| Title: | Assistant Coach |
Coach Ralph Gorton returns as Cuesta College’s Assistant Coach after taking a decade off from the hardwood. In his first stint with the Cougars, he spent eight years helping Coach Rusty Blair build the, previously sub-.500 program into a legitimate contender, before taking over the Head Coaching position at local rival Allan Hancock in 2005-06. Gorton's and Blair’s teams met up for two epic Western State Conference battles a year for seven years and the two rivals dominated the WSC. Gorton led the Bulldogs to their first conference title in nearly four decades and built the team into a contender. Blair and Gordon battled for the title every year and combined to win five conference titles over seven seasons, before Gorton wrapped up his time in Santa Maria with four straight playoff berths to end his tenure with the Bulldogs.
Gorton is nationally regarded for his ability to recognize talent and has secured full scholarships at four-year universities for more than 100 players. He has also paired with Coach Blair as they have also filled the ranks of the international professional leagues.
A graduate of Joel Barlow High School in Redding, CT., Gorton was a three-time All-State athlete in basketball and track and field. He was a Sports Digest magazine All-New England pick in 1973 for basketball and also went on to compete in the decathlon for four years at Central Connecticut State University.
A three-year starter on the basketball team at CCSU, Gorton was the team captain his senior year and was nominated for the Eastern College Athletic Conference player of the week award twice during his senior year. Gorton graduated from CCSU in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in social science.
Gorton has owned the Just Looking Gallery in downtown San Luis Obispo for the last 38 years. He is also an avid mountaineer and has climbed the highest peak in the Americas, Cerro Aconcagua, which is located in Argentina at 22,087 feet above sea level. Overall, he has climbed 10 peaks higher than 18,000 feet tall, including Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa at 19,350 ft. and Mt. McKinley in Alaska at 20,320 ft. A resident of Avila Beach, Gorton has three children, McKinley, Rainier and Kili. They are all named after mountains he has climbed.
