LB Wilson Bruins Baseball

Congratulations To Wilson Alumni Chase De Jong As Pirates Sign Him To Minor League Deal.

Wishing you and yours a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year!

Happy First Day of Winter! #wintersolstice

Wishing you safe and happy holidays/winter break.

Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Gene Skip Rowland ’45 Most people know Skip Rowland as Wilson’s baseball coach whom the ball field is named after, and who helped establish Wilson as one of the premier baseball programs in the country. What they may not know is that before returning to Wilson to coach Skip was a notable alum. As a player, he was All-City, All-League, and All-CIF in both baseball and football, and was All-City and All-League in basketball. In 1943, he captained Wilson’s football team to th...eir first-every victory over rival Poly, and was named Long Beach Football Player of the Year. After graduating from Wilson in 1945 he attended UCLA where he lettered in football and baseball all four years. Rowland remains the only athlete to letter in both football and baseball for all four years in the school’s history. After 3 seasons in the minor leagues that were shortened by an injury that would end his baseball career, Rowland eventually returned to Wilson as a coach where his football teams won five league titles in 11 years, his baseball teams won a league title and his golf teams won nine league crowns and a CIF title. Among the many athletes Rowland coached at Wilson were future MLB players, Bob Bailey, Bobby Grich, Ed Crosby, and Jeff Burroughs. Rowland spent 14 years as coach of Wilson’s baseball team, 11 years as coach of the football team, and 17 years coaching golf at the school. In his time he won 24 Moore League championships, and a CIF title. He won 396 contests in those three sports, while coaching and impacting the lives of so many athletes. Additionally, while at UCLA he met famed basketball coach John Wooden and they would become lifelong friends. Skip and his lovely wife Lorna had four children all of whom attended Wilson. Never one to sit still, even after retirement, he started the annual Skip Rowland golf tournament to benefit Wilson athletics which continues today. Rowland’s presence continues to be felt by the Long Beach community and his name will forever be a part of Wilson’s storied history. See more

Happy First Day of Fall!

Being part of a team that works together for a common goal can create a strong bond between teammates. As we move forward highlighting Bruin Baseball Alumni, it is important to give some context to the next group of players. Many of the Wilson Baseball Hall of Fame players in this 1944 Varsity team photo were also members of Wilson’s famous football team, the Jinx Busters. Morley Bockman, Harry Minor, Skip Rowland, and Whitey Thomson went on to play baseball in the minors,... but were part of Wilson football history when Wilson beat Poly 34-7 for the first time in the school’s history since the rivalry began in 1932. Poly dominated the early years of the rivalry and by the late 30s, the game had been moved to the Rose Bowl, with crowds regularly reaching 30,000 plus. Finally in 1943, Wilson’s Jinx Busters team got their first win against Poly, in a game that is still among the city’s most talked about. Wilson’s team and fans marched up and down 2nd Street, and in and out of Long Beach’s theaters, holding an all-night impromptu victory parade. These players forged lifelong friendships that included getting together regularly with their spouses and families. Having barbecues, and even going on vacations together! Their children to this day remember these times with great fondness. #lbwilsonbaseball See more

May this day be filled with remembrance and hope. #neverforget

Welcome Back Bruins!

Chris (Betts) we enjoyed having you at the game and look forward to seeing you next year! This is what I miss most about baseball, you zoom in on every person in this picture and we’re all laughing and having a good time. All this downtime has made me realize how much I actually love the game. One of my favorite games every year is the alumni game at @lbwilsonbruinbaseball all the boys getting back together to play some pick up baseball and grab drinks at @joe_josts_1924 after. Moral of the story, have more fun, smile more, and play baseball as long as you can#lbwilsonbaseballalumnigame

Wishing you a Safe and Happy 4th!

It’s such an easy and simple thing to do for public health and safety. Just because you don’t have symptoms does not mean you do not have COVID-19 and can’t unknowingly spread it. Be safe and responsible wear a mask to help stop the spread. #wearamasksavelives

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues. We ask you to take a moment and tip your cap to these extraordinary people who just wanted to play ball and, in the process, changed baseball and America. #tipyourcap

Happy Father’s Day to all Dads, Stepdads, and Father Figures out there!

Congratulations Class of 2020!

Even though this years’ season was cut short every Frosh player benefited from the example set by their coaches and wanted to take a moment to express their gratitude. #Wilson baseball

I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being. Jackie Robinson