Death of legendary OCC Coach John Altobelli hits close to home for Beckman baseball

Beckman players come off the field in a game last season. (Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone)

Beckman High’s baseball team was playing its annual alumni game Sunday when news broke that long-time Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli had been killed in a helicopter crash along with eight others including Kobe Bryant.

It hit very close to home for the program and Coach Kevin Lavalle. Altobelli’s sister, Sissy Oberlin, is the athletic secretary/secretary at Beckman and two former OCC players were playing in the game.

“We were playing our alumni game on Sunday when the news broke, and when I found out he was also on that helicopter,” Lavalle said Tuesday. “Dylan Stablein was on the mound and Ricky Navarro was catching him. Both of those kids played at OCC, and I had to pull them aside and tell them. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

“They were in shock, but they instinctively knew they had to get to the field (at OCC). Without calling anyone, they knew that their teammates would be there. I immediately thought about Sissy … she’s such an awesome woman. It’s just not fair.

“Sissy’s official title is Athletic Secretary/Receptionist, but that title falls far short of describing what she actually does.

“Sissy is the first person that you talk to when you call Beckman. She is the first person that every teacher calls when they have a question. When any teacher does not know the answer to any question, the response is immediate…’ask Sissy.’

“Beckman could not have a better representative. She is kind and patient and energetic and charming. Because everyone loves Sissy, we are all stunned and sad … there are no words. This hit everyone very hard.”

Lavalle emphasized the impact that Coach Altobelli had on many.

“Her brother John built something that was entirely his own,” Lavalle said. “Orange Coast College Baseball is John Altobelli. What OCC has now was his vision.

“When I think back at the interactions I had with him, I was always impressed with how genuine he was. There wasn’t anything uncomfortable. He was easy to talk to. He was real. He wanted players that were ready to learn, and improve, and grow, and compete.”

The 18-year-old players “grow up when they are at OCC because of the environment he created there,” Lavalle said.

“I remember when I took my nephew on a visit there and Alto showed us the field and the weightroom, and he said ‘This is the weightroom…we can find out when you sign-in and out because a computer keeps track of all of that, but we don’t need to look at that. We see it on the field.’

“The message was clear…if you want to reach your potential, we’re here to help make that happen. But, if you need to be coddled, this isn’t the place for you.

“The man impacted lives that now stretch all across America. His family adored him. Sissy is so proud of him…it brings a smile to my face remembering how she would watch the state tournament games on her phone…hidden under a jacket on her desk. She’d text me updates…you couldn’t help being jealous of the relationship they had.”

Lavalle said he and his players will be at the ceremony honoring Coach Altobelli Tuesday at 1:45 p.m. at Orange Coast College’s Wendell Pickens Field.

REMEMBERING COACH ALTOBELLI, HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com