Riverside City College former head football coach Tom Craft talks to his team after a victory during the 2024 season. Craft announced his retirement Dec. 9, 2024 after 14 years leading the Tigers.
Profiling the career and life of Riverside City College’s greatest football coach
ERIC PACHECO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Success (n.) The accomplishment and achievement of a purpose or aim.
For many football coaches and players, success means winning. Many consider winning the conference championship, a state title, or an individual award a success. For a young boy from Iowa City, Iowa, success means more than the “sexy thing” of winning. The mission and statement of success is to develop an experience and enhance one as a man and football player to propel them into their future endeavors.
In a 30-year career, no one has won more at the California Junior
College level than Tom Craft. As head coach across three junior college programs, he has 261 career wins, five state titles, 21 conference championships, and 28 postseason wins. His team’s success doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of Craft’s accomplishments. He is a two-time American Football Coaches Association National Community College Coach of the Year, five-time California Community Colleges Athletic Association Coach of the Year, 10time Regional Coach of the Year, and 19-time Conference Coach of the Year. None of that compares to the over 600 student-athletes lives he impacted by being able to transfer them to a four-year university.
“That’s why I think I was in this job, to help kids,” Craft said.
Hanging up the whistle Craft made his hour-and-ahalf-long commute to Riverside City College on Dec. 9. The same commute he’s made for the past 15 years. This past year, he had his son Kevin right by his side, not only in the car where they passed the time talking about football and life but also on the sideline. Kevin returned to RCC in the Spring of 2024 to serve as the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. This commute was different however, after a Dec. 7 loss in the SCFA Championship game to Mt. San Antonio College ended the Tigers season, there was
no next year.
No film breakdowns for gameplanning or adjustments to be made, no looking at the recruiting board and figuring out the next steps for the offseason and into spring ball.
“This was my last season.” Tom Craft said. “I’m 71 years old, and I’ve slowed down. I didn’t want to hang on and compromise the program.”
He had been very transparent with the RCC administration about his intention to retire before the season began, feeling as if 2023 may have been his final season. The Tigers won the state championship in 2023, but Tom was burnt out. With limited offensive assistant coaches, he took
on the role of offensive play-caller and quarterbacks coach. Although the result was a great success, Tom was ready to wind it down.
Kevin Craft served briefly as the Tigers’ quarterback coach in 2010 before heading overseas to continue his playing career after his college football career at Mt. Sac and the University of California Los Angeles. Kevin’s first stop was Paris, France, to play for Les Cougars of Saint Ouen au l’Amone. Kevin broke all the league and single-game records as quarterback for the Cougars while also serving as offensive coordinator.
See CRAFT on pages 4-5
MADDIE NELSON | VIEWPOINTS
Editor-in-Chief:
February 13, 2025
District 5 launches new foster pets program
Gutierrez’s statement that he wanted to ensure proper care for pets as a rescue dog owner.
promoting the program on social media or referring a friend.
6.3 million pets enter animal shelters each year according to Shelter Animals Count, highlighting the struggle of overcrowding in shelters.
Riverside County District 5 Supervisor, Yxstian Gutierrez introduced the D5 Furry Pets Foster Care program Jan. 29.
The cities of the fifth district are Moreno Valley, San Jacinto, Hemet, Calimesa, Beaumont, and Banning.
The press release stated
“The goal of the program is to help our pets at the San Jacinto Animal Campus find homes,” Supervisor Public Information Officer Josiel Perez said. The program also aims to reduce overcrowding at the shelter and minimize euthanasia.
Residents of the Fifth District must be 18 or older and have a valid driver’s license to participate in the program. Participants can foster a pet for up to 21 days.
Other requirements include
Once a pet is chosen, the Department of Animal Services will work with participants to support new foster parents and supply necessities such as collars, ID tags, and cat litter, while supplies last.
Participants will also receive a stipend of $25 per night for fostering a pet. The stipend can increase to $50 if the foster pet is a litter of kittens or puppies.
