Football Is A Family Affair for Vandy Coach

Football Is A Family Affair for Vandy Coach

8/9/2006

By C.A. Fosnes
Vanderbilt Media Relations

Coaching Vanderbilt football has become a family affair for the Cains. Matt Cain joined his father, Ted, Vanderbilt’s offensive coordinator, on the staff in 2005 just prior to the start of the season.

Only a handful of NCAA Division I football programs feature a father and son on the staff, but some of the most notable include Steve Spurrier and Steve Spurrier Jr. at Southeastern Conference rival South Carolina, as well as Al and Mike Groh at Virginia and Hal and Matt Mumme at New Mexico State.

Matt, 23, is a graduate assistant coach for the football team working primarily with the Vanderbilt offense, specifically the wide receivers. Although last year was his first on the coaching staff, Matt already had some experience prowling the sidelines with his father.
 
As a youngster, Matt would be in charge of carrying his dad’s headset cord during his tenure as offensive coordinator at North Carolina State.
 
“Matt always enjoyed being down on the sidelines, or up in the coaches’ box with me when he was little. I think that’s where his love for the game grew. He did whatever he could to help out. Sometimes, though, he would try to hide in the locker room to listen to the guys telling stories,” Ted Cain said.

Football wasn’t the only sport Matt was interested in growing up. He was also a standout high school baseball player, opting to forego an opportunity to play at the Naval Academy for the chance to play football at Furman. He also made an appearance in the Junior Olympics as a swimmer.
 
The elder Cain started his career at Furman in 1977 as the outside linebackers coach. His success there transitioned him into a ten-year career at North Carolina State, where he coached with Robbie Caldwell and Jimmy Kiser, also current Vanderbilt coaches.

After a brief stint as the head coach at Virginia Military Institute, Cain returned to Furman and joined Bobby Johnson. Cain’s last year at Furman in 2001 was a special one as he had the opportunity to coach his son, a freshman walk-on that year.

“Playing for dad was nothing too unusual, because he had been my coach when I was younger. Still, it was a great opportunity to get a chance to play for him on the college level,” Matt said.

Ted Cain equally enjoyed the experience at Furman noting that, “Matt would always give it everything he had. He was a hard worker, and a great kid to coach. The fact that he’s my son just makes it all the more special.”

Matt’s duties as a part of the Vanderbilt coaching staff include film preparation, scouting reports, and coaching the scout team defense.

“The week of practice for the Michigan game this year, we’ll be working on scouting Alabama the next week. That way, as soon as the game is over, the guys will be able to start preparing for the next game,” Matt said.
Matt’s other role on the coaching staff pits father against son during the week of practice.

“My job with the scout team is to basically teach them to imitate the opposing defenses as much as possible. After scouting a team, we try to utilize a lot of the same schemes they use. We do our best to have a defense out there that will help the first team offense prepare.”

Ted Cain spoke proudly of his son’s work ethic and the positive strides he’s made as a coach. He also commented on how he has seen the art of coaching change through his career.

“The X’s and O’s of the game have changed, especially the complex schemes that teams use today. The formations used today are more specialized than in the past, making the job of scouting a little more complicated. Matt’s done really well with it, and is improving as a coach everyday.”

While learning to be a coach, Matt is working on his master’s degree in secondary education at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College with a graduation date set for 2007. The combination of coaching and schooling at the same time has proven time-consuming, but Matt hopes that he can parlay his education and experiences at Vanderbilt into a coaching position in college football, working at the division I-A or I-AA level.

But for now, Matt feels lucky to have the opportunity to learn the business of coaching from his No. 1 fan. And after 15 years, the Cains can once again prowl the sidelines together.