Ron Caragher is the current head coach of the San Jose State Spartans football team. Originally from Morgan Hill, CA. Caragher played college football at U.C.L.A.
and later became an assistant coach for U.C.L.A. football, first as a
graduate assistant then as a wide receivers coach. Caragher served as a
running back coach for the Kentucky Wildcats and was part of the 2006 Music City Bowl championship coaching staff.
He first became a head coach at the University of San Diego in 2007 and remained in that position until 2012. During his coaching career there the Toreros won three Pioneer Football League championships. In 2012 then S.J.S.U. football coach Coach Mike MacIntyre left S.J.S.U. for the head coaching position at the University of Colorado, and S.J.S.U. hired Caragher beginning in 2013.
SZ: Is it good to be back in the bay area?
RC: Yes, it’s nice to be home. I grew up here and my mom lives in the same house in Morgan Hill. It’s good to be back home.
SZ: How old were you when you began playing football? Who were your athletic role models growing up?
RC: I was in fourth grade. My first experience was flag football. But probably the first big influence in my life was in fifth grade playing Pop Warner football for the Morgan Hill Raiders. I ended up having chicken pox and missed two weeks of practice. When I came back the games had started and I just got plugged in at corner back. The next year I came back to Fall camp and had a chance to practice. The coach put me at tail back which was fun because you get to carry the ball. A funny story that goes with this is our quarterback was really the best athlete on the team but he kept forgetting the plays. One day I was throwing the football back and forth with him and our coach Ernie Hill comes over and says, “Ronnie - Brian come here I want to try something. Ronnie I want to put you at quarterback and Brian you are going to play tail back.” This coaching move changed my life.
SZ: That’s amazing isn’t it.
RC: It’s amazing because I would not have gotten a scholarship to college playing tail back. I’m not that kind of athlete. I would have fizzled probably in high school. I really enjoyed the quarterback position and ended up getting a scholarship to U.C.L.A. So I always think my role as a coach is player identification, player evaluation, player assessment and putting guys in the right position so they can succeed. It goes back to me personally when I was in the fifth grade.
SZ: Who were some of the sports figures you admired when you were growing up?
RC: I was a sports junkie as a kid. I loved football, basketball, baseball. On the football side of things I admired Joe Montana. He was a big professional role model for me when I was in middle school. I remember John Elway playing at Stanford. I loved following the N.B.A. and Doug Collins who played for the 76ers. Also Rick Barry who played for the Warriors.
SZ: What were the qualities of these player’s you admired?
RC: The qualities that stood out is the ability to play in a big time arena and be able to keep their poise. That comes to mind obviously with Joe Montana. He was able to take the team on a two minute drive under pressure with all the adversity and a big crowd and I just envied that. It was my dream to be able to do that and be like those guys. I was also influenced during my time walking the campus at U.C.L.A. Each day I’d walk through Pauley Pavilion and I’d look up and see those banners from Coach John Wooden. It led me to start reading some of Coach Wooden’s books. The first one, “They Call Me Coach,” just jumped out at me. I realized that athletes are at college to help build a foundation for success in their lives. I loved Coach Wooden and studied his pyramid of success. I loved that he is a great man and nice guys don’t have to finish last. They can actually be champions. From then on I think that kind of made a big impression on me. The college players I coach aren’t all going to play professional football. Their career is going to end some day. But we want for them that when it does end that they can go on and live productive lives, as husbands, fathers and community leaders.
SZ: You received an athletic scholarship to U.C.L.A. and played back up to future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman during your college years. Did you know going in that there would be a chance you’d be a back-up? What did you do during those years to remain motivated, engaged and ready to play each week?
RC: I went in full speed ahead wanting to be the starting quarterback at U.C.L.A.
SZ: Was Troy already there?
