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Now in his 14th season as the
Cerritos College baseball coach, Ken Gaylord has not
only been successful on the field, he has been able
to help his players move to the next level. During
his tenure, 119 players have either earned college
scholarships, or moved on to the minor leagues. Last
season, the team was primed for the post-season, but
a late-season slump kept them from advancing. The
team finished with a 21-16 season record and tied
for third place in the competitive South Coast
Conference. After serving as the head coach for 12
straight seasons, Gaylord took a one-year sabbatical
in 2003. During his tenure as the head coach,
Gaylord has compiled a 370-193-4 record, including
five South Coast Conference championships and a trip
to the State Championship game in 1995. This season,
the team will be looking to capture their first
conference title in five years and work towards
their state-leading 10th state
championship. Over one five-year period during
Gaylord’s tenure, the team won three conference
titles in a row (1998-2000). During the team’s run
in 1995, Gaylord led the Falcons to the conference
title and came within a victory of their
state-leading 10th State Championship,
but they were defeated by Santa Ana, 12-2 in the
final game.
In addition to the 119 players that have
moved onto the next level, there are currently 26
former Falcons who are still active, either at the
college or pro level. In addition, 10 former players
under Gaylord are now coaching at different levels.
Gaylord is a former Falcon who was a
two-time All-South Coast Conference selection at
first base and helped Cerritos to consecutive State
Championships and a combined 75-8 record. Gaylord
began his coaching career in 1977 as an assistant at
Mayfair High, where he prepped. After one season he
moved to UCLA as an assistant from 1978-84, and then
landed at Long Beach City College as their head
coach from 1985-90.
While at LBCC, Gaylord compiled a 137-99
record while guiding the Vikings to three
Metropolitan Conference championships in his six
seasons. He was also named the conference's Coach of
the Year in both 1985 and 1986, while earning the
same award for the South Coast Conference in 1989.
Gaylord has been named the conference’s Coach of the
Year while at Cerritos in 1995, 1998 and 1999.
Gaylord's playing career began at Mayfair
High, where he was a three-year varsity letterman in
baseball, basketball and football. Most of his
success came on the diamond, where he was an
All-League choice and earned his team's Most
Valuable Player Award.
Upon entering Cerritos College, Gaylord
earned the starting role at first base, where he was
named All-SCC and batted .380. In his sophomore
season, Gaylord earned yet another All-SCC
selection, as he batted .379 and was the team's Most
Valuable Player and Team Captain.
He then moved on to UCLA for his next two
seasons and was named 1st Team All-PAC 8
as a senior.
Gaylord received his Bachelor's of Science
degree in Physical Education from Long Beach State,
and his Master's Degree in Physical Education from
Azusa Pacific University.
He and his wife Debbie have three
children; Jennifer (20); Adam (17), who will attend
Stanford University next year to play baseball; and
Brian (16) and reside in La Mirada. |
