OUAZ Athletics

Mike Bethea has been the defensive coordinator at OUAZ since 2017 and crafted a defense that finished 30th in the NAIA in scoring defense during the 2019 season. Before coming to OUAZ, Bethea was part of the defensive coaching staff at TCU.
 
Under Bethea’s leadership, the Spirit defense was ninth in the NAIA in pass efficiency defense and 13th in 3rd-down conversion defense. He has coached one AFCA-NAIA First Team All-American – Kenneth Steele Jr. – and had five players be named all-conference by the Sooner in the program’s first two seasons of competition.
 
A former starting linebacker at the University of Nevada, Bethea played in eight games in an injury-shortened junior season, recording 28 tackles with 4.5 for a loss. As a senior, Bethea was second on the team in tackles with 64, including 5.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks with one interception and a fumble recovery. Before playing at Nevada, Bethea was a Second Team All-American for Palomar College.
 
Bethea began his coaching career as a graduate assistant on the defensive staff at Nevada for two seasons before moving to the defensive staff at Washington State for three years.
 
The Carlsbad, Calif., native earned his bachelor's degree from Nevada in 2010. Bethea resides in Surprise with his wife Alyssa, their two sons Mason and Weston, and their daughter Coralie.