_(cropped).jpg) Cruz withLMU in 2007 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 (age 65–66) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Pepperdine (1983) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1993–1996 | USC (assistant) |
| 1997–2008 | Loyola Marymount |
| 2009–2010 | USC (assistant) |
| 2011–2012 | USC |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 377–419–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| 3xWCC Coach of the Year (1998, 2000, 2004) | |
Frank Cruz (born 1959) is an Americancollege baseball coach, who most recently served as the head coach of theUSC Trojans baseball team. He held the position from 2011 through 2012.[1] Cruz was relieved of his duties for "knowingly violating NCAA Countable Athletically-Related Activities limitations" just two days prior to the beginning of the2013 NCAA Division I baseball season.[2]
A native ofLos Angeles, Cruz graduated fromSaint Monica Catholic High School ofSanta Monica, California in 1977.[3][4]
Cruz began coaching at University High in Los Angeles, where he also taught health and physical education. His teams claimed a city championship and four league crowns. He then moved to USC, where he was an assistant toMike Gillespie for four seasons, during which the Trojans appeared in fourNCAA tournaments and reached the1995 College World Series final.
Loyola Marymount named Cruz head coach in 1997, and he led the Lions to three straight first-place finishes in theWest Coast Conference from 1998–2000. Cruz coached several conference honorees and was named Recruiter of the Year in 1997 byCollegiate Baseball, in part for his assembling the nation's 16th ranked recruiting class that year. The class included2000 Major League Baseball Draft 16th overall pickBilly Traber.
In addition to his duties at LMU, Cruz was head coach ofUSA Baseball's 2004 national team, winning the program's first gold medal at the FISU World University Championships. He was also an assistant on the 2000 national team.
Following twelve successful years at LMU, Cruz became a volunteer assistant at USC for the 2009 and 2010 seasons under head coachChad Kreuter.[1]
Cruz was named interim head coach of the Trojans after the 2010 season, and earned the job permanently on May 19, 2011.[5] He was fired for knowingly exceeding the number of hours of scheduled practices after a weeklong investigation by the USC athletic department.[2]
The following table records Frank Cruz's record as a collegiate head coach.[6][7]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loyola Marymount Lions(West Coast Conference)(1997–2008) | |||||||||
| 1997 | Loyola Marymount | 21–39 | 11–17 | 6th | |||||
| 1998 | Loyola Marymount | 34–23–1 | 21–8 | 1st | Regional | ||||
| 1999 | Loyola Marymount | 33–28 | 18–12 | 1st(Coast) | Regional | ||||
| 2000 | Loyola Marymount | 40–19 | 22–8 | 1st(Coast) | Regional | ||||
| 2001 | Loyola Marymount | 21–37 | 8–22 | 4th(Coast) | |||||
| 2002 | Loyola Marymount | 22–34 | 15–15 | 3rd(West) | |||||
| 2003 | Loyola Marymount | 26–30 | 13–17 | 3rd(West) | |||||
| 2004 | Loyola Marymount | 32–22–1 | 20–7 | 1st(Coast) | |||||
| 2005 | Loyola Marymount | 31–27 | 18–12 | 1st(Coast) | |||||
| 2006 | Loyola Marymount | 24–32 | 11–10 | 4th | |||||
| 2007 | Loyola Marymount | 22–33–1 | 9–12 | T-4th | |||||
| 2008 | Loyola Marymount | 23–32 | 7–14 | 7th | |||||
| Loyola Marymount: | 329–356–3 | 173–154 | |||||||
| USC Trojans(Pac-12 Conference)(2011–2012) | |||||||||
| 2011 | USC | 25–31 | 13–14 | 7th | |||||
| 2012 | USC | 23–32 | 8–22 | 10th | |||||
| USC: | 48–63 | 21–36 | |||||||
| Total: | 377–419–3 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||