Former Cal Poly quarterback Kevin Cooper has been named head football coach at Bend Senior High School in Oregon.
An Update on Three Former Cal Poly Football Players
2/22/2023 1:50:00 PM | Football
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Former Cal Poly quarterback Kevin Cooper is the new head football coach at Bend Senior High School.
Cooper, who called signals for the Mustangs from 1999-2002, takes over for Matt Craven, who served as head coach for 11 seasons. The Lava Bears went 11-2 a year ago, finishing second in the Oregon State 5A playoffs.
Cooper has worked the last 17 years at Bend as a teacher, assistant football coach, assistant baseball coach, head baseball coach and activities director. Last season, with Cooper as offensive coordinator, the Lava Bears averaged 38 points a game.
"Kevin's impact on the culture at Bend High cannot be overstated," said Bend director of athletics Lowell Norby. "He has been a huge part of the many successes we have enjoyed at Bend High."
Cooper earned all-state honored in football and baseball at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., graduating in 1997. After playing one season of football (1998) and baseball (1999) at El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., leading the Warriors to an 8-3 record, Cooper transferred to Cal Poly, where he completed 109 of 228 passes for 1,346 yards and eight touchdowns with 11 interceptions in 1999, 2000 and 2002. He redshirted in 2001.
After earning his bachelor's degree in social science at Cal Poly, Kevin served as an assistant football coach at both Mira Costa High School and Palos Verdes High School before moving to Bend.
"We look forward to having Kevin lead our football program for many years to come," said Norby.
Cooper and his wife, Kristin (Sigel), a Cal Poly graduate in kinesiology, member of the women's volleyball team and head coach of the Bend girls volleyball team, have three children.
An update on two other former Mustang football players ...
• Former Mustang offensive lineman Zach Shallcross is on a journey to find love on Season 27 of "The Bachelor."
"In his journey to find love, Zach will start off by meeting 30 women in hopes that one of them will be the lady he wants to spend the rest of his life with," according to HollywoodLife.com. ."[Zach's] parents, who have been married over 30 years, have shown him what true love looks like. He strives to find a love that echoes the standard they have set for him and plans to keep them in mind when looking for a life partner."
Shallcross was one of 32 contestants in season 19 of "The Bachelorette" in 2022. He left the show after the eighth week of the season because "I didn't feel like I had met the real version of (Rachel) Recchia."
When he's not on "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette", Shallcross, 26, is a senior cloud technology sales executive at Oracle. An employee at Oracle since 2019, Shallcross resides in Austin, Texas, and Anaheim Hills, Calif.
Shallcross' uncle is actor Patrick Warburton, who is known for his work on "Seinfeld," "Rules of Engagement" and "A Series of Unfortunate Events."
A graduate of Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif., Shallcross was an honors student all four years at Cal Poly, graduating in 2019 with a degree in business administration, concentrating on marketing.
After a redshirt year in 2014, Shallcross was a reserve tackle on the offensive line his first two playing seasons, started eight games in 2017 and and all 11 contests at right tackle in his senior season (2018).
• Connor Deutsch, a running back at Cal Poly from 2012-14, has been wrestling professionally since 2017.
Under the name Clark Connors, Deutsch made his wrestling debut on April 15, 2017, working mainly for Canadian independent promotions such as All-Star Wrestling and West Coast Wrestling Connection in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. He also appeared for DEFY Wrestling, in his home state of Washington in the United States.
Nicknamed the "Wild Rhino," Deutsch entered the New Japan Pro-Wrestling LA Dojo in 2018, competing for the Young Lions from 2018-19 and the NJPW Strong and Wild Rhino from 2020 to the present. When New Japan suspended all of its activities in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Deutsch appeared primarily on New Japan's new American-based show NJPW Strong.
In September 2020, Deutsch participated in the Lion's Break Crown and won three matches for his first tournament win in his New Japan career. He was ranked No. 261 among the top 500 singles wrestlers by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 2022. Deutsch also has appeared for Ring of Honor and Revolution Pro Wrestling.
On Saturday at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, the Bellevue, Wash., resident competed in New Japan's "Battle in the Valley," taking on Zack Sabre Jr. for the NJPW World TV championship. Sabre retained the title belt with an armbar in the 12-minute match.
At Cal Poly, after a redshirt year in 2012, Deutsch tried out for the football team in 2013 and played in the 2014 Spring Game, rushing for 25 yards on eight carries, including a 15-yard run in the second half, and catching one pass for two yards. He did not play in any games in 2014.
