Although he officially retired from coaching after the women’s state champion in 2006, Gary Gaudet has remained a part of the Cerritos College track and field program since 1977 as a sprints coach. He will also be honored this season by being inducted into the California Community College Track and Field Hall of Fame. This season he will serve as the men’s and women’s hurdles coach. In his first year as an assistant coach, Gaudet coached Houston McTear to the state championship. He was appointed the women’s head coach in 1979 and also spent time working with the sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and relay teams up until 1994. During the 1981 season, he led the women’s program to the school’s first state championship and Southern California Championship, while in 1982 he was named the California Coach of the Year.
    Gaudet left the Falcon track program in 1994 to take an administrative job at Bellflower High School until his retirement in 2000. Upon his return in 2001 as an assistant coach, Gaudet once again worked with the sprinters, hurdlers and relay teams. In 2005, he started coaching the hurdlers and heptathletes and then helped lead the women’s program to the Southern California and State Championship in 2006. In winning the state championship that year, the heptathletes were instrumental in winning the title, as Jacqueline Taylor became the first Falcon to win the state heptathlon championship, while the team also had the third and fourth place finishers. For his efforts, Gaudet was named the California Community College Assistant Coach of the Year. He ended his active coaching experience after the state meet, but has returned this season as an active assistant coach.
    In addition to his coaching duties, Gaudet has also spent the last 30 years tracking the school’s top five athletes in each event and has served as the announcer for many of the top track meets held in Southern California. In 2001, he took over the task of working with each of the community colleges in setting up their meets on the internet.
    Gaudet’s coaching career started in 1965 at St. John Bosco High and was the school’s first track and cross country coach. His teams won the league championship almost every year in his eight seasons. From 1975-76, Gaudet served as the sprinters and relays coach at Long Beach City College before coming over to Cerritos.
    A former football player and track athlete for the college, Gaudet transferred to Long Beach State, where he competed in track and field. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Long Beach State and Master’s Degree in School Management from the University of LaVerne.
    Gaudet is single and lives in Long Beach.