Houston Mourns Loss of John Altobelli
1/26/2020 5:35:00 PM | Baseball
Altobelli was 1984-85 letterwinner, served as assistant coach in 1987
HOUSTON -- The University of Houston Baseball family mourns the loss of former letterwinner and assistant coach John Altobelli.
Altobelli and members of his family were passengers in the helicopter accident that claimed nine lives, including NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, on Sunday morning in Calabasas, Calif.
"I am devastated to hear the tragic news that one of our former players and dear friend of mine, John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and his daughter, Alyssa, have passed," head coach Todd Whitting said. "John was a huge supporter of the Cougars and numerous players from Orange Coast College have played for us through the years."
Altobelli was a two-year letterwinner for the Cougars from 1984 to 1985 and served as an assistant coach in 1987. That year, he graduated from Houston with a degree in physical education.
A two-year team captain and starting right fielder, Altobelli led the team in RBI (34), runs scored (47) and triples (3), and was tied for the team lead in both doubles (14) and stolen bases (8) in 1984. In 1985, he drew a single-season record 57 walks and also led the team in runs scored (68) and stolen bases (13).
Altobelli appeared in 116 consecutive games from Feb. 18, 1984, to May 25, 1985, a mark that continues to rank among the top 10 in program history. He helped the Cougars to an NCAA Regional berth as a senior, bringing them within a win from advancing to the College World Series.
Following college, Altobelli played one season of professional baseball with the Miami Marlins in the Florida State League.
"The Houston Athletics family is saddened today by the passing of John Altobelli," Vice President for Athletics Chris Pezman said. "John served as a team captain for our baseball program during his time as a student-athlete at UH and worked tirelessly as a coach at Orange Coast College for the last 28 years, developing many players that had the opportunity to play for our university. Our thoughts and prayers will be with John's family in the days ahead."
Altobelli was entering his 28th season as the head coach at Orange Coast College, where he was the longest tenured baseball coach in school history. He became the sixth head coach in June of 1992.
In 2019, he helped lead the Pirates to the state championship and was selected as the American Baseball Coaches Association's National Coach of the Year for the Pacific Association Division.
In 27 seasons, Altobelli was 705-478-4 (.592) with four state championships, eight trips to the state finals and seven Orange Empire Conference Championships, of which OCC had won the last three straight. His four state titles are tied for the third most in the history of California Community College baseball.
Helping players continue their careers, Altobelli had sent several Pirates on to play at Houston, including Bryan Moore (1998-99), Kyle Dowdy (2014-15), David Longville (2014-15), Chris Iriart (2015) and most recently Ryan Randel (2018-19).
Altobelli is survived by a daughter, Alexis, and a son, J.J., who is a scout for the Boston Red Sox.
Funeral arrangements will be announced as soon as they become available.
ORANGE COAST PLAYERS WHO CAME TO PLAY AT HOUSTON
• Ryan Randel, 2018-19
    - Singed free agent contact with Angels after 2019 season
• Chris Iriart, 2015
    - 12th Round selection (Pick 368) by Oakland
    - ABCA All-Region Second Team
    - American Athletic Conference Second Team
• Kyle Dowdy, 2014-15
    - 12th Round selection (Pick 370) by Detroit
    - American Athletic Conference Second Team
• David Longville, 2014-15
• Bryan Moore, 1998-99
    - 13th Round selection (Pick 386) by Florida
    - All-Conference USA Second Team
– UHCougars.com –
