Golf Team Wins 2007 State Champions

Saddleback College has one of the strongest community college golf programs in the state. Winners of 29 conference titles in the 39 years of intercollegiate competition - including 15 of the past 16 and 25 of the past 27 seasons - the Gauchos are among the preseason favorites to battle for a state title every year.
Following the 2007 season which culminated in Saddleback's sixth state championship, Mike Rae was hired as the team's head coach. Coach Rae is a competitor by nature - USC quarterback on the 1972 national championship football team and a member of the Oakland Raiders 1976 Super Bowl team - and is prepared to continue Saddleback's strong golf history. He coached the Long Beach City College men's golf team for six seasons, including three South Coast Conference titles and a Southern California regional championship title.

Saddleback golf teams have now won six state championships, including the 2007 state title by setting a state record with a team score of 4-under-par 716. Saddleback teams have consistently been one of Southern California's top four teams, reaching the state tournament 22 times.

Recent Saddleback College golfers have continued their careers at USC, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Georgia, George Washington, San Diego State, Cal State Stanislaus, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State San Bernardino.

Mike Rae Takes over Golf Men's Program

Saddleback College has announced that Mike Rae will take over its men’s golf team, replacing Bill Cunerty at the helm of one of the state’s most successful community college golf programs.
Rae, who might be best known for his football success at USC and in the NFL during the 1970’s and ‘80s, has found similar success playing and coaching golf on a local level. As a competitive golfer, he has won three club championships in the Long Beach area. As a coach, he has guided the Long Beach City College men’s team for the past six seasons. Three of those teams won South Coast Conference titles and the 2006 team won the Southern California Regional title to qualify for the state tournament.
Rae takes over the Saddleback College men’s program from Cunerty, who retired from coaching after 26 years with the Gauchos’ program. Cunerty won 24 conference titles, five regional titles, and six state titles during that period.
The similarities between Cunerty and Rae are uncanny. Cunerty attended high school in Torrance, then played football and baseball at USC, playing quarterback on the Trojans’ national championship team in 1967. He was hired on as an assistant football coach at Saddleback in 1980.
Rae attended Lakewood High School, then played football and basketball at USC, playing quarterback on the Trojans’ 1972 national championship team. He was named the MVP of that team, which ESPN selected as the greatest college football team of all time. Rae went on to play 13 years of professional football, including a member of the 1976 Oakland Raiders team which won a Super Bowl during his rookie season. After his playing days, Rae spent four years coaching football at Orange Coast College.