Al Acosta

Women’s Head Coach

Al Acosta, a 1993 University of California, Berkeley graduate who became a five-time National Coach of the Year leading the Stanford women’s lightweight team, is entering his fourth season as head women’s crew coach for the Golden Bears.

In 2015 Cal won the Pac-12 Championship and finished second at the NCAA Championship. Acosta was named the 2015 Pac-12 Coach of the year. In 2016 the Cal women swept the Pac-12s and won the NCAA Championship. Acosta was again recognized as the PAC-12 and CRCA National Coach of the Year. 2017 saw the Golden Bears finish as the National Runner-Up at the NCAA championship. 

Acosta, who grew up in Berkeley, attended Berkeley High School and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Cal with a degree in fine arts in 1993, started the Stanford lightweight program in 2001-02 and guided the Cardinal for 13 consecutive years. He led the squad to four straight IRA national titles from 2010-13.. Acosta was honored as the National Lightweight Coach of the Year for the first time in 2008, as well as for each of the team’s national championships.

Prior to accepting his role at Stanford, Acosta coached junior boys and girls at one of the country’s top junior programs, the Oakland Strokes, for eight years. 

On the national level, Acosta served as chair of the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Lightweight Committee from 2007-09 and served as the Southwest rep to the USRowing Board of Directors from 2014 to 2016. He has also been a head coach and associate head coach at national team development camps for both high school boys and college women.

Acosta and his wife, Linda, have two children and reside in San Francisco.