Cliff Gustafson’s family will be hosting a celebration of the life of the legendary Texas baseball coach next week at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Gustafson died early Monday morning of congestive heart failure at the age of 91.
Services will be held at 3:00 pm on January 12 at the stadium where Gustafson recorded many of his 1,466 wins as the then-best coach in college baseball history. He coached for 29 seasons and won two national championships and 22 Southwestern Conference titles.
The funeral will be open to the public – “even for Aggie,” his daughters said – followed by a reception at the Cliff Gustavson Pavilion in the right stand. According to his daughter Jill Gustafson Balderama, Coach Gus, as he was known to the Longhorn people, will be buried in the Texas State Cemetery in a private family ceremony at a later date.
Bols: Cliff Gustafson of Texas was loved on and off the field… by everyone
Pastor Ken Baldwin of Real Life Church in Austin will preside over the service. The three Kyle sisters will provide the music. Former Longhorns Keith Moreland and Ty Harrington will sing the praises of Gustafson, while his grandson Scott Shepperd will speak for the family.
University rules do not allow the coffin to be carried on campus, so the family will choose his jersey number 18 on home plate.
Afterwards, Gustafson’s daughter Yann Gustafson Shepperd said, “Yeah, (Texas baseball coach) David Pierce should probably just have a fight on the field. Dad would love that.”
Following the ceremony, Longhorns super fan Scott Wilson will lead the crowd in a performance of “The Eye of Texas” as the Longhorn Nation bids farewell to the legend.
