My former co-worker, Head Football Coach Matt Logan of Centennial, California, has been named the “winningest” coach in Southern California’s Inland Empire. Photo credit: Blast Athletics

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional athletic coach, especially if the coach is someone I know! This is the case with football coach Matt Logan of Centennial High School in Corona, California. Before I retired, Matt and I worked together at the school.

Matt graduated from nearby Norco High School in 1985. Ten years later, he was hired as the Defensive Coordinator at Centennial. Two years later, he advanced to Head Coach, where he built a powerhouse football program. In the 28 seasons that have transpired since Matt took the position, he has logged 28 seasons. During that time, he has become the “winningest” coach in Southern California’s Inland Empire, and will very likely be inducted into the Coaches’ Hall of Fame.

Over the years, Matt has led his student athletes to more than 300 victories, a total of ten CIF Southern Section titles, and one CIF State Championship (2018). And that’s not all. For the past 18 consecutive years, one of Matt’s quarterbacks has gone on to become a future college quarterback.

And I had a front row seat for the excitement, having taught at Centennial from the day the school opened in 1989 until I transferred to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale when that school opened in 2006.

So what is Matt’s secret to winning so many games? “The kids who come here know the expectations and obviously want to compete and that’s all we ask of them,” declared Matt. “Do the work, do what we ask, and we compete every week,” he continued. “I always say, ‘We may get beat, but we always compete.’ I don’t care how tall they are, how fast they are, how big they are. We just want good football players,” he concluded.