Mark Marquess: USA Baseball mourns passing of former President and Olympic gold medal manager

Former USA Baseball President and Seoul 1988 Olympics gold medal manager Mark Marquess passed away at the age of 78.

"Mark Marquess was a true baseball legend and someone who had an incredible impact on building the foundation of USA Baseball,” said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. “His influence- both on the field and off - cannot be overstated. Leading the United States to its first Olympic gold medal in baseball was a historic achievement that reflected the extraordinary baseball mind and leadership he demonstrated throughout his career.

"Those same qualities are what led him to be chosen to serve as president of USA Baseball for nearly a decade," Seiler added. "We will continue to build on the work and commitment Mark brought to this organisation, and we will forever be grateful for the legacy he leaves behind."

When he led the USA National Team to second place behind Cuba at the Baseball World Cup 1988 in Italy and won the final against Japan, 5-3, at the Demonstration Tournament of the Seoul 1988 Games, Marquess was the head coach of Stanford University.

His collegiate coaching career was legendary. Marquess spent 41 seasons as the head coach at Stanford before retiring in 2017 as the fourth-winningest coach in NCAA Division I history. Under his leadership, the Cardinal went 1,627-878-7 (.649), advanced to the College World Series 14 times, and won back-to-back national championships in 1987 and 1988.

A three-time NCAA Coach of the Year (1985, 1987, 1988), Marquess led his teams to the postseason in 30 of 41 seasons and coached more than 200 players who were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. He is one of only 10 individuals to have both played in and coached at the College World Series, and he is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. The WBSC (then-International Baseball Federation) named him International Coach of 1988.