El Segundo Coach Stevenson to Undergo Heart Bypass Surgery

El Segundo High baseball Coach John Stevenson will undergo heart bypass surgery Monday and will be sidelined from coaching at least until the fall, interim coach Craig Cousins said.

Stevenson, 57, has been hospitalized since May 4 after suffering a heart attack. The surgery, which involves removing a length of vein from the thigh and grafting it to the heart to bypass the blocked artery, will be performed at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood.

An angiogram revealed that Stevenson has artery blockage, Cousins said.

“The heart attack was not serious, but the blockage is very serious,” Cousins said. “It’s something you can’t anticipate until you get in there.”

Cousins said the surgery will most likely prevent Stevenson from coaching again until next school year. In addition to coaching the baseball team, Stevenson serves as the school’s athletic director and coaches El Segundo’s American Legion team in the summer. Cousins will assume those duties during Stevenson’s recovery.

Stevenson is the state’s winningest baseball coach with a 32-year record of 681-251. His teams have won six Southern Section titles and reached the 2-A Division final each of the past two seasons, winning the championship in 1989.