[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 132 (Thursday, September 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO AL BALDOCK

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                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 17, 2009

  Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Coach Al Baldock, a legendary college football coach from my district, 
who passed away on Monday, September 14, 2009, at the age of 79.
  Coach Baldock was born in Holly, Texas on December 17, 1929. He 
attended college at the University of Southern California, where he 
played football for the Trojans from 1948-1950. During his football 
career at USC, Al was a teammate of future National Football League 
MVP, Frank Gifford. In an act of service that would prove to be a theme 
of his life, he took two years off from college to serve our country in 
the Army. He then returned to USC for his final year in 1953.
  Al's career as a head coach began at Allan Hancock College in Santa 
Maria, California in 1959. Leading the football team at Allan Hancock 
College, Coach Baldock had future Oakland Raiders head coach John 
Madden as one of his assistant coaches. When John Madden was inducted 
into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, he credited Coach Baldock 
as one of the influences in his life. Coach Baldock was the head coach 
at Allan Hancock College until 1961. Coach Baldock continued to succeed 
as a head coach, first at the College of the Sequoias from 1962 to 1968 
and then at Los Angeles City College from 1972 to 1974.
  The majority of Coach Baldock's coaching career was spent at Taft 
College. He was the head football coach at Taft College from 1976 until 
1993. Under his leadership, the Cougars won 15 conference 
championships, six state championships, six Potato Bowls and two 
national crowns. For his outstanding leadership, Coach Baldock was 
inducted into the Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, 
the California Community College Football Coach's Association Hall of 
Fame in 1999 and the California Junior College Hall of Fame in 2000.
  Coach Baldock also helped to shape lives off the field as an 
instructor at Taft College for 28 years. He is survived by his wife, 
Joyce, daughter Erin, and grandsons Nathaniel and Jonathon. He was a 
fixture in Taft and will be missed by our community.

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