RC: No he wasn’t. Troy transferred in from Oklahoma. It quickly became apparent how good he was. It was a tough blow. It was probably one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to deal with. I was knocked off track from what I wanted. But yet it was the best opportunity to grow and develop as a young man. I just learned a lot through they whole thing. I can’t say that I learned it all then and there. I learned that you have to come prepared. You have to bring your best effort and some things are beyond your control. You have to be able to adjust. Attitude is everything and it’s so important that we keep our attitude. I learned not be be defined. Up until then I had made the mistake of letting myself be defined by how I preformed in a sporting event. I think I came to realize I can’t be defined by that. No-one should be defined by their performance or their outcome. It shouldn’t determine our self-esteem or confidence. I think it was a tremendous learning experience for me and one that I’m thankful for as challenging as it was at the time.
SZ: What did you do during those years to remain motivated, engaged and ready to play each week?
RC: I realized that I am one play away and I have to be ready. I remember a quote by John Wooden, “I will get ready and then my opportunity will come.” Because it can’t be once my opportunity comes I will get ready. That’s too late. I do remember that quote and I remember just working hard with the hope that the opportunity will come.
SZ: What are the mental skills an athlete in your situation needs to develop to stay sharp mentally since you may not be called upon? Or conversely to be called upon after sitting for thirty or more minutes watching from the sidelines? It’s such a unique challenge.
RC: Coach Terry Donahue said to me, “Hey Ronnie, I want you to chart the plays and chart the coverages of the defense. Lo and behold did I know that was the start of my coaching career. I was the quarterback with the clip board and I’d break down coverages of the defense. It kept me mentally in the game so that if the opportunity arose I certainly had a feel for the coverages the opponent was playing. During the week at practices I threw the ball but the back up quarterback does not get as many reps as the starting quarterback. I remember the coaches telling me that if I wasn’t getting the physical reps I could get the mental reps. By that they meant for me to be watching Troy. So I watched him like a hawk so I could see what he was seeing and the decisions he was making. I was getting mental reps. It’s not the same but it could be almost as good.
SZ: Your first head coaching opportunity was at the University of San Diego where you are credited with building the program into a winning team. As head coach of S.J.S.U. you are currently in a re-building phase. What are the key components to transitioning into your position?
RC: Getting everyone to buy in and get on the same page. There are different ways to succeed. You can run a spread option offense, a wishbone offense or a run and shoot offense. They are all different ends of the spectrum. The key is to get guys to buy in and do their position as best they can. That’s what makes transition difficult because when you step into a program sometimes the veteran players who might have tasted success doing it another way need to buy into doing it differently. Not that the previous way was wrong or that there is a right or wrong way but there are alternative ways and getting everyone on the same page is the key.
SZ: Football teams consist of teams within teams being coached by different coaches at each position. What do teams do to create team chemistry?
RC: We have the position coaches that coach specific positions. Then there are coordinators. An offensive coordinator calls offensive plays, defensive coordinators call defensive plays and a special teams coach coordinator who calls those plays. I oversee the whole team and you are right it is a challenge because you can have many groups within the groups. You can have fractions and you don’t want that. What we try to do is to integrate the team and one thing we do is call them families. We may have ten different families and one family is comprised of a player or two from each position on the team. We have get togethers with these groups of player representatives (families) or sessions during Fall camp or in August when the team is in a preparation stage. Sometimes we gather in different groups and we’ll talk abut issues and talk about what our goals should be as a team and how we can accomplish those goals.
We try out different ways of integrating the team. I think we took the team every year to Dave & Buster’s just to have some fun. I took a team while I coached at USD to a paint ball park. It was really fun but let me tell you it hurts. It hurts and you don’t wear a t-shirt when you go to one of those things because you get a welt on your arm for a week. When we travel as a team and go to a unique city I do try and show the team something that’s special about the city so they can take something back above and beyond football.
SZ: Does sport psychology have a place in the training program? Is there a place that’s part of the training program in terms of a player’s preparation or recovery?
RC: Most definitely. I was a psychology major and I find it fascinating. I try and read things of value that I can pass on to my team. I try and do visualization with our players and have seen it to be very effective with these young men. I can improve and do a better job in this area but I do think it’s important. We’ve all seen very talented athletes, very skilled but lacking the mental toughness and drive, those intangibles that make the difference in a very successful athlete from an average athlete.
SZ: Who have been influential coaching mentors along your way in becoming a head coach? Has coaching football changed significantly in the last five/seven years?
