Brian Beauchemin - Outstanding Coach

Retirement has been good for Brian Beaucheminafter 35 years as the Head Basketball Coach at Glendale Community College. Leisurely days have replaced practice and games. Spending time with family and friends has taken the place of recruiting and fundraising.

But nothing beats playing games of shark in the pool as well as wiffle ball and basketball scrimmages with his grandchildren, Gabriella, Nick and Luc. He is also a frequent visitor at their soccer, baseball and hockey games along with wife Kathy.

In a coaching career at Glendale that started in 1979 and ended after the 2013-14season, Beauchemin coached 1,068 games at Glendale College and his 592 career wins rank him No. 3 all-time among California coaches. The Vaqueros were 22-6 during his last season and advanced to the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs, the 22nd time his teams qualified for the postseason.

Some might have wondered why he didn’t continue coaching to reach 600 wins but Beauchemin said it was never about perceived milestones or honors that kept him coaching for almost 50 years at all levels and winning over 700 games, but rather how much he enjoyed teaching and coaching that kept him in the classroom and on the sidelines for so long.

“For me it was never a matter of how many wins I had in my career or how many years I coached. I loved what I was doing at Glendale College and felt that if I could help prepare the team the best way I knew how, then we could play with almost anybody,“ said Beauchemin who was inducted into the state coaches hall of fame in 2014 and the Notre Dame High School HOF earlier this year. “Some of our teams along the way were more talented, some had players who stood out more but the key was getting the most out of every guy and keeping them prepared.”

The path to GCC for Beauchemin started at Notre Dame High School as a 1962 graduate in the same class as longtime GCC coaches and HOF members Jim Sartoris and John Cicuto. His family moved to California from his home in Queens, New York and the future coach found himself watching varsity practice as a young player for the Knights and thinking coaching might be something that he would like to do someday. After graduating from the University of San Francisco, Beauchemin returned to Notre Dame to begin his teaching and coaching career and was the varsity head coach from1969-77, winning110 games, three league titles and three coach of the year awards. He spent a year as an assistant at L.A. Valley College in 1978 before the opportunity to coach at Glendale came up one year later.

For those that know “Beauch,” he doesn’t so much walk into a room as much tis he glides through it. People gravitate to him naturally for his sense of humor and stay connected because of his sincerity and loyalty. Watching him prepare for games was to see a coach who arrives early, works diligently getting ready for practice and didn’t leave until the last ball was put away.

He is missed at Glendale College because of the person that he is, not just because of the coach he was. His teams might have been overmatched on the court but never on the sidelines, as he seemed to find a way to design a great game plan again and again.

That’s why Brian Beauchemin is regarded as one of the greatest coaches to ever roam the sidelines at Glendale College