Azusa Pacific University Men's Football

Carlton guides an entertaining offense with savvy and courage as a play-caller, running an offense that is exciting for his players and also fun to watch. Carlton has orchestrated some of the most prolific Cougar offenses and produced some of the top individual performances the program has ever seen. In 2011, led by QB John van den Raadt, Azusa Pacific set program records for total offense (5,957 yards), rushing offense (3,915 yards), points scored (547).   Three years later, it was an offense led by running back Terrell Watson that piled up nearly 3,000 yards rushing, with Watson accounting for a program-record 2,153 rushing yards as he led all NCAA college football divisions in rushing average (195.7 yards per game) on his way to an NFLPA Collegiate Bowl MVP performance and an eventual free agent NFL contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.   In 2015, Carltons offense produced a 1,000-yard rusher for the fifth consecutive year, as GNAC Freshman of the Year Kurt Scoby rushed for 1,108 yards. Quarterbacks Chad Jeffries and Andrew Elffers combined for over 2,000 yards passing and another 740 combined rushing yards, leading the Cougars to 32.4 points and 432.6 yards of total offense per game.   Carlton, who joined the Azusa Pacific coaching staff in 2008, took over play-calling for the final two games of the 2009 campaign and led the Cougars to 92 points scored, their best back-to-back offensive showings in five years. Starting with those two games, Azusa Pacific has gone 47-21 (and scored 34 points or more 35 times) with Carlton calling the shots on offense.   Carlton completed a four-year playing career with Azusa Pacific in 2007 with one of the best seasons ever put together by a Cougar QB. He threw for 2,605 yards by completing 197-of-344 (.573) passes with 28 TD passes to lead the Cougars to a 6-5 record.   Prior to joining the Cougar staff full-time, Carlton spent two years as a quarterback in the Arena Football League II. He threw for over 2,600 yards while playing for the Texas Copperheads in 2008 and the Boise Burn in 2009.   He arrived at Azusa Pacific in 2002 and redshirted the season as a true freshman. He narrowly missed winning the starting berth out of fall camp in 2003, but two games into the season Carlton hurt his shoulder and was lost for the rest of 2003 and all of 2004 as he recovered from two surgeries. He returned to action in 2005 and midway through the season he won the starting call. He returned in 2006 to start the first five games before another injury ended that season.   Carlton, who had already graduated from Azusa Pacific with a bachelor's degree in psychology, opted to move on. Yet late in the summer of 2007, he changed his mind and returned for one more season, and he fashioned a season that ranks among the best ever by a Cougar quarterback, throwing for 2,605 yards and 28 TDs in 11 games.   On Azusa Pacific's all-time passing charts, he ranks third in touchdown passes (38), fourth in passing yards (4,373) and third in completions (331).   Carlton came to Azusa Pacific out of Dakota Ridge High School in Littleton, Colo., where he is the school's No. 2 all-time passer with 2,323 yards and 12 TDs.   Along with his bachelor's degree, Carlton also earned a master's degree from Azusa Pacific in organizational leadership.   Carlton, 32, resides in Glendora, Calif., and he is engaged to be married in December 2016.  

Johnson spent two seasons (2007 and 2008) as a defensive lineman for the Cougars, appearing in 21 games and starting the final 19. He tallied 93 tackles in his career, including 6.5 QB sacks and 14.0 tackles for loss.   Prior to arrival at Azusa Pacific he played two seasons at Citrus Community College in Glendora, Calif., where he was an All-Western States Conference honoree as a 2005 sophomore.   He prepped at West Covina (Calif.) High where he was a three-sport standout, including a two-time All-San Antonio League first team pick in football. He was a CIF champion in wrestling as a 2004 senior and a runner-up in 2003. He also lettered in baseball and track & field. In recent years he has served as a wrestling coach at West Covina High.   Johnson graduated from Azusa Pacific in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in physical education, and he is working towards a master's degree in educational leadership. He was the 2013 Teacher of the Year at Canyon Oaks High School in Monrovia, where he teaches physical education and health.   Johnson, 30, and his wife Helen, who is also an Azusa Pacific graduate, reside in Monrovia. They have one daughter, Paisley, who was born in October 2014.

