Crabb to step away from football

The Saddleback athletics department announced this week that head coach Kerry Crabb will step away from coaching football for the program.  Crabb has been a coach at the school for close to 20 years and the head coach since 2021.

Crabb was the sixth coach in program history and finished with a 20-21 overall record.  The Bobcats had their finest season under Crabb this past fall when they finished 8-3 with a victory over Bakersfield College in the Patriotic Bowl.

Crabb continued a great legacy at Saddleback in moving kids on to the four-year level.  In his first three seasons at the helm, Saddleback had over 70 players transfer to four-year institutions, earning more than $4-million in scholarships.  So far in his fourth season, Saddleback has already seen another 16 players commit to four-year schools with an estimated $1.32-million in scholarships. 

"Kerry guided our football program through some of its most challenging times, including the COVID-19 pandemic," Dean of Kinesiology and Athletics Dan Clauss said.  "Throughout it all, he not only led the team to success on the field but also raised the most funds in program history and upheld a strong academic standard, with his teams consistently achieving a GPA over 3.0 and helping numerous student-athletes transfer to four-year colleges. Capping off his incredible tenure, the program secured a memorable victory over Bakersfield in the 2024 Patriotic Bowl. Kerry's leadership has been instrumental in the continued success of our football program."

Previous to becoming the head coach at Saddleback, Crabb spent 15 years as an assistant under Mark McElroy, serving three years on the offensive side of the ball as a quarterback coach before moving to the defensive side where he worked as a linebacker coach and safety coach. Crabb also served as the recruiting coordinator and director of strength and conditioning for the program during his tenure as an assistant coach.

Crabb graduated from Dana Hills High School before playing football at Saddleback College in 1977 and 1978.  Following his days at Saddleback, Crabb transferred to California State University, Chico, where he played football and earned a bachelor's degree in biology.  He later earned a master's degree in kinesiology from Azusa Pacific University.