Don Willis is leaving the SBCC football program to become the head coach at his alma mater, Cabrillo High in Lompoc.
Willis, an All-CIF football and track star at Cabrillo, came to the Vaqueros last year as offensive line coach and running game coordinator. He helped the Vaqueros to a 7-3 record, their most wins since 1991.
Willis, who spent eight years in the NFL as a lineman with the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, takes over for Craig Knowles, who resigned in December.
“As much as Craig resigning came out of the blue, the chance for this job came out of the blue,” Willis told the Lompoc Record. “Over the break, (Cabrillo athletic director) Dan Troup reached out and explained that I was someone he wanted to interview and go through the process.”
Willis was an assistant at Cabrillo for four years and the Conquistadores reached the CIF Northwest Division title game in 2011. He moved to Santa Maria High as head coach in 2012.
“It was a chance to come home and be part of where I started,” Willis added. “That was really huge.”
