The University of Redlands welcomed Ralph Perez as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach in May of 2006. Since taking over at Redlands, he has guided the team to six NCAA Championship appearances, including Elite 8 finishes in 2007, 2016 and Sweet-16 finishes in 2011, 2021.  This four-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) West Region Coach of the Year (2011, 2015, 2016, 2021) has coached eight SCIAC Players of the Year. Two of his athletes, Ross Schunk and Richie Marquez, signed contracts with Major League Soccer (MLS). In 2011, Schunk signed with the Colorado Rapids and Marquez signed a contract with the Philadelphia Union in 2014.

In 2022 the Bulldogs went 7-5-4 overall and 6-4 inside SCIAC play, qualifying them for SCIAC Postseason play. Five Bulldogs were named to the All-SCIAC teams: Peyton Menti (First team), Ethan Kovach (First), Skylar Darwen (Second), Jarette Alexis Barajas (Second), and Joseph Parra (Second). Ethan Kovach also added a All-West Region Second Team honor from the United Soccer Coaches. Darwen, Parra, Phillip Kostenko, and Jamie Dulle were all named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team. Seth Lawrence moved into eighth-place with 111 career saves, seventh in minutes played with 2605:19 minutes following his junior season.

During the 2021 season, Perez led the Bulldogs to a 17-3-1 record, his sixth season with 17 or more wins as the head coach for the Bulldogs. Six athletes were named to the All-SCIAC teams with five on the first team: Arian Mogharei, Mikey Flota, Steve Acuña, Collin ChubbFertal, and Ethan Kovach and on the second team: Peyton Menti. Arian Mogharei was named the SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Year. Mogharei and ChubbFertal were named to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region second team and Kovach was named to the third team. 

In 2021, the Bulldogs finished second in the SCIAC regular season and won the SCIAC post-season tournament, earning the only NCAA Championship bid and what turned into a Sweet 16 finish. With the success, Perez and his staff was named the United Soccer Coaches Division III West Region Staff of the Year. 

At the conclusion of the 2021 season, Perez coached Collin ChubbFertal to a career total of 28 goals, tying him with his brother Casey for 10th most all-time. 

In January 2012, Perez was honored as the recipient of the Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award.  This exceptional award is considered to be the pinnacle of coaching honors in the United States.  With the honor, he joined the company of Bruce Arena, Sigi Schmid, Bob Gansler, Anson Dorrance, among others.

A member of the NSCAA and the United States Soccer Coaches Organization (USSCO), Perez still remains affiliated with U.S. Soccer as a national staff coach and Olympic Development Program (ODP) coach.

Perez offers an incredible amount of soccer knowledge due to more than 30 years of coaching experience.  He joined the Bulldogs after serving as the Men’s National Staff Coach for the West Region of the U.S. Soccer Federation.  Beginning in 1978, Perez worked as U.S. National Staff Coach, helping the U.S. Team qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 40 years in 1990.  He also led the 1989 World Cup under-20 team to a fourth-place finish, boasting the best results for that team in program history.  From 1996 through 2003, he worked as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy and New York-New Jersey Metrostars, prior to serving as the Director of Coaching and Youth Development from 2003-2005. 

On the collegiate side, Perez enjoyed head coaching stints at Division I Old Dominion University (VA), Santa Clara University and Cal State Fullerton, along with Division II Cal State San Bernardino (women’s) and Cal State Los Angeles.  Finally, Perez began his coaching career at the Division III level in 1974, heading up the men’s program at Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) member, Whittier College.  While at ODU, Perez led the Monarchs to their first and only Colonial Athletic Association Championship in 1991.  He garnered South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year honors following that accomplishment.  Perez helped establish the CSU San Bernardino women’s soccer program in 1988 by serving as the team’s first coach.  During his stint at Santa Clara, Perez was named Far West Coach of the Year in 1983.

Perez earned his Bachelor of Science from Oneonta State University in New York and then completed some graduate work at Whittier College while serving as the Poets’ head coach.  A native of Long Island, New York, Perez currently resides in Redondo Beach with his beautiful wife, Marisa.