Burt Hooton

Playing career

Burt Hooton grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he pitched Richard King High School’s Mustangs to a 4A state title in 1967, the school’s second year, and graduated in 1968. He then played for the University of Texas at Austin, earning three All-America nods from 1969 to 1971, a spot on the Southwest All-Conference team each year, and team MVP honors in 1971. His college record was 35–3, highlighted by two no-hitters thrown within weeks of each other in 1971—one a perfect game that lasted eight innings of a scheduled seven-inning contest.

The Longhorns won conference championships in all three of his seasons, and he helped them reach the College World Series in 1969 and 1970, finishing fourth and third respectively; he made the All-Tournament team in 1969. During the summer of 1969, pitching for the Boulder Collegians, Hooton started and won the 64th Midnight Sun Game, hosted by the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks. His college career earned him induction into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1981, the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998, and the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008; the Longhorns retired his number 20 in 2009.

Drafted second overall by the Chicago Cubs in 1971, Hooton made his major league debut on June 17 of that year, appearing in just three games and striking out 15 batters in one of them. He became the third player ever to jump straight to the majors after being drafted, skipping the minors entirely. He started the 1972 season with a bang, throwing a 4–0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field on April 16, the second day of a strike-delayed campaign.

But consistent wins proved elusive as the Cubs struggled, and by May 1975, with a 34–44 record and a rising earned run average, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Coaching

After finishing his journalism degree back at the University of Texas, Hooton moved into coaching. His first job came in 1988 with the Dodgers organization, working with the Class A Salem Dodgers in Oregon. He then spent 1990 through 1994 as the pitching coach for the Double-A San Antonio Missions, followed by two seasons with the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes from 1995 to 1996. He returned to his alma mater for a three-year stint as pitching coach from 1997 to 1999.

In 2000, he began the year at Double-A Round Rock, a Houston Astros affiliate, but was promoted to the major league club’s pitching coach midway through the season. He held that role until mid-2004, when manager Jimy Williams was let go. That same season, one of his pitchers, fellow Longhorn Roger Clemens, took home the Cy Young Award. Hooton went back to Round Rock as pitching coach in 2005 and stayed through 2010, when the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City.

He remained in that role there until the end of 2012. In 2013, he became the pitching coach for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the San Diego Padres’ Class-A affiliate.