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Mike Carey recently accepted a position as defensive coordinator/offensive line coach/assistant strength coach at Archbishop Wood. In his final blog, coach Carey talks about the progression of events that led to his decision and also reflects back on his involvement in football as a member of the media. A special thanks to coach Carey for his immense contributions to SuburbanOneSports.com over the years.
SOS.com: At what point did you know you would get back into coaching?
Coach Carey: I have known I was getting back into coaching since the summer of ‘09. I knew the ’09 season was my last season working with WNPV. It was a situation where my last two daughters finished their high school careers and went on to college. Helping them go through the recruiting process as basketball players was an important phase of being a parent. Devon went to college at Loyola University, and that was a big process of choosing that school, and then Jesse, my youngest daughter, was nationally recruited and went to Villanova. Jess and I visited schools all over Eastern United States, and I traveled with her Junior Olympic team each summer across the USA. I knew she was going to college as a freshman this year, and my wife and I would be empty nesters. Bev knew how much I missed coaching and encouraged me to get involved again.
I really missed coaching, but the timing was not right before and it is now. Simple as that. This past summer we were down at the shore on vacation during the second and third weeks of August, and I’m sitting there missing football. I knew people were going away to camp at that time of year, and I wasn’t going to be involved. I really missed that involvement and started thinking about seriously looking for the right spot for myself to re-enter the coaching ranks. I purposely did not talk to anybody until the playoffs were basically done. When North Penn got beat, I contacted five schools. I looked at those schools. They were schools that met the criteria I had set up - I respected the head coaches, they had good administration support, they had good numbers in the program in terms of players, and I thought I could add something to their already very good programs.
Half of the coaches – I didn’t even know. I had never met them. I was fortunate to be offered three jobs out of the five. I actually met with the coaches and the staffs, some of them upwards to four times, and I met their players. It was a long process.
Coaches started calling me the second week of December, and I thought I could make a decision by Dec. 31, but that was unrealistic. I was trying to do my homework, and I was trying to find a place that I felt I was a real good fit.
As it got closer and closer, it basically came down to Pennsbury and St. Joe’s Prep – they were the two finalists, and out of the clear blue, after the first of the year, Archbishop Wood coach Steve Devine called me. He is coaching the East-West game, and they were picking the players to play in that game up at Penn State, and somebody mentioned to him that I was getting ready to get back into coaching.
He called me. Initially I resisted and said, ‘It’s the 23rd hour, Steve. I’m close to making a decision.” Something just compelled me to at least meet Coach Devlin, so I said, “I’ll meet you.” We met on a Monday afternoon, and after two hours, I felt a real connection with Steve. His energy is very impressive. He reminded me a lot of Mike Pettine when Pettine was young. Steve just had this fire in his eyes. I’ve been around enough guys – players and coaches – to see that he was highly competitive, and that was important to me. He had a plan, and he has been very successful in three years at Wood. He’s been to the state final and, this past year, the Eastern Final.
I really liked the direction of his program. His numbers every year have gotten better, and the locale – it’s 15 minutes from my house. Also, some other factors were my cousins and lot of my real good friends went to Wood. I was going to go to Wood before my dad pulled me out of Catholic school. I went to Nativity Elementary School, right next door to Wood, so I grew up in that area. I know a lot of people there. The alumni are extremely strong – almost collegiate-like where they are very active in the program, raise a lot of funds and help the program in any way.
I looked at that and I looked at the direction all of Wood’s sports programs were headed. Their sports programs are starting to explode over there. They hired a new coach a couple of years ago for girls’ basketball, Jim Ricci, and he’s doing a marvelous job. Their team is one of the best teams in Southeastern Pa. Jack Walsh has just taken over the boys’ basketball program, and he has immediately thrust them into the top of the PCL. Their lacrosse program is extremely good. There are just a lot of really neat things happening there.
It came down to Wood and St. Joe’s Prep. As recently as the Saturday before I took the Wood job, I was down at the Prep with the kids. When I drove home from the Prep, I realized it was just too far to drive each day. It was a little over an hour. Impressive as it was and Gil Brooks is just captivating as a coach and person – I couldn’t see myself making that drive every day, and my gut told me to go to Wood.
SOS.com: When you decided to get back into coaching, what was the main thing you were looking for?
Coach Carey: The main thing I’m looking for is going to a program and making a difference. I’m not bashful - I think I can help take a program to the next level…time will tell. To do that, I was looking for answers – did this school provide the tools I need to accomplish that? In my opinion, there’s only a select group of schools in District One that have administration support, numbers with players to compete, the community support and a head coach that is top notch. There are only a handful of them.
It was between Pennsbury and St. Joe’s Prep, and right at the end, Wood came in. Believe me, there’s nobody more surprised than I was. I kept pinching myself and saying, ‘Wow, they’re in here late.’ I had to mentally get over the fact that they’re Class AAA, but the more I thought about it – I’m competitive. If I was coaching a midget football team, I’d want to be successful, and I would relish coaching with the kids.
Everybody I’ve talked to told me Wood has great kids and they are tough. They’ve got high character. I’m very intrigued by being able to coach in the Philadelphia Catholic League. I’ve never done that. It’s another area that remains to be conquered. They have some great programs. Cardinal O’Hara and Bonner are both moving down to AAA, so they’re going to be in Wood’s league. Wood is playing St. Joe’s Prep the fourth game of the season, and there’s a lot of unfinished business there. They’ve knocked on the doorstep, and hopefully, I’ll be able to help them take the next step. I don’t know what year that will be, but I guarantee no one will out-work us in our quest to get there.
