Coach for All Seasons

Dave Suarez Has Piloted His Alma Mater to City Crowns in Five Sports

There are coaches at Palisades High who have won more City championships than Dave Suarez, but there is one record he shares with no one: he is the only coach in the school’s glorious history to win section titles in five different sports: three in girls volleyball, one in boys volleyball, one in boys soccer, two in boys golf and two in girls golf. Add to those the title he won in volleyball his senior year in 1988 and he has contributed to 10 titles for his alma mater, a tribute to the passion, sacrifice and  preparation that goes into every practice, game and speech. Palisades blood has coursed through his veins his whole life and Suarez has become a valued teacher—not merely in the classroom but in the gym, on the field and at the course also. He coached volleyball from 1994-2000, leading the program to four City titles (one boys, three consecutive with the girls) before piloting the boys soccer team from 2008-19, winning the program’s first City title along with 10 league crowns in 11 seasons. Since he took the reigns of the boys and girls golf programs in 2021 he has guided each to back-to-back City titles. At Pali High’s Senior Awards Banquet in June, Suarez presented the first Shane Thomas Character, Determination and Leadership Award, a scholarship in memory of one of his players who died after a club team practice in August 2020. Post Sports Editor Steve Galluzzo interviewed Suarez recently about the highs and lows, the successes and failures in his nearly 30 years of coaching the blue and white: 

PP: Did you grow up in the Palisades? What schools did you attend before Pali High?

DS: I grew up near Paul Revere, but I went to Brentwood for middle school and ended up transferring to Pali, which was my home school, starting in my junior year.  There still were no ninth-graders at Pali back then.

PP: So what sports did you play growing up? On what teams did you play at Pali?

DS: Growing up I played every sport I possibly could. As a pre-teen I played mostly soccer and baseball. I was a striker on the pitch and I played shortstop and center field as a leadoff hitter on the diamond. As a teenager I started playing volleyball, ironically, as a middle blocker and eventually moved to setter as everyone else grew taller. At Pali, I played football for two seasons, starting on both sides of the ball. I was a tailback in our wishbone offense as a junior and played in the slot in our single back set under Steve Clarkson with Perry Klein as our quarterback. I was also the back-up quarterback, taking a total of one snap (the original “Wildcat” offense for one play). On defense, I was an outside linebacker in our 3-4 alignment, but usually dropped into coverage. On special teams I did a little of the kicking and punting and returned kicks. I played a handful of games for the soccer team, but showed up late to the team because of our success in football and had to leave early because volleyball was my top priority. I played some outside hitter and setter as a junior and was captain of the 1988 City championship team while playing as a setter in our 6-2 system. We beat Chatsworth in the 4-A final at UCLA. There was no state tournament for the boys in those days.

PP: Which coach had the biggest impact on your life and influenced your coaching style?

DS: That’s a really tough question. I had so many different coaches throughout so many sports. Ironically, I think there are approaches some coaches took that made me reflect on how I would‘ve handled certain situations differently. Ken Preston, my volleyball coach at UC Santa Barbara, helped me to start taking coaching seriously and gave me a spot working with the redshirt freshmen after my college playing career was over. Jon Lee at San Marcos High was a great mentor and fun coach to work with when I was doing some student teaching.

PP: Where did you attend college? When did you start teaching and coaching at Pali?

DS: I attended UCSB straight out of high school where I redshirted and then played two years before focusing on my academics. I started at Pali in 1994, but did my student teaching at Pali the year prior while I was attending UCLA graduate school to pursue my Master’s degree and teaching credential. I was head coach of both the girls and boys volleyball teams from my first year at Pali. I thought I’d coach volleyball my whole career. I took over for Howard Enstedt, who was my volleyball coach at Pali, had countless great players  and won numerous City titles over several decades.

PP: Of all your titles, which one do you cherish most? Which was the hardest to win and why?

