Wayne Graham

1936 - 2024

Wayne Graham
04/06/1936 - 09/03/2024
Wayne Graham, 88, passed away peacefully in his home in Austin, Texas on September 3rd leaving behind a legacy of love, strength and inspiration. His passion for the game of baseball and the lives he shaped will forever be remembered.
Wayne was born in Yoakum, Texas to Lovie and Earl (Lefty) Graham. The family moved to Houston where Wayne became the batboy for the 1945 semi-pro Finger Furniture baseball team coached by his father.
After graduating from Reagan High School in Houston, he went on to play baseball under coach Bibb Falk at the University of Texas. Wayne was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1957 and went on to play eleven years in pro ball with the Phillies and Mets organizations. He was named Texas minor league player of the year in 1962.
Following his playing days, he returned to UT to receive his B.S. in education in 1970, and he added a master's of education from the University of Houston in 1973.
Wayne's coaching career began at Scarborough High School in Houston where he coached for nine seasons. After one year at Spring Branch High School he moved on to coach junior college baseball at San Jacinto College in Houston. He went on to lead the Gators to seven consecutive national championship game appearances winning five championship titles from 1984-90. This led to Collegiate Baseball naming him Junior College Coach of the Century.
Wayne began his tenure at Rice University in 1992 and developed a winning program that would go on to make 23 consecutive tournament appearances (1995-2017) and win 21 consecutive regular season or tournament conference championships (1996-2015). Under his leadership, Rice advanced to the College World Series seven times. Wayne's crowning achievement was the 2003 College World Series in which Rice won its first national championship in its 91 year history. On April 16, 2016, Graham won his 1,100th Division I game and ended his career with more than 1,600 wins as a collegiate head coach.
Among his other achievements, Coach Graham was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003, into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, the Conference USA Hall of Fame in 2019 and the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2021.
Wayne was more than a baseball coach; he was a mentor, a dedicated leader and a cherished member of the Rice University family. He was eternally grateful for the countless players, colleagues, friends and fans who made it all possible.
Though Wayne's passion for baseball was evident, he also truly embraced a constant pursuit of knowledge, the wonder and beauty of nature and hiking and snorkeling in the beautiful islands of Hawaii with his family.
He is preceded in death by his parents Lovie and Earl Graham, son Gary Graham, brother Alan Graham and Father-in-law Joseph Wheat, Jr. He is survived by his loving wife of 41 years Tanya Graham who was his constant companion and soulmate, his children and their spouses Terry Graham and Patrick Henry, Greg and Reyna Graham, Michael and Christine Graham, Cindy Graham and Mark Thomas, Matthew Graham; granddaughter Sophia; mothers
-in-law Mary Josey and Judy Wheat, sisters-in-law Trina and Milton Saunders, Terri Jo Wheat, Tena Graham; and his loving pups Casey and Max. The family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff of Embrace Hospice with a special thank you to Kevin Roux and Jason Shroyer.
A celebration of Wayne Graham's life will be held at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer on Tuesday, September 17th at 3:00 pm followed by a reception. Memorial donations in his memory may be directed to Houston Arboretum and Nature Center or Houston Petset.