Former coach furthers legacy in retirement
By Sara Salam
July 13, 2008 9:05 p.m.
The first time Gary Adams officially donned powder blue and gold was during his freshman season in 1959.
Though his number is retired and displayed on the left field wall of Jackie Robinson Stadium, he has yet to cease suiting up for ball games as a Bruin.
Adams currently leads a team composed of players from teams he previously coached at UCLA, and he refuses to rescind the duties that come with the title of coach.
After serving 30 years as UCLA’s skipper, Adams, known to his players as “Skip,” still finds himself enjoying the aura of the dugout. He continues to surround himself with familiar Bruin faces, as staying in touch with his former players has been a priority for him over the years.
“I’m retired, but I’m enjoying the amount of coaching I’m doing,” Adams said. “I stay in touch with the guys a lot, and this alumni team gives me a good excuse to stay in touch with them.”
This bond between Bruins epitomizes Adams’ relationship with the UCLA baseball program. His career has come full circle, beginning with his first innings played at second base and ending with his place in the center of the infield huddle.
There and back again
The journey back began in 1962 when Adams graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. Immediately after earning his undergraduate degree, Adams went on to pursue his master’s in physical education.
While he was taking classes and participating in field research, Adams served as the graduate assistant to then-baseball coach Arthur Reichle; he also managed the then-active freshman team.
After working in the Bruin clubhouse for two years and earning his graduate degree, Adams returned to his hometown in Riverside where he was awarded an assistant coaching job at UC Riverside.
After four years in the Inland Empire, Adams was hired as the first baseball coach of the UC Irvine Anteaters, then a Division II program. Adams ended up winning two national championships with the Anteaters in 1973 and 1974.
It was in 1974 that Reichle retired from his position at the helm of the UCLA baseball program, and then-Athletic Director J.D. Morgan offered Adams the position.
“J.D. called me up while I was at the World Series in Omaha,” Adams said with a reminiscent smile. “I didn’t say yes. I told him I’d talk to him when I got back.”
Proceeding three days of mulling thoughts over in his mind, Adams turned down Morgan’s offer. But after another two days of asking himself if he made the right decision, his initial refusal became an acceptance.
A major consideration that carried considerable weight in Adams’ decision was the cost of moving his family into the pricey real estate zone of Los Angeles. A friend of Adams offered to help out his family with the down payment of a house with a prime interest rate.
“That cinched it financially,” Adams said. “(My decision) was a combination of getting the home thing straightened out and knowing in the first place that UCLA is where my heart was.”
The meaning of baseball
Even after announcing retirement in 2004, Skip refuses to bid adieu to the sport that has played such an integral part in his life, impacting him as both a player and a man.
“Without baseball, I would not be who I am today,” Adams said. “Baseball has shaped me more than anything else. It taught me how to deal with the ups and downs of life.”
Adams describes a situation where the batter is standing behind the plate, ready to take a few balls from the opposing pitcher. The first ball is a home-run foul, an “up,” a confidence booster. The second ball is in the catcher’s mitt before the batter reaches his full extension over the plate. He now has a 0-2 count and most likely is not happy.
“Life is not smooth,” Adams said. “Baseball has taught me to overcome the bad things that happen and not dwell on those things.”
Family
Baseball is also present in the Adams’ family sphere. Adams’ wife, Sandy, and two daughters, Jessica and Audrey, make up what Adams calls a very gung-ho baseball family.
Jessica and Audrey traveled to Italy with the alumni team in 2006 and were also in attendance at Jackie Robinson Stadium for the Best of the West Tournament.
Adams said that while he was coaching at UCLA, when he went to home plate to meet with the umpires prior to the first pitch, they would ask if his wife was in attendance.
“When I’d say yes, they’d just shake their heads and say “˜Oh, boy, Gary.'”
Sandy works as the choir director at the Adams’ community church, and Adams jokingly compared their vocal ranges.
“Her voice just booms,” Adams said. “My voice doesn’t go anywhere.”
When Adams isn’t at the ballpark with his Bruin comrades, Skip can be found riding horses, a hobby he shares with his daughter Audrey.
A legacy
Adams has left an indelible mark on the baseball program at UCLA, especially because of the enduring relationships he built with his players and the longevity that has come to characterize his tenure.
In 30 years at the helm of UCLA baseball, Adams has shared the title of coach with many of his former players, including Martin Stuka, Tim Leary, Vincent Beringhele, David Schmidt and Gary Hancock. Some of these men, including Stuka, Leary and Beringhele are still collaborating with Adams, this time in relation to the alumni team.
“It never bothered me,” Adams said of the change in dynamic from coach-player to coach-coach. “I don’t know if it bothered guys like Vinny and Marty.”
Leary emphasized the importance of chemistry rather than the details of who filled what role.
“We work well together,” Leary said of his coaching experience in 2004 alongside Adams and Beringhele. “We were a good time, we trusted each other.”
Despite the similar job titles among the men with the lineup cards, there is always something to take away from working with Skip.
“He coaches the whole player, the student, how to grow up and be disciplined,” Leary said, “The winning is a by-product. It’s about growing up and maturing, and as an assistant coach I learned a lot from him.”
Adams coached a great number aspiring baseball youth, including two generations of the Thayer family. Matt Thayer, an outfielder for the Bruins who played under Adams during his last season as coach in 2004 and currently playing for the alumni team, is the son of Robert Thayer, who played under Adams during his first season as coach in 1975.
Two generations, a father and son, bookend Adams’ career as UCLA baseball’s skipper, and only underscore the aura of Bruin camaraderie he has helped concretize in the Bruin clubhouse.
Cody Decker, a senior on this year’s ball club, played for the alumni team in the Best of the West Tournament and reiterated the greatness that Adams espouses.
“All I’ve ever heard is how great it was to play for Skip,” Decker said of Adams. “He’s a living legend.”
