Bio

Head Coach Ben Buys joined the Panthers as Head Coach, Football Spring 2024 and will coach his inaugural season in the fall.

For the past 5 years, Ben Buys has been the head coach at La Salle College Preparatory in Pasadena, CA.  In his first year, he inherited a team that had won no games the year before and only won 3 games in 2 years.  The turnaround in the program was immediate as in his first year they won 6 games and made it to the playoffs.  Despite coaching through the hardships, of Covid he oversaw a program that was playoff eligible in 3 of 5 seasons, sent student-athletes to all levels of college football, and had its first home playoff game in over 10 years.  In addition, offensive production was increased by over 100% in every area from the previous staff. He also helped to guide and mentor staff that is now coaching at all levels of football from the NFL to NCAA to coordinators and head coaches in high school.

Ben Buys coached for 9 years at Azusa Pacific University. Under his watch, the Cougars produced an All-GNAC first team running back all six seasons of its GNAC affiliation, which began in 2012. They also boasted a 1,000 yard rusher in 8 of the 9 seasons averaging 210 yards rushing and only 1.4 sacks per game during those 9 years.
 
Buys, who ranks sixth on Azusa Pacific's all-time rushing chart and is the program's No. 2 all-time scorer (previously breaking 2 of Christian Okoye’s records), worked with the Cougar running backs and served as the program’s run game coordinator with significant input into the offensive game plan. As a coach, Buys mentored Terrell Watson, who became the program’s all-time leading rusher and scorer, shattering over 20 school and conference records during his four-year career before moving on to the NFL after graduation.
 
Watson, who was named the 2015 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl MVP, spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons on NFL practice squads with Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Denver before he scored a touchdown for the Philadelphia Eagles in his first NFL regular-season game on Jan. 1, 2017. Buys also helped coach 4 other athletes who attended NFL training camps.
 
Under Buys’ guidance, Azusa Pacific ranked 10th nationally in rushing offense in 2014, producing 269.3 yards per game. After Watson graduated in 2014, Buys mentored Great Northwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Kurt Scoby, who rushed for 1,108 yards to give Azusa Pacific its fifth consecutive season with a 1,000-yard rusher.
 
Following the 2015 season, Buys was selected to participate in the sixth annual NFL-NCAA Coaches Academy in Tampa, Fla., a three-day academy hosted by NFL Player Engagement and the NCAA to provide coaches and coaching prospects with training and education to encourage effective coaching and improve student-athlete well-being at all levels.
 
In addition to his work with the Cougar backfield, Buys created and oversaw Azusa Pacific’s football social media coverage, oversaw the production of football-specific marketing materials, ran summer football camps (which were attended by over 100 college coaches and 1200 student athletes), and wrote the program’s recruiting manual.
 
Despite a playing career cut a season short by injuries that also forced him to miss another eight games in a three-year span, Buys rushed for 2,516 yards in his 26-game (97.8 avg.) career from 2002 to 2004. He registered a dozen 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 243 vs. Southern Oregon in 2003, and helped lead the Cougars to a 28-6 record, which is the best three-year run in program history.
 
As a 2002 redshirt freshman, he rushed for 855 yards and 16 TDs (second-best single-season total to Christian Okoye's school-record 21 TDs), and followed with 996 yards and 12 TDs in just seven games of his 2003 sophomore year (he missed the final three games after suffering torn ankle ligaments on a career-long 83-yard run and certainly would have become just the seventh Cougar to rush for a 1,000 yards in a season had he been able to play another game). As a 2004 junior, he tallied 665 rushing yards on 174 carries with another nine TDs. Despite having an additional year of eligibility, the physical wear had taken its toll and Buys stepped away from the game with a school-record 37 touchdowns and 226 career points scored.
 
He guided the Cougars to a pair of NAIA playoff appearances, including advancement to the 2004 semifinals. He also competed in track & field for three seasons at Azusa Pacific and was a member of the Cougars' 2001 (outdoor) and 2002 (indoor) NAIA national championship teams as a triple jumper.
 
He came to Azusa Pacific after fashioning an all-state career at Denver (Colo.) Christian High where he set seven school records in four seasons, including 4,580 career rushing yards and 356 points.
 
Buys graduated from Azusa Pacific in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in youth ministry, and he earned his master's degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific in 2012.
 
Coach Buys and his wife, Carlie, have been married 17 years and have three sons, Truman, Tate, and Teddy.