LA VERNE >> Tom Carroll, athletic director at Damien High School for 40 years until his retirement in 2013, passed away late Wednesday night after a lengthy illness at 84, according to current Spartans AD Jeff Grant.

There is no immediate information on services, although Grant said the school will hold a memorial mass on campus at a later date.

“It’s going to be a monumental task” to replace Carroll, said Grant, who was a co-athletic director with Carroll for two years. “I hope I do as well as Tom did, he did it for the kids. It was not a job for him, it was his main priority.”

Grant was a baseball player under Carroll while a student at Damien and returned to the school to work with Carroll.

“I got to see both sides,” said Grant. “He needed help when I started in athletics. He always had the best interest of the kids in mind.”

Carroll was an assistant coach in 1997 when Bob Sheridan directed the Spartans to the CIF Division II baseball championship with a 6-5 win over La Mirada in nine innings.

He was also AD when future Major League star Mark McGwire attended Damien before the slugger played at USC.

In 1998, McGwire set the Major League Baseball record with 70 home runs.

“I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t enjoy all the hype and hoopla that went with Mark McGwire’s home run records,” Carroll said in response to his favorite Damien player. “It was a magical time, and it was fun because Mark was a good ol’ boy.”

When told of Carroll’s passing, McGwire said, “At the time (Carroll) was just a great AD at the school. There was a time when I quit baseball to play on the golf team. He was understanding of that. He helped the baseball coach understand. He took care of the athletes at Damien. That’s one of the reasons I went to Damien. They were an athletic powerhouse back in the day.”

In fact, Damien named its refurbished baseball stadium after Carroll.

Carroll was also an assistant football coach under Dick Larsen when Damien won the Southeastern Conference in 1977 with a 12-0 win over Ganesha at Anaheim Stadium. In 1982, Damien shared the Eastern Conference title with Riverside Ramona with a 28-28 tie at Anaheim Stadium.

He also had an influence in area basketball.

Carroll hired John McNally, currently at Upland High School, as head basketball coach and had current head coaches Bill Burke (Rancho Cucamonga) and Jerry DeFaiis (Colony) as assistants.

“He was one of the nicest men I ever met,” said McNally, who left Damien to coach at Fontana. “He cared about you not just as a coach, but as a person. He was actually more like a grandfather, positive and supportive.

“Even after I left Damien, he was always supportive.”

Upon graduation from Long Beach State, but unemployed at the time, Carroll started his Catholic school career at St. Catherine’s Military School in Anaheim. He also taught and coached at Chaminade, Long Beach St. Anthony and Santa Ana Mater Dei before Damien.

Carroll had five children, daughters Lynn, Lisa and Laurie and boys John and Brian.

John is currently on staff on the Damien football team as defensive coordinator.

— J.P. Hoornstra contributed to this story