Assistant Head Coach Mike Mendoza

Head Coach T.J. Kerr’s right hand man is Mike Mendoza who returns for his sixth season as the assistant head coach for Bakersfield. Mendoza is the perfect fit for the job, and uses his variety of talents to assist Kerr in all aspects of the wrestling program.

Mendoza’s abilities are spread wide over the spectrum of what a collegiate coach should possess. He is skilled in everything from the technical abilities on the mat that he showed for four seasons as a wrestler at CSUB, to the recruiting abilities that he has honed under Adams State Head Coach Jason Ramstetter and Kerr’s tutelage. He also has exceptional organizational skills that he puts to good use in planning the team’s day-to-day activities, travel and camps. Mendoza has proven in a short time that he is an invaluable part of the Roadrunner wrestling program.

Mendoza joined the CSUB wrestling team in 1994 when he earned immediate respect from Kerr and earned a starting position in the lineup as a freshman. After struggling through the early portion of his career while adapting to the NCAA Division I level, Mendoza emerged as one of the top wrestlers in the Pac-10 and was a Pac-10 placewinner in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

An injury-plagued senior season hurt Mendoza’s All-America chances, but he was still able to qualify for the nationals with a gutsy third-place finish at the Pac-10 Championships. Although the injury might have knocked Mendoza back a step throughout the senior year, he shocked the fans at the 1999 NCAA Division I Championships by knocking off No. 4 seed Troy Marr of Minnesota. In the end, he came just two matches short of earning All-America honors.

Mendoza set up his chances to be an All-American well with a quality junior season. He was 31-9 with six pins that year and walked away with a second-place finish in the Pac-10. Overall in his four years at CSUB, Mendoza racked up a 76-55 record, qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships three times, and was a three-time Pac-10 and Midlands placewinner.

After he completed his eligibility at CSUB, Mendoza continued his wrestling career and placed fifth at the 2001 World Freestyle Team Trials.

What might have looked like disappointment on the mat has helped develop Mendoza into a top-notch coach for any level of wrestler. With the heartbreak of not earning All-America honors as a senior came a mental toughness that he shares with each wrestler in the CSUB program. With the adaptation to Division I wrestling as a freshman came a desire to acquire in-depth technical knowledge of the sport. And his dedication in the classroom — which led to a bachelor’s degree at CSUB in public administration in 1999 and a master’s degree in physical education from Adams State in 2001 — has taught him organizational skills that are not only essential in his administrative duties, but also provide life lessons that he can pass on to his wrestlers.

After completing his eligibility at CSUB, Mendoza got his first taste of coaching at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., where he was an assistant to Ramstetter, who is also a former Roadrunner. Mendoza honed his coaching skills at Adams State and completed his master’s degree in 2001 before returning to Bakersfield in 2002 to become Kerr’s assistant head coach.

Mendoza has been married for four years to his wife Lori and lives in Bakersfield with his cat, Nelson.