Wichita State Legend Gene Stephenson Named 2026 Recipient of the Wayne Graham Award For Teaching Excellence
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Legendary former Wichita State Head Baseball Coach Gene Stephenson has been named the 2026 recipient of the Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence by the College Baseball Foundation (CBF).
The Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence is presented annually to the coach, at any college level, who demonstrates the qualities of teaching, developing and coaching college baseball players that prepare them not only on the field and in the classroom, but for life after their baseball careers.
“Coach Graham took pride in being a teacher of the game. His teams frequently had players with great attributes but in need of skillful development and wisdom,” CBF Vice Chairman Rick Greenspan said. “His approach was very successful and appreciated by his players and peers. Coach Stephenson embodies many of Coach Graham’s skills as a teacher and a developer of young men. Coach Stephenson built the Wichita State baseball program literally from the ground up and had one of the most successful careers in NCAA Division I history. He is a worthy recipient of this prestigious award."
The award is voted on by a panel of coaches, players, umpires, and administrators who possess significant background and experience in the sport. Among those currently serving on the committee are college baseball coaching legends, including former Oregon State Head Baseball Coach Pat Casey and current Rice and former Texas Head Baseball Coach David Pierce. Longtime head coach of Cal Poly Larry Lee was the inaugural Graham Award winner in 2024.
"Especially with the criteria of this award and in memory of Wayne Graham, I am extremely thankful to the College Baseball Foundation” Coach Stephenson said. “This is what we did every day, teach not only baseball, but life lessons too. I am honored to be selected for this award."
Stephenson is one of the most accomplished and influential figures in college baseball history, best known for his 36-year tenure as the head coach at Wichita State University. A 2014 inductee into the College Baseball Hall of Fame, Stephenson built the Shockers into a national powerhouse through sustained excellence, consistency, and elite player development.
One of the brilliant tacticians on any level of baseball, the CBF Hall of Fame coach was at Wichita State from 1978-2013 earning a 1,837-675-3 (.731 victory rate) coaching record over 36 seasons. Prior to going to WSU, Stephenson had short tenures as an assistant coach at Missouri (where he starred in football and baseball before serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam) and Oklahoma before taking the WSU reins. In just his third season with the Shockers, they made their first-ever of 28 trips (Missouri Valley Conference record) to the NCAA Regionals, and nine years later Stephensen and the Shockers pulled one of the biggest upsets in NCAA World Series history with a championship game win over heavily-favored Texas. The cagey mentor has won as many as 68 games in one season twice (1985 and ’89) and a NCAA-record 73 contests in 1982 when WSU was runner-up to Miami (Fla.) in the NCAA title bout. Included in this run were seven trips to the NCAA World Series from 1982-93, an MVC-record 20 postseason tourney showings and high water 18 regular-season titles in the Valley from 1980-2013. He has been a national Coach of the Year and included in several Halls of Fame.
During his remarkable career, Stephenson led Wichita State to the pinnacle of college baseball, capturing the 1989 College World Series championship and making seven total appearances in Omaha. His teams were perennial postseason contenders, earning 28 NCAA Regional appearances and advancing to two NCAA Super Regionals. Under his leadership, the Shockers dominated the Missouri Valley Conference, winning 20 regular-season titles and 17 conference tournament championships.
Individually, he was a three-time NCAA Coach of the Year and an 11-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year. He was also honored as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Team.
A hallmark of Stephenson’s career was his ability to develop talent at the highest level. He coached 33 players who went on to play in Major League Baseball, including 13 first-round MLB Draft selections. His players also earned numerous individual honors, including three NCAA Players of the Year, one NCAA Pitcher of the Year, and two NCAA Academic Players of the Year. In total, 54 of his players received All-America honors, while 33 were named Freshman All-Americans.
Stephenson also emphasized academic excellence, coaching 20 players who earned Academic All-America honors a combined 27 times. Additionally, his players captured 15 conference Player of the Year awards and 12 conference Pitcher of the Year honors.
His legacy is defined not only by victories and championships, but also by his impact on generations of players and the lasting standard of excellence he set for the sport.
Other winners of 2026 College Baseball Foundation affiliated awards include Dylan Carey, Nebraska (Brooks Wallace Award), Daniel Jackson, Georgia (Buster Posey Award, Dick Howser Trophy, Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award), Jackson Flora, UCSB (Pitcher of the Year), Evan Dempsey (John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year) and John Savage, UCLA (Skip Bertman Coach of the Year).
As part of CBF’s new partnership with Lamar Advertising, Stephenson and all 2026 award winners will be recognized with custom congratulatory digital signage near the location of the award winner’s institution and hometown as well as other markets throughout the nation. The digital recognition will run for two weeks, beginning on Sunday, June 14.
Wayne Graham Teaching Excellence Award Winners will also be recognized at the future College Baseball Hall of Fame being designed by the world class architects at Populous at the iconic Museum at Prairiefire in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City.
About the Wayne Graham Award
The Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence is presented annually as a tribute to Graham, the longtime Hall of Fame college baseball coach at Rice University. Widely considered one of the greatest teachers in the history of college baseball, Graham’s legacy extends well beyond his own distinguished record. His influence on the game and the thousands of players, coaches, and others he mentored within college baseball is immeasurable. Graham passed away in September 2024 at age 88.
Graham compiled a 1,173–528–2 record in 27 seasons at Rice. When he took over the program in 1992, Rice had never won a conference championship in its previous 79 years.
He led the Owls to 23 consecutive NCAA appearances from 1995-2017, to 11 Super Regionals in the first 15 years of the expanded playoff format (1999-2013), guided Rice to seven appearances in the College World Series in 12 years and gave Rice its first NCAA team championship in 2003 when Rice downed Stanford 14-2 to claim the College World Series title.
Graham coached five national players of the year, 28 first-team All-Americans, seven conference players of the year, six conference pitchers of the year, 19 first-round draft picks—including the first overall pick in 1997 in Matt Anderson and sending 41 players to the major leagues.
A campaign was launched by the CBF to endow the Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence. Proceeds from the endowment will help support the presentation of the award. Those interested in supporting the endowment may send a financial gift to the Wayne Graham Endowment.
The CBF presents the Brooks Wallace Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Shortstop), the Pitcher of the Year Award, the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, the Skip Bertman Coach of the Year Award, presented by Marucci, the Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence, and the George H.W. Bush Distinguished Alumnus Award, presented by Rawlings. The CBF also works in collaboration with the Dick Howser Trophy, the Buster Posey Award, presented by Hasty Awards (nation’s top catcher) and the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award.
