2008 Woodie Awards
Football Coach Caruso quits Mac for neighborhood rival St. Thomas
By: Nate Wilson-Traisman, Associate Sports Editor
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Sports
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Caruso officially accepted a job offer from St. Thomas on Jan. 24, in the wake of former St. Thomas football coach Don Roney's resignation. Caruso announced the news over Macalester's winter break, which made it increasingly more difficult for players to bear.
"One of the things that really bugged me was the timing," Jake McDonnell '10 said. "Everyone was home on break and all of a sudden we got this e-mail saying when we come back we wont have a coach anymore. It would have been better if he could have told us in person."
With the move, Caruso finds himself in a rebuilding situation. At 2-8, the Tommie's 2007 finish marked their worst season in 37 years. Still, the storied Tommie program ranks top 25 all-time in Division III winning percentage.
"It was an unbelievable opportunity for my family," Caruso said. "That's pretty much why we ended up here [St. Thomas]."
Former Macalester assistant coaches Travis Walch and Joe Lepsche will follow Caruso to St. Thomas.
Meanwhile, Macalester defensive coordinator Tony Jennison has been named interim head coach.
"I hope to name a new coach by the end of the week," athletic director Travis Feezell said.
Meanwhile, Jennison has shown interest in removing the "interim" from his current title.
"I've demonstrated my desire to be the head football coach at Macalester College," Jennison said.
Caruso took over the then 24-man Macalester team in 2006 following a 2-25 stretch. Caruso, who prior to coaching at Macalester was an offensive coordinator at North Dakota State and later South Dakota, was hired by Macalester in an attempt to bring energy to the struggling program. In his two seasons he led Macalester to a much-improved 7-12 record while doubling the roster size.
"Glenn really did two things that stand out," Feezell said. "First, he changed the culture around football and injected some excitement into that program. Second, he upgraded recruiting. Our recruiting classes were deeper and we were getting towards that goal of having a larger roster."
Players, though, expressed discontent regarding Caruso's departure, some of which stemmed from a recent press conference at St. Thomas where Caruso implied that he knew he wanted to coach at St. Thomas when he read its mission statement nine months ago.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Andy Traisman
posted 2/01/08 @ 6:26 PM CST
Strange doings indeed. It sounds like it's as much the process as anything that leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Caruso also doesn't seem to offer a compelling reason for why he left. (Continued…)
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