Mater Dei’s Rollinson Contacted by Oregon

Bruce Rollinson, head coach of the Mater Dei football team, has been contacted by the University of Oregon about replacing Rich Brooks, who departed the school last week to become head coach of the Rams.

Rollinson, 45, confirmed Sunday that he had been notified by university officials Saturday of their interest. He will fly to Oregon on Wednesday to interview.

“I’ll speak again with them today (Monday) to solidify everything,” Rollinson said Sunday from his home in Tustin. “They told me they have two other candidates as of right now, but they’re not at liberty to say who they are. They may let me know Monday if the number (of candidates) increases.”

Rollinson said it was the first time he had ever been contacted by a university regarding a head coaching job. “It shocks me,” he said. “Right now I feel slightly overwhelmed. If you have an opportunity to go coach in the Pac-10 . . . “

Rollinson’s association with Mater Dei dates to the mid-1960s, when he was a starting running back. His 1965 team, coached by Dick Coury, won the Major Division championship, as the title was known then.

He was recruited by Oregon, but decided to attend USC in 1967. Rollinson returned to the school in 1976, teaching history and spending seven years teaching history and serving as an assistant.

Since being named head coach at Mater Dei in 1988, Rollinson has compiled a 62-15-1 record in his six seasons. The 1994 season might have been his finest--a 14-0 record and the Southern Section Division I championship. Highlights included ending Los Alamitos’ county-record 47-game winning streak in the semifinals and earning the school’s first national No. 1 ranking, in USA Today. The Monarchs also won the Division I title in 1991, and reached the finals in 1993.

Rollinson’s first coaching experience was as an assistant at Los Angeles Salesian in 1972. After his first stint at Mater Dei, he spent five years at Rancho Santiago College as offensive coordinator and an assistant, beginning in 1982.

There have been others who have tried to jump from high school to major college sports, with less-than-successful results. The most notable was Gerry Faust, who was tapped from Cincinnati Moeller High by Notre Dame in 1981, but left after five years with a 30-26-1 record.

“I think the Gerry Faust move probably put a damper on others making a jump like this,” Rollinson said. “Obviously Oregon sees fit to give me the opportunity to sell myself, and I will try to take advantage of that. I won’t worry about others in past. If they feel I can lead the program, then let’s do business. If someone else gets it, I still have the best high school job in the state.”