SOS.com: Comment about the opportunity to work with Wood strength coach Joe Hallman.
Coach Carey: The fact that Joe was hired about a month ago by Wood was another major factor that persuaded me to join the Wood staff. Joe was the strength coach for 10 years at West. Mike Pettine and I brought him over in 1995, and everyone knows what CB West did in the late 90s and early 2000s. Joe’s the best strength coach in Pennsylvania, bar none. He’s only a strength coach, and that’s very unique. I don’t think there’s any other team in District One that has just a strength coach, let alone the best strength coach. He will have our guys very, very strong, and that’s a real big help to coach Devlin and myself as we try and get the most out of these guys. Joe and I have already mapped out a plan to get us where we need to be.
SOS.com: What’s your first order of business when you get there?
Coach Carey: I’ve started already. We’re working out three, four days a week. The first order is to get these guys strong. I gave my first talk to the team about commitment. They have a real nice thing going there. It’s not a place where you’re starting from scratch.
We have close to 60 kids in the weight room, and he’s got a lot of kids playing multiple sports. The first order of business is to get these guys strong. That’s what the winter and offseason is all about, and when spring rolls around, we’ll start a speed program. I know coach Devlin starts doing football skill work once basketball season is over, and we can get the big gym.
Coach Devlin is very organized. He’s already given me a calendar that goes all the way through summer camp. I’m very, very excited.
SOS.com: What did you enjoy most about your last couple of years in the media?
Coach Carey: Many times in my four years – whether it was working with WNPV on the air or writing for SuburbanOneSports.com, I found myself appreciating the other side of the sports world and the people that report on it. To me at times, it was a lot of hard work but was very enjoyable. I really enjoyed the writing aspect, and I really enjoyed the broadcasting part. On the other hand, at times it was frustrating to me because it was tough to sit and watch or to write a story when I felt as though I could still make a difference on the sidelines. The real fact of the matter was there were things in my life that came first. There were priorities – my family has always come first, at least in the last 10 years. During my 20 years at West, I put West football first, and I was not going to let that happen again.
I met so many great people in the sports reporting and broadcasting world that are now my friends, and it’s very rewarding. The flip side is that my dad raised me to speak my mind, and I’ve never been bashful in terms of speaking up, whether I was a player and I felt I deserved more playing time or now being in the media. There was a fine line I was walking all the time between really telling it like it is or keeping everyone happy, and by that I mean the area coaches and parents. I think the media’s job is to report it the way they see it. A lot of people knew me as a coach and didn’t understand why I was saying some of the things I did. I realized I didn’t please everyone with my reporting or broadcasting but no one bats 1000 percent and I got tremendous feedback from the majority of people.
I was very cognizant of being very sensitive to a lot of things I was reporting because I knew the other side. I knew all the high school coaches were giving up countless hours, and I really have more of an appreciation for high school coaches than I have ever had.
When I coached at CB West, it was bloodthirsty and lets go out and kick everybody’s butt. Looking at it from the writing side and reporting side, I really appreciated week in and week out seeing the work people put into it – the Gallaghers, the Donnellys, the Cuthberts, the Hensels and the Szarkos. They’re all great people… and fans should really take note and realize these guys are putting in countless hours, and 98 percent of the time they have the kids’ best interests in mind. It’s a shame what’s going on with abuse from so many in the stands, etc. to refs, coaches and teachers. I see a side where some parents are just relentless on these coaches. My reply to that would be – spend one week in their shoes and see the amount of time they give to kids. That would probably shut them up!!
SPECIAL THANKS: 1) to Kyle Berger, my WNPV partner. Kyle you are truly a great guy and friend, one who had patience and taught me so much. I had a lot of fun working with you especially the BIG GAMES. You should be a pro and announcing for a living. You are that good!
2) WNPV STAFF: Jeff Nolan and Dan Morehouse - you guys are great friends whose constant encouragement kept me moving forward. Dan, hail to CBW!
3) Mary Jane Souder: the energizer girl. MJ, you have more energy and passion in one month than most people have in a lifetime. Thanks for always telling me “this is great!” I’ll never forget you. SOS is on its way to stardom!
4) Dick Beck: for putting up with me for four years of being a “know it all.” I called your plays, analyzed your defenses, took shots at your line play and played Monday morning QB when you rarely lost. On the other hand, I told the world you were the area’s top high school coach hundreds of times and called you the state’s best game day coach. NONE of this endeared me to the area’s other 50 coaches and I heard it from their emails. Dick, you’re forever a great friend.
5) Don Ryan: North Penn athletic director. Don, you’re the best! You always make it a point to say, “Hi, Coach Carey” to me and make me feel I was part of the North Penn family. I hope you stay on forever!!
6) Jim Church: to the Godfather of high school announcers. Jim, thanks for all the valuable advice and support in the last 40 years. You’re a special guy!
In ending, thanks to all the readers and fans. I appreciated your e-mails and positive comments when I was out and about. It was fun working for WNPV and SuburbanOneSports, but now it’s time to get to work to help Archbishop Wood and its team prepare for the upcoming season. To all…see you soon.
COACH CAREY