Current position | |
---|---|
Title | Head coach |
Team | JSerra Catholic HS (CA) |
Biographical details | |
Born | April 7, 1972 |
Playing career | |
1991–1994 | Hawaii |
Position(s) | Linebacker |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1996–2000 | El Camino HS (CA) (LB) |
2001–2003 | Azusa Pacific (OC) |
2004–2005 | Azusa Pacific (DC) |
2006–2019 | Azusa Pacific |
2020 | Hawaii (AHC/DC) |
2021 | Hawaii (DE) |
2023–present | JSerra Catholic HS (CA) |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 84–69 (college) 5–6 (high school) |
Bowls | 1–0 |
Tournaments | 1–2 (NAIA playoffs) 0–2 (NCAA D-II playoffs) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
4 GNAC (2013–2014, 2016, 2018) | |
Awards | |
3× GNAC Coach of the Year (2013–2014, 2016) | |
Victor Santa Cruz (born April 7, 1972) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for JSerra Catholic High School, a position he has held since 2023. He was the defensive ends coach at Hawaii in 2021. Prior to that, he was the head football coach at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California from 2006 to 2019.
Santa Cruz played college football as a linebacker at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. [1] He redshirted in 1990 and afterwards became a four-year letterman from 1991 to 1994 for the Hawaii Warriors.
After serving as an assistant coach at Azusa Pacific for five years, Santa Cruz became head coach after the 2005 season, replacing Pete Shinnick, who left to take on the task of reviving the football program at UNC Pembroke. [2]
Santa Cruz led Azusa Pacific team to the NAIA playoffs in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, Santa Cruz led the program through its transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. [3] In 2013, he led the Cougars to a 10–2 season, winning the first conference championship in school history and winning the school's second national championship with a 67–0 win over the Greenville Panthers in the 2013 Victory Bowl. In 2014, Santa Cruz led the program to their first ever back to back 10 win season, posting a 10–1 record and winning their second straight conference title. Santa Cruz was named coach of the year in 2013, 2014, and 2016 by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference [4] and in 2013 by the NCCAA. [5] In 2016, Santa Cruz again led the Cougars to a conference title, and also earned the program's first ever berth in the NCAA Division II football playoffs. As of the end of the 2019 season, Santa Cruz's coaching record at Azusa Pacific was 84-69 (.549). He is the program's all-time leader in coaching victories, and ranks third in winning percentage. [6]
On January 27, 2020, Santa Cruz was announced as the new defensive coordinator at his alma mater, Hawaii, on Todd Graham's inaugural Hawaii staff. [7] Santa Cruz helped direct a UH defensive unit that led the conference in takeaways and helped lead the Rainbow Warriors to a 28-14 New Mexico Bowl victory over the University of Houston.(2020) Following the 2020 season, Graham wanted to take full responsibility for running the defense and moved Santa Cruz to defensive ends coach & special teams.
After Todd Graham announced his resignation following player mistreatment allegations, Santa Cruz was not retained by new head coach Timmy Chang for the 2022 season.
In 2023, Santa Cruz was announced as the head football coach for JSerra Catholic High School. [8] [9] He hired his former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Rudy Carlton for the same positions.
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Azusa Pacific (NAIA independent)(2006–2011) | |||||||||
2006 | Azusa Pacific | 3–7 | |||||||
2007 | Azusa Pacific | 6–5 | |||||||
2008 | Azusa Pacific | 2–8 | |||||||
2009 | Azusa Pacific | 3–8 | |||||||
2010 | Azusa Pacific | 6–4 | L NAIA First Round | ||||||
2011 | Azusa Pacific | 9–3 | L NAIA Quarterfinal | ||||||
Azusa Pacific (Great Northwest Athletic Conference)(2012–2019) | |||||||||
2012 | Azusa Pacific | 4–7 | 4–6 | T–4th | |||||
2013 | Azusa Pacific | 10–2 | 9–1 | 1st | W Victory Bowl | ||||
2014 | Azusa Pacific | 10–1 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
2015 | Azusa Pacific | 6–4 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
2016 | Azusa Pacific | 9–3 | 8–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
2017 | Azusa Pacific | 7–4 | 4–4 | 3rd | |||||
2018 | Azusa Pacific | 8–4 | 7–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
2019 | Azusa Pacific | 1–9 | 1–5 | T–3rd | |||||
Azusa Pacific: | 84–69 | 42–20 | |||||||
Total: | 84–69 |
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
JSerra Catholic Lions ()(2023–present) | |||||||||
2023 | JSerra Catholic | 5–6 | 2–3 | 3rd | |||||
2024 | JSerra Catholic | 0–0 | 0–0 | ||||||
JSerra Catholic: | 5–6 | 2–3 | |||||||
Total: | 5–6 |
Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private evangelical research university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The university's seminary, the Graduate School of Theology, holds to a Wesleyan-Arminian doctrinal theology. APU offers more than 100 associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs on campus, online, and at seven regional locations across Southern California.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. It was part of the Western Athletic Conference until July 2012, when the team joined the Mountain West Conference. From 2000 until 2013, the team was known simply as the Warriors. The Rainbow Warriors were the third team from a non automatic qualifier conference to play in a BCS bowl game. They played the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2008 Sugar Bowl and lost 41–10.
