Del, a standout baseball and basketball athlete at Folsom High School, Sacramento City College and Sacramento State College, played professional baseball for two seasons before he started his teaching career at CK McClatchy High School in 1955. He started his coaching career at CK McClatchy High School in 1958. In the four years he coached the Lions, he won three league championships (1958, 1959, and 1960).
In 1962, he became the head baseball coach at Sacramento City College. In nine years at the helm, Del led the Panthers to three conference championships (1966, 1967, 1968) and two Nor Cal championships (1967 & 1968).
When Cosumnes River College opened its doors in 1970, Del was hired as one of the first faculty at the college. He was the school’s first athletic director, a position he held for seven years (1970-1977). In 1971 he became the school’s first baseball coach and coached one season. Del coached softball at Cosumnes from 1979-1989. In the eleven years he coached softball, his teams won five conference championships (1980, 1982, 1984, 1985 & 1989) and he coached his team to seven Northern California Regional Tournaments. In 1982, his team was named the “Outstanding Softball Team” by the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame. He had eighteen players make the All-Conference Team, four were conference “Most Valuable Players”, and three players were named to the “All State Team”, (Chris Kruse-1981, Jill Smith-1984, Sarah Adams-1984). Two players received full athletic scholarships, Chris Kruse to UN Reno and Courtney Thorne to UNLV. Under his leadership, seven players were named the “Most Outstanding Athlete” at CRC, one winning the award two years in a row, and eight of his players received the “Most Valuable Athlete” award at Cosumnes River College. His overall coaching record at Cosumnes River College was 234 wins and 75 losses.
Del has earned numerous awards for his work in coaching. In 1968 he was awarded, “Outstanding Community College Coach” by the Sacramento City-County Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame. In 1984 he was given a “Special Award’ by the Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame. In 1989, he received the “Jerry Conway Award” from the Northern California Athletic Hall of Fame. Del was inducted into the Sacramento State College Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted in to the Christian Brothers La Salle Club Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Christian Brothers La Salle Club Coaches Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2005 he was inducted into the California Community College Fastpitch Softball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Del retired from CRC in 1990 and currently lives in Elk Grove with his wife Shirley. Del and Shirley spend their time watching their grand children compete in athletics.