Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) is a public community college in Monterey, California. Established in 1947, it is a part of the California Community Colleges system. There are two additional MPC campuses located in Marina, CA, and Seaside, CA.

History

Monterey Peninsula College opened in 1947 on the campus of Monterey High School. The college separated from the high school in 1961.

Academics

As of the 2022-23 school year, MPC offers 55 different associate degrees in fields such as health, business, and STEM with an additional 32 degrees designed for transferring to a University for a bachelor's degree in the same field. California State University currently has an arrangement with MPC to guarantee acceptance for 14 of their transfer degrees. They also offer numerous certificates as well.

Athletics

Monterey Peninsula College competes in the Coast Conference as a Junior College. Its athletic teams are known as the "Lobos", which is derived from lobo (Spanish: wolf).

Notable people

• Nick Cunningham: three-time United States Olympic bobsledder in 2010, 2014, and 2018. Nick played CB for the MPC football team and ran track.
• Herm Edwards was an American football coach Kansas City Chiefs, and New York Jets and former National Football League (NFL) player Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and Atlanta Falcons. Herm worked for many years at ESPN after his NFL playing and coaching days, and was head coach at Arizona State University.
• David Fales was an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He also played college football at San Jose State.
• Bill McClintock: member of the University of California, Berkeley 1959 NCAA championship team in basketball coached by hall of famer Pete Newell.
• Ron Johnson: American football player Philadelphia Eagles 1985–1989. Ron still holds the school record in the triple jump at 50'2".
• Pete O'Brien: Major League Baseball first baseman Texas Rangers 1982–1988, Cleveland Indians 1989, and Seattle Mariners 1990–1993.
• Jimmy Panetta (James Varni Panetta): an American politician from the state of California; a member of the United States House of Representatives for California's 20th congressional district; the son of Leon Panetta, who represented the Monterey area in Congress for 16 years before serving as White House Chief of Staff, Director of the CIA, and Secretary of Defense.
• Herb Lusk: American football player Philadelphia Eagles. Lusk was the first NFL player to kneel in the endzone after a touchdown and pray on October 9, 1977.
• Matai Leuta: Team USA Rugby 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
• Christopher Kasparek: physician, writer, translator.
• Joseph Gutheinz: retired NASA official who investigated stolen and missing Moon rocks.
• Bashir Levingston: American football player New York Giants & CFL Toronto Argonauts.
• Maurice Mann: American football player Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings & CFL Toronto Argonauts.
• Terry Poole: American football player (Seattle Seahawks).
• Marco Ramos: Team Mexico basketball player who plays the forward position, he participated at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
• Eric Richardson: American football player wide receiver Buffalo Bills. He also played college football at San Jose State.
• Gaylen Ross: director, writer, producer and actress best known for playing Francine Parker in the 1978 horror film Dawn of the Dead.
• Nate Wright: American football player Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Cardinals (NFL), & Minnesota Vikings.
• Chris Barnes: American football player running back Baltimore Ravens.