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John Herbold certainly made his mark as a baseball head coach in his 49 years leading teams at the high school and college level, including a record-setting 21 years at Cal State L.A.
Herbold led Cal State L.A. to 455 victories in his 21 years with the Golden Eagles and is the winningest coach in the program’s history. He became Cal State L.A.’s all-time leader in wins with his 398th victory on Feb. 10, 2002 when he surpassed Jim Reeder.
Herbold was the Golden Eagles’ head coach from 1984 – 2004.
Herbold’s 1997 and 1998 teams were among the program’s best and won back-to-back California Collegiate Athletic Association championships with a combined record of 41-23 in conference play. The 1998 squad earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the first for the Cal State L.A. baseball program since 1977.
Numerous Cal State L.A. alums advanced to the professional ranks under his tenure, including major league baseball players Jay Gibbons, who played for the Golden Eagles from 1996-98, and Mike Burns, who played for the Golden Eagles from 1997-2000.
During Herbold’s tenure, Cal State L.A. ranked among the top-25 schools in the nation, regardless of division, in sending players to the pros. In the classroom, Herbold’s teams consistently performed at a high level, often compiling the best grade point average of any CSULA intercollegiate athletics squad.
Herbold received the prestigious Lefty Gomez Award, presented annually by the American Baseball Coaches Association to an individual who has distinguished himself amongst his peers and has contributed significantly to the game of baseball locally, nationally, and internationally, in January of 2004.
He was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in 1998. In his 49 years as a head coach, Herbold led his teams to 938 wins
Before coming to Cal State L.A., Herbold achieved great success in the high school coaching ranks. He compiled an amazing 483-176 record in 28 years at Long Beach Poly and Lakewood high schools, including CIF titles at both schools. He led Long Beach Poly to a title in 1963 and Lakewood to championships in 1970 and 1974. His teams captured 18 Moore League championships.
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