Still Kickin': Coach Jose Vasquez reflects on legendary career

When you walk into soccer head coach Jose Vasquez’s office you are surrounded by triumph. Photos of him as a young star on the recently-formed LA Galaxy, championship rings on his desk, trophies and awards covering the walls—all tokens from his playing and coaching career at Santa Ana College.

After being inducted into the SAC Hall of Fame for his playing days in 2007, he was offered to be inducted once again for his coaching achievements. However, Vasquez brushed it off, stating “Save that for when I’m dead.”

But before his 20 legendary years of coaching the Dons to victory, he never saw himself in this position.

“I didn’t want to be a coach,” he said. “Honestly, that wasn’t for me, I didn’t need the money. I didn’t want to coach at all.”

Now he thrives in his role, leading Santa Ana to become one of the premiere programs in the state.

When he starts practice, the team gathers in the locker room while he gives a speech to his players. He talks in a stern tone, commanding the attention to the center of the room. He is dressed in a jersey, just like his players. No one is above anyone else.

While in the shooting drills, he puts himself into the drill along with his team. He moves around with poise and power like he could still play with the pros.

However, Vasquez didn’t grow up around soccer. “My dad and uncle played professional baseball in Mexico.”

He eventually started playing soccer at 13 and grew a passion for the sport.

He continued playing throughout junior high and high school until former SAC head coach J.P. Frutos approached him. “He pulled me aside when I was playing at Santa Ana High,” said Vasquez. “He told me that not only is he going to make me a better player, he’s going to make me a better man and that’s what led me to SAC.”

Vasquez gave everything he had to the Dons, breaking multiple records and earning league MVP in his two years of being a student-athlete.

During the offseason, he played in recreational leagues to better his skills and gain more attention from scouts.

One of the games took place in the Santa Ana Bowl playing against the reserves of Chivas, a club in Liga MX, the top league in Mexico.

After scoring two goals in the match, an assistant for Chivas acknowledged Vasquez’s impressive performance and invited him to join the team. He went to Mexico to play with Chivas for a year and a half before playing for Atlas and then Salias.

After his experience playing in Mexico, he came back to the States and bounced around multiple professional leagues before the formation of Major League Soccer in 1996.

“My agent called me about another league forming in the States,” said Vasquez. “Originally I was skeptical and didn’t want to go, but then I saw the players who started to join and the sponsors and I realized this league is gonna be legit.”

Vasquez played for the first team in Galaxy history and stayed with them for six years. During his time, he broke the MLS record for scoring three goals in only nine minutes of play.

One day during practice Vasquez felt extreme pain, like he was “stepping on needles.” The doctors checked and they told him that he had fractured a bone in his foot.

The injury took him out of the starting lineup for the Galaxy. During his recovery, he played in the minor leagues for the OC Zodiac.

Vasquez worked his hardest to get back on Galaxy and after a couple of years, a new coach came in and changed the dynamic of the team. Vasquez was no longer promised playing time.

Vasquez’s former coach, Frutos, asked him to come back and help him coach the Dons.

He was hesitant, but Frutos convinced him to stay and Vasquez ended up as his assistant coach for 10 years. In their time together, the Dons won conference titles every year, four state titles and one national title.

Then Frutos retired. “I was hesitant to take over but he told me that I’ll be great,” said Vasquez. “He said that I’ve been doing everything on the field and recruiting the players.“

In his first year as coach, Vasquez led the Dons to an unbeaten record, winning the sixth state championship in the program’s history as well as its second national championship.

Vasquez was awarded Coach of the Nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association.

“He has been the best coach I’ve ever had,” said former player and assistant coach Baldmar Pineda. “His experience on and off the field and his demeanor and passion are unmatched.”

Despite all Vasquez’s accolades and records, he hopes that his players break them one day.

“Records are absolutely meant to be broken. If they can break them, it’s because we’re doing our job. Someone set the record before I broke it. I can only hope someone else does the same.”