The 2012 graduate of Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, Wash., graduated from Cal Poly in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology.
Cooper, who called signals for the Mustangs from 1999-2002, takes over for Matt Craven, who served as head coach for 11 seasons. The Lava Bears went 11-2 a year ago, finishing second in the Oregon State 5A playoffs.
Cooper has worked the last 17 years at Bend as a teacher, assistant football coach, assistant baseball coach, head baseball coach and activities director. Last season, with Cooper as offensive coordinator, the Lava Bears averaged 38 points a game.
"Kevin's impact on the culture at Bend High cannot be overstated," said Bend director of athletics Lowell Norby. "He has been a huge part of the many successes we have enjoyed at Bend High."
Cooper earned all-state honored in football and baseball at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., graduating in 1997. After playing one season of football (1998) and baseball (1999) at El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., leading the Warriors to an 8-3 record, Cooper transferred to Cal Poly, where he completed 109 of 228 passes for 1,346 yards and eight touchdowns with 11 interceptions in 1999, 2000 and 2002. He redshirted in 2001.
After earning his bachelor's degree in social science at Cal Poly, Kevin served as an assistant football coach at both Mira Costa High School and Palos Verdes High School before moving to Bend.
"We look forward to having Kevin lead our football program for many years to come," said Norby.
Cooper and his wife, Kristin (Sigel), a Cal Poly graduate in kinesiology, member of the women's volleyball team and head coach of the Bend girls volleyball team, have three children.
An update on two other former Mustang football players ...
• Former Mustang offensive lineman Zach Shallcross is on a journey to find love on Season 27 of "The Bachelor.""In his journey to find love, Zach will start off by meeting 30 women in hopes that one of them will be the lady he wants to spend the rest of his life with," according to HollywoodLife.com. ."[Zach's] parents, who have been married over 30 years, have shown him what true love looks like. He strives to find a love that echoes the standard they have set for him and plans to keep them in mind when looking for a life partner."
Shallcross was one of 32 contestants in season 19 of "The Bachelorette" in 2022. He left the show after the eighth week of the season because "I didn't feel like I had met the real version of (Rachel) Recchia."
When he's not on "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette", Shallcross, 26, is a senior cloud technology sales executive at Oracle. An employee at Oracle since 2019, Shallcross resides in Austin, Texas, and Anaheim Hills, Calif.
Shallcross' uncle is actor Patrick Warburton, who is known for his work on "Seinfeld," "Rules of Engagement" and "A Series of Unfortunate Events."
A graduate of Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif., Shallcross was an honors student all four years at Cal Poly, graduating in 2019 with a degree in business administration, concentrating on marketing.
After a redshirt year in 2014, Shallcross was a reserve tackle on the offensive line his first two playing seasons, started eight games in 2017 and and all 11 contests at right tackle in his senior season (2018).
• Connor Deutsch, a running back at Cal Poly from 2012-14, has been wrestling professionally since 2017.Under the name Clark Connors, Deutsch made his wrestling debut on April 15, 2017, working mainly for Canadian independent promotions such as All-Star Wrestling and West Coast Wrestling Connection in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. He also appeared for DEFY Wrestling, in his home state of Washington in the United States.
Nicknamed the "Wild Rhino," Deutsch entered the New Japan Pro-Wrestling LA Dojo in 2018, competing for the Young Lions from 2018-19 and the NJPW Strong and Wild Rhino from 2020 to the present. When New Japan suspended all of its activities in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Deutsch appeared primarily on New Japan's new American-based show NJPW Strong.
In September 2020, Deutsch participated in the Lion's Break Crown and won three matches for his first tournament win in his New Japan career. He was ranked No. 261 among the top 500 singles wrestlers by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 2022. Deutsch also has appeared for Ring of Honor and Revolution Pro Wrestling.
On Saturday at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, the Bellevue, Wash., resident competed in New Japan's "Battle in the Valley," taking on Zack Sabre Jr. for the NJPW World TV championship. Sabre retained the title belt with an armbar in the 12-minute match.
At Cal Poly, after a redshirt year in 2012, Deutsch tried out for the football team in 2013 and played in the 2014 Spring Game, rushing for 25 yards on eight carries, including a 15-yard run in the second half, and catching one pass for two yards. He did not play in any games in 2014.
The 2012 graduate of Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, Wash., graduated from Cal Poly in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology.
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