(Sep. 29, 1920 – May 7, 1970) Don Kirsch left his mark on the sports world as a standout athlete and long-time baseball coach at the University of Oregon before passing away at the age of 49.

Born in Portland in 1920, Kirsch played baseball and basketball at Jefferson High and was all-league in both sports. He moved to the University of Oregon and played baseball and basketball under coach Howard Hobson from 1940-43. The Ducks won Pacific Coast Conference Northern Division titles in ’41-43. Following two years of service in the Army, which ended with a medical discharge, Kirsch played semi-pro baseball and coached basketball and baseball at Hillsboro High.

In 1948, Hobson took the head basketball coaching position at Yale, and Oregon hired Kirsch to lead the baseball program at age 27. In the following 23 years, Kirsch led the Ducks to an average of 19 wins per season and a .651 winning percentage. Oregon won the Northern Division title five times and played its way into the College World Series in 1954, the school’s lone appearance. Kirsch mentored five All-Americans: Earl Averill, George Shaw, Terry Maddox and Larry Hanson.

Kirsch retired from coaching in 1970 to battle Parkinson’s Disease, which he had been diagnosed with three years earlier. He passed away shortly after a fall. The University of Oregon created the Don Kirsch Memorial Award in 1972 to honor his legacy, which included being an assistant coach for the Oregon men’s basketball team.

Kirsch was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and the University of Oregon Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. He also is a member of the PIL Athletics Hall of Fame and the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.