Keith Adams
California School for the Deaf, Riverside
Keith Adams was thinking about the long-term future when he returned for a second stint as the football coach at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside.
Adams coached the Cubs for three season during the mid-2000s when the program was still playing 11man football. CSDR saw a handful of coaches come and go after Adams stepped away after the 2007 season. He had planned to return one day to coach his two sons, Trevin and Kaden, but he wanted to get a head start on establishing a winning culture.
“Trevin was still in middle school when I decided to return,” Keith Adams said through an American Sign Language interpreter. “The first goal was to establish some stability at the top because I believe that is important to the success of any program. I built up a strong coaching staff who had the same vision and wanted to see this program get back to the glory days.”
Adams returned in 2017 and then navigated the program into the world of 8-man football the following year. CSDR had a historic season in 2022, finishing 12-0 and winning the first CIF Southern Section championship in the school’s 70-year history. The Cubs finished as the No. 1 8-man team in the state, according to CalPreps.com, and were among the Top 10-ranked 8-man teams in the nation.
For those reasons, Adams has been selected the IE Varsity Football Coach of the Year for the 2022 season.
CSDR garnered national attention last season when the Cubs reached the section finals, but the hopes of an undefeated season were dashed by a 74-22 loss to Faith Baptist in the title game.
The Cubs returned this season with their sights set on capturing the championship. CSDR dominated from start to finish, outscoring opponents by a combined score of 680-170. The Cubs capped their perfect season with an 80-26 win over Faith Baptist in the finals, to which Adams declared, “business is now finished.”