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After
spending the first 11 years as the offensive
line coach for the Falcons, Tom Caines is in
his third year as the team’s defensive
coordinator. In his 11 years as the
offensive line coach, Caines did a
phenomenal job with the offensive linemen.
In his last eight seasons, 19 of the 26
sophomore offensive linemen earned Division
I scholarships. All in all, he sent 36
linemen on, with 20 of them going to
Division I schools. Caines came to Cerritos
College with plenty of community college
experience, after serving as the head coach
at Hacienda Heights Wilson High School for
two seasons. He spent three years as an
assistant coach at Mt. San Antonio College,
where he handled the inside linebacker
duties, and even produced an All-American.
In 1996, he led Wilson High to the league
championship, as well as the CIF
Championship and a 14-0 record. He began his
coaching career at Bishop Amat High School,
where he spent three seasons as their
defensive line coach.
Caines was an acclaimed football player,
graduating from Damien High School where he
was a two-way starter at linebacker and
tight end on their 1982 CIF Championship
team and earned All-CIF honors as a senior.
He then attended Taft Junior College and
earned 2nd Team All-State honors
as the Cougars won the 1984 National
Championship. Caines then received a
scholarship to Long Beach State and led the
49'ers in tackles and was their captain. In
his senior season (1988), he earned 2nd
Team All-Pacific Coast Athletic Association
honors. The following year, he signed a free
agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
Caines graduated from Cal State Long Beach
in 1989 with a degree in Physical Education
and went on to earn his Master’s degree in
Education from Azusa Pacific University in
1995.
During his coaching career, Caines has
produced several very good players at both
the high school and community college level,
including former Falcon offensive lineman
Tupe Peko, who was drafted by the New York
Jets and spent six years in the NFL and
Anthony Guerrero, who was a starting guard
for the Florida Gators and is now on the
Falcon coaching staff.
Tom and his wife of 20 years Stacy, reside
in La Habra and have three children – Justin
(16), Dillan (11) and Bobby (10). |