If the pet is adopted within two weeks, the participant can receive a $150 bonus. To receive payments,
participants must register as a vendor with the Riverside County Auditor-Controller’s office. They will receive an email with a link and instructions for payment.
Residents can sign up for the program by visiting Furry Pets Foster Program | Riverside County Department of Animal Services and filling out the sign-up form. After completing this process they can select their new pet.
Gutierrez said the program is expected to help thousands of pets in the district in the coming months.
With already 53 applicants and 20 dogs already being fostered.
Diamond in Disarray: Baseball field undergoes maintenance issues
ERIC PACHECO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The Evans Sports Complex, home of the Riverside City College baseball Tigers, underwent its standard maintenance procedures during the holidays in preparation for the start of the season.
A supposed “re-seeding” of fine sand was poured over the current playing surface to help maintain its stability and consistency.
However, granite rocks, some being nearly the size of golf balls, were scattered all throughout the field when this seeding was done.
Tigers assistant coach Tony Lopez said players would walk all along the field after practice collecting large pieces of these rocks and some even finding shards of glass. A cardboard package box was filled with all these findings.
Tigers head coach Rudy Arguelles expressed his concerns for the safety of his players and the structural integrity of the field.
“This field is like a classroom,” Arguelles said. “If this was happening down at the science building it would be deemed hazardous.”
Riverside City College baseball players warm up in the outfield of Evans Sports Complex in preperation for the start of their season Jan. 22.
Arguelles cited a lack of communication from the administration as the primary reason for the frustration of his staff.
New mandates were made prior to the start of the 2025 season, which included the addition of the pitch clock and the need for each dugout to have a fence. Both were being added just days before opening day after Arguelles was told the projects would be done in
the summer of 2024 - then after a delay, Dec. Both of which did not come true.
The dugout fences were completed just in time for opening day Jan. 24. but the Tigers had to improvise and use a football play clock in place of the pitch clock system that had not yet arrived. Finally, a couple of weeks into the season, all seems to be taken care of for now. The Tigers had to play at the nearby Totman Stadium
on the campus of California Baptist University Jan. 31 as The Evans Sports Complex playing surface was being releveled.
Parts of the infield dirt were also taken out and replaced with a new sod mix, RCC Athletic Director Cliff Dochterman said.
The pitch clock system which will be manually operated by the umpires has also arrived but has not been set up at the field as of Feb. 13.
Presidents Weekend
The RCC campus will be closed in observance of the Presidents day holidays Feb. 14 and 17.
Spring Semester Classes for Spring 2025 begin Feb. 18.
Black History Month Events
Throughout the month of February RCC will be hosting events that celebrate Black History Month.
Feb. 11 the Black Panther Party located in the Bradshaw Hall of Fame Building Umoja Homeroom.
Feb. 19 The Marketplace hosted on Terracina Drive.
Feb. 20 African- Inspired Jewelry making class will be held in the Bradshaw Cafeteria Umoja Homeroom.
Feb 20. Umoja Spring Welcome.
Feb. 28 Keynote speaker: MK Asante
Theatre
Theatre will perform the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on Feb. 15 2-4 pm and 7-9 p.m. as well as Feb.16 2-4 p.m.
Job Fair
The city of Riverside 2025 Job Fair on Feb. 28 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at Galleria at Tyler
If you have events happening on campus that you want featured on instagram, send information to Viewpoints@rcc.edu.
Courtesy of Josiel Perez, Communications Specialist Fifth District
MARISSA PEREZ STAFF WRITER
ERIC PACHECO | VIEWPOINTS
UNDOCU Allies offers support to students
JENNIFER CARDONALEON STAFF WRITER
Riverside City College and the Undocumented Allies club acted for students as mass deportation have been happening in the United States under President Donald Trump’s campaign promise.
Journalist Ana Faguy released an article, “Mass arrest in nationwide US immigration crackdown,” on BBC News. Faguy explains the impact and panic it had caused.
