A legacy continues, Kevin Craft expected to be the next Riverside City College head football coach, pending Board approval

Eric Pacheco, Editor-in-Chief • June 13, 2025

Kevin Craft, the son of recently retired longtime Riverside City College head football coach Tom Craft, is expected to take over his father’s role pending approval from the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees on June 17, sources tell Viewpoints.

Riverside Community Colleges District Board of Trustees agenda for June 17meeting which includes the vote for approval for hiring for Kevin Craft as the next RCC head football coach — Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees agenda for June 17meeting which includes the vote for approval for hiring for Kevin Craft as the next RCC head football coach

Tom Craft retired in December after the 2024 season, after serving as Riverside’s head coach from 2010 to 2024. Tom hired his son as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in the spring of 2024. He also handed his son the offensive play-calling reins. Tom cited in a prior interview with Viewpoints Kevin’s professional experience and how he helped him stay up to date with football trends in his final years of coaching as to why he brought him on his staff.

Under Kevin’s play calling, the Tigers’ offense averaged over 53 points per game and nearly 600 total offensive yards per game. Quarterback Brady Jones became the most prolific passer in school history, averaging over 370 passing yards per game and 44 passing touchdowns. This garnered him a commitment to Western Michigan University.

Kevin played collegiately at Mt. San Antonio College and the University of California, Los Angeles, before briefly serving as the Tigers’ quarterback coach in 2010. He then headed overseas to continue his playing career for the Les Cougars of Saint Ouen au l’Amone in Paris, France. Kevin broke all the league and single-game records as quarterback for the Cougars while also serving as offensive coordinator.

Kevin Craft coaching alongside his father Tom during the SCFA championship game against Mt. San Antonio College at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on Dec. 7. (Mac Wilson )

He then moved to Japan to play for the IBM Big Blue of the American Football X-League, once again breaking records as quarterback and offensive coordinator. Kevin would be promoted to head coach of the Big Blue and transitioned into solely being head coach in his final three years in Tokyo, Japan. He decided after 2023 to return home and coach with his dad.

After winning the national championship in 2023, the Tigers finished the 2024 season 10-2. They won the National Southern Conference before falling in the Southern California Football Association championship game to eventual state runners-up Mt. SAC.

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About the Contributors

Eric Pacheco, Editor-in-Chief

Eric Pacheco is a second-year journalism major student at RCC. He previously wrote for the MVC Herald the student-led newspaper of Moreno Valley College in the Fall of 2023. He served as Viewpoints Managing Editor in the spring of 2024. Eric’s passion for writing lies in the sports world inspired by writers such as Jeff Passan and Jeff Fletcher. He aspires to become a baseball beat writer one day.

Mac Wilson, Photography Editor

Mac Wilson is a first-year student majoring in journalism. She joined Viewpoint Fall 2024 as an assistant editor for photography.