John Block - Pilar of Achievment

A Native of Los Angeles, John Block played at Glendale High School and Glendale Community College in the 1962-63 season and was later an All-American basketball player at the University of Southern California. He set the single-season scoring record for the PAC 8 Conference at 27.7 points per game (until Reggie Miller broke it), and continues to hold a number of school records. He still holds the PAC 10 record for Free throw percentage in a game, 21-21.

The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Block in the second round of the NBA Draft in 1966. For the next 10 seasons Block played for seven different teams including the San Diego Rockets where he averaged 20.2 points per game in his first season. Block was selected to the NBA All-Star Game squad for the 1973 game while with the Philadelphia 76ers. Other teams he played for were: Milwaukee Bucks, Kansas City-Omaha Kings, New Orleans Jazz and Chicago Bulls.

During his pro career, John played with eleven NBA Hall of Fame players, such as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West an Elgin Baylor. He was a teammate with four current or former NBA coaches: Rick Adelman, Pat Riley, Rudy Tomjanavich, and Jerry Sloan.

He started his coaching career as a Division 1 assistant coach at San Diego State University and then moved cross-town and was head coach for three years at the University of California, San Diego. He then moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma for two years, where he became assistant coach at Oral Roberts University before becoming head coach and Athletic Director at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts for five years. He spent the next six years as Athletic Director and basketball coach developing the sports program at Bethany College in Scotts Valley, California.

John retired from coaching at Point Loma Nazarene University where he was the head coach for five years. His recent success included guiding the '99-'00 team to the GSAC tournament championship game for the first time in school history, as well, as into the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in 13 years. The '99-'00 team finished the season as the 16th ranked team in the nation with a 28-7 record as Coach Block was awarded the GSAC Coach of the Year honor.

Since his retirement, he and his son Jeff, and a coaching friend Al Nordquist traveled to Benin, Africa where they conducted clinics and met with President Mathieu Kerecou to work on plans to build a national basketball program and a Sports Village in Benin. He made many more trips to Benin, and Ghana. He is also involved now with the leadership of the Congo.

He was the founder of the Lord’s Community Development Center, San Diego a community outreach center in southeast San Diego.

Active for years in Young Life, an international youth organization for Jesus Christ, Block was a founder of the Young Life Oakbridge camp in Ramona. He now mentors young people and high school and college coaches.

John and his wife of 35 years, Margie, reside in Point Loma and have daughter, Allison Block Diller married to Dave Diller, and son Jeff Block married to Leanna with their one year old son. He spends much of his time with his wife traveling and helping his wife’s business of occupational therapy primarily dealing with autism.