DS: That’s like asking which one of my children I like better. Every championship has a special place in my heart because each was won with a different group of players who put their time and effort in to make it happen. I’d say the boys volleyball team in 1998 was one of my favorites because it was my first as coach and there was a close bond between me and the players. More recently, the 2022 boys golf team was a special group to work with as well. Obviously, the 2016 boys soccer and 2021 girls golf titles were both memorable because they were the first championships in those sports in the history of the school. If I had to pick the hardest to win it would be the boys soccer championship. Pali had won three playoff games in the 15 years before I took over, so until then we weren’t really considered a serious soccer contender. That group played great as a team but certainly wasn’t the most talented soccer squad I’ve ever had.

PP: Is it harder coaching boy or girls? Do you coach them differently or the same?

DS: Coaching boys and girls are both hard but they do have different issues and problems that need to be resolved. My approach to coaching a girls or boys team is really very similar. Beyond the actual coaching aspect, it all starts with the overall program. While winning the City championship is always the ultimate goal, creating a culture that fosters hard work, dedication and teamwork is the priority. At that point, it doesn’t matter if they’re boys or girls. I just want the players to learn life lessons and be able to put them all in positions to be successful and have a great team experience. That’s the most rewarding part of being a coach at this level.

PP: Which sport is hardest for you to coach and which one do you enjoy coaching most?

DS: I’d say the hardest sport for me to coach is golf. I was a Division I volleyball player and I had collegiate level coaching and I played in some semi-pro soccer leagues after college, but I’ve never been formally trained as a golfer. Coaching volleyball was always the most natural for me. Planning practice, teaching technique and game management were always second nature. Whereas I had to work much harder to develop soccer players and the gameplan. For golf, course management and mental approach are where I can help them most. I’ve been lucky to have great assistant coaches in every sport.

PP: What is your most thrilling victory? What would you say is your most agonizing defeat?

DS: The boys soccer championship in 2016 was the most thrilling. Beating a [Granada Hills] team in the finals that we’d lost to in a tournament two months before and had at one point been ranked No. 1 in all of California was awesome! Scoring the game-winner with only one minute left in overtime made it even more exciting. That was a huge milestone win for me in my career. The most agonizing defeat was probably boys soccer losing the 2013 final to Bell in overtime. We just couldn’t score and it felt like we couldn’t catch a break. We lost in sudden death and I believed we had the better team. It was tough because you never know if you’re going to get another opportunity to win it all. Fortunately, we did three years later and got it done.

PP: What has kept you going all these years? What has been the secret to your success?

DS: Well, I’ve always been driven by winning and I love coaching. As long as I have the fire to win I know I’ll put in the time to create a quality program and memorable experiences for the players. I have no real secrets. You put in the time to get the results. I can only get my players to work hard and to care if they know and see how hard I work and how much I care. In any sport that I’m coaching, I want to get the most out of my players, motivate them and put them in positions to succeed. In the end, no coach can be successful without dedicated and hardworking players. All of the credit goes to them. Beyond coaching ability, running a great program in any sport, boys or girls, creates more buy in and dedication from the players, which in turn leads to more team success and a more enjoyable experience for the players.

PP: What do you like to do in the little free time you have?

DS: It seems like there’s never an offseason, but I spend most of my free time with my wife Deb and my dog Poppy. Beyond that, I ride my electric bike and I play golf whenever I can.

PP: What year did you decide to stop coaching volleyball?

DS: When my wife was pregnant, I let the athletic department know I wouldn’t be returning. Fall 1999 was my last season with the girls and we won our third  title in a row. Spring 2000 was my final season with the boys. I took over the boys soccer program in 2008-09 and we made the finals twice in 11 seasons.

PP: What classes have you taught over the years?

DS: World History, Government and Economics.

PP: When did you play volleyball at UCSB?

DS: I played for two years before undergoing shoulder surgery. I believe it was the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons under Ken Preston (who coached there for 30 years).

PP: What are your kids’ names and where do they go to school?

DS: Hannah is 22 years old and is currently completing an Environmental Conservation internship. She’ll return to Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand next year. Cole is now 21 and a senior at UC Santa Cruz. He’ll  be getting his teaching credential next year. Both of them graduated from Pali, just like their dad.