Brandon Staley, the 38-year-old cancer survivor who raised the Rams' defense to No. 1 a year ago and now has the Chargers atop the AFC West as a rookie head coach, essentially began his coaching career 12 years ago while sitting in his car at a truck stop in Beloit, Wis.
He couldn't bring himself to cross back into Illinois because of something University of St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso had told him hours earlier during an interview for an opening to coach the Tommies' defensive line and special teams.
"Brandon was a longtime quarterback, an offensive guy who was working in administration as a graduate assistant on Jerry Kill's staff at Northern Illinois," Caruso said.