Tim Walsh
“I’m a player’s coach, whether they believe it or not.”
Tim Walsh is in his third year as head coach of the Cal Poly football team. The UC Riverside alumnus started coaching 20 years ago and now has a career record of 128-93. He has coached winning teams at three different schools, but his favorite part about coaching is the relationships he has with his players.
“I enjoy interacting with them on a daily basis and watching them succeed,” Walsh said. “We win together and lose together, so there is a strong bond between players and coaches.”
Walsh has coached NFL players such as All-Pro guard Larry Allen (Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers), tight end Tony Curtis (Dallas Cowboys), linebacker Adam Heyward (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and wide receiver Shaun Bodiford (Green Bay Packers).
He has also seen many of his assistants become successful head coaches. Garry Patterson (TCU), Dan Hawkins (Boise State and Colorado) and Chris Peterson (Boise State) were all assistants under Walsh.
What is the biggest difference he has seen in more than 30 years of coaching?
“Technology has had the biggest impact on teaching because of the scouting and film study” Walsh said. “And the players are bigger, faster and stronger now than when I played.”
Walsh said he would not be where he is today without the support of his wife Jody and their four children Luke, Casey, Sean and Megan.
Alex Crozier
“Be assertive, and play without fear”
Alex Crozier is the only head coach in the history of the Cal Poly women’s soccer team. He because the head coach when the program started in 1992 and has a 216-110-35 career record. Crozier also boasts the highest active winning percentage of any Cal Poly head coach. The Cal Poly alumnus has won seven Big West titles and been named Big West Coach of Year four times.
Crozier coached the women’s club soccer team before it rose to varsity status and began competing in the NCAA. His belief that Cal Poly could have a top flight women’s soccer program became a reality in 1993.
Crozier was named the Division II Coach of the Year and his team appeared in the national title game.
“Beating Sonoma State in 1993 to go to the final four was the most memorable win of my career,” Crozier said. “It was our second year as a program, and it was the result of a lot of hard work.”
Even after almost 20 successful years, Crozier does not have any intentions of retiring or coaching men’s soccer.
“There is a huge difference between coaching men and women,” Crozier said. “With guys you are coaching egos and with girls you are coaching emotions.”
Cal Poly’s winning ways continued as the team moved to Division I in 1994. It had six consecutive winning seasons and finished ranked number eight nationally in 1996. However, Crozier has yet to achieve his ultimate goal.
“I joke with my players all the time that I want to continue doing this long enough to coach one of their daughters” Crozier said.
Cal Poly’s most successful head coach has been supported throughout his career by his wife Judy and their children Danny, Robert, and Angela.
Paul Holocher
“Discipline in defense, urgent in transition, dynamic in attack”
Paul Holocher uses these principles to make the Cal Poly men’s soccer team one of the strongest in the Big West Conference. He started as the Mustangs’ head coach five years ago and has a record of 154-59-26 in 12 years as a head coach at UC Santa Cruz and Cal Poly.
Holocher played collegiately at the University of Santa Clara where he won the 1989 NCAA championship. He was the 43rd selection in the first Major League Soccer draft by the San Jose Clash and played with the Chicago Fire until 1999.
Holocher retired following the 1999 season and became the head coach for UC Santa Cruz. He had a 109-24-19 record in seven seasons as its head coach. His squad finished one victory short of a national championship in 2004.
However, his greatest moment as a coach came in 2008 when Cal Poly made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 13 years.
“Beating UCLA at their place and advancing to the next round was amazing,” Holocher said. “It took our program to a new level.”
Some of the most exciting home games in Cal Poly history have occurred in his five seasons as a head coach.
In 2008, Cal Poly broke the NCAA attendance record for a men’s soccer game when 11,000 people showed up to watch Cal Poly take on UC Santa Barbara.
“That game was really emotional and special to us,” Holocher said. “That soccer game is now the biggest sporting event on the Central Coast.”
Holocher’s wife Juliet and their sons Lukas and Max, have supported him throughout his distinguished playing and coaching career.
Other coaches:
Volleyball: Caroline Walters (Interim)
Women’s tennis: Damon Coupe
Men’s and women’s golf: Scott Cartwright
Cross country: Mark Conover