Dick Siebert was hired as Gophers baseball coach in 1948 and became a Minnesota legend. He died in December 1978 at age 66. He had taken the Gophers to five College World Series, and with presidential election year championships in 1956, 1960 and 1964. George Thomas, a former big leaguer, had been Siebert's assistant for six years and replaced him. Thomas stayed three seasons, then departed, .