Local Coach Dies In Helicopter Crash Alongside Kobe Bryant

This undated photo released by Orange Coast College shows its head baseball coach John Altobelli. The Altobelli family has confirmed that John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa were among those killed in the helicopter crash with NBA icon Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in Calabasas, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020.

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

January 28, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

John Altobelli, former head coach of the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod Baseball League, was among those killed in Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash Sunday. Sports reporter Trenni Kusnierek joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to speak about Altobelli's life and legacy.

"There were nine people who perished on this flight, including people who aren't worldwide superstars," she said. "Unfortunately, their names are often getting lost in the shuffle. One of those names is John Altobelli."

Altobelli coached the Whitecaps from 2012 to 2014, Kusnierek said, during which he coached former Whitecaps player Aaron Judge, now an outfielder for the New York Yankees.

Previously, he was head baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California for past 27 years, she noted.

"His 13-year-old daughter, Alyssa, was on the helicopter with him and his wife Keri," Kusnierek said. "But he has a 16-year-old daughter with Keri who was not on the helicopter and he also has a son from a previous relationship, J.J., who is a scout hired by the Red Sox in 2018, that he leaves behind."