Born: May 6th 1952 in Burbank, California
St. Bonaventure High School 1970
Loyola University 1974 – BA Sociology
Jerry was a three year starter in Football, Basketball and Baseball for St. Bonaventure HS. He played both offense and defense as an interior lineman and linebacker. In the 1968 CIF Championship Football game Jerry made school history by scooping up a fumble and running 30 yards to score the winning touchdown with just three minutes left in the game breaking a 20-20 tie. He was also a member of the first Tri Valley League Football championship in 1969.
In Basketball, Jerry averaged double figures in both his junior and senior years.
But it was Baseball that Jerry made his impact as an athlete. As a switch hitting pitcher, Jerry won 24 games leading to St. Bonaventure’s first Baseball Tri-valley League Championship. He was named Tri-Valley League Player of the Year. In the CIF “AA” Playoffs, Jerry pitched all three games and in the Championship Game he threw a 3 hit, 10 strikeout game (3-0). He also had 6 hits in 9 at bats during the playoffs. Jerry was named CIF Player of the Year, the only CIF Player of the Year in Baseball in St. Bonaventure’s school history.
Jerry received a baseball scholarship to Loyola (now Loyola Marymount University University) where he started as a freshman catcher for the Lions. In 1973, the Lions won their first ever West Coast Conference Championship and made their first ever NCAA Playoff appearance. Jerry set records for home runs, RBI’s and doubles for a single season as well as setting career marks at that time. Remarkably he handled 388 chances with no errors for a final fielding percentage of 1.000. He won both All Conference and All American Honors (the first All American Baseball player in Loyola’s history).
He has been inducted in the Lions Hall of Fame and is only one of three Baseball players to have his jersey retired.
Jerry was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round as the 76th player taken. He played his first year in the Northwest League at Walla Walla, WA (A) and was a unanimous pick to the All Star Team leading the league in Home Runs.
The next two years were in the Texas League in Alexandria, Louisiana (AA) and his final two years in the Pacific Coast League with the Hawai’i Islanders (AAA) before retiring after the 1977 season. Jerry currently resides in Westlake Village with Mary, his wife of 35 years.
He is Managing Director of an Executive Search Firm.