Slater is entering his sixth season coaching Azusa Pacifics offensive line, which is his first coaching assignment at the four-year collegiate level. His involvement in the development of 6-foot-9, 322-pound offensive tackle Luke Marquardt helped lead to an NFL free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers for Marquardt. Following the 2014 season, another Cougar lineman took a step towards an NFL career when 6-foot-6, 305-pound right tackle Cody Clay was invited to participate in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Clay signed a post-draft NFL free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons, and he was later signed by the Dallas Cowboys prior to the 2015 training camp.   Slaters impact on the Cougar offense was immediately evident upon his arrival for the 2011 season. That year, the Cougar offensive line led the way for the most productive single season of rushing offense in program history, ranking in the top-10 rushing programs of all collegiate divisions in a 9-3 campaign which produced Azusa Pacifics first playoff victory since 2004. In the five years since his arrival, the Cougar offense is averaging over 400 yards per game, including a rushing average of 238 yards per game.   As a player, Slater is tied for third all time for the most NFL seasons played, and his 259 regular-season games played were the most ever by an offensive lineman when he retired. His 20 seasons with one team was also an NFL record. Slater played in a Rams franchise-record 18 NFL postseason games, including Super Bowl XIV, and he was a seven-time Pro Bowler. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2001.   Slater played his college football at Jackson State University in Mississippi, where he played alongside Walter Payton for his first three years. Following his All-American senior year, Slater was selected in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.   Following his retirement from the NFL, Slater worked for nearly a decade as a football analyst, covering the NFL for Fox, ESPN, and Los Angeles-based KABC-TV.   Slater coached for one year in the NFL, serving as co-offensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders in 2006. He spent two years (2008-09) coaching offensive line at Saddleback College, then spent the 2010 season coaching offensive line at El Modena HS before joining Azusa Pacific in the spring of 2011.   Slater and his wife Annie have two sons, Matthew and David. Matthew, who played collegiately at UCLA, is the special teams captain of the Super Bowl XLIX champion New England Patriots, earning his fourth Pro Bowl selection in his six-year career. Slater and his sons 11 combined nominations to the Pro Bowl makes the Slater family the second most nominated family in the NFL, trailing only the Archie, Eli, and Peyton Manning with more Pro Bowl nominations as a family.   During his first three years of coaching, Slater was also an Azusa Pacific student, working on a masters degree in leadership which he completed in 2014.     MEDIA LINKS:   Game Changer, : NFL Hall of Fame:  

Rivas-Sandovals 17 year of coaching (16 at the collegiate level).   Throughout his career, Rivas-Sandoval has served in virtually every capacity, from head coach to offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, as well as coaching positions which include quarterbacks, defensive backs, linebackers, defensive line, and kick returners.   In his first season at Azusa Pacific, the Cougars repeated as Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions, posting a 10-1 record behind a defense which returned only three starters yet still ranked third nationally in Division II in sacks (3.91/game), and sixth in turnover margin (plus-15). In 2015, the Cougars had the nations No. 2 pass defense, surrendering just 133.1 pass yards per game in a 6-4 campaign.   Among the standout defensive players Rivas-Sandoval has coached is 2014 NCAA Division II All-American Tyler Thornton, a finalist for the 2014 Cliff Harris Award which recognizes the nations top small college defensive player.   Prior to joining Azusa Pacific, Rivas-Sandoval spent the 2013 season coaching linebackers and serving as special teams coordinator at the University of Sioux Falls. He was the head coach at Fort Lewis (Colo.) College for three years (2010-12), and his 17-year coaching career includes experience at almost every level of football from high school to the NCAA Division I.   He has also participated in the NFLs Bill Walsh Fellowship Program with the Miami Dolphins in 2012 and the Green Bay Packers in 2013.   Rivas-Sandoval is a San Diego native (Hilltop HS) who played college football from 1996-99 at UC Davis, which made NCAA Division II playoff appearances all four years of his career. Three of his first four years of coaching were in his hometown of San Diego, first at Hilltop High School and for two years at the junior college level with Southwestern College. He also has coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level, serving as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Tennessee-Martin in 2008.   Rivas-Sandoval graduated from UC Davis in 1999, and he earned a masters degree in cross cultural teaching with California teaching credential from National University in 2003.   Rivas-Sandoval and his wife Jennifer live in Phillips Ranch with their two daughters, Elena (7) and Joslyn (5).  

Danielson is an enthusiastic recruiter who has also demonstrated an ability to teach and develop his players, producing all-conference first team linebackers in each year of his coaching career.   He was one of 30 coaches selected from nearly 200 applicants for the inaugural American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 30 Under 30 Coaches Leadership Institute at the 2016 AFCA Convention, participating in focused, interactive lectures on topics including ethics, leadership, NCAA rules, financial management, hiring and player safety.   A three-year starting linebacker for Azusa Pacific, Danielson wrapped up his playing career in 2012 as one of the leaders of the Cougars first NCAA Division II season. He was the team defensive MVP and was the third-leading tackler for the 2012 defense, and his playing career also included back-to-back NAIA playoff appearances in 2010 and 2011. Danielson started 29 times in his career, registering 190 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 5 interceptions from 2009-12.   A native of Solana Beach, Calif., Danielson graduated from Azusa Pacific with a degree in business administration in 2012, and he also earned a masters degree with an MBA from Azusa Pacific in 2013.   Danielson teaches classes in the universitys department of applied exercise science. He and his wife Raechel (Jones), a former Azusa Pacific volleyball player, were married in 2015 and currently reside in Monrovia.