Retired UT Arlington baseball coach Marvin “Butch” McBroom, who won a school-record 756 games from 1974 to 1999, died at his Granbury home Thanksgiving morning. He was 78.
A memorial service celebrating his life is s planned for Dec. 18, at 5 p.m. at Clay Gould Ballpark.
“The impact Butch McBroom made on UT Arlington baseball is immeasurable — he nurtured and forged the program into what it is today,” UT Arlington athletic director Jon Fagg said Tuesday in a statement.
A cancer survivor who had his leg amputated due to the disease in 1983, McBroom posted 14 consecutive 30-win seasons from 1980-1993. During his 26 years leading the Mavericks, 65 players signed professional contracts, while 48 became coaches and 46 earned All-Southland Conference honors.
“Butch McBroom is without a doubt the single most important figure in the history of UTA baseball,” said John Mocek, who played four years for McBroom and was a third base coach for 14 seasons. “Butch built the program from its infancy with limited resources and carried it into the 21st century. The impact he had on the young men he coached is no more evident than the amount of them who until his last day remained in contact with Butch and became life-long friends.”
A Facebook post by son Chad McBroom on his father’s passing had 130 comments in less than four hours. Butch McBroom won 806 games in a 33-year career, which included Union (Tenn.) University.
McBroom was born on Dec. 9, 1943, in Fort Worth to M.W. “Buster” and Rosie McBroom. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Lynn; children Dana and husband Ralph Martinez, Chad and wife Mindy McBroom; grandchildren Sydni, Abigail, Brett, Megan, Isabelle and Caise; and great-grandchildren Tristin and Jackson. In addition to his parents, McBroom was preceded in death by his son, Greg Carroll.
