Enos Semore, the winningest coach in Oklahoma baseball history, died on Saturday at the age of 93.
Semore's Oklahoma teams won 851 games in 22 seasons at OU from 1968 to 1989. His teams won eight Big Eight championships and made five straight College World Series appearances between 1972 and 1976. He resigned just days before the start of the 1990 college baseball season for medical reasons.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Coach Enos Semore," OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a press release. "His accomplishments on the diamond are nothing short of remarkable, and we couldn't be prouder that he was our coach fo 22 memorable years."
Semore's teams at Oklahoma finished third or higher in the Big Eight standings in 19 of his 22 seasons. The Sooners retired his 24 jersey number last season prior to a game against Baylor.
The legendary Sooner head coach was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame this year. In his final season in 1989, Semore was named Big Eight Coach of the Year
Semore played a substantial role in the building of L. Dale Mitchell Park, the Sooners' current baseball home, in 1991 and moving the program from its previous location at Haskell Park to its present location.
"Coach Semore was a larger than life man," said Sooner baseball coach Skip Johnson. "When you think about Oklahoma baseball, you think about Enos Semore and the countless lives he changed."
Born in Haskell County, Oklahoma, Semore played basketball and baseball at Northeastern (Oklahoma) State University. Prior to being hired at Oklahoma, he served five seasons as head coach at Bacone (Oklahoma) Junior College.
Semore and his late wife, Mary, are survived by their three children: Lee, Janie and Scott.