Melissa Kinder
Comm. 300
4/25/13
Links: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/10/local/la-me-john-scolinos10-2009nov10 http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091110&content_id=7650020&vkey=perspectives&c_id=mlb&fext=.jsp http://polycentric.csupomona.edu/news_stories/2009/11/in-memoriam-john-scolinos.html http://polycentric.csupomona.edu/news_stories/2009/11/scolinos-was-more-than-just-a-coach.html http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_13734322 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqKpJn0oQWg http://articles.latimes.com/1987-05-12/sports/sp-7530_1_john-scolinos http://articles.latimes.com/1991-07-27/sports/sp-141_1_cal-poly-pomona http://www.wccsports.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/050105aaa.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/afterword/2009/11/john-scolinos-and-the-dodgers.html
John Scolinos, a Los Angeles native died at age 91 due to age-related causes. A man known for his many awards and achievements, but also for creating and leaving a legacy as one of the most successful and iconic coaches in the history of collegial baseball.

Scolinos life is nothing short of impressive. Graduted from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles in 1937, he played semipro baseball and was even signed by the St. Louis Browns. He briefly played in the minor leagues too, before joining the U.S. Army Air Force where he served from 1942-1945. According to a 1976 interview Scalinos did with the Los Angeles Times, "The war didn't keep me out of the big leagues," he said. "I wasn't consistent enough with the bat to have made it. I learned a lot about the game that helped me when I started coaching.”
When the war was over he earned a bachelors degree at Pepperdine University, followed by his masters at USC, both in education. However, it was his coaching career that took off in 1946-1960 when he coached 14 seasons at Pepperdine University. In
1962, he became head coach at Cal Poly Pomona. Here, he was successful in guiding the Broncos to victory, winning two three Division II national championships and was named the Division II coach of the year and turned baseball into a powerhouse. Scolinos also had many legendary experiences internationally. He took the Pacific Coast College All-Stars to Japan in 1952. Later, he led the USA All-Star team against Japan in 1975 and coached the USA All-Star team in the World Cup Games as well in 1980. Though Scalinos never made it in the major Leagues himself, he still made an impact on the lives of those who entered the pros. Having placed more prominence on playing the game right, than focusing on winning, he will remain a man of great essence. Scolinos retired from coaching in 1991. Never referencing to his own personal accomplishments, he developed more concern of his students and their lives, and it was that alone where he made the biggest accomplishment. "If there was one word to describe Coach, it would have to be that he was a man of selflessness," said Dennis Rogers, a former player of Scolinos. "He always made time of himself to others. He was a man of faith who gave endlessly of himself."