Mauricio Diaz De Leon was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and immigrated to San Diego, CA in 1999. Diaz De Leon graduated from San Diego High School where he was a four-sport athlete, also lettering in football, swimming and volleyball. He went to USF as the No. 29 ranked recruit in the class of 2010 following a prep career that saw him earn a bevy of accolades, including multiple MVP awards, league player of the year honors and a CIF section finals appearance with his team.Diaz De Leon was a mainstay in the midfield from his freshman year, earning all-conference honors each season.
As a senior in 2013, Diaz De Leon earned second team All-WCC recognition, tallying a goal and a team-best three assists.Diaz De Leon garnered All-WCC honorable mention honors as a sophomore and earned a spot on the all-freshman team following his rookie campaign in 2010.In his junior campaign, Diaz De Leon was an All-WCC first team performer while becoming the first Don since 2009 to earn third team All-Far West Region honors after notching five goals and a pair of assists, putting him among the top-10 in the conference in overall points.He also stood out in the classroom, taking home WCC All-Academic distinction as a senior Kinesiology major.
Following his USF career, Diaz De Leon played with the Seattle Sounders U23 squad, winning the PDL Pacific Northwest Championship and making a Final Four appearance in the summer of 2011, along with a second-round appearance in the U.S. Open Cup in the spring of 2012 with the Sounders. He also played with SF City Football Club where he helped lead the squad to a 2014 U.S. Open Cup appearance.Diaz De Leon has served as the head coach for the 2001/2000, 2002 and currently for the 2008 SF Elite Academy boys’ teams. The time spent with the 2000-2002 boys’ teams was productive and accomplished the following: NPL NorCal state finals, NPL 1 & 2 Champions, Surf College Cup Champions, which culminated to D1-3 student-athletes.
More recently, Diaz de Leon also helped the Mission High School Bears win the Academic Athletic Association, CIF San Francisco Section, CIF Norcal Championship titles.In addition to completing his Bachelor's degree at USF, Diaz De Leon earned his Master's degree in sport management as well. During his graduate studies her served the USF coaching in 2015 season as director of operations for two years following a standout playing career on the Hilltop.
Currently, Mauricio is enrolled in the Organization & Leadership doctoral program at USF.He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and holds a National B License through the United States Soccer Federation.Currently, Diaz de Leon holds a position as Assistant Director for Immersions, Justice and Outreach at USF. Through the lens of sports and social justice, we engage the local and global community with advocacy, volunteering and immersive experience programs.
