You’ve been at Southern since 1982. Has your approach to coaching changed?
CAVANAUGH: Technology has changed the game a lot. When I first started coaching, we would
What’s one thing you won’t miss about coaching?
CAVANAUGH: One of the things I’m not going to miss is recruiting. Recruiting is the lifeblood of
What will you miss?
CAVANAUGH: Teaching. The competition. The people. Those would probably be the three areas
just film the game. Now with the internet and everything being videoed, it’s that much easier to get information about how other teams do things. You can learn a lot more and share it with your players. As a coach, you have to be willing to embrace change. Whatever new technology is in place . . . whatever new aspect of the game is in vogue . . . you better learn about it, and you better learn how to either defend against it or use it to your advantage. The game is constantly evolving, but certain things are still the same. You have to block and tackle. You have to be disciplined, work hard, and be competitive. You have to be intelligent. You have to have poise. There are a lot of things that haven’t changed, but I really think technology has influenced how we do things and how we approach things.
your program. It is also very taxing. It can wear you out and, again, the technology we have today, at times, almost muddies the water. In some ways, it can give you a much clearer picture of the type of person you are recruiting. In some ways, they can paint a picture of themselves that may be significantly better than they really are . . . You have to be very careful with that.
that I’m going to miss most . . . the day-to-day interaction with the people at Southern Connecticut. You end up dealing with so many agencies as a coach. You work with the people from Admissions . . . Financial Aid . . . the Registrar’s office. You work with the professors . . . with Food Service. You work with your entire academic supportive staff, the athletic supportive staff, and the athletic administration. . . . There are so many people who are behind the scenes at Southern, who probably never get the credit that they deserve. They make it all come together. They make it happen.
Describe your job as a coach in one sentence?
CAVANAUGH: My job as a coach is to make young men
grow up before they want to.
Can you explain?
CAVANAUGH: I think sometimes they fight you . . .
based on how they think things are. I always felt that the sooner I could get them to think about what was really important, the better off they would be.
You’ve received numerous honors throughout your career, including the Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year Award in 2008. In January, you received the Lifetime Contribution Award from the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston. What was it like to learn you were receiving this award? 22 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE
CAVANAUGH: I was really surprised to be quite honest
with you. But it was a great honor and, again, it is really because of the people who are here.
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