John Thurman was one of the most successful head coaches in Pasadena City College/PJC history. Minus a 4-year stretch where he served the U.S. Army during World War II, Thurman coached the college's baseball teams in four different decades from 1929 through 1959. In his 27 seasons, he compiled a 434-213-16 overall record and won 15 conference championships, including four straight from 1949-1952. His best year was in 1950 as he directed PCC to the state title. A year later, his Bulldogs won a school-record 30 games. One of his players during his state title season was Dave Gorrie, who would go on to become a coaching legend himself at UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine University. Thurman coached a number of players who went on to play Major League Baseball, the greatest being none other than Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson in 1937-1938. After he retired from coaching, Thurman served as PCC athletic director from 1960-1963. Fourteen of his players are also members of the PCC Sports Hall of Fame.