Fresno City College ushers in new era with hires of football and men’s soccer coaches
.jpeg "Josh Brown was introduced as the Fresno City College football coach.")
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Fresno City College hired Josh Brown as its new head football coach.
- Fresno City College hired David Santesteban as its new men’s soccer coach.
- Both coaches stepped down before the end of the fall season, prompting searches.
Fresno City College introduced Josh Brown as its new head football coach and David Santesteban as men’s soccer coach, ushering in a new era for the community college’s athletic programs.
Both were hired following the retirements of longtime coaches Tony Caviglia and Eric Solberg, who stepped down before the end of the fall season, giving the school time to conduct searches for their successors.
Brown, a former co-defensive coordinator at Sacramento State and defensive coordinator at Cal Poly, will be taking on his first head coaching role.
Santesteban returns to his alma mater after a long and successful coaching career.
He played for the Rams in the mid-1980s under legendary coach Bill Neal before continuing his career at Fresno State under coach Jose Elorriaga.
“We are thrilled to welcome Josh Brown and Dr. David Santesteban to Fresno City College Athletics,” athletic director Derrick Johnson said. “Both coaches are proven leaders with exceptional experience, strong values and a passion for mentoring student-athletes.”
Current Rams coaches, including Caviglia and Solberg, welcomed the new hires.
Caviglia ends his career at Fresno City at 200-82 and Solberg led the Rams to two state titles.
Fresno City conducted nationwide searches following the conclusion of the fall season.
For Brown, the opportunity to lead one of California’s most successful community college football programs was an easy decision.
“The long tradition — and them being so good for so long,” Brown said of what attracted him to the job. “On top of that, I wanted to give back to the level I came from — community college — where I played and coached. I’ve been recruiting this level for a long time as well.”
Brown played two seasons at Gavilan College and one at Oklahoma. He later served as an assistant coach at Foothill College from 2000 to 2005 and coached at Gavilan during the 1999 season.
Santesteban arrives with an accomplished résumé, compiling a 177-66-30 record as a collegiate head coach.
His coaching stops included three seasons at Southwestern Community College in Oregon before he joined San Jacinto College in Houston in 2004. During his eight-year tenure as head coach, the Coyotes earned multiple No. 1 national rankings. He also coached at the University of the Virgin Islands, leading the men’s soccer program to a Final Four appearance.
“This is a dream come true to finish my career where I started in 1987 as a player on the Fresno City men’s soccer team,” Santesteban said. “It’s a storied program with a long tradition. Eric has done a great job. Two state championships, amazing success. My goal is to keep that going and bring more state championships to Fresno City College.”