RC: Terry Donahue, my football coach at U.C.L.A., John Wooden who I met and had a chance to visit when he was alive had a big impact on me. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Walsh and driving him home from U.C.L.A. when he was down there visiting. Those guys were all very influential and impressionable on me.
Yes, coaching the game has changed in the last several years. It’s sped up. Instead of the traditional football huddle up, send a player in with the play, give the quarterback the play, he calls it in the huddle, break the huddle, go up to the line of scrimmage and start the play, it is now all up tempo. Many teams run a no huddle offense where it’s all about speed and get the next play off. From a coaches perspective you have to factor in the wear and tear of the players. Offenses now average eighty to ninety snaps a game instead of sixty-five. Teams are also playing twelve or more games, thirteen with a bowl game. The schedule can take a toll on the body. Football has become a year round training sport and we have to consider how much our players can handle and have proper recovery.
SZ: There are many hats you wear as a head coach. Do you have any favorite quotes, tips or stories that keep you focused on your role as head coach?
RC: I’m a quote guy. As a team we went through a tough time this past season. We have our challenges here at S.J.S.U. But one quote jumps out because of it, “The bigger the challenge the bigger the reward.” I like telling the players, “A rising tide lifts all ships.” Meaning as a player increases his level of play the accolades come at the end of the year when the team does better as a whole. It’s not about individual accolades those will come thereafter. I love the saying, “Iron sharpens iron.” it’s a biblical quote. Competition can bring out the best in all of us. As we compete and battle we’re making our opponent better and he’s making us better and it raises the bar.
SZ: Is there anything you’d like to add?
RC: Sports can be and are a pretty fascinating preparation for life. I think we can learn almost more during losses than we do during wins. After a loss you reflect back and get introspective. It was a tough year for S.J.S.U. football and to look back at what we did and how we can do it differently, keeping our players healthy and developing players makes for introspection. When you lose you really dig down trying to learn about yourself. Another quote on that note is, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.” So I can say that and know that this challenge we will overcome.
SZ: Thank you Coach Caragher for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this chat.
*Featured guests are not current nor former clients of Susan Zaro
*This article can also be read @ Examiner
*Picture credits: Terrell Lloyd, San Jose State University athletics
He first became a head coach at the University of San Diego in 2007 and remained in that position until 2012. During his coaching career there the Toreros won three Pioneer Football League championships. In 2012 then S.J.S.U. football coach Coach Mike MacIntyre left S.J.S.U. for the head coaching position at the University of Colorado, and S.J.S.U. hired Caragher beginning in 2013.
SZ: Is it good to be back in the bay area?
RC: Yes, it’s nice to be home. I grew up here and my mom lives in the same house in Morgan Hill. It’s good to be back home.
SZ: How old were you when you began playing football? Who were your athletic role models growing up?
RC: I was in fourth grade. My first experience was flag football. But probably the first big influence in my life was in fifth grade playing Pop Warner football for the Morgan Hill Raiders. I ended up having chicken pox and missed two weeks of practice. When I came back the games had started and I just got plugged in at corner back. The next year I came back to Fall camp and had a chance to practice. The coach put me at tail back which was fun because you get to carry the ball. A funny story that goes with this is our quarterback was really the best athlete on the team but he kept forgetting the plays. One day I was throwing the football back and forth with him and our coach Ernie Hill comes over and says, “Ronnie - Brian come here I want to try something. Ronnie I want to put you at quarterback and Brian you are going to play tail back.” This coaching move changed my life.
SZ: That’s amazing isn’t it.
RC: It’s amazing because I would not have gotten a scholarship to college playing tail back. I’m not that kind of athlete. I would have fizzled probably in high school. I really enjoyed the quarterback position and ended up getting a scholarship to U.C.L.A. So I always think my role as a coach is player identification, player evaluation, player assessment and putting guys in the right position so they can succeed. It goes back to me personally when I was in the fifth grade.
SZ: Who were some of the sports figures you admired when you were growing up?
