Tag: Monte Cater

Shepherd's Longtime Head Football Coach Announces Retirement

Monte Cater is retiring as Shepherd University’s head football coach after 31 seasons. Shepherd became an NCAA Division II school in the mid-90s, not long after Cater began his career at the school in 1987.

“It’s been very, very rewarding, and we’ve had some success,” Cater noted.

That success includes 245 wins, 93 losses, and one tie. Cater led the Shepherd Rams to 17 conference titles and 13 postseason appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 2015. His teams had six undefeated regular seasons.

Cater attributes that success to the quality of his staff and students, but also to continuity when recruiting players.

“You go into those high schools, they’re used to seeing that familiar face, and if they’ve sent you players before, they trust ya; that continuity has made a big difference, and you get a tradition going, and players come here because we’ve had a chance to be in the hunt most years,” he said.

Cater is the all-time winningest coach in West Virginia Conference and Mountain East Conference history.

Longtime assistant coach Ernie McCook has been named Cater’s replacement. Cater says McCook has been at Shepherd for 18 years and will do well as head football coach.

Shepherd Picked to Repeat in Mountain East

College Football doesn’t just happen in Huntington or Morgantown on fall Saturday’s in the state. It’s happening in the Mountain East Conference.

The Shepherd Rams were picked by league coaches to repeat as conference champs for the upcoming season in just the second season of the Mountain East Conference. Shepherd collected 95 points in the preseason poll and was picked to finish first on seven different coaches ballots in the 12-team conference. Concord was picked to finish second and collected three first-place votes and the University of Charleston was third, receiving two first place votes.

Shepherd Head Coach Monte Cater didn’t expect the preseason pick of number one.

“I’m shocked we’re picked to finished first because of the losses that we have, but we like the idea of that challenge and I know our guys have worked very very hard,” Cater said. “We have some great leadership on this football team and we’re excited about what we have to face here in a few weeks as far as that first football game up at West Liberty.”

Credit Shepherd University
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Shepherd hopes to repeat as MEC champs.

Despite the losses, Shepherd returns seven starters on offense and five on defense from the team that captured the MEC championship. Shepherd didn’t lose a game in the conference before advancing to the quarterfinals in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. They finished 11-1 on the year.

Credit Shepherd University
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Shepherd prepares for 2014 football season.

Glenville State was picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll. Four of their five losses last season came by seven points or less on the way to a 6-5 record.  Glenville State Head Coach David Hutchison hopes the preseason pick of 4th is a little low.

“How will be, ranked fourth that might be right or might be wrong, we’re hoping higher than that, obviously our goals are higher than that, but how fast we can come together and become a team and family and all those things is what’s going to dictate that by the end of the season,” Hutchison said.

The conference schedule kicks off September 4th with Notre Dame traveling to Fairmont to take on Fairmont State.  

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