Randolph-Macon head coach Pedro Arruza enters his 18th season with the Yellow Jackets in 2021.
R-MC has had the winningest program in the ODAC over the past 14 seasons. The Yellow Jackets have the second-best winning percentage in the state of Virginia at all levels over that period and the third-best in the combined states of Virginia and North Carolina.
Over the past five seasons, the Yellow Jackets are 39-10 (.796) overall and 28-5 (.848) in conference contests. R-MC has won three ODAC championships in the past five seasons.
The 2020 season was played in the spring of 2021 due to the pandemic. R-MC went undefeated at 5-0 and claimed its 12th ODAC title with a thrilling 13-10 overtime win over Emory & Henry. The Yellow Jackets won 28-0 at Hampden-Sydney to extend their win streak to seven over the Tigers. R-MC has won nine of the past 10 meetings with H-SC.
R-MC put together another strong campaign in 2019. The Yellow Jackets won nine games for the third time in four seasons, a program record; completed the winningest decade in the 132 years of Randolph-Macon football; and beat archrival Hampden-Sydney 45-3, the largest margin of victory for the Yellow Jackets in the history of the rivalry, in the 124th edition of The Game. R-MC has defeated the Tigers in each of the past six seasons and eight of the past nine encounters. The Yellow Jackets have posted a record of 34-10 over the past four seasons, including an ODAC-best 23-5 record in conference. The Jackets have also won more games than any team in the ODAC over the past 10 years.
The Yellow Jackets enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in 2018. R-MC won the program’s 11th Old Dominion Athletic Conference football title, the program’s second ODAC championship in three years; beat Ohio Athletic Conference power John Carroll (#8 nationally at the time) on the road in the NCAA playoffs; made a run to the Sweet 16; and finished ranked 18th in the final D3football.com national rankings. Arruza was named ODAC Coach of the Year and Coach of the Year in the state of Virginia by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID).
In 2016 R-MC posted a regular-season record of 9-1, matching the program mark for victories in a season. The Yellow Jackets went 6-1 in league play and claimed their 10th ODAC title. As a result, Arruza received ODAC Coach of the Year honors and was also voted Coach of the Year in the state of Virginia by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID).
In 2008, Arruza led the Randolph-Macon program to its first ODAC Championship since 1997 and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1984. Following the season, Arruza was named ODAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.
In 2007, Arruza engineered what proved to be the best turnaround in all NCAA divisions from the previous season and gave R-MC its best campaign since 1997. The Jackets finished the year at 8-2 overall and tied a school record with five wins against ODAC foes after being tabbed to finish last in the league's preseason poll. The Yellow Jackets had the highest winning percentage of any college program in the state of Virginia.
Arruza was named the head football coach at Randolph-Macon College in March of 2004. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, since 1999. During that time, Arruza served as defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coordinator for three seasons. He was also secondary coach and recruiting coordinator all five years.
At Washington, Arruza led a defensive unit that was consistently ranked among the best in NCAA Division III, finishing first nationally in total defense in 1999 and third in 2000. The Bears also had one of the country’s top rushing defenses, finishing 2nd in 1999, 3rd in 2000 and 20th in 2001. Washington University won four conference championships in five years, had a conference record of 19-1, and made an NCAA playoff appearance in 1999. In 2003 Arruza received the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Assistant Coach of the Year award, which honors assistant coaches who excel in community service, commitment to the student-athlete, on-field coaching success and AFCA involvement.
Prior to his position at Washington, Arruza was an assistant coach at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1998 to 1999 where he worked with the secondary.
From 1996 to 1998, he served as an assistant football coach and taught English at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee. Arruza coached the secondary and also coached running backs and helped the program advance to the state semifinals in 1996 and win the Tennessee State Championship in 1997.
A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, Arruza is a 1995 graduate of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. There, he was a four-year starter at running back, earned Division III All-American honors twice, was named first-team All-CCIW three times, and was also a three-year GTE Academic All-American, including first team honors in 1994 and 1995.
Arruza held Wheaton's all-time rushing record for over 20 years with 3,179 career rushing yards. He is one of only two backs in Wheaton’s history to run for over 3,000 yards. In 1993 he ran for a then school record 1,209 yards in nine games. Arruza holds single game records for rushing yards in a game (313 vs. North Central on 10/30/93) and for rushing yards in a half (287 vs. North Central on 10/30/93). He finished his career as the second leading scorer in Wheaton history and the all-time leader for all-purpose yards. Arruza served as a team captain during his senior season and was voted on by his teammates to receive the James Parmalee Award, awarded to the team’s most respected player. For his efforts, Arruza was inducted into the school's Hall of Honor in the fall of 2011.
A 2003 inductee into the King's Academy Athletic Hall of Fame, Arruza was named the Virginia Division II/III State Coach of the Year by the Richmond Touchdown Club following the 2007, 2008, 2016, and 2018 seasons.
He received his bachelor's degree in English from Wheaton in 1995, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Arruza went on to receive his master's degree in English from Butler University in 1999. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a certified USA Weightlifting Coach.
Arruza and his wife, Kara, have three children: a son, Owen, who is 18 years old, a daughter, Ella Joy, who is 15 years old and a son, Will who is 13 years old. The family resides in Ashland.