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d. January 11, 2010. The legendary head baseball coach at El Segundo High School and the winningest coach in California history, died Monday evening of a possible heart attack. He was 76. Born in October 1933, the lifelong South Bay resident attended and played baseball at Redondo Union High School, El Camino College and UCLA. He began his coaching career at El Segundo as a 26-year-old in 1960. During his 50-year coaching tenure with the Eagles – the longest in South Bay history – he compiled a record of 1,059-419 and led his teams to seven CIF sectional championships. Stevenson was named Daily Breeze Coach of the Year eight times, including his first honor in 1964. His teams won 30 league championships and went to the CIF finals 13 times. The El Segundo resident led his teams to the playoffs in 42 of the 50 seasons he coached. “He’s an icon in our little town as well as an icon in the South Bay,” said Craig Cousins, who played under Stevenson and served as an assistant coach with him for 37 years. “He was a great teacher and a great coach.” Cousins’ brother Derryl, a Major League Baseball umpire, also played under Stevenson. In March 2007, Stevenson became only the seventh high school coach in the nation – and the first in California – to win 1,000 games in his career. He is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame. Among the Stevenson-coached players who went on to play at the major league level were Scott McGregor and Hall of Famer George Brett. “He was so instrumental in teaching us how to play the game,” said McGregor, a pitcher who played alongside Brett at El Segundo. McGregor was signed by the New York Yankees out of high school and played 13 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles. “He made us play the game right. He taught us that if you want to be the best, you have to work to be the best,” McGregor said. On Tuesday, players and coaches in the South Bay remembered Stevenson for his dedication to the sport and touted his influence on high school sports in the area. “I admired his even temperament on the field and his tremendous ability to get everything out of the athletes he coached,” said Harry Jenkins, a former baseball coach at Redondo Union High School and West High School in Torrance. “His impact on South Bay baseball will be his legacy.” Former El Segundo High baseball player Alberto Concepcion, who went on to play at USC and in the farm systems of the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Florida Marlins, said Stevenson “expected us to go out and play hard every day. “He absolutely loved the game of baseball and he loved this town,” Concepcion said. “He had opportunities to go elsewhere but he never did.” Stevenson coached junior varsity football at El Segundo High for a decade and taught geography for 30 years. After retiring from the classroom in the late 1980s, he became athletic director at the school, serving in that position for 13 years before retiring to focus full time on the school’s baseball squad. According to his family, Stevenson was beginning to prepare for his 51st season. “He was really looking forward to coaching the team this year,” said Stevenson’s son, Eric, who played second base at El Segundo High School under his father, winning the CIF title game in 1989 at Dodger Stadium. “Hugging my dad on the field after we won that game was one of the best moments of my life,” he said, holding back tears. “We had a real bond over baseball.” Stevenson’s influence on the area will be lasting. Stevenson Field, where the El Segundo Eagles play baseball, already is named in his honor. He also established the El Segundo Tournament more than 30 years ago. A pool play, double-elimination competition held each spring, the tournament attracts top teams from across Southern California. Friends say Stevenson was stricken Monday evening outside a Westchester restaurant. Stevenson was preceded in death by his wife, Gail, who died in September of ovarian cancer at age 68. In addition to his son, he is survived by a daughter-in-law, Sue-Jean, and a 2-year-old granddaughter, Allie. A public memorial service is planned for Jan. 23 in the El Segundo High School auditorium.

As of: Nov 29, 2019