By Bill Sheehan
It was a triple-header for the ages.
Cal State Fullerton's baseball program Saturday launched its 2022 campaign in memorable style. With hundreds of Titans supporters on hand, the day kicked off with the unveiling of a statue of legendary head coach Augie Garrido. Fans were then invited to tour the team's new state-of-the-art clubhouse. Finally, former Fullerton players squared off against the 2022 team in the annual alumni game.
Clearly, it was a day about honoring Garrido, who guided Fullerton to College World Series championships in 1979, 1984 and 1995 and later won two more titles at the University of Texas. He passed away nearly four years ago at age 78.
To a man, Garrido's former Titans assistant coaches and players insisted the championships were a byproduct of his ability to connect with people. Whether developing strong relationships, providing life lessons or emphasizing that doing the little things right can lead to big results, Garrido always stuck the right chord, they said.
Mark Kotsay, the Oakland Athletics manager and former Titans standout, spoke for many when he said, "It was an honor to be under a coach who truly loved and was passionate about teaching us the right way to do things. Augie led us and turned us into men. I'm thankful for that."
"I didn't really think this day would come to fruition with honoring him and his legacy in this fashion. It's an amazing day," said Kotsay, who starred on the Titans' 1995 championship team and was the Golden Spikes Award recipient that season.
Oakland Athletics head coach and Titan great, Mark Kotsay, shares his memories of Augie Garrido at the statue unveiling.
'We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us'
Titans Director of Athletics Jim Donovan served as the master of ceremonies at the statue unveiling and clubhouse ribbon cutting. "We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us," he said, repeating a popular mantra at Cal State Fullerton.
Donovan said the clubhouse, which was six years in the making, will herald Titan baseball into the future. He thanked many people and entities for helping to make the clubhouse a reality, including Steve DiTolla, the retiring senior associate athletics director. DiTolla spearheaded the $15.1-million effort to build the baseball clubhouse and provide a major upgrade of the softball offices and locker-room.
University President Fram Virjee, the first of six speakers at the event, said the Titans baseball program is all about "character" and that legacy can be traced back to one man – Garrido.
Former Garrido assistant coaches Dave Snow, who later guided Long Beach State to multiple College World Series appearances, and Mike Wilson followed Virjee on the podium. Kotsay and two other former Titans, Angels broadcaster Jose Mota and third-base coach Phil Nevin, also spoke. Nevin led the Titans to the CWS championship game in 1992.
Nevin, another Golden Spikes Award honoree and the first overall pick of the 1992 Major League Baseball draft, said afterward, "Our relationship with Augie was so valuable not only to our baseball careers but our lives. This statue will be a symbol of the impact he had on so many people while he was here, and he will continue to impact the student-athletes in the future."
Phil Nevin addresses the crowed at the Augie Garrido statue unveiling and share how Garrido made him not just a better player, but a better person.
Joe Martelli led campaign for Garrido statue
Nevin and Kotsay were among the individuals who advocated for and helped fund the Garrido statue. The project's point man was former Titans assistant coach Joe Martelli, who was a catcher on the 1979 championship team.
"As the speakers today said, 'Augie got the most out of everyone,' " said Martelli, "He made you believe you could do things that you would never dream you could. You can see all the people here today and what this means to everybody. It's because of the relationships Augie built."
The bronze statue, which is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 250 pounds, was sculpted in clay by
Lou Cella of Fine Arts Studio of Rotblatt Amrany, Timeless Creations Inc. After Cella completed his work, the statue went to a foundry for bronzing. Cella then applied the statue's blue and orange tints.
"Joe Martelli approached [studio founder] Omri Amrany about doing the sculpture. And Omri turned it over to me; I'm the baseball junkie at our studio," said Cella, whose works have included Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Carlton Fisk.
"I had never heard of Augie Garrido, but I studied up on him. Everyone I talked to … I knew they were talking about the same person. His leadership and father-like qualities stood out. He was a disciplinarian and instructor, yet he became the players' friend and helped them with their lives."
Garrido's widow, Jeannie Grass Garrido, participated in several Zoom calls with Cella during his research. "I was fortunate to get to work with him," said Grass Garrido. "We went over a lot of pictures."
'The likeness of the statue is spot on'
Grass Garrido said the campus event was "emotionally overwhelming" but added it was a richly deserved milestone for her late husband. "I feel honored for the way they chose to honor Augie. They did an amazing job. The likeness of the statue is spot on."
Garrido's family (left) pose next to his statue moments after the unvieling. Former players (right) Mark Kotsay, Phil Nevin, Jost Mota and former assistant coaches Dave Snow and Mike Wilson.
After the unveiling, Fullerton supporters toured the new L-shaped clubhouse, which stands near the left field foul pole. The first floor houses a locker room, showers, study and food areas. On the second floor, there are conference, video analysis, copier and storage rooms as well as coaches' offices and showers.
Several prominent alumni donors gave the clubhouse a big thumbs up.
The new players' locker room is being sponsored by Roger and Yvette Kotch. "The whole facility is a tribute to Augie. It puts us on an upper echelon position among other California baseball programs," he said. "This is like putting a stake in the ground – we're not going away and we're here to stay. We're ready to compete head to head for recruits with anyone. And this gives us the flagship to do it. I'm really excited."
Bob Kargenian, who has provided the largest baseball scholarship endowment, said the new facility will allow Fullerton to be on par with its competitors. "I'm so excited for our guys today. It all started with Coach Garrido and the relationships he built. We have great people following through now. It's pretty neat," said Kargenian, who served as a student statistician for Garrido.
Robinson brothers both played baseball at Fullerton
The family of Chris "Toph" Robinson is sponsoring the new courtyard plaza, which includes the statue and ticket office windows. Robinson and his brother Jeff both played baseball at Fullerton, with Jeff advancing to the major leagues. The brothers, along with their late father, Dan, have strongly supported Titans baseball over the years.
"This is an Augie celebration. To see all these people coming back is beautiful," said Toph. "I was one of the guys who changed in the parking lot when we didn't have a locker room. The new building is phenomenal. It puts us on a level playing field."
Another alum, Steven Reger, is sponsoring the assistant coaches' office.
Mike Urman of Temecula, the father of Titans sophomore catcher Cole Urman, called the clubhouse "unbelievable." The players changed in their vehicles last season while the facility was being built, he said, and "all the boys' cars smelled like a locker room."
In his inaugural game as Titans head coach, Jason Dietrich, guided the 2022 team to a 4-1 victory over the alumni squad at Goodwin Field. The Titans open their season Feb. 18 with a three-game series at Stanford University and return home to face Gonzaga University Feb. 25-27.
Damon Allen quarterbacked Cal State Fullerton to two conference football championships in the 1980s and later won four Grey Cups in the Canadian Football League. But many forget that he also was a pitcher on Garrido's 1984 championship team.
"We weren't the most talented squad, but no baseball team was more efficient that we were," Allen said after viewing the new clubhouse. "Augie was tough, honest and preached fundamentals. I learned a lot from him as far as managing my time and putting effort into the small details that it takes to be great. All of those things had an impact on our lives."
WATCH THE TITANS ON ESPN+
Titans fans can now watch every home basketball game exclusively on ESPN+. Cal State Fullerton has built a top-tier production studio to give the viewers an ESPN quality production for all games at Titan Gym which will also lead into baseball and softball games. Additionally, all schools in the Big West Conference are committed to producing ESPN quality streams which will allow fans to watch the Titans on ESPN+ for all road conference games.
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