SAN DIEGO – Former San Diego State baseball head coach Jim Dietz passed away Sunday (March 27) at the age of 83.
Dietz, who retired at the end of the 2002 campaign, completed an illustrious 31-year career at SDSU as one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. His final mark of 1,231-750-18 (.620) ranked seventh nationally among active Division I coaches at the time he finished his final season with the Aztecs.
"On behalf of the Aztec Athletics, I am saddened to hear of the passing of Coach Dietz and send our condolences to his family," said SDSU Director of Athletics John David Wicker. "I was explaining to my daughter at the baseball game (Sunday) who Coach Dietz was and all his accomplishments at SDSU after she saw his framed jersey at the stadium. Coach Dietz's impact on our baseball program and so many young players lives will not soon be forgotten."
During his legendary career at San Diego State, the Aztecs won numerous conference, divisional and regular-season titles, earning Dietz various league and regional coach-of-the year honors. In 1979, Dietz guided the Scarlet and Black to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, a feat he accomplished seven additional times in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990 and 1991.
"Our San Diego State baseball family mourns the loss of Hall-of-Fame Coach Jim Dietz," said current Aztec head coach Mark Martinez. "His impact during his 31 years as the head coach at SDSU was felt not only within the San Diego community, but also nationally as an ambassador for our great game.
"The standard he set for excellence in the classroom and on the diamond resonates within our program today. We continue to strive to meet the foundational expectations of Coach Dietz's legacy."
Individually, Dietz's SDSU players garnered 28 All-America accolades, 42 all-district/all-region honors and 85 all-conference certificates. Among the many notable players Dietz coached were Tony Gwynn, Bud Black, Mark Grace, Dave Smith, Bobby Meacham and Travis Lee.
Born in Eugene, Oregon, Dietz played at Southern Oregon College, where he was three-time all-conference infielder and an NAIA All-American as a senior in 1959. Following graduation, he spent three years in the Detroit Tigers organization, reaching the Double-A level before leaving the pro ranks as a player.
Dietz began his baseball coaching career in 1963 at Lowell (Ore.) High School, where he remained for two seasons before moving to Pleasant Hill (Ore.) High School for three years from 1965-68. While at Pleasant Hill, he coached the varsity baseball team, winning three straight league titles to go with a state championship in 1968.
Later in 1968, Dietz became the freshman and junior varsity baseball coach at the University of Oregon, where he also guided the freshman men's basketball squad, before his appointment as head coach at San Diego State in 1972.
During the 1970s, Dietz became one of the most successful summer coaches in history, spending seven seasons with the Fairbanks Goldpanners of the Alaska League. He compiled a 348-151 record in Fairbanks, taking all seven of his teams to the National Baseball Congress national finals and winning four summer championships. For his efforts, he was named NBC Coach of the Decade. Among the players he coached with the Goldpanners were future Major League stars Dave Winfield, Mark McGwire and Steve Swisher.
Dietz was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002 and was enshrined into the Aztec Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. He is also a member of the Southern Oregon University Hall of Fame.
Other honors Dietz merited include the Super Star Award from Collegiate Baseball magazine, the Citizen of the Year Award from the City Club of San Diego and the Breitbard Award for his baseball contributions to the San Diego community.
Dietz earned a bachelor's degree in social studies from Southern Oregon College and received a master's degree in counseling from the University of Oregon.