FRESNO, Calif. – Gene “Red” Estes, a USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame honoree who spent 36 years within the Fresno State track and field program, passed away at the age of 84.
Estes began his tenure in 1964 as the Bulldogs’ cross country coach, joining Dutch Warmerdam. The two worked side by side until Warmerdam retired and Estes succeeded him in 1980. He spent the next 20 seasons guiding a dominant Bulldog men’s program.
While he was the head coach, Fresno State won a combined 17 conference championships in track and field and cross country, and he earned Coach of the Year honors 16 times. His teams finished as high as fifth in the NCAA outdoor championships and sixth indoors. In the Big West, Estes’ team had an unprecedented run of ten consecutive Big West conference championships from 1983-92.
In dual competition, he compiled a winning percentage of .832 with a 188-38-1 dual meet record. It is the highest winning percentage of any coach in any sport in Fresno State’s history. During a 14-year stretch, Fresno State maintained a top-20 dual-meet ranking, including a school record eighth-place national finish in 1994.
During his 33 years as Fresno State’s cross country coach, Estes’ men’s teams won four conference titles, and the women’s team won the Big West championship in 1988.
Over 100 of his athletes reached All-America status and seven won NCAA individual titles. While the accolades on the track will certainly be remembered, upon his retirement in 2000 Estes spoke about the highlight of his coaching career.
“The association I’ve had with the student-athletes has been the highlight of the 36 years,” Estes said. “I’ve had the privilege to coach what turned out to be tremendous contributors to our society. And that is what makes coaching worthwhile.”
Estes’ coaching career began at the University of Oregon in 1959 as co-head coach of the Ducks’ freshman squad under Hall of Fame coach Bill Bowerman. In 1963, he served as an assistant track and field coach at Springfield (Ore.) High School as well as head coach of the Oregon freshman squad. A year later, he was hired by Fresno State.
Estes received his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Oregon in 1959. He later returned to Oregon to obtain his master’s degree in 1964. Estes also received a doctorate in physical education from Northern Colorado in 1969.