University of Minnesota Athletics
Former Gopher Great Dan Wilson Named Manager of Seattle Mariners
8/22/2024 6:15:00 PM | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS – Former Gopher great Dan Wilson was named the newest manager of the Seattle Mariners on Thursday. Wilson played for the Maroon and Gold from 1988-1990 before going 7th overall in the 1990 draft to the Cincinnati Reds. Wilson was the highest Gopher to go in the MLB draft since Paul Molitor went third overall in 1977.
Wilson spent 12 of his 14 year Major League career with the Mariners (1994-2005) and played in 1,281 games. Through his career he held a .262 batting average and collected 519 RBIs. Wilson was also an all-star selection in 1996. All but one of his games as a Mariner were spent behind the plate where he posted 8,112 putouts, 467 assists, and threw out 117 runners on the base paths.
Following his professional career he has remained within the Seattle organization as a broadcaster and spring training instructor. He was inducted into the Seattle Hall of Fame in 2012 along with his battery mate Randy Johnson. This duo played 104 games and held a 75-29 record.
During his Gopher career Wilson was named a first-team All-American and All-Big Ten in 1990. He was also named Big Ten Freshman of the year in 1988 after making an immediate impact on the program hitting .347. He capped off a stellar Gopher career hitting . 370 with 49 RBIs in his final season.
Wilson takes over the Mariners club that is 64-64. Their next series begins tomorrow, August 23rd against the San Francisco Giants.