Lou Cvijanovich
Encyclopedia
Lou Cvijanovich was the boys basketball coach for Santa Clara High School
in Oxnard, California
from 1958-1999. He is the winningest high school basketball coach in California history, with 829 wins.
In addition to his 829 victories, Cvijanovich led the Santa Clara program to three California State Championships (1989, 1990 and 1999), 15 CIF Southern Section
titles, the second highest total in California
history, and 30 league championships, the most ever. He coached several players who moved on to collegiate careers, including Nick Jones and B.J. Ward
.
Cvijanovich was inducted into the California High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1998, the National High School Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Ventura County Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1996, Santa Clara High School re-named its gymnasium "Cvijanovich Gymnasium".
In addition to his time as the basketball coach at Santa Clara, Cvijanovich was the head football coach for 17 years and the head baseball coach for 11 years. He posted 104 wins in football, earning a pair of CIF championships and seven league crowns. In his time as the baseball coach, Cvijanovich guided the Saints to a 114-30-2 record, one CIF title, and five league championships. He is the only coach in California prep history to win CIF championships in football, basketball, and baseball.
UCSB Basketball
head coach Bob Williams
was quoted in 2004 saying: "Coach Cvijanovich has meant so much to basketball in the state of California, but more than that he has been a great teacher and a tremendous role model for young people."
In addition to his monumental basketball achievements, "Coach C" (as he is lovingly referred to by Santa Clara High School faculty, students and alumni) maintained a rigid and robust physical education curriculum, which he developed during his esteemed career at Santa Clara High School. A consummate physical education proponent, Lou Cvijanovich understood the importance of weight training and an overall sense of physical and spiritual well being, especially for young people. This emphasis stemmed from Cvijanovich himself, in terms of his own physical prowess, which has become legendary. It is rumored by many students that the familiar sounds of Coach C's forceful grunts and groans echoed throughout the hallowed halls of Santa Clara, as he was known to bench in excess of 400 pounds, through powerful thrusting repetitions on the weight bench, well into his late 70's.
Santa Clara High School (Oxnard)
Santa Clara High School, or SCHS as it is commonly referred to, is a private, Catholic four-year high school serving grades 9-12 in Oxnard, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Opening in September 1901. The school is the oldest high school in Ventura...
in Oxnard, California
Oxnard, California
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the...
from 1958-1999. He is the winningest high school basketball coach in California history, with 829 wins.
In addition to his 829 victories, Cvijanovich led the Santa Clara program to three California State Championships (1989, 1990 and 1999), 15 CIF Southern Section
CIF Southern Section
C.I.F. Southern Section is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation . Its membership includes most public and private high schools in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Mono and Inyo counties, as...
titles, the second highest total in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
history, and 30 league championships, the most ever. He coached several players who moved on to collegiate careers, including Nick Jones and B.J. Ward
B. J. Ward (American football)
Brandon Jeffrey "B. J." Ward is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
.
Cvijanovich was inducted into the California High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1998, the National High School Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Ventura County Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1996, Santa Clara High School re-named its gymnasium "Cvijanovich Gymnasium".
In addition to his time as the basketball coach at Santa Clara, Cvijanovich was the head football coach for 17 years and the head baseball coach for 11 years. He posted 104 wins in football, earning a pair of CIF championships and seven league crowns. In his time as the baseball coach, Cvijanovich guided the Saints to a 114-30-2 record, one CIF title, and five league championships. He is the only coach in California prep history to win CIF championships in football, basketball, and baseball.
UCSB Basketball
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
head coach Bob Williams
Bob Williams (basketball coach)
Bob Williams is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He previously held the same position at the University of California, Davis, winning the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship in 1998...
was quoted in 2004 saying: "Coach Cvijanovich has meant so much to basketball in the state of California, but more than that he has been a great teacher and a tremendous role model for young people."
In addition to his monumental basketball achievements, "Coach C" (as he is lovingly referred to by Santa Clara High School faculty, students and alumni) maintained a rigid and robust physical education curriculum, which he developed during his esteemed career at Santa Clara High School. A consummate physical education proponent, Lou Cvijanovich understood the importance of weight training and an overall sense of physical and spiritual well being, especially for young people. This emphasis stemmed from Cvijanovich himself, in terms of his own physical prowess, which has become legendary. It is rumored by many students that the familiar sounds of Coach C's forceful grunts and groans echoed throughout the hallowed halls of Santa Clara, as he was known to bench in excess of 400 pounds, through powerful thrusting repetitions on the weight bench, well into his late 70's.