BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Former Cape Cod baseball coach John Altobelli, along with his wife, Keri, and daughter, Alyssa, were among those killed in the helicopter crash that also took the lives of Kobe Bryant and daughter, Gianna.
Altobelli served as head coach for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod Baseball League from 2012 to 2014.
His daughter was on the same basketball team as Gianna Bryant. They were headed to a basketball game for a Amateur Athletic Union team that both the girls played for. Bryant was the coach.
John Altobelli. (Photo: Orange Coast College)
Among the players Altobelli coached were future MLB stars Aaron Judge and Jeff McNeil.
"We are heartbroken and shocked to learn that our former head coach, John Altobelli along with his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa passed away this morning in the helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna," the team wrote. "John was our head coach in 2012-14, and his son JJ played for us too. JJ and his other daughter Alexis survive them. Our heartfelt condolences to his family."
Altobelli's son, J.J., is a scout for the Boston Red Sox.
Altobelli coached for 27 seasons at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, leading the team to more than 700 wins and four state championships. In 2019, he was named an ABCA/Diamond National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
"John meant so much to not only Orange County College, but to baseball," the school's athletic director, Jason Kehler, said in a statement. "He truly personified what it means to be a baseball coach. The passion that he put into the game, but more importantly his athletes, was second to none — he treated them like family. Our deepest condolences go out to the Altobelli family during this time of tragedy."
WBZ NewsRadio's Chris Fama (@CFamaWBZ) reports
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