New man in charge – the Stivers era under way at MJC

Rusty Stivers’ daughters, aged from 2 to 8, ran tiny laps around his shoes as he introduced them. Before him knelt the Modesto Junior College football team. His team.

Stivers, the Pirates’ first-year head coach, gradually is stamping his footprint on the program. Friday night’s practice-and-hamburgers function featured each coach introducing family members to the team.

“They (the team) have a chance to see us as responsible fathers in the community as well as coaches,” defensive coordinator Drew Brown said. “They’ll be fathers someday, too.”

As for Stivers – believed to be the first MJC head coach to have played for the Pirates in the team’s 94-year history – he’s learning a few things on the job, and time is short. The Pirates open at home Sept. 5 against American River.

“I’m going to be the head coach here for the next 20 years. That’s my thought process,” he said. “I can’t put together the perfect recipe in two months. I’m in it for the long haul.”

Stivers, MJC’s offensive coordinator since 2006, earned his bona fides building one of California’s busiest and most prolific attacks. The Pirates, often the state leader in total snaps, reached the top 10 last year in total yards per game (458.3), rushing yards (225.6) and first downs (23.3).

Equally important, he’s the walking and talking embodiment of MJC’s locally based program. A graduate of Hilmar High School under coach Jerry Van Lengen, Stivers was a scrappy running back on MJC league title teams in 1990 and ’92 and went on to a respected career at UC Davis. MJC’s last two coaches, Steve Da Prato (1991-99) and Sam Young (2000-14), came to Modesto from the Aggies.

“I’ve always liked the idea of the educational process at community colleges,” Stivers said. “Da Prato got me from Hilmar and Young helped me focus on Davis. Big business doesn’t excite me. I’m a local product. I did everything that this program is all about.”

That program continuity is sustained by Stivers, who played for the previous two MJC leaders.

“There are certain players who are playing, but they’re always studying the game. Rusty was one of them,” said Da Prato, who has retired after his tenure as football coach at River City High School in West Sacramento. “As a player, he had great feet and balance, and even though he didn’t have a great stride, was hard to bring down. He was a great athlete, and he has the kind of leadership and determination, everything it takes to be a successful coach. That’s why I wrote a letter of recommendation for him.”

Young, who has retired from MJC, hasn’t strayed far from the program. In fact, he stood side by side with Stivers after Friday night’s practice. As coach of the outside linebackers, Young serves as a handy source of experience for his successor.

“The transition has been seamless,” Young said. “Rusty is bringing a lot of positive energy to the program. Everything is moving in a direction that will lend itself to more support.”

Rest assured, Stivers is in charge. His whistle screeches the loudest as the Pirates hustle from drill to drill. He’ll still signal in the plays and manage all affairs on offense. He’s also added more assistant coaches.

“Third and seven! Here we go!” Stivers yells as MJC steps to the line of scrimmage. Everything happens quickly at an MJC workout for a reason.

“We’re going to try to go faster, only we’re trying to do that with the whole program now,” the new coach said. “The defense is adapting their communication system and style of play to match the offense. We train fast and we play fast.”

Sophomore safety Herman Harris has noticed more leadership from Stivers. Yes, the pace has intensified.

“He’s taken the leadership role and is sometimes hard on us. He says, ‘One little mistake can cost you the game,’” Harris said. “The way our offense works, our defense has to move fast. If we can keep up with them, we’ll be all right. Not many offenses go as fast as ours.”

There are some preseason concerns. For various reasons, the Pirates lost verbal commitments from several offensive linemen. Stivers wasn’t formally announced as head coach until May, nearly six months after Young resigned. Young, Brown and Stivers did the offseason chores, but recruiting took a hit.

“This is the smallest recruiting class since I can remember. We’re behind in that area,” Stivers said. “The quality of character on the team is high.”

All signs point toward a transitional season, but Stivers already has laid out his big-picture goals. No. 1 on his priority list is to transfer all of his players to four-year schools, whether or not they continue in football.

“If we do that, everything else falls into place,” he said. “They’ll go to school and do our strength and conditioning and all the things they need in athletics and academics.”

For now, it’s full-speed ahead for the Pirates. The first Kickoff Dinner, a fundraiser for the program, will be held Aug. 29 at MJC West. New uniforms also are in place for the opening game.

At the center of it all is Stivers, his wife, Melissa – a former standout infielder for MJC and Western Kentucky – and their four young daughters.

“Rusty is the same person in every situation,” Melissa Stivers said, “and he’s always got football on his mind.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2015 at 6:37 PM with the headline "New man in charge – the Stivers era under way at MJC."