Editor’s note: For more than six decades, the UA has been college baseball royalty, making 17 College World Series appearances and winning four national championships. The Star is re-living each of the team’s trips to Omaha.
1980: ‘Cardiac Cats’ capture nation’s hearts
What went down: Arizona used stolen bases and clutch pitching, to secure their second College World Series championship with a 5-3 win over Hawaii.
UA coach Jerry Kindall pointed to a key moment in the sixth inning as the difference in the game. Arizona led 4-3 in the sixth inning and had runners on first and third with two out when Dwight Taylor bolted for second base.
The throw from Hawaii’s catcher bounced in front of the bag,, and Clark Crist — who was leading off third base — dashed for home. Staked to the two-run lead, Kindall called on Greg Bargar, who finished the game for Craig Lefferts.
Francona, Lefferts, Bargar and first baseman Wes Clements were all named to the all-tournament team. Francona was named the College World Series’ most outstanding player.
Just like in 1976, Arizona won a national title after losing its series opener. St. John’s beat the UA 6-1 in the first game. From there, Arizona beat Florida State, Michigan, Hawaii and Cal to set up a rematch with the Rainbows in the final.
Arizona advanced to the series after tearing through an NCAA Regional held in Tucson. The Wildcats beat Fresno State once and Gonzaga twice to advance.
Arizona finished the season 45-21-1.
From the archives: The Star’s Bob Moran wrote that the Wildcats made the championship win look easy. He added:
UA coach Jerry Kindall said an “inner toughness” separated the talent on this team from that of the 1976 national champions.
“We came back (in the Series) just like four years ago. But this team had more (to overcome) than the others,” he said. “We were so far back. And we played in a tough conference.”
Pitching coach Jim Wing agreed. “We have had to battle all year because every week we played a team with the potential to make it to the College World Series,” Wing said. ‘These guys deserve this honor. They’ve worked for it, and I love them all.”
He said it: “This is the best thing that’s ever happened in my life. It’s happy and it’s sad,” Clements said. “It’s the end of my career at Arizona. And these guys are the greatest. There’s so much pride on this team. They’re super.”
After Omaha: Lefferts gave what Kindall called a “very, very brave performance” in the championship game, allowing three runs on 10 hits in 6º innings and earning the win.
Lefferts signed with the Chicago Cubs organization following the 1980 season, and was in the big leagues by the start of the 1983 season. Working mostly in relief, Lefferts made 696 appearances over 12 big-league season with the Cubs, Padres, Giants, Orioles, Rangers and Angels.
The big number: 18. Francona led all hitters with 18 total bases during the College World Series. The future major-league player and manager went 11 for 24 with six RBIs, one home run, two doubles, one triple — and three stolen bases. In 1995, both Francona and Lefferts were named to the CWS all-decade team for the 1980s.
Hansen: 1980 'Cats have lasting legacy in baseball
In January, Star columnist Greg Hansen wrote about the "Cardiac Cats" as they returned to Tucson for the 40th anniversary of their 1980 College World Series. It read, in part:
Ordinarily, a 40th anniversary celebration of Arizona's 1980 baseball national champions would be scheduled for a big-game Pac-12 weekend at Hi Corbett Field.
But Arizona is one of the few schools in college baseball whose College World Series champs are still heavily involved in baseball.
MLB spring training starts early in February, and so it was necessary to stage the 40th anniversary this weekend.
It was impressive Friday when UA coach Jay Johnson played host to more than 20 members of the '80 champs. Almost the entire roster from Jerry Kindall's second national title team returned to Tucson.
No one keeps records on such things, but it would be hard to imagine more players from one college baseball team making baseball their life's work. For example:
• Outfielder Terry Francona, the 1980 college baseball player of the year, is the manager of the Cleveland Indians.
• Infielder Casey Candaele, a long-time big-league coach, is the manager of the Single-A Vancouver Canadians.
• Infielder Pat Roessler is the assistant hitting coach for the world champion Washington Nationals.
• Pitcher Jeff Morris of Catalina High School has been a Cincinnati Reds scout since 2004; before that, he was a pitching coach for the Tucson Toros and for Kindall at Arizona.
• Outfielder Scott Stanley of Palo Verde High School has been a Miami Marlins scout since 1993.
• First baseman Wes Clements has been a minor-league manager and coach, and is now a TV analyst and baseball radio talk-show personality.
• Pitcher Craig Lefferts, a long-time big-league reliever, has been a minor-league pitching coach and rehab coordinator for the Oakland A's for 12 years.
• Outfielder John Moses, a former big-league assistant, is the hitting coach for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, an Atlanta Braves affiliate.
• Pitcher Ed Vosberg of Salpointe Catholic High School, part of the Florida Marlins' 1997 World Series championship team, has been a pitching coach for, among others, the Diamondbacks organization.
Also attending the 40th anniversary were former MLB outfielder Dwight Taylor, ex-big-league pitcher Greg Bargar, now a supervisor in the Pima County Sheriff's Department and catcher David Landrith, who was Flowing Wells High School's baseball coach for almost two decades and is now the head coach at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy.… Ron Quick and Don Hyman, starters for the '80 Wildcats, also returned from Los Angeles and Seattle, respectively.
Arizona opened the '80 College World Series by losing to St. John's and then won five consecutive games, over Florida State, Michigan, Hawaii (twice) and Cal to win the second of what is now four Arizona national baseball titles.
Wes Clements of University of Arizona baseball team being greeted by fans at Tucson International Airport in June, 1980, after the team won the 1980 College World Series.