The late Jim Dietz with San Diego State players in a photo released before the program retired his number in 2011. Photo credit: goaztecs.com
James Clyde Dietz, San Diego State University’s head baseball coach from 1972 to 2002, died Sunday in Florence, Ore. He was 83.
He died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, his wife Carol told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
After coaching the freshman basketball team and the junior varsity baseball team at the University of Oregon, Dietz was offered the job as head basketball coach at Lewis-Clark Normal School, now Lewis-Clark State College, in May 1971.
Yet he turned down that offer a week later to take the head baseball coach position at San Diego State.
Dietz had the most wins, 1,230, in Aztecs history, with a winning percentage of .620.
Under Dietz, the Aztecs went to the NCAA Tournament eight times (1979, from 1981-84, 1986 and from 1990-91) while winning the Western Athletic Conference five times (three regular season, two tournaments) and the Mountain West twice (one regular season, one conference).
In fall 2001, the university named San Diego Padre Tony Gwynn, who was retiring that season, to replace Dietz at San Diego State following the 2002 season.
SDSU retired Dietz’s number in 2011, and inducted him into the campus’ Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019. He also was a two-time Western Athletic Conference coach of the year.
Dietz sent 26 players to the major leagues, including Gwynn, Bud Black, Travis Lee and Dave Smith.
He is survived by his wife Carol, son Steve, daughter Jenny and several grandchildren.
– City News Service