History of SCCAL Commissioners

SCCAL Established in 1976

The Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League (SCCAL) started operations in the fall of 1976. It was originally known as the Santa Cruz County Athletic League, but was renamed in 1980. The original six member schools were drafted out of the two existing south bay leagues, the Monterey Bay League (MBL) and the Mission Trail Athletic League (MTAL). 

SCCAL Commissioners:

Charles R. Smith  1976-1985

A former teacher and coach (baseball and basketball) at Santa Cruz HS, Charles was also a three-sport referee, officiating football, basketball and baseball for many years. His career in the Santa Cruz school district started in 1948, and he was the principal of Loma Prieta HS for 9 years before becoming our first commissioner.

Paul Moser  1985-1989

One of 5 finalists for the job to replace the retiring Charles Smith, Paul was a retired vice-principal from SLV HS when he became our 2nd commissioner. He was an administrator at SLV for 15 years, and, before that, he was a math and social studies teacher and a JV football coach at Watsonville HS for 17 years.

Pat Lovell  1989-2017

The longest tenured SCCAL commissioner, and one of the longest in CCS, Pat was a teacher and coach at both the high school and junior college level. He was also an Olympic wrestler, a collegiate all-conference football player, a wrestling and football official, and much more. Pat is a member of numerous Halls of Fame, including the CA Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Cabrillo College Sports Hall of Fame, the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame, the Sequoia HS Sports Hall of Fame, and more. The annual Pat Lovell Award, named after him, is given each year to the overall most successful SCCAL school in SCCAL sports.

Tim McGuire (interim)  2017-2018

Tim served as the interim commissioner after Pat stepped down for health reasons. Tim was a teacher, coach, and principal at Harbor HS.

Bob Kittle  2018-2022

Bob was a very successful baseball coach at both Santa Cruz HS and Cabrillo College, winning many championships at both levels, including 8 at Santa Cruz, making him the 2nd most successful baseball coach in SCCAL history. He was also a PE teacher at Santa Cruz, and served as the Cardinals’ Athletic Director for 10 years.

Mark Dorfman  2022-Present

Mark served as the Athletic Director at Aptos HS for 30 years. In addition to being an assistant football coach for many, many years, he is also one of the most successful Track & Field coaches in both the SCCAL and CCS. Under his leadership, his Aptos girls teams did not lose a dual meet for over 14 years, and the boys only lost 6 times over that same span. Combined, they won 21 league championships. Mark was inducted into the Aptos High Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 as a track coach, and is a recipient of the CCS Honor Coach Award in track.