| Organization: | University of Minnesota |
| Year: | 1978 |
The winner of the 1978 ABCA/Wilson Lefty Gomez Award was Minnesota's Dick Siebert.
In 1948, Siebert took over as head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The "Chief" would go on to become one of the greatest coaches in college baseball history and helped develop baseball at all levels in Minnesota.
By the time his career had ended in Gold Country, Siebert had become the winningest coach in Gopher history with a 754-361-6 record and a .676 winning percentage. He sent five different teams to the College World Series and he brought home three NCAA titles in 1956, 1960 and 1964. His teams also captured 12 Big Ten titles. Amazingly, he endured only three losing seasons.
Among his many honors and accolades, Siebert was twice named as college baseball's Coach of the Year and is a member of the ABCA and College Baseball Halls of Fame. Siebert also served as the president of the ABCA in 1970.
In 1979, the University of Minnesota Baseball Stadium was officially renamed "Siebert Field," in honor of their great coach and friend.
Named after the great Lefty Gomez, this annual award is presented to an individual who has distinguished himself among his peers and has contributed significantly to the game of baseball locally, nationally and internationally. The Lefty Gomez Award is sponsored by Wilson Sporting Goods.