BYU to retire jerseys of legendary baseball coaches Tuckett and Pullins

On Saturday, May 11, Brigham Young University will retire the jerseys of hall of fame coaches Gary Pullins (No. 1) and Glen Tuckett (No. 20) in a special ceremony prior to the baseball game against the University or San Francisco. The celebration will take place at 12:45 p.m. (MST) on the field at Miller Park. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Tuckett coached the BYU baseball team from 1959 to 1976. Pullins followed Tuckett at the helm from 1977 to 1999. The two legendary coaches led BYU to a combined record of 1,358-718-10 (.654) over 41 seasons. Pullins and Tuckett have both been inducted into the Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame and are the first former Cougars to have their baseball jersey retired by the university.

In 18 seasons as head coach, Tuckett’s teams won 445 games, 13 division titles and three conference championships. The Cougars posted two NCAA District 7 crowns and went to the College World Series in Omaha twice in 1968 and 1971. He was named District 7 Coach of the Year three times.

A native of Murray, Utah, Tuckett came to BYU in 1959 as an assistant football coach and head baseball coach. He was named BYU athletic director in 1976, replacing Stan Watts, and served in that capacity until 1993. During his 17 years as athletic director the BYU athletic program won 17 Western Athletic Conference Overall Supremacy Trophies, the 1981 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship and the 1984 National Championship in football.

Over the years, Tuckett served on a variety of national committees including the NCAA and the College Football Association. He served as president of the American Baseball Coaches Association in 1977 and was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 1979. Tuckett was presented the Lefty Gomez Award by the ABCA in 1991 and was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.

Following his retirement from BYU, Tuckett served as athletic director at the University of Alabama from 1995 to 1996.

Tuckett earned a doctorate in health science from BYU in 1975. He and his wife Jo are the parents of four daughters, nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren. The couple served a full-time mission at the LDS Family History Center in Salt Lake City from 1997 to 1998.

Pullins led the Cougar baseball program from 1977 to 1999. Under his direction BYU won seven WAC titles and 15 division crowns. He also led the baseball team to the NCAA Regional Tournament nine times and finished his career ranked 16th among active NCAA Division I baseball coaches with 913 wins.

Pullins was named District Coach of the Year four times, WAC Coach of the Year nine times and Diamond Division I Baseball Coach of the Year in 1985. He also guided BYU to a No. 1 regular season ranking in 1983. Pullins was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004. He also served a term as president of the ABCA and also served on the Rules Committee and All-America Selection Committee.

A native of Glendale, Ariz., Pullins was a two-year starter for BYU at second base. He co-captained the Cougars to the 1968 College World Series while hitting .341 and earning second-team all-district honors.

After graduating, Pullins spent five years with the Los Angeles Dodgers as both a player and a coach. He then returned to Utah as the head baseball coach and athletic director at what is now Utah Valley University.

Pullins earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from BYU in 1969 and a master's degree in physical education and health science in 1975. He and his wife Kathy are the parents of four sons and 10 grandchildren. Kathy also worked at BYU for 20 years, serving as the associate dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School.