Horton Selected National Coach of the Year July 4, 2003– Durham, NC
Cal State Fullerton Coach George Horton has been selected the 2003 College
Coach of the Year by Baseball America.
Horton, 49, led the Titans to a 50-16 season and their third College World
Series berth in Omaha in the last five years. The Titans tied for third
place with Texas behind national champion Rice and Stanford.
Horton is the second Titan coach to win the award, joining his former
coach Augie Garrido, who won the award in 1984 when Fullerton won its
second of three national titles. Garrido also won the award last year
at Texas.
"I learned the game from Augie and from Wally Kincaid," said
Horton, who played for Kincaid at Cerritos College before finishing his
career with the Titans in 1975 and 1976. "But I have learned to be
able to use their stuff and do it my way. You have to be yourself. I can't
be Augie Garrido; I have to be George Horton."
Horton won three national junior college coach of the year awards at Cerritos,
where he was 226-53 (.810) in six seasons (1985-90).
Horton was Garrido's associate head coach from 1991 thru 1996 when the
Titans made three trips to Omaha and won the national title in 1995. Horton
replaced Garrido when Augie left for Texas and the Titans have averaged
44 wins a season with Horton posting a 309-132-1 (.700) record. He is
one of the top ten winningest active coaches and is one of nine men to
have appeared in Omaha as a player and head coach.