“Immigration advocates have warned that during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids other people, including citizens, could get caught in the cross-fire,” Faguy said. “Meanwhile, Homan (Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar,) has repeatedly said that undocumented people caught up in raids of criminals who are without documentation, will be deported too.”
These raids started in the cities of Chicago, Newark and Miami but quickly became a nation-wide worry and panic.
RCC’s Undocu Allies Club has been posting on it’s Instagram page for students and families to learn and know their rights and to be prepared.
They also provide free immigration legal clinics for legal aid with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA),
At the front desk of the La Casa Engagement Center in the Bradshaw
have been affected by the mass deportation citizenship, family preparedness, and more hosted by Laura DíazBarbosa.
“Riverside City College offers FREE immigration legal services and case support for students, staff and faculty. Training Occupational Development Educating Communities (TODEC) will be on campus on the first Friday of the month in the welcome center and also will be available for
additional appointments in their other offices.”
The services welcome walk-ins but appointments are recommended. Díaz-Barbosa can be located at the Charles Kane Building Welcome Center office 115 D.
For any questions or help you are able to email undoc@rcc.edu, laura.diaz-barbosa@rcc.edu or call (951)328-3864.
La Casa Engagement Center located in the Bradshaw Student Center building also provides more information, help and a red card that carries your rights in it’s front office for everyone.
An email was also sent out Jan. 30 by Isaac Wolde-Ab, Riverside City College District Chancellor.
“To our Dreamers, Undocumented, and DACA Students,” regarding the ICE
activity, deportation, or any unfair target because of the color of your skin.
“Let us be clear: RCCD and its colleges stand with you. You and your family and friends matter. You are important members of this community, and we appreciate your perspective, thoughts, opinions, values, friendship, and many other contributions to our society,” Wolde-Ab said.
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To join us:
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Student Center building provides information and help for students who
CRAFT from page 1
The master and his
He then headed to the land of the rising sun 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 and transitioned into solely being head coach in his final three years in Tokyo, Japan. Kevin’s innovative offense was something never before seen in Japan and he decided after 2023 to return home.
Craft hired his son as offensive coordinator and handed over the reins of offensive play calling. The coach cited Kevin’s experience at the professional level, helping him stay up-to-date with football trends in his final years of coaching. Kevin’s energy and progressiveness were things that Tom and the team needed.
“I wouldn’t have made it through the season if he wasn’t taking over that responsibility,” Tom Craft said. “He’s learned a lot from me, and I’m proud to say I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Although the Tigers fell short of going back-to-back, the 2024 season was still a triumph as quarterback Brady Jones became the most prolific passer in school history, which garnered him his commitment to Western Michigan University. The offense as a whole averaged over 53 points per game and nearly 600 yards per game. The Tigers were once again National Southern Conference Champions and won 10 games, which Tom did 13 out of the 14 years as head coach.
In total, as Tigers head coach, Craft amassed a 146-22 record (86.9 winning percentage), and became the only coach in 3C2A history to win 100 games for two different programs: RCC and Palomar College. The 18th head coach in Tigers’ history also won two 3C2A State Championships, 12 conference titles, 14 consecutive postseason appearances, and 10 straight Southern California Football Association title games.
Despite the prosperity of the program, Tom feels the football team was undervalued and wasn’t celebrated nearly enough by the RCC administration.
Not getting the recognition Tucked away in the basement of Wheelock Gym are the football offices. The cold concrete walls, the loud echo every time someone takes a step, and the blaring sound of utilities make it so the sound of success has been muffled.
“We’re buried,” Craft said about his office location.
Tom Craft sits in the back of a dim film room gazing upon the room where many young men have walked in and out of throughout the years. But Craft’s view of the whiteboard at the front of the room, where he projected film and jotted up the X’s and the O’s for countless years, is obstructed by a pillar in the center.. In the left corner, the wall is marred with holes and peeling paint. An old grease board that hasn’t been able to be used for numerous years still hasn’t been taken down. Chairs and desks less than two feet wide are expected to seat nearly 200-pound football players.