The Washington State Cougars football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Washington State University, located in Pullman, Washington. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the FBS and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). Known as the Cougars, the first football team was fielded in 1894.
Michael Todd Graham is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the head football coach at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (2020–2021). Graham has served as the head football coach at Rice University (2006), the University of Tulsa (2007–2010), the University of Pittsburgh (2011), and Arizona State University (2012–2017).
The Malone Pioneers are athletic teams of Malone University in Canton, Ohio, United States. The Pioneers compete in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). Malone joined the G-MAC after four seasons in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) from 2012–13 to 2015–16. Malone joined the GLIAC and Division II in the 2011–12 season and completed the NCAA Division II membership process in July 2013 after having previously competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); mostly known for its tenure with the now-defunct American Mideast Conference from 1965–66 to 1988–89, and from 1993–94 to 2010–11. In 2016, the Pioneers began play in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, also known as the G-MAC.
Victor Dalmuth Shealy is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach at Houston Christian University. He was previously the defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach at the University of Kansas. From 1995 to 1998, Shealy served as the head football coach at Azusa Pacific University, compiling a record of 27–14–1. In 1998, he coached the team to the NAIA Football National Championship. For his efforts that season, Shealy was named the NAIA Coach of the Year and the American Football Quarterly Schutt National Coach of the Year.
The 2008 Malone Pioneers football team represented Malone University in the season of 2008 NAIA football season. The Pioneers played their home games in Fawcett Stadium.
William Kevin Donley is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a position he has held since April 1997. As of January 2024, Donley has completed 45 seasons as a head coach, in addition to the 1997 season which was devoted to establishing the football program at the University of Saint Francis. The Saint Francis Cougars began play the following year.
The Sioux Falls Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Sioux Falls, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) since the 2012–13 academic year. Prior to joining the NCAA, the Cougars previously competed in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2000–01 to 2010–11; and in the defunct South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) from 1977–78 to 1999–2000.
The Geneva Golden Tornadoes football program represents Geneva College in college football. The team competes in NCAA Division III and is affiliated with the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). The team is also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association. Since its initial season in 1890, the team has won over 500 games. Home games are currently played at Reeves Field, in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Several Geneva College players have received national attention, including Cal Hubbard and Larry Bruno.
The Saint Francis Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Crossroads League for most of its sports since the 1994–95 academic year ; while its football team competes in the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA).
The Azusa Pacific Cougars are the athletic teams that represent Azusa Pacific University, located in Azusa, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) for most of its sports since the 2012–13 academic year; while its women's swimming & diving team competes in the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference (PCSC) and its women's water polo team competes in the Golden Coast Conference (GCC). The Cougars previously competed in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1986–87 to 2011–12. On July 11, 2011 Azusa Pacific began the three-year transition process to becoming a member of the NCAA. Azusa Pacific University decided to end its football program in December 2020 due to financial restructuring.
The Azusa Pacific Cougars football program was a college football team that represented Azusa Pacific University. From 2012 to 2020, the team was a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference of NCAA Division II. Prior to the 2012 season, the Cougars had been an independent program in the NAIA. The Cougars had 10 head coaches since their first recorded football game in 1965. Azusa Pacific University decided to end its football program in December 2020 due to financial restructuring. The most famous player to play for the Cougars was Christian Okoye.
The Shorter Hawks are the athletic teams that represent Shorter University, located in Rome, Georgia, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Hawks have primarily competed in the Conference Carolinas since the 2023–24 academic year.
Dennis Van Zant is an American former basketball player. He played college basketball for the Azusa Pacific University for four years before embarking on a short professional career, including in the American Basketball Association with the San Antonio Spurs.
The 2013 Victory Bowl was a college football bowl game played on November 23, 2013 at Barron Stadium in Rome, Georgia. It featured the Azusa Pacific Cougars against the Greenville Panthers. The Cougars trounced the Panthers, 67–0. Azusa Pacific is an NCAA Division II school, while Greenville plays in Division III. Azusa Pacific (APU) set a record for the most points scored in a Victory Bowl in their first appearance, which was also the only shutout in the game's history. APU outgained Greenville 388 yards to 111 and scored nine touchdowns.
David Canales is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Azusa Pacific and served as a longtime assistant coach with the Seattle Seahawks under Pete Carroll. Canales also was an assistant strength coach with the USC Trojans and offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 1999 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 1999 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 2nd year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Cougar Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished in 1st place in the MSFA MEL division, receiving an automatic bid to the 1999 postseason NAIA playoffs.
The 1998 Azusa Pacific Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Azusa Pacific University as an independent during the 1998 NAIA football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Vic Shealy, the Cougars compiled a 12–2 record and won the NAIA national championship.
Rudy Carlton is an American football coach. He is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for JSerra Catholic High School; a position he has since 2023. He previously coached for Azusa Pacific, including a stint as the head coach in 2020 prior to the university cutting football. He also coached at West Florida. He played college football for Azusa Pacific as a quarterback and professionally for the Texas Copperheads and Boise Burn of af2.