RC: I was a sports junkie as a kid. I loved football, basketball, baseball. On the football side of things I admired Joe Montana. He was a big professional role model for me when I was in middle school. I remember John Elway playing at Stanford. I loved following the N.B.A. and Doug Collins who played for the 76ers. Also Rick Barry who played for the Warriors.
SZ: What were the qualities of these player’s you admired?
RC: The qualities that stood out is the ability to play in a big time arena and be able to keep their poise. That comes to mind obviously with Joe Montana. He was able to take the team on a two minute drive under pressure with all the adversity and a big crowd and I just envied that. It was my dream to be able to do that and be like those guys. I was also influenced during my time walking the campus at U.C.L.A. Each day I’d walk through Pauley Pavilion and I’d look up and see those banners from Coach John Wooden. It led me to start reading some of Coach Wooden’s books. The first one, “They Call Me Coach,” just jumped out at me. I realized that athletes are at college to help build a foundation for success in their lives. I loved Coach Wooden and studied his pyramid of success. I loved that he is a great man and nice guys don’t have to finish last. They can actually be champions. From then on I think that kind of made a big impression on me. The college players I coach aren’t all going to play professional football. Their career is going to end some day. But we want for them that when it does end that they can go on and live productive lives, as husbands, fathers and community leaders.
SZ: You received an athletic scholarship to U.C.L.A. and played back up to future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman during your college years. Did you know going in that there would be a chance you’d be a back-up? What did you do during those years to remain motivated, engaged and ready to play each week?
RC: I went in full speed ahead wanting to be the starting quarterback at U.C.L.A.
SZ: Was Troy already there?
RC: No he wasn’t. Troy transferred in from Oklahoma. It quickly became apparent how good he was. It was a tough blow. It was probably one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to deal with. I was knocked off track from what I wanted. But yet it was the best opportunity to grow and develop as a young man. I just learned a lot through they whole thing. I can’t say that I learned it all then and there. I learned that you have to come prepared. You have to bring your best effort and some things are beyond your control. You have to be able to adjust. Attitude is everything and it’s so important that we keep our attitude. I learned not be be defined. Up until then I had made the mistake of letting myself be defined by how I preformed in a sporting event. I think I came to realize I can’t be defined by that. No-one should be defined by their performance or their outcome. It shouldn’t determine our self-esteem or confidence. I think it was a tremendous learning experience for me and one that I’m thankful for as challenging as it was at the time.
SZ: What did you do during those years to remain motivated, engaged and ready to play each week?
RC: I realized that I am one play away and I have to be ready. I remember a quote by John Wooden, “I will get ready and then my opportunity will come.” Because it can’t be once my opportunity comes I will get ready. That’s too late. I do remember that quote and I remember just working hard with the hope that the opportunity will come.
SZ: What are the mental skills an athlete in your situation needs to develop to stay sharp mentally since you may not be called upon? Or conversely to be called upon after sitting for thirty or more minutes watching from the sidelines? It’s such a unique challenge.
RC: Coach Terry Donahue said to me, “Hey Ronnie, I want you to chart the plays and chart the coverages of the defense. Lo and behold did I know that was the start of my coaching career. I was the quarterback with the clip board and I’d break down coverages of the defense. It kept me mentally in the game so that if the opportunity arose I certainly had a feel for the coverages the opponent was playing. During the week at practices I threw the ball but the back up quarterback does not get as many reps as the starting quarterback. I remember the coaches telling me that if I wasn’t getting the physical reps I could get the mental reps. By that they meant for me to be watching Troy. So I watched him like a hawk so I could see what he was seeing and the decisions he was making. I was getting mental reps. It’s not the same but it could be almost as good.
SZ: Your first head coaching opportunity was at the University of San Diego where you are credited with building the program into a winning team. As head coach of S.J.S.U. you are currently in a re-building phase. What are the key components to transitioning into your position?
RC: Getting everyone to buy in and get on the same page. There are different ways to succeed. You can run a spread option offense, a wishbone offense or a run and shoot offense. They are all different ends of the spectrum. The key is to get guys to buy in and do their position as best they can. That’s what makes transition difficult because when you step into a program sometimes the veteran players who might have tasted success doing it another way need to buy into doing it differently. Not that the previous way was wrong or that there is a right or wrong way but there are alternative ways and getting everyone on the same page is the key.
