| ||||||||||||
Phone: 805.893.2021
E-mail: John.Kirkgard@athletics.ucsb.edu
John Kirkgard begins his 13th season on staff with the Gauchos and his fourth as the man in charge of hitting and outfield instruction. He began his Gaucho tenure in 1997 as pitching coach of a staff that included future big leaguers Barry Zito and Justin Lehr.
A coaching veteran of 25 years, Kirkgard began his career as an assistant at Santa Barbara City College. Following a three year stint at SBCC, he returned to his alma mater to become the head coach at Westmont College. In 13 seasons, Kirkgard's teams won 282 games, the most by any coach in school history. He was named NAIA Far West Coach of the Year in 1994 and was also named NAIA District 3 Coach of the Year in 1988, 1989 and 1994. Ten athletes signed professional contracts and 98 percent of the athletes that played their senior year under Kirkgard earned college degrees during his tenure at Westmont. He also served as Baseball Chairman of the Golden State Athletic Conference.
On the international scene, Kirkgard has represented the United States either playing or coaching in over 30 countries spanning across five continents. Countries include the former Soviet Union, China, Australia, and Sweden among others.
Kirkgard, along with University of Arizona baseball coach Andy Lopez, have published a book entitled Coaching Baseball Successfully. He has also served as an associate scout with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers.
John Kirkgard earned his undergrad degree in economics and business from Westmont in 1980. In 1987 he completed his master's in business administration at California Lutheran University. He is a registered investment advisor and owns the investment firm J. Dyhr Capital. Kirkgard is single and resides in Solvang.
