Rusty Stivers - Head Football Coach

 Rusty Stivers is only the 12th head coach in the 99-year history of MJC Football. Stivers is in his 6th year at the helm of MJC Football. 

In 2016, The Pirates won the Valley Conference title and participated in the CCCAA state playoffs. It was the first time the Pirates won a league title at the highest level (Tier 1) since 1980, when the Pirates won the National Championship. In 2017, the Pirates were victorious in the Gridiron Classic Bowl, defeating Diablo Valley College 73-41. In 2018, MJC defeated City College of San Francisco in the Golden State Bowl and ending the season as the #8 team in the State. In 2019, the Pirates made it to California State Playoffs as a Final 4 team and finished this past season #4 in California and 13th in the country.

In the last few seasons, the Pirates have helped transfer 16 student/athletes to the Division 1 levels.  Some of those players include Mustafa Johnson and Vaatofu Sauvao to the University of Colorado, Antonio Pule to Washington State, Michael Thompson to Eastern Michigan, Devan Bass to Western Michigan, Rory Hanson to Fresno State, Jereicho Taamu to San Jose State, Jay Green to Southern Utah, Austin Martins to Valparaiso, Ron Sharlou to the University of San Diego, Brandon Dabney to Lamar University, and Danny Velasquez to Portland State. In 2019, MJC achieved their first ever "Million Dollar Club", providing over 1 million dollars of scholarship aid to student transfers at the 4-year level.

Rusty started his coaching career at the high school level where he was given the opportunity in 2000 to turn around a program (Riverbank High School) that had 18 consecutive losing seasons into the best record (2001) in school history. 

As MJC’s offensive coordinator over the last nine years, Stivers has orchestrated one of the most successful offenses in the state of California. The MJC “NASCAR” offense is #1 in Northern California, averaging 485 yards and 38 points/game the last nine seasons (2011-2019). The “NASCAR” offense is also ranked in the top 5 in California over the last 9 years in 1st Downs, 3rd Down Conversions, and rushing yards. 

Since taking over as the offensive coordinator in 2006, the MJC Quarterbacks broke multiple school records and were named been All League or All State eight consecutive years (2006-2013). Since 2009, MJC has transferred 6 Quarterbacks to the Division 1 level, including Greg Panelli (Eastern Washington), Devin Combs (Nevada), Quinton McCown (New Mexico), and Wyatt Clapper (Sacramento State).  Rusty has worked with a company called, “Coaches Choice” to develop four coaching videos about the Modesto Junior College Offense. 

Rusty Stivers is a proud graduate of Hilmar High School (1990) where he was named as an All-State running back for Jerry Van Lengen and voted the Trans Valley League MVP on offense and defense.  He continued his playing career at MJC and was named an All-State running back for Steve DaPrato in 1992. Stivers then transferred to University of California, Davis where he started as a running back in 1994 under Bob Biggs and completed his B.A. in Exercise Science. Rusty has a teaching credential from National University and a Masters of Sport Science from the United States Sports Academy. 

Rusty resides in Hilmar and is married to Melissa Stivers and has four daughters (Sophie, Ava, Haygen, and Lainey).