The Golf Coaches Association of America has announced the 2023 Hall of Fame Class.
Steve Card, Josh Gregory Grier Jones and Marlin “Cricket” Musch will all be inducted into the GCAA Hall of Fame on December 4th at the GCAA Hall of Fame Awards Reception and Dinner in Las Vegas.
Card served in various leadership positions in the athletic department of Western Washington for more than 33 years. Card was the men’s golf coaching from 1993 until 2013. Western Washington won 45 events, including 10 conferences and four regional titles. They also made 12 NCAA Championships appearances (8 team and 4 individual) over a 15-year period, as well as four NAIA Championships.
Gregory was the director of golf and men’s golf head coach at Augusta State, now Augusta. He led the Jaguars (now Augusta State) to 18 tournament victories and became the first program to win consecutive NCAA Division I National Championships since Houston (1984-1985). Gregory was the NCAA Division I Dave Williams National Coaching of the Year Award winner twice in 2010 and 2011. He produced 12 All-Americans as well as 14 PING All-South Region Selections, 5 GCAA All-America Scholars. Gregory then moved to SMU where he coached Bryson deChambeau. He also worked on Will Zalatoris’ bag on the PGA Tour.
Jones served as the Wichita State coach from 1995 to his retirement in 2019. During his tenure at Wichita State, the Shockers were able to win 49 tournaments including 15 Missouri Valley Conference championships and 45 medalist awards, including 11 individual conference titles. He was the MVC All-Centennial Team Coach (2007) and a 13-time MVC coach of the year. His players also received 8 MVC Golfer of the Years, 60 All-MVC and 5 All-America awards. He played for Oklahoma State.
Musch was the first head coach of the UTEP varsity team, which was previously a club sport. He coached the program from 1981 to 1989. The Miners finished third in the 1988 NCAA Division I National Championship behind UCLA and GCAA hall of fame coach Eddie Merrins. Musch won the NCAA Division I Dave Williams National Coaching of the Year Award in 1988. UTEP returned to the national championship the following year before Musch was awarded Regional Coach of the Year. Musch was a three-time Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. He led the Miners in the 1985 WAC Championship and six national championships. Musch also received 10 All-American awards. He spent 30 years in the golf agency after coaching.
The Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame was established in 1980 by the GCAA to honor outstanding college golf coaches. The hall now has more than 160 members. Coaches must first be nominated and then chosen by the GCAA Hall of Fame Committee. The criteria for selection include not only a coach’s performance on the course but also his or her contributions to student-athletes and the school.
