CLU Moves to Elevate 5 Coaching Jobs to Full-Time

It has been Larry Lopez’s goal for 17 years to be a full-time college coach.

He may finally get the chance.

Lopez has been coach of the Cal Lutheran men’s basketball team on a part-time basis for the last three seasons. If he is to remain with the Kingsmen, however, it will be as a full-time coach.

Cal Lutheran is moving to elevate each of its head-coaching positions to full-time status before it becomes a member of the NCAA Division III Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in all sports within the next three years.

Cal Lutheran presently has five full-time head coaches and five part-time head coaches.

“Within the next three years, it is a very realistic goal that all of our head coaches will be full-time on-campus personnel,” Cal Lutheran athletic director Robert Doering said.

Doering said he believes that Cal Lutheran will be more competitive in Division III, which prohibits athletic scholarships, if it uses only full-time head coaches. Cal Lutheran presently is a member of the Golden State Athletic Conference in the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District 3 in all sports except football.

“We think it will improve our teams to have only full-time on-campus personnel as head coaches,” Doering said. “The part-time coach has another 100% job out there to worry about, so he cannot do the job for an institution that a full-time coach can do.”

Doering said that Lopez, who is a health and science teacher at Frontier High in Camarillo, is one of more than 60 applicants for the position of men’s basketball coach. He said that the coach’s duties will include coordinating practices and scheduling, and recruiting for the basketball team in addition to being a full-time faculty member of the physical education department.

Lopez, who has a 37-49 record in three seasons with the Kingsmen, said he was disappointed not to be offered the position outright, but is confident that he will be hired.

“I think I have earned the position based on my achievements over the last three years,” Lopez said. “The administration said it was required by law to advertise for the position, but I think I have already proven my success at Cal Lutheran.”

Cal Lutheran reached the semifinals of the NAIA District 3 playoffs two seasons ago, but failed to earn a postseason bid last season after posting an 11-17 record.

Rich Hill, CLU’s baseball coach, was recently hired by the physical education department and will begin in August. Hill presently works in Cal Lutheran’s admissions office.

In addition to his coaching duties, Hill will be the recruiting coordinator and an assistant football coach.

Doering said that Cal Lutheran will begin advertising next month for a softball coach to replace Wendy Olson-Beckemeyer. Doering said that Beckemeyer wants to continue working in the admissions office.

Under Division III rules, no coach is allowed to work in a school’s admissions office.