This isn’t the first time Craft has had an issue with his facilities’ infrastructure. Back in 2022, RCC was forced to play their entire home season at Ramona High School as the playing surface of Wheelock Stadium was finally mandated to be replaced after years of poor treatment and problems with irrigation and aging turf.
Craft went on record saying that RCC “should not have football” to Dennis Pope, a reporter at The Press-Enterprise, because of the safety and health concerns of his players.
Then, in 2023 the Tigers were forced out of their locker room because of water damage and unstable infrastructure. The locker room situation was given a quick fix but not to the standard expected to support over 100 football players and staff. The space is still too small, and the showers do not work.
Craft mentions how he was told to hush about these concerns by the administration in fear that they would shut the area down and force the Tigers to play in another location again.
Despite fielding one of the best Junior College football programs in the nation year after year, they have not received the proper resources.
“We don’t have the resources and the infrastructure that other programs have,” Craft said. “But we’ve done more with less. I think some people in the department take
issue with me saying that. But I’m trying to get things to improve and let people know what’s going on here to acknowledge the fact that we’re not supporting studentathletes in the best way we can.”
The lack of support goes beyond providing money for new facilities. As you walk down into Wheelock Stadium you’d expect to see banners or other monuments commemorating the success of the Tigers. But there’s not much. No signs to show that they won two state championships in four seasons.
“It’s like the school doesn’t care,” Craft said. “The administration doesn’t care about what we’ve done here.”
Craft recalls first coming to take a visit to RCC when he was applying for the head coaching position seeing the Tigers’ 1989 football state championship trophy tucked away in a closet. Also, upon looking at the locker room which Craft felt was not up to standard, a board member who was giving the tour told him, “if it was good enough for the 1989 state championship team, it’ll be good enough for you.”
“I said, wait a minute, if I ran the same plays that I did in 1991 when we won the first of our three state championships at Palomar we’d probably go 1-9,” Craft said.
“You need to evolve as a person, as a team, as a scheme, in your workouts, and you need to evolve in your facilities, your infrastructure.”
As you drive down Olivewood Avenue and look to your right you can catch a glimpse of Wheelock Stadium and its scoreboard. However, that scoreboard displays a schedule from 2013.
“That’s an embarrassment,” Craft said. “I’m not responsible for that. The department and upper management should be responsible for that. To want to recognize excellence.”
Craft’s concerns go beyond just the playing surface, citing the lack of an adequate weight room to support the largest and most diversified group of athletes on campus.
He feels his concerns have gone on deaf ears for his need for better facilities for the enhancement and injury prevention of his athletes.
Craft affirmed that the problem had been attempted to be solved
across the four athletic directors that he had in his time at RCC.
“It’s not like the Athletic Directors aren’t trying to address it, they are,” Craft said. “We’re not getting any support at the next level.”
The team that knocked RCC out of the 2024 playoffs, Mt. SAC recently underwent a 62 million dollar renovation to it’s football and track stadium. The Board of Trustees granted $7.7 million to the Tigers in 2023 to fix the playing surface and track of Wheelock Stadium but not the locker room and surrounding facilities.
Craft hopes with the passing of Measure CC in the election of 2024 there could be some change and upgrades. The measure allocates nearly a billion dollars to the Riverside Community College District to help improve facilities and access to higher education. But Craft fears that these upgrades to the athletic facilities may be put to the bottom of the list, and when it’s time to get to them, they may be out of money.
“We have to have somebody that appreciates it,” Craft said.
Despite the lack of resources and struggle to get the facilities up to par, Craft feels the experience and development you get as a student-athlete in Riverside is second to none.
“If you’re picking a program because of their facilities and weight room, you’re really picking the wrong thing,” Craft said. “It’s all about what your experience is going to be from a standpoint of development and being able to transfer.”
“I think we’ve done that better than anybody,” he added.
The road to glory
Thomas Craft grew up Northern California with two brothers and a single mom, and began playing football
Craft’s mother told him from a young age that his coaches were going to be his father figures. He recalled many of his coaches throughout the years, from Pop Warner, Pacific Grove High School, and Monterey Peninsula Community College. Although these coaches may have been great people and helped Tom develop into the man he is today, they were not necessarily the best coaches.
