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Ron Caragher

TitleAssistant Coach (tight ends/passing game coordinator)
Ron Caragher

At San Diego State

  • Ron Caragher returns to the sidelines this season as the Aztecs’ tight ends coach and passing game coordinator after spending the 2018 campaign as the team’s on-campus recruiting coordinator and quality control for the offense.

Previous Experience

  • Served as head coach for San José State (2013-16) and the University of San Diego (2007-12), compiling an overall record of 63-52 in 10 seasons. 
  • Coached 32 all-Mountain West honorees, nine postseason all-star participants and five NFL draft picks during his tenure at SJSU.
  • Led the Spartans to their fourth straight bowl victory dating back to 1990 with a 27-16 triumph over Georgia State in the 2015 AutoNation Cure Bowl. 
  • That season, SJSU finished second nationally in fewest passing yards allowed (157.8) and net punting (42.42) while ranking fifth in completion percentage (.675), 12th in third-down conversions (.478) and 18th in red zone offensive efficiency (.889).
  • In his first year at the helm in 2013, the Spartans posted a winning record in their inaugural Mountain West campaign, finishing with a 5-3 ledger in the West Division and a 6-6 record overall. 
  • During his first season in Silicon Valley, Caragher oversaw an offense that set 10 single-season team records. SJSU was sixth nationally in passing offense (355.9 yds), 15th in total offense (493.3) and averaged 32.4 points per game.
  • Under his tutelage, quarterback David Fales threw for more than 4,000 yards in 2013 and became a sixth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears.
  • Guided USD to a trio of Pioneer Football League co-championships in 2007, 2011 and 2012.
  • Twice nominated for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award (2007, 2011), which recognizes the top head coach in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
  • His 2007 Toreros squad finished second in the final Sports Network mid-major poll, occupying the top spot among all FCS teams in scoring (44.36) and passing efficiency (197.35) while ranking third in total offense (483.09). 
  • Named the Pioneer Football League’s Coach of the Year in 2011 after leading USD to a 9-2 record for the third time in five years and a FCS Coaches Top-25 ranking during the regular season.
  • Served a four-year stint as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Kentucky from 2003-06. 
  • During the 2006 campaign, the Wildcats posted an 8-5 record, capped by a victory over Clemson in the Music City Bowl, which marked the program’s first bowl win since 1984.
  • Was promoted to full-time assistant coach in 1996 at his alma mater UCLA after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant with the Bruins.
  • Coached wide receivers, kickers and punters during his seven-year tenure in Westwood, working alongside Rocky Long, who was UCLA’s defensive coordinator in 1996-97.

Playing Experience

  • Won four letters at UCLA serving as a backup quarterback during his collegiate playing career from 1985-1989.
  • Was a part of a Bruin program that captured four consecutive bowl victories (1986 Rose, 1986 Freedom, 1987 Aloha, 1989 Cotton).
  • Was selected as a team captain for a single game during his senior year.

Education

  • Earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA in 1990, before completing his master’s degree in 1995 from the university in administrative studies.

Personal

  • Caragher and his wife, Wendy, have three sons, Josh, Ryan and Scott.