trip to
the final game of the College World Series two years ago.
With two great recruiting classes in a row, Adams and the Bruins
will have a bright future ahead of them.
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