It wasn’t until he left home in
NorCal and arrived at San Diego State University where he felt he truly developed as his own man and a football player.
Although he didn’t start on the field until his senior year, Craft’s success resembles that of his final apprentice at the quarterback position, Brady Jones. Craft led SDSU to a 10-1 season his senior year as team captain and quarterback.
Craft then got some NFL free agency looks from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills. But his priorities had started to change during that final season at SDSU.
“I felt like I was good enough to play earlier (at SDSU) but I wasn’t given the opportunity,” Craft said. “If I ended up on an (NFL) team and I’m fighting for a roster spot and someone who got drafted higher than me ended up getting the spot even though I think I may be better, that would really crush me.”
Craft decided to enter the football coaching world specifically at the junior college level because of the experience he had playing at that level himself. He wanted to coach at a level where he knew he could be close to home and not have to worry so much about his job security which he referred to as “having to move around the United States like I’m in the service.”
He began his coaching career the year after he graduated from SDSU at Palomar College in 1977 serving as quarterbacks and wide receiver coach. In his third year at Palomar, he was given the playcalling duties despite not being the offensive coordinator.
He developed his now patented no-huddle offense and in its first season quarterback Steve Cranock, who went on to play for the San Diego Chargers, and led the nation in passing. Despite the success on offense the team still struggled to win games. In 1983 that change was made when Craft, at 28 years old, was named the head coach.
Craft finally got his opportunity to become a head coach and run his offense the way he truly wanted it to. But taking the job was bigger than managing a football team.
“I was part-time for six years,” Craft said. “I was plastering. I was doing scaffolding and I was trying to be the head football coach. I was also teaching overload classes to make ends meet.”
The long days would end at 8
“ I taught the game of life through football. - Tom Craft
his craft: Tom Craft
p.m. as Craft would get home from work exhausted, just in time for a cold dinner. He would spend some time with his kids and talk to his wife before heading to bed to wake up the next day at 5 a.m. to do it all over again.
The job security in Craft’s life allowed him to lead Palomar to three state championships, faster than any coach has done at the junior college level.
His proudest accomplishment, however, was developing an academic adviser role for the athletic programs to help transfer kids. In his two separate stints at Palomar, he was able to transfer over 300 student-athletes to University. This was largely in part, due to having stability in merging athletics and academics.
In Craft’s time away from Palomar he served as his alma mater’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1994-96 and the team’s head coach from 2002-05.
In February of 1996, Craft wanted to get closer to home and was preparing to tell head coach Ted Tollner that he was going back to Palomar to move to be more involved in his children’s lives.
Tollner informed Craft that he had received a call from Norv Turner, the head coach of the Washington Redskins at the time, who was looking for a youngminded offensive coordinator. This was Craft’s chance to get into the NFL. But Craft did not like the idea of having to move him and his young family around and turned it down.
Despite not taking the opportunity, Craft does not regret it because he wanted to stay close to his family.
“An NFL opportunity would have been better during these last 10 years because my kids were all grown up and they had successful jobs so my wife and I could move around if we had to move around,” Craft said.
He came to another crossroads when being asked to come back to SDSU in 2002 this time to be head coach.
Craft turned the job offer down on multiple occasions but at 2 a.m. one day he woke up and realized that this opportunity was too good to pass up and he could still be at home with his family.
“I took it but I knew I was going
to be displaced and that’s just the profession,” Craft said. “You’re going to get fired.”
Craft had some success, making a bowl game once, leading top 20 offenses in the nation, and improving game attendance to nearly 36,000. However a month after taking the job he knew it had been a mistake because of the many problems that needed to be addressed within the program.
“We had to address a lot of imbalance in our recruiting at the time,” Craft said. “By the time I got to that point the athletic director made a change.”
“I was a stopgap guy,” he added.
