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Now in his 16th
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, 135 players have either
earned college scholarships, or moved on to
the minor leagues. Last season, the Falcons
reached the Southern California Regional
Playoffs, but were upset in the first round
in two games by Moorpark College and
finished the year, 33-13. At one point
during the season, the team was ranked #1 in
Southern California and ended the season as
one of the tri-champions of the 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 430-223-4 (.658) record,
including six South Coast Conference
championships and a trip to the State
Championship game in 1995. This season, the
team will be looking to repeat as the
conference champions, after winning their 29th
title last year. The Falcons still lead the
state with the most state championships (9),
although they haven’t won a title since the
1989 year. During the team’s state title run
in 1995, Gaylord led the Falcons to the
conference championship and came within a
victory of their state-leading 10th
State Championship, but were defeated by
Santa Ana, 12-2 in the final game.
Now in his 23rd
year as a community college head coach,
Gaylord is closing in on his 600th
community college win, as he has compiled a
566-322-4 (.637) lifetime record, which
includes six years as the head coach at Long
Beach City College. His 566 career wins
ranks him in the top 15 all-time in
California community college baseball wins
and he is seventh among active coaches. In
addition to the 135 players that have moved
onto the next level, there are currently 28
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
(22); Adam (19), the first freshman to start
at shortstop on the Stanford University
baseball team; and Brian (18) and reside in
La Mirada. |
