For the second time in less than a month, a former NFL and Cal have been named head football coach at Bay Area High School. CJ Anderson is the new football coach in Monte Vistar (Danville, California).
On May 17, Anderson said he had called for a return to the running race at Cal, Jahvid Best, to congratulate him on his appointment as coach at nearby St. Mary’s (Albany). Now Anderson has joked that he is expecting a return call from the best after the announcement of Monte Vista athletic director Andy Popper this week.
I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity to keep the tradition alive in a great school and program,” Anderson told Maxpreps. “Wherever you go, no matter what college you go to or play for the NFL team, you want to know and continue that history.
CJ Anderson has played in the NFL for seven years and reached the Super Bowl three times, twice with the Broncos and once with the Rams. He spent his first five seasons with the Broncos and the last two years with the Panthers, Raiders, Rams, and Lions.
In the 2016 Super Bowl L, Anderson ran for 90 yards and a touchdown to lead the Broncos to a 24-10 win over the Panthers. He ran for 3,497 yards and 22 touchdowns in his career and made 108 catches at 900 yards. He had a 2014 Pro Bowl selection.
CJ Anderson worked as a graduate assistant at Cal last season, where he played two seasons ending in 2012. He played locally as a prep athlete at Bethel (Vallejo) and Lenny (Auckland) junior colleges.
All of these experiences have given him a “wow” selection, Popper said, and a simple one, though it came after a thorough search.
We are incredibly excited to be able to bring CJ with all his experience in the game of football, not just as a player said, Popper. “He brings great enthusiasm, his smile and energy are contagious and he wants to be here. He wants to be a Mustang. This is where he wants to be.
Popper said Anderson ran to the field, already arranging team and parent meetings when he assembled a coaching staff, including his brother, Keelan.
The Mustangs will need all the help they can to play in the rough East Bay Athletic League which, among others, features the perennial national power De La Salle (Concord).
I told the kids at a team meeting yesterday that I hope to breathe fresh air,” Anderson said. “I’m not from this community. I’m from a different place, but I’m a football junkie and I’m confident we can all learn the game, understand each other and come together as a team.
Monte Vista went 0-6 in a brief spring season, but was in every game, losing four games in a touchdown or less. The Mustangs are a perennial Bay Area powerhouse that has won seven North Coast Section Championships, most recently in 2016 when current Fresno State quarterback Jake Henner and two-time first-team All-Pack 12 linebacker Nat Landman (Colorado) led the way.
Other former Monte Vista footballers include All-Pro Tight and Jack Irtz and former National Preparatory Player of the Year, University of Miami, and NFL quarterback Kyle Wright.
