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 Head Coach GARY SABELLA
Gary Sabella was hired to coach the Gauchos’ women’s golf team starting in the Fall 2008 season.
Sabella served as the boys’ and girls’ golf coach at Trabuco Hills High School as well as that school’s athletic director before retiring in 2003. He takes over a Saddleback women’s golf program that has captured six of the past eight Orange Empire Conference titles and which has qualified for the post-season in each of the past nine seasons. Under the coaching direction of Nick Trani this season Saddleback finished second in the Orange Empire Conference and fourth at the Southern California regional championship.
Sabella was a baseball star in college, playing at Los Angeles Harbor College before earning a scholarship to play at Pepperdine University where he played for three seasons. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Pepperdine and began his coaching career at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove as an assistant football coach, freshman basketball coach, and junior varsity baseball coach.
He resigned from his position as a junior high school principal to become athletic director and golf coach at Trabuco Hills when the school opened in 1985, leading the Mustangs to eight league titles, a CIF championship in 1993 and the state championship in 1992. He plans on achieving similar success at Saddleback College.
“I’ve lived in the community since 1972 and I’ve always followed the success of the Saddleback program,” Sabella said. “When I saw this job opportunity, I was really interested. It’s a great school and I’m blessed to be offered the position.”
Sabella was a member of the CIF advisory committee which drafted a proposal to add girls golf at the high school level and coached the Trabuco Hills team from its inception until his retirement.
Golf runs deep in the Sabella family with the children also pursuing careers in golf. Greg (34) was on the Saddleback golf team in 1992 and now works for Callaway golf while Lance (36) is the general manager of the Lakeside Country Club in Toluca Lake.
“I’ve talked with a couple of the returning players and I’m anxious to get out there and start recruiting,” he added.
Sabella can be reached in his office at GSabella@saddleback.edu or by phone at (949) 582-4846. |
