Baseball Coaching Milestones

This is the cover illustration from the seventh edition of the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book.

Note: For an updated complete list of every reported baseball coach in the state with 500 or more career wins, please check out our new state coaching records section. You can find this section at the bottom of our home page. All complete state record lists are for Gold Members. To become a Gold Member of our web site, CLICK HERE.

As Northern California baseball coaching legends Guy Anderson and John Donohue were approaching milestone wins in the last weeks, we were hoping at Cal-Hi Sports that they’d get to them at different times so we could honor each of them separately.

Unfortunately, due to weather and other circumstances, they hit their marks one day apart.

Last Friday, Anderson won his 900th game in his 45th season at Cordova of Rancho Cordova when his team rolled over Antelope 10-1.

“The neat thing is we’re really playing good baseball right now, and I have two great assistant coaches who are dear friends of mine in Chad Parker and Ralph Rago,” the 81-year-old Anderson told the Sacramento Bee. “My family was glad we got the 900th taken care of quickly. They were putting pressure on me. And it’s a real thrill for this old coach.”

Before Friday, Anderson already was in a very exclusive club as one of just three coaches in California history with 800 or more career wins along with the late John Stevenson of El Segundo and Sam Blalock from Rancho Bernardo of San Diego. Now, it’s just himself and Stevenson with more than 900.

Stevenson, of course, is still far and away the state’s all-time leader with 1,059 career wins. He coached at El Segundo from 1960 until his death one month before the 2010 season was set to begin.

For Donohue, he earned career win No. 700 one day later on Saturday at the Bishop Gorman tournament in Las Vegas. His Lowell team defeated Hillcrest of Midvale, Utah, 7-4, and headed home from the event at 12-5 on the season. Anderson’s team this year, meanwhile, began this week at 6-5.

In winning No. 700, Donohue became just the ninth coach in state history to join the club. He’s also just a few wins away from passing Fresno Bullard’s Mike Noakes (now retired) to become the second winningest in Northern California history behind Anderson.

“In my 32 years of coaching varsity baseball at Lowell, it is a great honor,” Donohue told Cal-Hi Sports in an email. “I share this with coaches Daryl Semien, Emil DeAndreis and Romeo Aurelio.”

Aurelio had been providing updates to us leading up to the Las Vegas trip.

“With some bad weather, as well as a very tough schedule of games over the last couple of weeks, it took a lot longer than we all would have liked,” Aurelio said. “However, this is a wonderful accomplishment, nonetheless.”

Congratulations early this season also are in order for longtime head coach Rich Remkus at Gladstone of Covina. He won his 600th game last month when his team defeated Rosemead 5-2. According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, his 88-year-old mother was at the game to see it.

Here is an updated look at the top 12 baseball coaching win totals through Saturday of last weekend according to our own Cal-Hi Sports state record book (remember, no other state record book exists so please credit accordingly):

1,059 – John Stevenson, El Segundo, 1960-2009 (1,059-419)

900 – Guy Anderson, Cordova of Rancho Cordova, 1971-2014 (900-359-22) (current)

846 – Sam Blalock, San Diego Mt. Carmel 1976-1990 & San Diego Rancho Bernardo, 1991-2014 (846-309) (current)

759 – Walter “Spud” O’Neil, Colton 1980-1983 & Lakewood, 1984-2014 (759-213) (current)

753 – Dave Demarest, Westminster La Quinta, 1973-2007 (753-213)

740 – Jeff Stout, Yucaipa, 1976-2014 (current)

708 – Mike Curran, Santa Fe Springs St. Paul 1977-1982 & Anaheim Esperanza, 1983-2014 (708-312-6) (current)

708 – Mike Noakes, Fresno Bullard 1967, 1970-1996 & Fresno Central, 1997-2003 (708-262-7)

700 – John Donohue, San Francisco Lowell, 1983-2014 (698-372-2) (current)

683 – Bob Brian, Gustine 1951-1954 & South San Francisco, 1959-2001 (683-412-7)

666 – Bob Zamora, Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, 1977-2014 (current)

651 – Harry Jenkins, Redondo Beach Redondo Union & Torrance West, 1972-2004

FOR COMPLETE LIST OF ALL ABOVE 500, CLICK HERE.

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports