Cougar Athletics
30 NAIA National Championships
95 GSAC Championships
...and counting

bwillmer@apu.edu

Former 2-time All-Pac-10 linebacker Brian Willmer is in his ninth season on the Cougar coaching staff, his second as the defensive coordinator.

A 4-year letterman at UCLA, Willmer established himself as the Bruins’ top backer during his 1996 junior and 1997 senior seasons when he led the team in tackles. He registered an impressive 102 takedowns in 1996 and was named UCLA’s defensive MVP. That was the same season he collected a career-high 15 tackles vs. Michigan (12 solo) and Arizona (14 solo). He had 22 tackles in 2 games against the Peyton Manning-led Tennessee Volunteers.

Willmer’s prep career included appearances in 2 CIF championship games while playing linebacker and tight end at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, Calif. In his 3-year career, he had 399 tackles (157 solo), 17 sacks, 4 interceptions and 36 receptions for 877 yards. As a 1992 senior, he tallied 170 tackles with 3 interceptions, thus earning Super Prep and Blue Chips magazine All-American honors.

Willmer, 31, graduated from UCLA in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and went on to earn a master’s degree in higher education and organization from UCLA in1998.

In the past, Willmer has served as a youth pastor at the First Baptist Church of Covina and a guidance counselor at Maranatha High School in Pasadena, Calif.

Brian and his wife, Lindsay, reside in Duarte, Calif., with their daughters, Emma (5) and Addie Joy (3).