Over $30,000 raised for Millikan baseball in honor of volunteer coach killed in boat crash

A fundraiser has already collected over $30,000 to support a Long Beach high school baseball program in honor of a volunteer coach who was killed when a boat crashed into an Alamitos Bay jetty earlier this month.

The GoFundMe , set up by John Correa’s sisters Elaine and Julie, will donate 100% of the proceeds to the Millikan High School Baseball program, where Correa served as a volunteer coach for decades.

Correa, 59, of Long Beach, was one of 11 people aboard the boat when it hit the exterior side of the west jetty protecting the entrance to Alamitos Bay around 9:20 p.m. on July 3.

Authorities are still investigating the crash, but they have said they believe speed was a factor.

Barry Vince, who was also a passenger on the boat that day, said Correa would have appreciated the fundraising drive.

“Millikan was close to his heart,” he said.

Correa was a key member of the 1983 Millikan baseball team that won the CIF championship, earning himself a scholarship to play baseball for UC Berkeley.

After graduating, he returned to Millikan to mentor numerous players while he worked full time in real estate.

One of those players was 1995 Millikan graduate Mike Gallo, who pitched in 160 games over four years with the Houston Astros including two appearances during the 2005 World Series.

“A lot of what he said in the short time I had him as a coach helped me get to the big league level,” Gallo said. “He was the most approachable guy.”

Gallo reconnected with Correa in Long Beach through alumni baseball games at Millikan and the two were in a fantasy football league for several years.

Correa was a fixture at all local baseball events, especially related to Millikan and Long Beach State, Gallo said.

“He was a pillar of the community,” he said. “All the good things of a human being that you would want in your life, that was John.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the fundraiser was at $32,379, surpassing its original goal of $25,000.

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