01-24-2013, 06:05 PM
In my extended family is a career football coach, Rick Christophel. He followed the well-trodden path: player (QB), grad assistant, assistant coach sequentially at So. Arkansas, Cincinnatti, Rice, Vanderbilt, Miss. St., Univ. Alabama Birmingham. Got to be a family inside joke wondering what college gear would show up at family functions. Finally got his chance to be a head coach at Austin Peay in the Ohio Valley Conference. That's been a tough slog. In six years he's 20-46 but enjoys the support of the administration because of how he runs his program.
The news today is he is headed for the NFL as TE coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Turns out that when Bruce Arians was Offensive Coordinator at Mississippi St. Rick was his WR coach. Arians told him that if he ever made it to be an NFL head coach, he'd bring Rick with him. Not surprising. That's the kind of solid guy that Rick is. But, that was 1994. Arians went on to seven pro assistant coaching positions, and one stint at Alabama in the meantime. And two days ago, Arians called offering Rick a job.
The story making the family rounds: Rick didn't even think that Arians would remember him. Still, he took the job.
The news today is he is headed for the NFL as TE coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Turns out that when Bruce Arians was Offensive Coordinator at Mississippi St. Rick was his WR coach. Arians told him that if he ever made it to be an NFL head coach, he'd bring Rick with him. Not surprising. That's the kind of solid guy that Rick is. But, that was 1994. Arians went on to seven pro assistant coaching positions, and one stint at Alabama in the meantime. And two days ago, Arians called offering Rick a job.
The story making the family rounds: Rick didn't even think that Arians would remember him. Still, he took the job.