Cross Country and Track & Field, Class of 2009
In 26 years as head coach of the cross country and track & field teams, Howard Brubaker guided the Dons to two state championships and three conference championships in cross country and another conference championship in track & field.
Brubaker coached 2003 Hall of Fame Inductee Ed Caruthers who went on to win the silver medal in the 1968 Olympics as well as Tom Lipski, the 1971 state champion in the three-mile run.
From 1966-1992, Brubaker guided the Dons to a 104-78 record in
track & field while finishing 130-52 in cross country. His
accomplishments led to his induction to the California Community
Colleges Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame
in May of 2002.
Brubaker, a graduate of La Jolla High School where he won the CIF
Championship in cross country, went on to the United States Marine
Corps where he served in the Korean War from 1951-54 where he was a
Purple Heart Recipient.
After his stint in the Marines, Brubaker competed for the Santa Ana
College track team under Hall of Fame coach John Ward before
transferring and graduating from California State University, Long
Beach in 1956.
Brubaker began his coaching career at Long Beach as an assistant coach before taking the job as the head coach of the Torrance High School track and cross country team. He then served as field general at Santa Ana Valley High School where he helped lead the school to three league championships before taking over for his former coach Ward at Santa Ana College.