After he was fired in 2005 Craft took some time volunteering at Palomar College where he enjoyed the laid-back style of not having to worry about being head coach but being able to help the players.
A couple years later he went to Mt. SAC to serve as the offensive coordinator and coach his son Kevin to be an All-American that season. In the three years he was there, Mt. SAC made the state championship game all three years and won it in 2009.
At that time Tom was also working at the fire academy as his teaching assignment at Mt. Sac. His class was the last class the firefighters had to go through before becoming certificated.
“I loved it. I did that for three years and we made the state championship in all three years,” Tom Craft said.
Tom was not interested in being a head coach anymore, content with his current lifestyle and his career already filled with major accomplishments.
Mentorship
A young bare-faced Thomas Craft walks into the office of at the time SDSU defensive backs coach Ernie Zampese, smoke fills the air. Zampese with his cigarette lit on his lip with his feet kicked back on his desk breaks down film with Tom who he is trying to get to convert to safety.
Zampese’s sentiment did not work out but Tom cherished those moments of being able to learn from one of football’s greatest minds.
Zampese was just one of the many mentors Tom had throughout the years, not only in life but in
football.
Coaches who taught him the art of the passing game such as Zampese, Tollner, Bill Walsh, and Don Coryell. These coaches instilled in Tom from a young age the art of football and how to navigate the passing game, which helped build the foundation of the style of offense that Tom ran and evolved with throughout his 30year coaching career.
When Walsh and Zampese were at the NFL level Tom got the opportunity to attend practices and meetings of the Chargers and San Francisco 49ers. Tom was shocked when observing these practices at how easy it is to pass the ball.
“It’s easier to throw the ball at the (Division I) level than it is here,” Craft said. “At the NFL level, it’s even easier because they can’t touch you. I found that out very quickly when I was at SDSU.”
Craft was not the only one who felt that way as he learned one day at a practice of the Chargers.
“What’s the most challenging level to coach,” Craft asked Zampese.
“Junior college,” Zampese replied.
That challenge comes with the constant turnover of rosters and the influx of transfers that come into junior college whose morale and confidence may have been damaged at their previous school.
One of those transfers came to Craft before the 2022 season.
Tom welcomed him into his office and asked him off the bat, “Do you want to be coached hard?”
“Do you want to develop,” Tom followed up.
His belief is that you should go where you can develop, but not necessarily immediately get playing time.
That player was current Brigham Young University quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who was transferring from Golden West Community College.
Tom assured him that he was going to double his passing numbers, become an All-American, and transfer to whatever school he had his eyes on.
All of which he accomplished with the Tigers.
The eye of the Tiger
Former Athletic Director of RCC Barry Meyers needed to make a change to the Tiger football team
in 2010. The morale of the team was shot after 20 years of subpar seasons and minimal transfers to the next level.
Tom Craft was the first name on the list of calls for Meyers. Tom wanted an outlook on the program and its expectations so he took a visit down to the Dirty Riv.
“Do you have an academic adviser in athletics,” Tom asked.
“No,” Meyers replied.
That was a dealbreaker for Tom as he felt they were not truly committed to developing the program without one.
Meyers was persistent in pursuing the coach so he called the vice president of student affairs at the time down to their meeting where Tom outlined his expectations for that position, and they agreed, which is when Tom committed to being a candidate for the job.
Coming to RCC also allowed Tom to be closer to home and it eased the stress of travel as he got older.
After four years of leading the Tigers, the academic adviser position was fully in place with Lauren Overbo taking on the task.
This was critical in Toms’s process of turning around the Tigers, which he did immediately.
The Tigers made the SCFA playoffs in every season they were eligible and only lost three or more games once during his tenure.
Most importantly, Craft transferred over 330 players to university.
He is a man who is obsessive about details, which is why he developed a coaching manual that he handed out to each of his coaches when they came on board at RCC.
“This has been a great experience,” Craft said. “It’s kept me committed.”
