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For Immediate Release 16 January 2002
Southwest
Baptist’s Head Football Coach Ray Richards announced
the resignation of assistant football coach Ray Caldwell.
Caldwell, who has been at SBU for five seasons, has resigned
to become the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach
at Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss.
“Ray is an an excellent football coach and he will be
truly missed,” Richards said. “The players love
him, he is a young, smart coach and he has a bright future
ahead of him. He is going to be hard to replace.”
Caldwell coached the offensive line that allowed only three
sacks for a loss of eight yards in 2001. In his tenure, several
linemen have received all-conference honors, including two
named honorable mention Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics
Association this past season.
Caldwell spent three weeks in the summer of 2002 to help coach
at the Pittsburg Steelers’ training camp as part of the
National Football League’s Coaching Fellowship program.
Caldwell was chosen by the Steelers where he worked with the
running backs, including Jerome Bettis and Amos Zereoue. Caldwell
also worked with the rookies and was seen as a coach on the
field by the pros.
“It was great to get to work with those guys,” Caldwell
said. “They saw me as a coach and they’d come up
and ask me questions. The experience helped me to see how
different football is at a new level.”
As part of the internship program, Caldwell gained NFL playbook
access, sit in the coaches meetings, sit in personnel meetings
with the scouts and received clothing and memorabilia. Perhaps
the best memorabilia he received was not things he could put
on his shelves, but that which he learned in the process.
“The total organization of training camp and the NFL
is impressive,” Caldwell said. “Everything was first
class from eating in the dining hall to the field to the film
room. When we got to the film room, the film was already cut
and placed in order for us to view. I saw how big business
operates and I believe the overall program is great because
it opens the possibilities for coaches. I learned a lot of
things which I can implement into my coaching. Just being
in the professional environment was high-tempo and high-intensity.”
In addition to coaching the line, Caldwell had also previously
coached the backs and was the offensive coordinator in 1999.
“Ray has been a huge part of the success of our football
team the last two seasons and he has helped to build the foundation
for Bearcat football over the last five years,” said
SBU Athetics Director Jim Middleton. “Personally, we
are going to miss him a lot. He is a great inspiration and
a very positive and vibrant person. This is an opportunity
he has agonized over, but with him starting a family now,
this gets him closer to home. For him to look at the situation
in that light, it speaks volumes for him and his character.”
Before joining the SBU staff, Caldwell coached for four seasons
at Middle Georgia College. He graduated in 1994 from Olivet
Nazarene University with a bachelor’s degree in speech
communications.
He received his master’s degree in educational administration
from SBU in 2001.
While playing college football, Caldwell was twice named NAIA
All-American at running back.
Caldwell also served SBU as football’s strength and conditioning
coach.
“It was a hard place to come to at first, and now it
is a hard place to leave,” Caldwell said. “I have
prayed with my family, and to move to Jackson is just a better
move for our family. The relationship with people here is
going to be dearly missed, its the best thing about SBU.”
He and his wife, Aleisha, have been married for three years
and have a six-week-old daughter, Olivia.
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