LBCC football announced that defensive coordinator Marques Cooper is now Acting Director of Football and Head Coach, replacing Brett Peabody.
Cooper was previously the defensive coordinator and the defensive backs coach and was made head coach on March 21.
Football is something that Cooper has loved since a young age, it started at the age of nine.
“My mom wanted to keep me busy at a young age, so she put me in football,” said Cooper.
Cooper has been coaching for 15 years and has been at El Camino College, Santa Monica College, Azusa Pacific, where he graduated from. He’s been at LBCC for the last four years as a part of the coaching staff under previous head coach Brett Peabody.
While Cooper was at El Camino, they won the Beach Bowl games in 2017 and 2021, and made it to playoffs in 2018 but lost game one.
“It’s really cool to have someone whose had such experiences at the D2 level and at other JUCOs and high school level to come in and lead and gives us a different kind of look at the program and just kinda build off the success that we’ve had in the past few years and just build,” Jericho Silvernail, the associate head coach and special teams coordinator, said.
He has coached many students who have gotten All-state and All-Conference honors, a small group of the best athletes in their respective sport in the state and conference.
There have also been athletes with Division 1 scholarships and ESPN Top 50 prospects that Cooper has taught.
“Coach Coop done a lot for me. One thing about Coach Coop always checks on the mental aspect. He knows us as young men, especially growing up out here, we go through a lot,” said corner, Thaddeus Dixon, an LBCC alum who now plays at North Carolina.
Cooper has been a role model for the players he’s coached.
“Just having an older figure like that, almost like an uncle. He’s been through it and he has so much knowledge about it he can just steer you through the way,” Dixon said.
Cooper said his goal is not only to win games and championships, but to create good players and students who can be good people off campus.
“I would say building champions while pursuing championships,” said Cooper, about a motto that he has for every season.
While we don’t know what happened to Brett Peabody or why he is gone, Cooper said Peabody was a mentor to him.
“Over the last year, I learned how to run a program from him, academically and with football. I would consider him a mentor,” Cooper said.
Even though it is the offseason, the team is practicing, getting faster and stronger and the athletes are proud and excited for Cooper and this upcoming season.
“Coach Coops been a big step up. He’s been a big step up for me. I know he’s gonna do the right job here… I feel like Long Beach City College gonna be good behind him,” said Khalil Warren, running back for LBCC.
Not only are the students excited, but other members of the coaching staff are happy for Cooper.
“I know how much he cares about this program, how much he cares about these kids and his coaches.. I’m excited to see where it goes,” Silvernail said.