Sam Crosson

Biography

Sam Crosson, a two-time Big West Coach of the Year and AVCA West Region Coach of the Year, begins his first year associate head coach in Fall 2026. He returns to the Mustangs after a seven-year coaching stint in the Bay Area, serving as head coach for the California Golden Bears and West Valley College Vikings. During his tenure at Cal Poly, Crosson compiled a 114-83 record across seven seasons at Mott Athletics Center (2012-18) before stepping down as head coach to lead the California Golden Bears. His legendary 2017 and 2018 teams both made the NCAA postseason and still stand as some of the program's all-time best. In 2017, Crosson was named AVCA Pacific North Region and Big West Coach of the Year after guiding the Mustangs to their most successful season in program history with a 27-3 record. Cal Poly also secured a Big West title after going undefeated in Big West Conference play. Crosson doubled down on that success in 2018, leading the Mustangs to their highest national ranking (No. 11) since 2008 and finishing just two wins shy of matching the previous year's record at 25-5. Regarded for his technical acumen and recruiting prowess, Crosson has coached 21 Division I All-Conference honorees, All-Americans, and the 2010 AVCA Player of the Year. Crosson graduated from Pacific in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in sports sciences and earned his master's in sports sciences from the university in 2005. A native of Santa Cruz, California, Crosson and his wife, Courtney, have two