SZ: Football teams consist of teams within teams being coached by different coaches at each position. What do teams do to create team chemistry?
RC: We have the position coaches that coach specific positions. Then there are coordinators. An offensive coordinator calls offensive plays, defensive coordinators call defensive plays and a special teams coach coordinator who calls those plays. I oversee the whole team and you are right it is a challenge because you can have many groups within the groups. You can have fractions and you don’t want that. What we try to do is to integrate the team and one thing we do is call them families. We may have ten different families and one family is comprised of a player or two from each position on the team. We have get togethers with these groups of player representatives (families) or sessions during Fall camp or in August when the team is in a preparation stage. Sometimes we gather in different groups and we’ll talk abut issues and talk about what our goals should be as a team and how we can accomplish those goals.
We try out different ways of integrating the team. I think we took the team every year to Dave & Buster’s just to have some fun. I took a team while I coached at USD to a paint ball park. It was really fun but let me tell you it hurts. It hurts and you don’t wear a t-shirt when you go to one of those things because you get a welt on your arm for a week. When we travel as a team and go to a unique city I do try and show the team something that’s special about the city so they can take something back above and beyond football.
SZ: Does sport psychology have a place in the training program? Is there a place that’s part of the training program in terms of a player’s preparation or recovery?
RC: Most definitely. I was a psychology major and I find it fascinating. I try and read things of value that I can pass on to my team. I try and do visualization with our players and have seen it to be very effective with these young men. I can improve and do a better job in this area but I do think it’s important. We’ve all seen very talented athletes, very skilled but lacking the mental toughness and drive, those intangibles that make the difference in a very successful athlete from an average athlete.
SZ: Who have been influential coaching mentors along your way in becoming a head coach? Has coaching football changed significantly in the last five/seven years?
RC: Terry Donahue, my football coach at U.C.L.A., John Wooden who I met and had a chance to visit when he was alive had a big impact on me. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Walsh and driving him home from U.C.L.A. when he was down there visiting. Those guys were all very influential and impressionable on me.
Yes, coaching the game has changed in the last several years. It’s sped up. Instead of the traditional football huddle up, send a player in with the play, give the quarterback the play, he calls it in the huddle, break the huddle, go up to the line of scrimmage and start the play, it is now all up tempo. Many teams run a no huddle offense where it’s all about speed and get the next play off. From a coaches perspective you have to factor in the wear and tear of the players. Offenses now average eighty to ninety snaps a game instead of sixty-five. Teams are also playing twelve or more games, thirteen with a bowl game. The schedule can take a toll on the body. Football has become a year round training sport and we have to consider how much our players can handle and have proper recovery.
SZ: There are many hats you wear as a head coach. Do you have any favorite quotes, tips or stories that keep you focused on your role as head coach?
RC: I’m a quote guy. As a team we went through a tough time this past season. We have our challenges here at S.J.S.U. But one quote jumps out because of it, “The bigger the challenge the bigger the reward.” I like telling the players, “A rising tide lifts all ships.” Meaning as a player increases his level of play the accolades come at the end of the year when the team does better as a whole. It’s not about individual accolades those will come thereafter. I love the saying, “Iron sharpens iron.” it’s a biblical quote. Competition can bring out the best in all of us. As we compete and battle we’re making our opponent better and he’s making us better and it raises the bar.
SZ: Is there anything you’d like to add?
RC: Sports can be and are a pretty fascinating preparation for life. I think we can learn almost more during losses than we do during wins. After a loss you reflect back and get introspective. It was a tough year for S.J.S.U. football and to look back at what we did and how we can do it differently, keeping our players healthy and developing players makes for introspection. When you lose you really dig down trying to learn about yourself. Another quote on that note is, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.” So I can say that and know that this challenge we will overcome.
SZ: Thank you Coach Caragher for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this chat.
*Featured guests are not current nor former clients of Susan Zaro
*This article can also be read @ Examiner
*Picture credits: Terrell Lloyd, San Jose State University athletics
