ABCA Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame coach John Noce led the College of San Mateo baseball program in California from 1962-92 and coached in the Olympic Games three times. In 31 seasons leading San Mateo, his teams compiled a record of 772-412 (.652) while capturing 13 conference titles and finishing runner-up three times in the California community college state playoffs.

At the time of his retirement, he was the winningest coach in California community college baseball history.

Noce had 72 former players go on to play professional baseball, eight of whom advanced to the major leagues, and more than 200 of his Bulldogs went on to play at four-year institutions.

His impact on the game of baseball was felt worldwide as he mentored players and teams in Edmonton and Drummondville, Canada, and in Austria, Romania and Holland. From 1968-70 and again from 1973-74, Noce managed the Drummondville Royals of the Western Canada League before serving one final year as manager of the Edmonton Tigers in 1975.

His contribution in Novara and Parma, Italy, was quickly recognized by the Italian Baseball Federation, where he was appointed assistant coach for the Italian National Baseball Team from 1977 through 1996. Noce accompanied Italian teams to the Olympic Games in 1984 (Los Angeles), 1992 (Barcelona), and 1996 (Atlanta), and he continued coaching internationally through 2011 in Lithuania.

As a player, Noce barnstormed Western Canada as a catcher for the semi-pro Medicine Hat Mohawks in the early 1950s and also played two seasons in the California State League for the Stockton Ports and the Ventura Oilers.

His coaching career began with stints at Half Moon Bay High School and Carlmont High School in California before joining the faculty at the College of San Mateo in 1961 as a physical education instructor.

A Lifetime ABCA Member, Noce was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2011, he was inducted alongside former San Mateo football standouts and eventual NFL legends John Madden and Bill Walsh as part of the inaugural class of the College of San Mateo Athletic Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the San Mateo County Hall of Fame.

Named after the great Lefty Gomez, this annual award is presented to an individual who has distinguished himself among his peers and has contributed significantly to the game of baseball locally, nationally and internationally. The Lefty Gomez Award is sponsored by Wilson Sporting Goods.