John Herbold

John O. Herbold

• School Stanford University
• High School Hollywood High School

• Born June 27, 1929
• Died July 26, 2017

Biographical Information

John Herbold was an outstanding student but not much of a baseball player (he is described as the team's fourth-string catcher) when he attended Stanford University. However, he loved the sport and embarked on a coaching career after graduation. A friend and disciple of legendary high school coach Les Haserot, he stressed fundamentals and conditioning while coaching at the high school and college levels. He was the head baseball coach at Long Beach Poly High School starting in 1956, then moved to Lakewood High School, producing championship teams at both schools. Future major leaguers who played under his guidance include Tommie Sisk, Brian McCall, Ollie Brown, Oscar Brown, Randy Moffitt, Willie Norwood, Floyd Chiffer, John Flannery, Mike Fitzgerald, Larry Casian and Craig Grebeck.

In 1984, he moved to the college level, coaching the California State University, Los Angeles baseball team for twenty years. Jay Gibbons played for him there. He also scouted for five different organizations during that time. He wrote a column in the magazine Collegiate Baseball and was elected to the American baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1998.

Further Reading

• Rick Obran: "The Sandlot Mentors of Los Angeles", in Jean Hastings Ardell and Andy McCue, ed.: Endless Seasons: Baseball in Southern California, The National Pastime, SABR, Number 41, 2011, pp. 23-27.