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Head Coach Ron Caragher enters his second season at the helm of the Torero football program. His first season was outstanding as he guided the Toreros to a 9-2 overall mark and 6-1 Pioneer Football League record, good for a share of first place. It marked the third straight season that the Toreros were crowned PFL Champions. USD finished ranked second in the final Sports Network FCS Mid-Major poll. Seven Toreros were named Sports Network FCS All-Americans, while eleven players were tabbed Mid-Major All-Americans by the same outlet. Senior quarterback Josh Johnson was drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucaneers in the 5th round, and three other players received looks by NFL clubs. Johnson, who passed for 43 touchdowns with just one interception, was a Walter Payton Award Finalist. Senior defensive end Eric Bakhtiari, who led the nation in sacks, was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award.
Under Caragher's guidance as Offensive Coordinator, the Toreros ranked first in the nation among Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams in scoring (44.36 points per game) and passing efficiency (197.35 rating). The 44 points per game average is a new USD single season record. Additionally, the Toreros ranked 3rd in the nation in total offense (483.1 yards per game).
The University of San Diego introduced Ron Caragher as its new head football coach on January 9, 2007. Caragher became the Toreros' 12th head football coach at USD and replaced Jim Harbaugh who was hired as Stanford's head coach.
"As I talked to people around the country, I kept hearing the same things about Ron Caragher," said Ky Snyder, Executive Director of Athletics. "He is a student of the game, elite class of coach, very knowledgeable, great recruiter, develops players, motivated, competitor, great family man, high character and integrity. These are the qualities you seek in a head coach and we have found them in Ron Caragher. He has had access to some of the best minds in coaching in Terry Donohue, Bob Toledo and Rich Brooks. He has been a winner his whole life and we expect that will continue at USD."
Prior to being hired at USD, Caragher, (pronounced "CARE-ah-ger"), spent four seasons (2003-2006) at the University of Kentucky as an assistant coach under Rich Brooks. He was the running backs coach all four years, and starting in 2005 served as Kentucky's Head Recruiting Coordinator. In 2006 Kentucky finished 8-5 overall, and 4-4 in the Southeast Conference Eastern Division, good for a tie for third place and the program's best league mark since 1993. The 8 wins is also the program's best win total since their 9-3 campaign back in 1984. The Wildcats finished off the 2006 season in fine fashion as they upset Clemson, 28-20, in the Music City Bowl on December 29th. It was Kentucky's first bowl appearance since 1999, and the program's first bowl win in 22 years.
Caragher also has Southern California ties. He spent nine seasons (1994-2002) on UCLA's staff where he worked with both Terry Donahue and Bob Toledo. After two seasons as a Graduate Assistant, Caragher was promoted to assistant coach where he coached Bruin wide receivers, punters and kickers. With the special team's unit, he coached punters all seven seasons (1996-2002), and kickers for his final two years (2001-02).
During the 1997 and 1998 seasons, UCLA won a school-record 20 straight games and averaged more than 40 points per game while setting numerous school records. He coached in five bowl games during his term there, including the Aloha, Cotton, Rose, Sun, and Las Vegas bowls.
A native of Morgan Hill, California, Caragher was a three-sport letterman at Bellarmine College Prep (1982-84) where he earned three varsity letters as a quarterback in football. He earned an athletic scholarship to UCLA in 1985 and went on to earn four varsity letters (1986-89) and was part of teams that won four consecutive bowl games. After graduating from UCLA in 1990 with a B.A. in Psychology, Ron went on to earn his Master's Degree in Education (Administrative Studies) in 1995.
Caragher and his wife, Wendy, have three sons, Josh, Ryan, and Scott.
