Longtime Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli was killed in thehelicopter crash that also took the lives of Kobe Bryant and the retired NBA superstar's daughter, Gianna.
Altobelli's brother says the 56-year-old coach died in the crash along with his wife, Keri, and daughter, Alyssa.
Altobelli's daughter was on the same basketball team as Gianna Bryant.
Altobelli spent 27 seasons as coach at the community college in Costa Mesa, California. He also coached more than a dozen future major leaguers in the Cape Cod Baseball League for elite college prospects, including All-Stars Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets.
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"It's hard to put into words what this loss means to the college and the athletics department," OCC Athletics Director Jason Kehler said. "John was a tremendous coach and an even better friend. Beyond that, he was an amazing mentor to all of the students and athletes that he taught and coached. He treated them all like family and his impact will live on forever."
