Chapman University Men's Football

Owens when he took the helm of the Panthers in 2006. In 2015, Owens notched his 50th victory at Chapman and became the Panthers' all-time winningest coach. In 2014, Owens was named Coach of the Year after leading the Panthers to an undefeated conference record and the school's highest ranking in program history (No. 17) en route to its first-ever NCAA playoff berth. After having Chapman one win away from winning the conference in the past two seasons, Owens and his Panthers took home the SCIAC crown in just their third year as a member of the conference. It was Owens' third SCIAC title (two with Whittier). Chapman is 26-11 since the start of the 2012 season, were one win away from the SCIAC title in back-to-back years, and the Panthers tied a school record in 2013 and 2014 with eight wins. In 2013, the Panthers led the nation in passing rating and red zone efficiency and ranked in the top-10 in Division III in total offense, scoring and fourth-down conversions. In nine seasons, Chapman has had eight players named to All-West Region teams. Owens has also stressed strong academics, already coaching 14 Capital One Academic All-District VIII selections in eight years and a few dozen more who have been named NFF College Hall of Fame Scholar-Athletes. A handful former Panthers have signed professional contracts to play football in Europe, Australia and in Arena Football. Prior to coming to Chapman, Owens served as offensive coordinator at Humboldt State (most recently). He was also the head coach at Division III-rival Whittier College, where he led the Poets to two SCIAC championships (1997-98). Owens has 32 years of college coaching experience, including stops at Fresno State, Utah State and Oregon. He served as the wide receivers coach for Nevada on its Big West championship team in 1995 and helped lead the Sacramento Surge to a World League title as its running backs coach in 1992. His passing offense ranked in the top-15 in NCAA Division II at Humboldt State and helped the Lumberjacks to a second place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in 2004 - the school's best finish in five years. A graduate of the University of La Verne, where he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1970, Owens went on to earn his master's in curriculum and instruction from the University of Oregon in 1974. He served as a professor of African-American sociology at Whittier (1996-2002) and at Chico State (1993-95), as well as a professor of African-American history at Oregon (1972-74). He and his wife, Debby, currently reside in Whittier.    Bob Owens' Head Coaching Highlights Whittier & Chapman (1996-01, '06-14)

Izaiah Williams joined Chapman as an Assistant Athletic Director and Assistant Football Coach in August 2022. As an administrator, Williams oversees Wilson Field and the athletics department's Work-Study program. As a coach, Williams serves as the Running Backs Coach and Special Teams Coordinator. Under his coaching and leadership, his position groups have produced eight All-SCIAC selections and five All-Region selections in just three seasons. He brings more than a decade's worth of coaching experience, including Division III and SCIAC experience. Most recently, Williams was working in his second stint at New Mexico State as the Player Development Coordinator. He was also the Director of Football Operations and the Pro-Liaison. In the three years prior, Williams was the Special Teams Coordinator and coached the linebackers at fellow SCIAC member Whittier College. Williams was on staff at Dixie State – working with the returners and defensive backs – in 2016-17. From 2013-16, he was a Graduate Assistant on the defensive side of the ball at New Mexico State. Before his first stint at NMSU, he spent two years at Northwestern, where he worked in a variety of roles. He was the defensive quality control coach during the 2012 campaign, when the Wildcats went 10-3 overall and won the 2013 Gator Bowl, their first bowl-game victory since the 1949 Rose Bowl. Before arriving at Northwestern, Williams was the defensive backs and wide receivers coach at Urbana High School in Urbana, Ill., for one season. Williams began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Humboldt State, his alma mater, from 2008-10. Working with the running backs, Williams guided two student-athletes to Great Northwest Athletic Conference honors. In 2008, he coached alongside Chapman defensive line coach and strength & conditioning coach, Kevin Ashton. A native of Pacific Grove, Calif., Williams played collegiately at Monterey Peninsula College before transferring to Humboldt State. He earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Humboldt State in 2007.

Kevin Ashton joined the Chapman Athletics department in 2009 as its strength and fitness coach and serves the Panther football team as defensive line coach. He came to the Panthers with six years of coaching experience, serving as defensive line coach at Fullerton College and helping the Hornets to a 10-2 record in 2004. He most recently coached linebackers at Humboldt State from 2007-08. He also played for the Lumberjacks as a defensive lineman from 2002-03 after transferring from Fullerton College where he played for two seasons. He coached seven First Team All-Conference players in three seasons of coaching at the JC level. A native of Fullerton, Ashton graduated from Sunny Hills High School and he and his wife Pippin currently reside in Fullerton.

