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Rock the cradle

Cal Lutheran has become a hub for developing talented football coaches, including Houston’s Tom Herman.

By Jonathan Andrade
 
Photos courtesy of University of Houston

COUGAR COUNTRY—Tom Herman, center, is head coach of the undefeated and sixth-ranked University of Houston Cougars football team. Herman, a Simi Valley High School graduate, played football at Cal Lutheran. When it comes to landing a dream coaching job, it truly is all about connections.

So when young players and coaches in Cal Lutheran University’s football program set out to achieve their coaching goals, opportunity is always a phone call away.
 
“Cal Lu guys look out for each other,” said Kingsmen head coach Ben McEnroe, who graduated from Cal Lutheran in 1993. “Depending on what level and what position you want to coach, we can pick up the phone and call guys that played here, guys that care about Cal Lutheran and helping young coaches.

“It’s an amazing network.”

Cal Lutheran is the West Coast’s version of the “Cradle of Coaches.” Miami University of Ohio is the original “Cradle of Coaches,” but the number of Cal Lutheran alumni who have gone on to have successful careers on the sidelines of football fields throughout the country continues to swell.
 
Tom Herman
 
McEnroe, in his 10th season as head coach, started as an offensive line coach right after his college graduation. He shared the sideline with former Cal Lu roommate and cornerback Cory Undlin, who now coaches defensive backs with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL.

It was during McEnroe’s first years of coaching that he met a wide receiver by the name of Tom Herman, now head coach at the University of Houston. Herman played at Cal Lutheran from 1993 to 1996.

Herman, a 1993 Simi Valley High graduate, is in his second season leading Houston, which is ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll. The Pioneer previously worked asOhio State’s offensive coordinator for three seasons. He was also offensive coordinator at Iowa State, Rice and Texas State.

He guided Houston to a 13-1 record last season, including a 38-24 win over Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
The unforgettable football memories are piling up for Herman, but he still remembers a wonderful experience at Cal Lutheran.

“There was a lot of camaraderie, a lot of brotherhood,” Herman said. “A lot of my best friends to this day were my teammates in college. I just remember very nice people and great relationships.”

One of the bonds Herman forged in college was with Dave Aranda, a Cal Lutheran assistant at the time. A first-year defensive coordinator at LSU, Aranda coached Wisconsin’s defense to a 23-21 win over USC in the Holiday Bowl last season.

Herman still keeps in touch with Aranda, who coached linebackers at Cal Lutheran from 1996 to 1999.

Two of the greatest minds in college football are equally brilliant off the field, according to Scott Squires, the former Cal Lutheran head coach who recruited Herman and Aranda. “Both of them are just really smart guys,” Squires said of Herman and Aranda in a 2014 interview with ESPN. “Tom could be running a major corporation if he wanted to, but they wanted to coach.” Herman said a hotbed of coaching talent can’t be created just anywhere. Cal Lutheran is special. “The small-college atmosphere lends itself to a lot more closeness in relationships,” he said. “It allows young coaches, like Dave (Aranda) and Cory (Undlin), an avenue to grow in a fairly low-pressure environment and hone their skills as a coach.”

The list of Kingsmen who have blossomed in the NFL and in major college football is impressive.

Rod Marinelli, a 1974 Cal Lutheran graduate, is the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. He’s been coaching in the NFL since 1996.

Mark Weber, the offensive line coach at Fresno State, played guard for Cal Lutheran until he graduated in 1980.
Pete Alamar, a Thousand Oaks native and former Kingsmen who graduated in 1983, is in his fifth season as special teams coach at Stanford.

Eddie Gran, the offensive coordinator at Kentucky, played wide receiver at CLU. He coached Kingsmen receivers in 1987 and 1988.

Marinelli articulated why the school became a hub for coaches.

“CLU is a great teaching school, and it always has been,” he said in an interview with the 5th Quarter, a Cal Lutheran football fan club. “The coaches made it special in terms of developing guys who wanted to be teachers and coaches.”

A younger generation of former Kingsmen are at the forefront of the next wave of coaches with ties to Cal Lutheran.

Jake Laudenslayer, who starred at quarterback in 2010 and 2011 for the Kingsmen, coached Cal Lu wide receivers in 2012. He’s now the tight ends coach at San Diego State.

Jacob Claborn, who played a season at Cal Lutheran, is the tight ends coach at the University of Wyoming.

Zach Shultis, a 2009 Thousand Oaks High graduate, was a Kingsmen kicker and quarterback from 2011 to 2012. He’s an assistant on San Diego State’s coaching staff.

Don’t be surprised if more coaches are bred in Cal Lutheran’s “Cradle of Coaches.”

“We talk to the new guys during the recruiting process,” McEnroe said. “If they want to get into coaching, there’s no better place to be.”
 
 
 
 
 
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