The Monarchs have had the defensive backs coach on their team for 16 years.
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) has hired Frank McManus as their new football coach, who will be replacing Bruce Rollinson.
After being with the Monarchs for 16 years, Frank McManus has been announced as the new football coach for Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). He was previously the varsity defensive backs coach for the past seven seasons and was part of the staff during their national championship campaigns in 2017 and 2021. The school made the announcement after a team meeting on Thursday afternoon.
Under Bruce Rollinson, who spent 34 seasons with the team, Mater Dei finished 12-1 and ranked No. 3 in the final MaxPreps Top 25 last season. The team’s only loss in 2022 was against their rival, St. John Bosco (Bellflower), who went on to become the MaxPreps National Champion.
Last year, when the Monarchs were leading the MaxPreps Top 25, Rollinson made a surprising mid-season announcement.
“I have recently decided that this year will be my last year as head coach of Mater Dei football. After playing at Mater Dei more than 50 years ago, 47 years coaching at Mater Dei and 34 years as the head coach, making this decision at this time with the entire starting lineup returning next year, should make it easier for the next coach and Mater Dei to continue our winning tradition,” he said via Twitter.
Under Rollinson’s leadership, Mater Dei became a national powerhouse in high school football, winning CIF Open Division titles in 2017, 2018, and 2021, with two national titles. However, an unfortunate hazing scandal surfaced at the end of the 2021 season. The incident involved a locker room event that took place in the spring of 2021. While the Diocese of Orange and the school investigated the issue, no findings have been revealed so far.