Gene's Blog: Staley's NFL journey had an early purple chapter

Just 11 years ago, Glenn Caruso was starting his second season in his quest to build a championship football program at St. Thomas.

Among the new faces on board for 2009 was a 26-year-old defensive assistant coach named Brandon Staley.

A former starting quarterback in Division I (Dayton) and Division II (Mercyhurst), Staley had worked as a graduate coach for three seasons at Northern Illinois (special teams, recruiting coordinator) before working with the Tommies.

Perhaps it was beyond coincidence that Staley affiliated with St. Thomas: One of the offensive coordinators he played for in college was Joe Lombardi, then at Mercyhurst and today an NFL assistant coach. Joe's father Vince Lombardi, Jr., played running back for the Tommies in the 1960s.

Vince Lombardi, Sr.? Yes, the legend whose name is on the NFL championship trophy was indeed Joe's grandfather.

In his final year coaching with the FCS-level Huskies, Staley served under head coach Jerry Kill, and was part of a staff that included Tracy Claeys as a defensive coordinator, and a young receivers coach and recruiting coordinator in P.J. Fleck. That underdog Huskies team took four-point road losses to both Minnesota and Tennessee, and capped the season with a trip to the Independence Bowl.

Staley was hired to coach St. Thomas' defensive linemen under coordinator Wallie Kuchinski and also assist with special teams. That 2009 Tommie team finished 11-2, earned the program's first postseason berth in 19 years, and reached the NCAA playoff quarterfinal round.

Caruso recalled that in the job interview, the young Staley primarily saw himself as an offensive coach. Glenn helped convince Staley to leave his comfort zone and coach on the defensive side at St. Thomas.

One other detail impressed the Tommies' head coach.

Staley faced personal challenges off the field that would help him mature and persevere. A 2016 story in the Cleveland News-Herald by Mark Podolski noted that Staley was in grade school when his father Bruce was diagnosed with cancer. Tragically, his mother Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years later and after a nine-year fight, she passed away in 2004.

Three years later, after his first season coaching at Northern Illinois at age 24, Brandon Staley himself was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy treatments in Cleveland and was able to resume his coaching career.

"I was drawn to Brandon in part because of how eeriely similar our backgrounds were," Caruso said. "We were both raised by very strong fathers. We both lost our mothers well before we should have. We personally both had to fight through life-threatening illnesses. It was that very pedigree of mental toughness that first opened my eyes to the type of coach and natural leader that Brandon would become."

Perseverance

After the Tommies' breakthrough 2009 season, Staley continued his long and winding journey in coaching. He left St. Thomas to take his first coordinator job, in community college football in Hutchinson, Kan. Among the players he was around at Hutchinson was future Minnesota Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson.

After two seasons in Kansas, Staley moved up in 2012 to a Power 5-school with the Tennessee Volunteers as a graduate assistant coach -- and Patterson also signed to play Division I football with Tennessee.

Staley later worked three seasons at Division III at John Carroll University near his hometown in Ohio, and also worked one season at FCS power James Madison. He was defensive coordinator for John Carroll in 2016 when it ended Mount Union's 112-game conference win streak, then went on to finish one victory short of the Stagg Bowl.

Like Caruso, then John Carroll head coach Tom Arth said he immediately saw a special quality when he first interviewed Staley. Now the head coach at Akron, Arth said this last month to a reporter for a story in the The Athletic:

"I called Brandon, I interviewed him. It was as big of a no-brainer as you can possibly imagine. Within 30 seconds of the interview, you knew there was just something really special about Brandon, just something really different. His personality, his way, his ability to teach, his knowledge and expertise and his ability to connect, all of it is really rare and it shows through pretty instantaneously."

In 2017 Staley received an NFL opportunity and joined the Chicago Bears defensive staff under Coach John Fox. He stayed on there as a defensive position coach in 2017 after Matt Nagy replaced Fox as head coach. In 2019 when Vic Fangio was hired away from the Bears to become the Broncos' defensive coordinator, the veteran conviced Staley to join his Denver staff to coach linebackers.

Payoff

Last month, at age 37, Staley's long and winding coaching road helped produce his best opportunity yet. He was hired by Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay as the Rams' defensive coordinator.

All of those playing and coaching stops from Ohio to Pennsylvania to Illinois to Minnesota to Kansas to Tennessee to Virginia and to Colorado have paid off. All of that knowledge gained at the prep, junior college, Division II, Division II, FCS, FBS and NFL levels have prepared Staley for this moment.

In Los Angeles, Staley replaces 72-year-old Wade Phillips in the coordinator role. McVay himself is the youngest head coach in the modern era -- he just turned 34 as he starts his fourth season directing the Rams.

"We are so excited to work with Coach McVay and work for such a first-class organization like the Rams, one that's committed to excellence," Staley said. "It's an opportunity you compete your whole life for, and one that happens as a result of so many people, family and friends."

Staley said he has sweet memories of Tommie football, and not just because it was one of his one first coaching opportunities. He said he appreciates the bonds he formed with not only Caruso and fellow staffers, but with his players in his position group.

"St. Thomas was one of the most special places we've had the privilege to coach for," he said. "Coach Caruso has had an everlasting impact on my coaching philosophy, and he's truly one of the best I know."

"The Pride & Passion (mindset), what it means to be a Tommie, and all the memories we created with St. Thomas players and coaches are things we will cherish forever."

Caruso said he's not surprised that Staley has come so far so fast in the coaching world.

"Brandon was a tremendous fit for us," he explained. "Like our other coaches, he understood his responsibility to his players, and he worked tirelessly to serve an unyielding commitment to this university.

"Brandon was not only one of the best football minds and recruiters I've been fortunate enough to coach with, but moreover, he's one of the best husbands and fathers in the coaching profession. Brandon has always been able to balance the inherent intense passion to achieve at the highest levels in his profession with a necessity to be a great leader and role model for his family."

Prominent Tommie Football Alumni (Players/Coaches) in Pro/College Athletics

John Schneider (1980s player), Seattle Seahawks General Manager
Brandon Staley (2009 assistant), Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator
Mark Ellenz (1990s player), Jacksonville Jaguars Director of College Scouting
Matt Simon (2011 assistant), University of Minnesota Passing Game Coordinator
Carson Walch (2006 assistant), Chicago Bears/Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receivers Coach
Matt Banker (1990s player), Associate Athletics Director, University of Louisville
Willie Schneider (2010s player), Seattle Seahawks Asst. Director of Pro Personnel
Vince Lombardi, Jr. (1960s player), retired Seattle Seahawks Asst. General Manager
Walt Kiesling (1920s player), 13-year NFL player, 3X All-Pro, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Pro Football Hall of Famer
Louie Mohs (1919-21 player), NFL player, Los Angeles Lakers General Manager in 1960s

Gene's Blog is a sports column penned by UST sports information director Gene McGivern. Gene is in his 26th season at St. Thomas and 32nd overall in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He blogs periodically on various topics regarding the Tommies, the MIAC and Division III sports.

If you have comments or questions, e-mail Gene at ejmcgivern@stthomas.edu

University of St. Thomas Athletics

Gene's Blog: Staley's NFL journey had an early purple chapter

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