Vanguard Men’s Basketball welcomed Kevin Heenan to the Lions’ coaching staff in 2012. He is very familiar with VU athletics, as three of his four children have played on Lions sports team. His son, Dennis, played on the men’s basketball team and graduated in 2010 while is daughters Jamie and Kelly were standout volleyball players for the Blue and Gold. Jamie obtained her degree in 2012 and youngest daughter Kelly graduated in 2014 and completed her Masters degree in 2016. In addition, son in law Tucker Woods played baseball for the Lions and graduated in 2012 and daughter in law Kelsey Carlson Heenan, played basketball and graduated in 2010. Oldest son Ryan graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston MA in 2007 and has been married to Cori Leftkowith, Boston University, since 2013.
Coach Heenan played his college basketball at Cal State Fullerton from 1975-1979 and was a starter on the Titan’s miracle run in 1978 that ended in a three point loss to Arkansas and a trip to the Final Four. After his collegiate career, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 1979 NBA Draft. Heenan also played one season for Athletes in Action before playing professionally in Europe.
Outside of basketball, Heenan works in Real Estate specializing in Residential Finance and is the owner/operator of a food manufacturing facility that supplies amusement parks throughout the country with frozen food novelty items.
Coach Heenan and his wife, Debbie, met at Cal State Fullerton and married in 1981. Debbie was a standout basketball player at CSUF and also played for the San Francisco Pioneers which was a member of the Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL) in the United States during the 1979-1981 seasons.
Coach Heenan states, “Our family has been blessed with the community that Vanguard University offers to its student/athletes. I am truly humbled to be a part of a sports program that is rich in developing the young men and women’s spiritual and character aspects of their lives. I consider it an honor to be working for such a fun staff and institution that truly cares about the spiritual development of the student/athletes.
Coach Heenan and his wife have resided in Costa Mesa since 1984.
