Riverside City College Names Kevin Craft New Head Football Coach Following Tom Craft’s Legendary Retirement

Riverside City College has named Kevin Craft as the next head coach of the Tigers Football Program, college officials announced Tuesday night. Kevin, who served as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2024, steps into the role following the retirement of his father, legendary coach Tom Craft, who concluded a record-setting 30-year career at the junior college level.

Kevin Craft now steps into this historic legacy, becoming the 19th head coach in RCC program history. As the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2024, he helped lead the Tigers to the most explosive offensive season in program history—averaging 53.9 points, 578.8 yards, and 29.8 first downs per game, all tops in the state. RCC finished the season 10-2, capturing the National Southern League Championship and advancing to the SoCal Regional Final.

“We are very lucky to have Coach Kevin Craft,” said Thomas Cruz-Soto, Ed.D., Interim Vice President of Student Services, who led the search. “His expertise as a local, regional, national, and global leader of men maintains our RCC Tigers Football Program as a perennial powerhouse for years to come.”

Kevin brings a global coaching pedigree to RCC. After an earlier coaching stint at RCC in 2010, he launched a professional playing and coaching career in Europe, setting league records with Les Cougars in France. He later moved to Japan, where he led Big Blue to three consecutive Pearl Bowl championship games and three X-League championship appearances—the only ones in the organization’s history.

A former quarterback at UCLA, Kevin combines deep football knowledge, international experience, and a legacy of leadership. His return signals a new chapter rooted in tradition and driven by innovation.

“I’m honored to follow in my father’s footsteps and lead this incredible program,” said Kevin Craft. “RCC is a special place, and I look forward to continuing our tradition of excellence on and off the field.”

About Tom Craft

Tom Craft’s career is widely regarded as one of the most successful in two-year college football history. Across three powerhouse programs—Palomar College, Mt. San Antonio College, and Riverside City College—he amassed a staggering 261-78-1 career record, the best of any junior college football coach through their first 30 seasons.

Craft took over at RCC in 2010 and transformed the Tigers into a dominant force. He leaves as the winningest coach in both RCC and Southern California community college history, with a 146-22 record (86.9 winning percentage), two 3C2A State Championships, 12 conference titles, 14 straight postseason appearances, and 10 consecutive Southern California Football Association title game berths.

In 2019, he became the first California community college coach to win over 100 games with two separate programs. That same season, his Tigers went 13-0 and captured both the State and National Championships—RCC’s first in three decades. Over his storied career, Craft won a total of 21 conference titles, 28 postseason games, and helped three different programs to state championships. More than 600 of his players transferred to four-year institutions under his leadership.

Tom Craft’s influence extended beyond the field as a long-standing leader in football governance. He served over 20 years on the Football Coaches Association and was instrumental in shaping rules and best practices that reached well beyond the junior college level. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Riverside Sport Hall of Fame, adding to previous honors from Monterey Peninsula College and Palomar College.