Frank McManus has been hired as the new football coach at
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), replacing Bruce Rollinson.
McManus was the varsity defensive backs coach for the past seven seasons and has been with the Monarchs for 16 years. The school announced the hiring after a team meeting Thursday afternoon. He was on the staff at Mater Dei during national championship campaigns in 2017 and 2021.
The Monarchs finished 12-1 and No. 3 in the final MaxPreps Top 25 last season, Rollinson's 34th season. A 24-22 setback against eventual MaxPreps National Champion and rival St. John Bosco (Bellflower) was Mater Dei's lone loss in 2022.
Rollinson made a surprising mid-season announcement last year as the Monarchs were sitting atop the MaxPreps Top 25.
"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.
Rollinson built Mater Dei into a national powerhouse, leading the Monarchs to CIF Open Division titles in 2017, 2018 and 2021 with two national titles.
But a hazing scandal surfaced at the end of the 2021 season after incidents emerged from a spring 2021 locker room incident. While the school and the Diocese of Orange investigated the incident, no findings have been revealed.
New Mater Dei head coach Frank McManus (center) celebrates a victory in the 2017 CIF Open Division state championship game. (Photo: Heston Quan)
