SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara Athletics mourns the loss of Mark Marquess, who passed away Friday at the age of 78. A beloved member of the Santa Clara community, Marquess served in the athletics department as Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics since 2018.

"Mark made an indelible impact on the lives of all who had the pleasure of knowing him," Director of Athletics Heather M. Owen said. "He was a pillar in the baseball community, a coaches' coach, and a friend to all. We will forever carry "9"'s unflappable spirit. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the entire Marquess family and our friends in the Stanford community." 

Prior to his time with Santa Clara, Marquess was a legendary head coach for the Stanford baseball program, leading the Cardinal to 14 College World Series appearances, including back-to-back national titles in 1987 and 1988, during his 41 years at the helm. He was the fourth-winningest coach in NCAA Division I history, a member of the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, a gold-medal winning Olympic baseball coach, and retired in 2017 with a career record of 1,627-878-7 (.649).

"I am deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of Mark Marquess," Santa Clara Baseball Head Coach Rusty Filter said. "I am forever grateful to have been at his side for the last 18 years. He had such an incredible impact on my life. He was a true legend on and off the field, and was such a great man. My heart goes out to Susan and his family."

Marquess is survived by his loving wife, Susan, and their three daughters, Bridget, Anne and Maureen.