You don’t need a digital cable converter box or dial up Internet to know that our country is at a critical crossroad in our history. Walk around your neighborhood or drive around town and you will see yard signs and bumper stickers proclaiming support for one candidate or another. Whether you are blue, red, purple, or yellow, most citizens of Vikingland will be tuning in to debates that are not limited to an ex-NFL quarterback and an aging broadcaster with a poor comb-over. While the leaders of our communities, state, and nation will be determined this fall, the leader of the University of St. Thomas football program has been selected and he is already working to fulfill his campaign promises.
Coach Glenn Caruso was introduced as the 29th head coach of the Tommies on January 24, 2008. At 33 years old, Caruso is facing opposing coaches that have been in the game for longer than he has been alive. Some people may be critical of his lack of experience, but Coach Caruso is confident in his past accomplishments and is ready to build on them.
Prior to accepting the St. Thomas job, Caruso was the head coach at Macalester, a program that had won only two games in the previous three seasons. During his brief tenure with the Scots, Caruso registered twice as many football players and lead the team to a significant turnaround going 4-5 in 2007. While at Macalester, Coach Caruso produced the two highest single-game total yardage outputs in the history of the program. Coach Caruso, in just two years, changed the direction of a stagnant program that after 119 years was at an all time low. A maverick on the field and in the locker room, Caruso is not concerned with the past; he has always done things his way and looked to the future.
Macalester is not the only program Coach Caruso has left a significant mark on in his career. After his playing career at Ithaca (N.Y.) ended, Caruso’s football journey led him to the heartland of American football. Stops along the way at South Dakota and North Dakota State armed the coach with small town values, a connection to the young people and a strong belief in the power of the team more than the individual.
To change the culture of a program and get the results his supporters demand, Coach Caruso strongly supports the harvesting of natural resources. In order for a program to turn around it takes a financial commitment, a strategic recruiting area and a community, alumni, and faculty and student body that are committed to excellence. These resources are abundant at St. Thomas and the coach plans to fully utilize what is available for the good of the program.
Along with natural resources, in order for a program to change, it needs a shift in mentality. Caruso has the ability and track record to prove he can transform the attitude of a program that has translated into success on the field. The changes will not occur overnight and Caruso is confident in his ability to fulfill the promise of long-term success for Tommie football.
If Coach Caruso’s coaching campaign had a slogan button or if one of his supporters were to spray paint a bed sheet and nail it to a fence on the intersection of Selby and Cretin, it would read “Pride and Passion.” Caruso expects each of his players to take pride in their effort and in the man that lines up next to him on the field. He also demands a passion for the sport. Football is a game in which the sum of the parts far greater than the individual. When you have a great passion for the game, you will do whatever it takes to win.
For a career coach, life tends to be one temporary stop after another. A young coach has to remain mobile and the transient lifestyle makes family life a challenge. Coach Caruso and his wife, Rachel, have found what they hope to be a permanent home in St. Paul and at St. Thomas. The values of the University align with the values that the family holds and along with their three young children, Anna (3), Cade (2), and True (5 mos.), the Carusos are excited about their future in St. Paul, and Coach Caruso is looking forward to meeting the high expectations he is bringing to the football office.
St. Thomas Update
The Tommies are 1-1 after losing last week 29-23 to St. Olaf in six overtimes. Coach Caruso’s team will host Hamline this Saturday, September 27 at 1:00.
You can follow Coach Caruso and the Tommies this week and the entire season at http://www.tommiesports.com/ftbl/
Comments, questions, suggestions or random rambling … send me a note at weber.trent@gmail.com
Trent Weber is in his first season as a freelance writer for Vikings.com. Trent graduated from St. John’s University in 2004 with a degree in Communications. He currently lives and works in Plymouth, where he holds a position in advertising.