Tigers next step
In Craft’s 30th season in coaching the stars aligned. He was able to coach with his son, and he was offered the “Golden Handshake” by the RCC Board of Trustees, which provides a faculty member a retirement incentive of 80% of their base pay. The process only happens every 5-6 years and is chosen.
“We kept everything at a premium,” Craft said about his time as Tigers head coach. “Everything
worked out great.
Athletic Director Cliff Dochtermann will miss Craft’s presence.. The two had developed a close friendship in Dochtermans’ short time as AD.
Dochterman also admired Craft’s willingness to learn and grow despite all he’s done.
In week three or four of the 2023 season, Craft asked Dochterman for an evaluation of how he was as a coached
“You’re an extraordinary coach,” Dochterman said. “But you’re an off-the-charts educator.”
“Master coaches are very hard to find,” Dochterman added. “We were very lucky to have one in Tom.”
The Tigers will need to look for someone to take on the impossible task of following Craft as the head coaching search is expected to be posted by the end of February, according to RCC Interim Vice President of Student Services Thomas Cruz-Soto who will be a part of the committee to hire the new head coach.
Tom’s son Kevin is expected to be a candidate, along with longtime defensive coordinator James Kuk. The search will ultimately be nationwide, and Dochterman has already done his due diligence reaching out to other potential candidates.
“We would really like to have someone that has community college experience because the culture is that different,” Dochterman said.
Whoever it may be has to have the willingness to evolve and conquer the challenge of succeeding the greatest football coach in school history.
Tom provided a model of how to run a program at any collegiate level during his coaching career.
“The guys that have been in this program have an appreciation for what they went through and what they were a part of here,” Dochterman said.
Success can mean many things to many people. “I taught the game of life through football,” Craft said. That was his success.
From left to right: Tom Craft throughout the years as head football coach of the Riverside City College football team.
Trump’s policies threaten immigrants, education
Donald Trump’s presidency already spells trouble for Riverside Community College District (RCCD) students less than one month into his term.
The Trump administration canceled $900 million in Education Department contracts that are a key source of data for school’s across the US quality and performance Feb. 11. The Trump administration has further plans to cut the entire Department of Education.
These cuts were made at Elon Musk’s oversight who has had unfettered access to the US Government’s finances.
Cutting the Department of Education would have a tremendous effect on RCCD and the nearby school districts who rely on funding from the federal government. $39 Billion in Pell Grants for low-income college students and Title I funds for schools in low-income communities would be stripped.
A pause of federal grants to schools was also ordered, but blocked by a judge after a lawsuit was filed. The orders themselves were unclear and left many wondering about
whether or not FAFSA would be affected.
Trump’s time as president has put education across the US at risk and RCCD students will be affected by what he has done and threatens to do in the future. The fight for education is happening in front of our eyes and its future is in jeopardy.
The future of education being in jeopardy is only one of the many new threats students at RCCD face.
The signing of Trump’s immigration executive order scares many in the country.
During the first week of Trump’s secondary term he set his mindset onto his “complication” of immigration. Which is unfair to the people who live in the United States, immigrant or not. People have built their proud and dream lives here in the states.
The Trump administration has begun its mass deportation plan. Various online sources have posted Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) sightings all over California.
Many field workers are immigrants, who get little recognition for their hard working efforts. These workers play a huge role in
the economy of the U.S.
As a result many workers have not been attending work due to the ICE raids. Causing the Mexican community to protest this injustice.
Hundreds of people gathered on the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 3 to protest for the rights of undocumented immigrants.
As for a further protest, many immigrants and hispanic families called off work and school Feb. 3 to support the protest of “a day without immigrants” that happened Feb. 3.
In relation with RCC, The DREAMers program, helps non-resident and undocumented immigrants. However it is unknown how these new policies set by Trump will affect the California Dream Act.
With threats to education and undocumented immigrants, RCCD ensures they are in support of their students and community.
The district is offering free legal immigration services support for students, staff, and faculty and are providing other resources to help educate others.
