Augie Garrido Out As University Of Texas Head Baseball Coach

AUSTIN, TX -- After 20 seasons and status as the winningest college coach in NCAA history, Augie Garrido was reassigned on Monday -- from Longhorns head baseball coach to special assistant to the athletics director.

“I owe everyone at the University of Texas a million heartfelt thank yous,” Garrido said in a prepared statement. “I came here to serve and I am so proud to be able to continue to serve the University in my new role as special assistant to Mike Perrin.”

He steps down as college baseball all-time leader in terms of wins -- an astounding record of 1,975-950-9 and as a five-time national champion. He formerly served as head coach at Cal State Fullerton prior to making his mark in Austin staring in 1996.

Despite those stellar stats, the Longhorns ended last season with a losing record -- the first since 1998.

The sports news site Hook'Em.com produced by the Austin American-Statesman further notes that team managed to salvage its season "...with a surprising run to win the Big 12 Championship. Garrido looked to right the ship in 2016, but was unable to as Texas ended the year with a 25–32 record."

In the end, the lackluster 2015 season blocked Garrido's hope to return for the final year of his contract in 2017, which would have enabled him to cap a storied career with the head coach job intact. But the unforgiving statistics comprising the wins and losses now prevent that from happening.

“I am beyond appreciative of all that [Garrido] has done for Texas baseball and want to celebrate those successes,” Texas athletic director Mike Perrin said in a statement. “I’m happy he’ll be continuing to work with me as a special assistant and looking forward to working with him in that role.”

Garrido had expressed hopes of ending his contract as head coach, but seemed to sense this might be the end of the road for him. Still, he was philosophical after Saturday's season-ending loss to TCU, and the decision to oust him as head coach wasn't completely unexpected.

“If I’m not back, it’s because I couldn’t control the decision that was made,” Hook'EM.com quoted him as saying following the TCU loss. “But trails end, baby. They all end.”

Garrido's stepping down represents the end of an era for a legendary coach. But his legacy is intact, and his posterity ensured. He wrote "Life is Yours to Win" in 2011, in which he described is approach to not only baseball but life.

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