Men's Golf | January 02, 2020

Former USC men's golf coach Randy Lein, the Pac-12 Men's Golf Coach of the Century who guided the Trojans into the NCAA Championships all nine years he was at Troy and to a pair of Pac-10 titles before helping Arizona State to an NCAA crown and eight league titles as its head coach, died on Dec. 30 in Arizona.  He was 69.

Lein, who coached the Trojans from 1984 through 1992, was the Pac-10 and District VIII Coach of the Year in 1986.  His teams won 23 tournaments, including the 1984 and 1986 Pac-10s, and finished in the Top 10 at the NCAA tourney three times (1984-86-91).  He coached 21 All-Americans, including 1985 U.S. Amateur champion Sam Randolph, who finished as low amateur at the Masters in 1985 and 1986, was a first team All-American three straight years, was twice the Pac-10 Golfer of the Year and was college golf's 1986 Player of the Year.

He was an associate coach at USC for four seasons (1980-83) before becoming the head coach.  He shared Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors in 1980 with head coach Ron Rhoads.

Lein spent 19 seasons (1993-2011) as ASU's head coach.  His Sun Devils won the 1996 NCAA Championship and eight Pac-10 titles, including six in a row (1995-2000).  His teams won 44 tournaments and had 10 NCAA Top 10 finishes (with six Top 5 finishes).  He was the Pac-12 Coach of the Year five times while at ASU.  He coached a pair of NCAA individual champions (Todd Demsey in 1993 and Alejandro Canizares in 2003).

He was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009.

Lein, a 1975 graduate of Cal State Northridge, came to USC after serving as head pro at Westlake Village (Calif.) Golf Course.