Kentucky running backs coach Ron Caragher will be featured on a live chat session on ukathletics.com on Tuesday, April 6, at noon. Fans may submit questions in advance or during the chat session by clicking on the link on the front page of uakthletics.com.
It is interesting that Caragher, who came to UK from UCLA, credits much of his coaching philosophy from Bruins basketball coaching legend John Wooden.
?Coach Wooden is a great role model of mine. I?ve read his books and I like his coaching style,? said Caragher, who noted that Wooden was from this area of the country and that his first coaching job was in Northern Kentucky. ?Coach Wooden defined success as ?peace of mind as a direct result of self-satisfaction, knowing that you made the effort to do the very best of which you are capable.? That?s always been a quote that stuck out in my mind because not every player will be All-Pro, all-conference, or even first team, but if we can teach them to do the very best of which they are capable, then that would define success.
?That?s probably the biggest thing I got from him, the definition of success and his pyramid of success. He also had lots of poems. He was an English teacher and would recite poems that apply to sports. Those were the things I enjoyed most from him.?
Caragher said that coaches have played important roles in his life and that his goal is to do the same for his players.
?Coaches always had a big impact on my life. They were big role models for me,? Caragher said. ?I worked in business for a few years after college, but I had the coaching itch and missed the game. That pulled me back to football. When I got the opportunity to be a graduate assistant (at UCLA), I tested the waters and really liked it and two years later I got a full-time position there.
?What I enjoy the most is the interaction with the players, seeing them come in as young guys and see them develop and mature over the course of their careers ? see them go from boys to young men. You hope you can have an impact on them beyond the football field, where they can learn some skills and qualities that will carry them into the real world as husbands, fathers, or community leaders.?
Caragher got a chance to put that philosophy into practice immediately when he arrived at Kentucky. He inherited an extremely inexperienced set of backs in 2003 and all four backs who saw the bulk of the action last year return this season. Arliss Beach, Draak Davis, and Alexis Bwenge shared the tailback position a year ago, with Bwenge and Ronald ?Rock? Johnson splitting time at fullback.
?We?re looking for continued development in the spring,? Caragher continued. ?They?ve all worked hard and gotten stronger in the off-season. Alexis put on some good weight and is nearing 230 pounds, which is great. With his athleticism, the stronger he gets the more he brings to the table. Arliss has improved his 40 (yard dash) time. Draak has gotten stronger. Rock had a good off-season and is very serious about playing a significant role in this offense.
?The biggest difference I see this season from a year ago today is that they all have a good understanding of what we want with the offense and their role in it. With that understanding comes executing what you?re supposed to do and playing full-speed ahead.?
Beach led the team in rushing last season with 366 yards and eight touchdowns. His best game came at Vanderbilt, when he ran for 109 yards and became the only Wildcat to crack the century mark in rushing last year. Both Beach and the diminutive Davis (5-7, 175) have benefited from another year in the weight room. Beach looks noticeably bigger and stronger and is up to 210 pounds.
?Arliss really came on as a player last year and made the most of it,? Caragher said. ?Draak gives us playmaking ability at that position.?
Bwenge and Johnson each averaged more than four yards per rushing attempt last season; that?s an excellent figure for the fullback position, where most of the carries come between the tackles.
?Alexis is a versatile player,? Caragher said. ?He can play one-back, he can play fullback, he can play tailback. Rock is a solid fullback. He improved as the season went on last year and became the starter there.
For their part, players enjoy playing for the genial Caragher, who is known for his positive, upbeat approach.
?Coach Caragher is always in a good mood,? Beach said. ?He builds you up. When you do something wrong, he doesn?t yell at you for doing it wrong, he teaches you how to do it right.?
?I always liked to be coached that way,? Caragher said of his style of coaching and teaching. ?I believe that you focus on what you want rather than what you don?t want. People gravitate toward what the emphasis is. When you yell at running backs, ?don?t fumble,? the last thing they hear before they take the field is the word ?fumble.?
?I think you focus on what you want. Maybe you can make that emphasis in a different way (than being negative). Instead of saying ?don?t fumble,? you say, ?Let?s have great ball security.? We?re putting our attention on what we want instead of what we don?t want. I try to coach the way I liked to be coached.?
