Chapman University

Dave Bishop joined the coaching staff of the inaugural Chapman football team in 1994 and has remained a constant on the staff for over 30 years. He was promoted to Defensive Coordinator in 1997 under the program's first head coach, Ken Visser, and remains in that role after 30 seasons with the Panthers.

Bob Owens retained Bishop as the Defensive Coordinator when he took over the program in 2006. He aided Owens in building one of the top programs in the SCIAC over the past 19 years - winning four SCIAC titles in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2023. In 2019, Bishop helped lead the Panthers to their best season ever with a 10-1 overall record, including their first-ever win in the NCAA postseason. 

As Defensive Coordinator, Bishop has coached six All-Americans on the defensive side of the ball as well as five SCIAC Defensive Players of the Year selections and 17 All-Region selections. Bishop's defenses have turned out four of the last five SCIAC Defensive Players of the Year. From two-time winner Dillon Keefe in 2019 and 2021 to Kade Jordan in 2023 and Alexander Terriquez in 2024, Panther linebackers have continued to stand out in recent years.

Bishop's tenure as the Defensive Coordinator continues into a fourth decade in 2025. As the program surpasses 30 years since its revival in 1994, Bishop has helped Chapman into its most successful stage. Chapman has strung together winning records in each of the last eight seasons and made three postseason trips in that span - more than any other program in the SCIAC.

Prior to coming to Chapman he coached for 10 years at the college level at Cal State Long Beach and Whittier College. He received both a B.A. and M.A. in Physical Education from Long Beach State.