Harrison returns to the sidelines this season coaching the outside linebackers. He joined the Panthers in 2005 as a quarterbacks coach and has also worked with the defensive backs during his time at Chapman. Prior to joining the Chapman staff, he coached for 12 years at the prep level and at West L.A. Junior College. He was a defensive back for the University of Arizona in 1983, preceded by four years of varsity play at Chatsworth High School. Harrison has a degree in Computer Science from Kaplan College.

Bob Monk joins the Chapman football coaching staff for the 2016 season. Monk joins the Panthers with decades of coaching and teaching experience at the college and high school level.Most recently, Monk coached the linebackers and was the Special Teams Coordinator at Chaffey College. He joined the Chaffey staff in 2012 after leading the Ramona High School football team as its head coach from 2007-11. He has also coached at Canyon High School and West Hills High School.Monk played football collegiately at Sacramento City College for two years before finishing his college career at the University of Idaho. He stayed in Idaho to coach at Payette High School, Kellogg High School and Moscow High School before moving to California.Monk resides in Riverside, Calif. with his wife Buddy.

After a year away, former Panther quarterback Michael Lahey returned to the Chapman football program as an assistant coach in 2016. Lahey was a two-year starter for the Panthers and led the team to its first-ever SCIAC title in 2014.Lahey was a two-time SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014 and led the Panthers to a 16-3 record in his two years as the starting quarterback. The Panthers' record-holder in passing efficiency and completion percentage led all of Division III in completion percentage in 2013. He was named Chapman's Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2014.Lahey graduated with a bachelor's degree in business in 2015 and works as a logistics consultant in Orange County.

Dillon Keefe joined the Chapman coaching staff in the spring of 2023 - just a year and a half removed from his playing career. Keefe works primarily with the outside linebackers. Keefe was a two-time All-American as an outside linebacker at Chapman. He garnered two SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Year Awards, two All-Region nods and began his career as the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year in 2017. Keefe led the Panthers to two SCIAC Championships in his four seasons at Chapman. As a junior, Keefe led the Panthers to their first-ever NCAA Tournament win in triple overtime. In the game, Keefe returned a fumble for a touchdown, ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass. 

Scott Wilford joined the Chapman coaching staff in 2022 as the Offensive Line Coach. Wilford comes to Chapman with decades of experience around southern California football.Wilford played collegiately at Fullerton College and Azusa Pacific. He later spent time coaching at his alma mater, Los Alamitos High School, before stops at Fountain Valley High School and Goldenwet College. He has also coached at Laguna Hills High School and spent nine seasons with Saddleback College over three different stints.

Dave Bishop joined the coaching staff of the inaugural Chapman football team in 1994 and has remained a constant on the staff for over 30 years. He was promoted to Defensive Coordinator in 1997 under the program's first head coach, Ken Visser, and remains in that role after 30 seasons with the Panthers. Bob Owens retained Bishop as the Defensive Coordinator when he took over the program in 2006. He aided Owens in building one of the top programs in the SCIAC over the past 19 years - winning four SCIAC titles in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2023. In 2019, Bishop helped lead the Panthers to their best season ever with a 10-1 overall record, including their first-ever win in the NCAA postseason.  As Defensive Coordinator, Bishop has coached six All-Americans on the defensive side of the ball as well as five SCIAC Defensive Players of the Year selections and 17 All-Region selections. Bishop's defenses have turned out four of the last five SCIAC Defensive Players of the Year. From two-time winner Dillon Keefe in 2019 and 2021 to Kade Jordan in 2023 and Alexander Terriquez in 2024, Panther linebackers have continued to stand out in recent years. Bishop's tenure as the Defensive Coordinator continues into a fourth decade in 2025. As the program surpasses 30 years since its revival in 1994, Bishop has helped Chapman into its most successful stage. Chapman has strung together winning records in each of the last eight seasons and made three postseason trips in that span - more than any other program in the SCIAC. Prior to coming to Chapman he coached for 10 years at the college level at Cal State Long Beach and Whittier College. He received both a B.A. and M.A. in Physical Education from Long Beach State.