Al Kyte, Teacher & Coach 1926-1966

The Coach of Champions

During Al Kyte’s forty years (1926-1966) coaching and teaching at Tech, he won more Oakland Athletic League (OAL) titles than any other coach: 22 in basketball and 10 in baseball. Kyte coached 13 major league ballplayers, and football stars John Brodie and Jim Pollard. Kyte was a good athlete himself. He started his high school career at Tech but was kicked out because, he claims, he “didn’t too well” in his studies. He turned down an offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates because his mother wanted him to be a teacher. The Tech football field is now named the “Al Kyte Field” and in 1985, Kyte was inducted into the East Bay High School Hall of Fame, and into the inaugural class of Oakland Tech’s Hall of Honor at the Centennial Gala in 2015.