Vote Now! Cougars in Final Four of GridironRR.com Prestige Poll
Canyons has emerged from the list of more than 120 community college football programs in the nation to rank among the final four teams vying for the title of ‘Most Prestigious in the Nation.'
By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — The sports world's traditional bracket season in March and April may not have happened in 2020, but the College of the Canyons football program is firmly entrenched in another type of Final Four.
The Cougars have emerged from the list of more than 120 community college football programs in the nation to rank among the final four teams vying for the title of 'Most Prestigious in the Nation' according to an online poll being conducted by GridironRR.com via Twitter.
GridironRR.com is a high school and junior college ranking and recruiting service which specializes in providing student-athletes with exposure to four-year football programs across the nation.
On March 31, the website launched its 'JUCO Quarantine Tournament of Champions Ballot' with a goal of crowning the 'Most Prestigious' program in the nation.
The competition began with 32 ballots which included all 68 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) programs and each of the 54 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) programs.
The final ballot was launched on April 30, and asked online voters to choose between the final four programs
- College of the Canyons — Santa Clarita, CA
- Butler Community College — El Dorado, KS
- Ellsworth Community College — Iowa Falls, IA
- Ventura College — Ventura, CA
On Thursday, COC head coach Ted Iacenda included the poll as part of the program's weekly 'Competition Thursday' event, challenging all current and former players, coaches, athletic department staff, community supporters and both college staff and students to cast their vote.
As of Friday morning, Canyons was leading the poll with roughly 35 percent of the approximately 2,500 votes. However, polling is scheduled to continue until 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 5.
Votes can be cast via Twitter here.
Canyons (9-3, 4-1) finished the 2019 season as champions of the Southern California Football Association (SCFA), National Division, Northern League, a title it shared with Ventura College (8-3, 4-1) and Long Beach City College (7-3, 4-1). The Cougars then moved on to defeat Saddleback College in the first round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs before falling to eventual state champions Riverside City College in the Southern California Championship Game.
The playoff victory was the first of Iacenda's career and came on the heels of the Cougars' back-to-back Southern California Football Association (SCFA) National Division, Northern League Championships.
The Cougars won the Northern League title outright in 2018 after finishing the regular season a perfect 10-0, a feat accomplished just five times in program history. COC also finished the 2018 regular season as the No. 1 ranked team in both the California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) statewide poll and the JC Athletic Bureau Head Coaches Poll.
Canyons boasts 13 conference titles in the program's illustrious history, with three coming under Iacenda. Ten of those titles have been won since COC reinstated its football program in 1998.
In 2004, the Cougars did the unthinkable by posting a 14-0 record en route to a Western State Conference Championship, California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Championship, CCCAA State Championship and culminating with a National Championship.
In doing so the Cougars gained the distinction of being the only team in the history of community college football to finish the season an unprecedented 14-0. As a result, College of the Canyons was crowned the 2004 J.C. Grid-Wire National Champion.
That same season COC also received a co-National Championship designation from the ranking agency JUCO Football Network, sharing that title with Pearl River Community College (12-0) in Poplarville, Mississippi.
Butler Community College finished the 2019 season 10-3 overall and has won six NJCAA National Championships (81, 98, 99, 03, 07, 08) in its program history.
Ellsworth Community College finished 1-10 in 2019 but is a two-time NJCAA National Champion (76 & 87).
Ventura College played in the 2018 CCCAA state championship game, with 17 conference titles dating back to 1935.
Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.