TO THE EDITOR
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Signs posted in the mens restroom of the Salvatore G. Rotella Digital Library depiciting what to do if ICE comes to Riverside City College
ERIC PACHECO | VIEWPOINTS
Editor: Eric Pacheco| Viewpoints@rcc.edu
Tigers baseball sweep doubleheader
ERIC PACHECO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The weather may be cooling down and getting wet in the Inland Empire but the Tigers are staying hot.
The Riverside City College baseball team swept it’s second doubleheader in a week as they took down the Ventura Pirate’s on Feb. 8.
In game one, Riverside was led by freshman lefty Jorge Rodriguez who delivered seven scoreless innings while striking out seven en route to a tight 4-1 victory.
“The (pitching staff) has displayed what we anticipated for the most part,” Tigers head coach Rudy Arguelles said.
In game two the Tigers battled the Pirates tightly through five
Mens Basketball
Mens basketball closed out the regular season losing to No. 9 Santiago Canyon. The Tigers finish the regular season 1214 and 4-9 in Orange Empire Conference play. The Tigers get set to begin OEC tournament play Feb. 13 against Santiago Canyon.
when starter Jack Wheaton was relieved for Evan Stratton with runners on second and third and no out.
“My first outing didn’t go the best so I really wanted to take advantage of this opportunity,”
Stratton said.
Stratton, who was making his first appearance since opening weekend, escaped the jam with a pair of strikeouts to ignite Evans Sports Complex.
“He was probably taking that ball trying to prove a point, and that’s how you prove a point,” Arguelles said.
The offense came alive in the bottom half of the inning putting up eight runs, all with two outs.
Leading the charge for the Tiger offense was sophomore designated hitter Marc DiCarlo Jr. who tallied three hits and two RBIs to go along with his two-hit performance in game one.
Womens basketball lost their final home game of the season to Cypress College. Dropping their record to 1115 overall with an abysmal 2-8 in conference play. They end the regular season on the road against Santa Ana College Feb. 20.
“It’s all about doing our job and having a team oriented mindset,” DiCarlo said on the offense’s gameplan. “The team requires more than the individual.”
DiCarlo has been a bright spot in the middle of the Riverside lineup after starting the season in a platoon role.
“Praise God, stay humble, and work hard,” DiCarlo noted on his keys to his recent success.
Stratton would go two more innings finishing the night with eight strikeouts in three innings of work, flashing a low 90s fastball and a wipeout slider.
“I think we have the best pitching staff in our conference and maybe even the state,” Stratton said. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the year and seeing how well we do.”
RCC has now won four in a row since there first loss of the season, three of which have
SPORTS BRIEFS
The Tigers improved to 4-1 on the year picking up a 6-3 victory over Sanata Barbara City College Feb. 11. Their next matchup against Occidental College Feb. 14 may be in jeopardy due to incoming rain.
come without standout shortstop redshirt sophomore Eddie Alfaro. Arguelles noted that Alfaro was injured prior to the Tigers game against Barstow in pregame warmups and is currently sidelined with a concussion.
“We feel he’s moving in the right direction in terms of his recovery but we knew he wasn’t
RCC softball got into the win column for the first time this season with a 9-1 win over Pasadena City College. This makes the Tigers record 1-6 on the young season. They hope to take the field Feb. 14 at Southwestern College.
going to be available for the rest of the week,” Arguelles said.
“We’re hoping he’s available by next weekend.”
The Tigers return to action on the road at Grossmont Feb. 14.
“Don’t drink the kool-aid,” Arguelles conveyed to his team.
“We haven’t accomplished anything at all yet.”
Riverside beach volleyball started their season with two losses against Mt. San
and Mt. San Antonio Jan. 31. The Tigers are coming off a indoor season in which the made the CCCAA playoffs.
Riverside City College pitcher, Jack Wheaton throws a pitch against Ventura as catcher, Ian Nguyen, 11, waits to recieve at Evans Sports Complex Feb. 8.
ERIC PACHECO | VIEWPOINTS
Riverside City College designated hitter, Marc DiCarlo Jr. 30, slaps a base hit against Ventura at Evans Sports Complex Feb. 8.
