Mike Gillespie, coach of College World Series teams, dies

Mike Gillespie, who played on and coached College World Series title teams with Southern California, died Wednesday. He was 80.

He died in Irvine following complications from recent lung issues and a stroke, according to USC, which spoke to his son Mitch.

Gillespie was an infielder/outfielder on USC’s 1961 CWS championship team and the 1960 runner-up squad.

He was USC’s coach from 1987-2006, leading the Trojans to five Pac-10 titles, 14 NCAA Regional appearances, four CWS berths and the 1998 CWS crown. He won 763 games at USC and coached 30 future major leaguers, including Aaron and Bret Boone, Geoff Jenkins, Morgan Ensberg, Mark Prior and Barry Zito.

He coached the U.S. national team in 2000.