NFL veteran Don Willis is SBCC’s new offensive line coach.
Don Willis, an eight-year veteran of the NFL, has been named offensive line coach for the SBCC football team. Willis was the head coach at Santa Maria High last year and spent the previous four seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, Cabrillo High.
He will also be the running-game coordinator for the Vaqueros, who went 4-6 last season.
?It was a tough decision for me,? said Willis. ?I did eventually want to move up to the next level. Sometimes, opportunities are too good to pass up.?
Willis was born in Goleta and played high school football for Cabrillo. He accepted a scholarship to the University of Washington and finished his career at North Carolina A&T. In 1995, the offensive guard signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks. He played three years in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and five years with the Kansas City Chiefs.
?I feel very fortunate to have played for two of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL in Howard Mudd and Mike Solari, who?s now with the 49ers,? said Willis.
Willis helped Cabrillo High reach a CIF final for the first time in 2011.
?It?s a great hire for us because we need somebody with technical expertise at that position,? said SBCC head coach Craig Moropoulos. ?He?s a class act and he has great drive and passion for the game. We are very excited about Coach Willis joining the Vaquero football staff.?
The Vaqueros will have five other new assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Kevin Almlie and former Santa Barbara High coach Jaime Melgoza.
Almlie was the cornerbacks coach at Western Illinois last season. He was a two-time all-conference player at Santa Rosa JC and a two-year starter at safety for Western Illinois.
?Kevin is a young guy who?s very motivated,? said Moropoulos. ?He comes from a Div. 1-AA program and he?s passionate and energetic. That?s what we need.?
