Art Mazmanian, star on USC’s College World Series title team, dies at 91

Art Mazmanian, an All-American second baseman on Southern California’s first College World Series championship team in 1948 who later coached future major leaguers, has died. He was 91.

The university said he died Friday in San Dimas, a Los Angeles suburb. No cause was given.

Mazmanian was a four-year letterman at USC. He started at shortstop as a freshman in 1945 and at second base in 1948 and ‘49. In 1948, he joined Wally Hood and Hank Workman as the school’s first baseball All-American first team choices.

In the 1948 College World Series title game against Yale, Mazmanian went 3 for 3 with a sacrifice and a run scored. It was the school’s first-ever NCAA title in baseball.

Future President George H.W. Bush played first base for Yale in that game.

In 1949, Mazmanian helped the Trojans return to the CWS, where they lost in the semifinals.

After college, Mazmanian played in the New York Yankees organization from 1949-54, making it to Triple-A.

He returned to his alma mater Dorsey High in Los Angeles, where he coached football and baseball for 13 years.

In 1968, Mazmanian became baseball coach at Mount San Antonio Junior College, where he had just two losing seasons in 31 years. He coached such future major leaguers Doug Bird, Ron Roenicke, Rob Nelson, Brett Tomko and Terry Clark.

While at Dorsey and Mount SAC, Mazmanian spent 18 summers managing in the minor leagues for the Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Athletics. In 1984, he was an assistant for the U.S. Olympic baseball team that won a silver medal. He also scouted for the Athletics and Cleveland Indians.

He ended his coaching career as an assistant at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College in 2016 at age 88.

He is survived by son Stephen and daughter Nancy, who worked in baseball public relations for USC and the Los Angeles Angels. Shirley, his wife of 55 years, died in 2007.