Cougar Athletics
31 NAIA National Championships
99 GSAC Championships
...and counting

vsantacruz@apu.edu

Victor Santa Cruz approaches life in a similar vein that resembles his style of play while a linebacker at the University of Hawaii. When life gives him obstacles they are to be knocked down or shed. This appreciation for challenges is timely for the office of head coach at Azusa Pacific University.

Now in his third season as the head coach at Azusa Pacific, Santa Cruz is an optimistic leader who has infused a highly competitive spirit with a personal and caring approach to make Azusa Pacific football a unique brand of play. As an independent member of the NAIA, Azusa Pacific plays one of the most demanding football schedules in the country, which comprises primarily of top division 2, 1AA, and NAIA programs. To his credit, in the midst of this new era of Azusa Pacific football, Coach Santa Cruz was able to lead the 2007 squad to an NAIA Independent Championship.

"I'm a passionate guy," said Santa Cruz. "I'm passionate about Jesus Christ, my family and Azusa Pacific. I want to see young men leave this program having the experience of playing demanding college football competition, while gaining practical experiences such as; teamwork, sacrifice, and preparation. These experiences will only help them in their journey to becoming successful husbands, fathers, employees and employers. We call it Building Champions, while pursuing championships.”

In this new era of APU football, Santa Cruz has taken on any and every type of opponent, fashioning a Cougar schedule that demands the very best of his players every week. In the process, he has quietly raised the confidence level to another bar, if that's possible for a program that won the NAIA championship in 1998 and has advanced to the NAIA playoffs 6 times in the past 10 years. "Some would say we are the victims of our prior success, because as an independent, you don't have a league schedule to fall back on. When past opponents won't play anymore, we must run forward to embrace this new level of competitio ... in my opinion, the nationwide travel and competition has only served to make playing football at Azusa Pacific a rich football and growth experience for our young men."

Now in his eighth year on the Cougar coaching staff, Santa Cruz came to Azusa Pacific in 2001. During his first 3 seasons he served as the offensive coordinator, overseeing the development of the programs all-time leading passer (Luke Winslow) the fourth-best all-time rusher (Ben Buys).

However, it was 4 years ago, when he became the Cougar defensive coordinator that Santa Cruz's coaching star began to shine. In his first year as the Cougars defensive coordinator, he redesigned and then produced what is arguably the best defense in program history the 2004 Cougar defenders. A unit not necessarily gifted with size but rather with an inordinate amount of speed and ruggedness, the 2004 Cougar defense allowed just 135 points in 14 games (school-record low 9.6 points a game) and registered an NAIA-leading 55 quarterback sacks. Better yet, in 3 NAIA playoff games, the Cougars surrendered just 17 points, holding 2 of the NAIA's top 4 offenses (No. 1 Sioux Falls and No. 4 Northwestern Oklahoma) to a combined 3 points.

Despite losing several key figures from that squad, it was still the 2005 Cougar defense that propelled Azusa Pacific back to the NAIA playoffs for a sixth time in 8 years.

As a head coach, Santa Cruz' first team took on the most difficult schedule in program history. Of Azusa Pacific's 10 opponents in 2006, 6 combined for an impressive 60-10 (.857) record. One opponent went on to capture the NCAA I-AA mid-major championship (San Diego) and another was the NCAA DIII runner-up (Wisconsin-Whitewater). The Cougars endured just their second losing season in 9 years, but it set the table for the following season, when again in 2007 Azusa Pacific took on a challenging schedule. This time, in 2007, his Cougars met the challenge head on, fashioning a 6-5 record against 7 nationally-ranked teams and an NCAA Division I FCS team.

Prior to arriving at Azusa Pacific for his first collegiate coaching assignment, Santa Cruz spent 5 seasons as an assistant at El Camino High School in Oceanside, Calif., coaching the linebackers. He served under longtime high school head coach Herb Meyer.

At the same time Santa Cruz worked as the San Diego County director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a position that first introduced him to Azusa Pacific. While with the FCA he established the infrastructure for its 1999 start-up and then raised funds for the $200,000 annual budget.

Santa Cruz played his collegiate ball at the University of Hawaii, where he was a 4-year linebacker for the Rainbows, tallying 139 tackles (83 solo) during his career. He red-shirted the 1990 season and then played in 46 games over the next 4 seasons (1991-94). As a 1992 sophomore, he played on the Rainbow Warrior's Western Athletic Conference championship team that defeated Illinois, 27-17, in the Holiday Bowl.

As a collegiate coach, Santa Cruz has not only been credited for building stellar defenses but also greatly enhancing the atmosphere of the Cougar football program and impacting the lives of players who have come through the program. Santa Cruz has fundraised and overseen the refurbishment of the Athletic weight room and the men's locker room. He has also negotiated and secured APU Football's first-ever corporate sponsorship providing branded shoes, athletic gear, and uniforms for the team.

"I've come to realize in my coaching career that no matter what level of football you're at, you and your players want to win," said Santa Cruz. "Moving up or staying isn't necessarily my goal but rather making an impression on my players, working hard, and raising my family are."

Santa Cruz has developed and directs the APU Football Academic Organization and Success Strategy, a program that works with all transfers and freshmen in their quest for achievement in the classroom. His first team, the 2006 Cougar squad, was named to the first-ever NAIA Scholar Team.

The son of a former U.S. Marine Corp Major, Santa Cruz lived in Hawaii, Arizona, Japan, Orange County and finally San Diego, where he became a prep standout at Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, Calif. He was the Palomar League Defensive Player of the Year while collecting All-CIF honors during his 1989 senior campaign.

Prior to his coaching career, Santa Cruz worked in sales and marketing for the Sport Supply Group. Santa Cruz graduated from the University of Hawaii with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1995.

Victor, who also teaches in the university's exercise and sport science department lives in Rancho Cucamonga with his wife Jamie and their 3 children, Victor, Jr. (7), Izabella (5), and Levi (2).