Unlikely interview set Brandon Staley on journey from St. Thomas to head coach of the Chargers

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. "I think he was wondering, 'Why does this guy have me up in St. Paul interviewing for a defensive job?'

"But I liked him right away. I said to him, 'I'm going to offer you the job, and I think you're going to call me before you get to the Illinois state line, and I think you're going to accept it.' "

It was early 2009. Staley, born Dec. 10, 1982, in Perry, Ohio, was 26. He was two years removed from beating Hodgkin's lymphoma with chemo treatments at the Cleveland Clinic. And he was closing in on asking his girlfriend, Amy, to marry him.

"I pulled over because I had to make sure it was OK with my future wife," Staley said last week when asked about his fateful pit stop along I-90 West. "I knew Amy was probably going to have to stay back in Chicago while I took that job in St. Paul. I wanted to make sure we were a team that could make it happen.

"Also," he added, "I didn't want to waste time and have Glenn take the offer away from me. Meeting him, I knew he operates fast."

Staley got the job and spent the 2009 season in St. Paul helping Caruso continue turning the Tommies from the 2-8 team he inherited in 2008 to 11-2 and Division III regional finalists two seasons later.

From there, Staley's whirlwind race to the top of his profession included stints as associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College (2010-11); graduate assistant at Tennessee (2012); defensive coordinator and secondary coach at John Carroll University in Ohio (2013, '15-16); defensive coordinator and secondary coach at James Madison (2014); outside linebackers coach with the Bears (2017-18); outside linebackers coach with the Broncos (2019); defensive coordinator with the Rams (2020); and head coach of a Chargers team that's 5-3 and plays host to the Vikings (3-5) at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

Sleeping in a car in Mobile

Staley played quarterback at Perry High School, the University of Dayton and Mercyhurst (Pa.) University. His graduate assistant stint at Northern Illinois started in 2006, two years before Kill's staff arrived from Southern Illinois.

"I think he was video coordinator when we got there," said Tom Matukewicz, who was Kill's linebackers coach and is now the Southeast Missouri State head coach. "In the transition, I basically fell in love with the guy and took him under my wing. There wasn't a lot of on-field coaching for him, but he was kind of my right-hand man."

So how in fact did the young administrative assistant and former quarterback end up interviewing for D-Line and special teams coach?

Well, it all started when Matukewicz and Caruso's defensive coordinator, Wallie Kuchinski, met and hit it off at a coaching clinic.

"Tom Matukewicz became a guy I really trust," Caruso said. "He called me out of the blue."

Staley says that call eventually changed the trajectory of his career, challenging him to grow and become a more well-rounded coach who learned to see the game not just from a former quarterback's perspective.

But first Caruso had to be convinced to grant the interview request in the first place.

"I came at it pretty strong in that call to Glenn," Matukewicz said. "I said, 'Hey, just do me this favor. Interview him. And if you don't hire him, I'll pay for the interview.'"

Matukewicz laughs when he hears people call Staley "an overnight sensation" after the Rams led the NFL in yards allowed (281.9) and points allowed (18.5) last year.

"I was there when he went to the Senior Bowl and slept in his car because he didn't have any money for a hotel," Matukewicz said. "My wife and I gave him gas money, but we didn't have money for a hotel.

"Brandon and Amy made a lot of sacrifices. Brandon isn't a silver spoon. He's made it because he's worked his butt off and he's great at leading and teaching football."

Cancer survivors bond

Staley and twin brother, Jason, grew up in a home where teaching and football were intertwined. Bruce, the dad, coached football. Linda, the mom, was a teacher.

Cancer first struck the home when Bruce was diagnosed while the twins were in grade school. A few years later, Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Bruce survived. Linda lost her nine-year battle when Brandon was at the University of Dayton. Three years later, Brandon, then 24, received his diagnosis.

"When Tom called me about Brandon, he said, 'This young man has gone through a ton of struggles in his life, and he's overcome them all,' " Caruso said. "He's tough. The year Brandon was here, we're getting ready for our first playoff game. We're sitting around talking about this very good opponent and their very fancy schemes and plays and all that.

"At the end of the meeting, I ask if anyone has anything to add. Brandon stands up with his clipboard in his hand and says, 'I heard a lot about schemes tonight, but no one said this team is tougher than we are. Let's go win.' And we did."

Staley looked back on that season last week and credited Caruso and St. Thomas with giving him a solid foundation he still leans on.

"Glenn is the total package," Staley said. "All you have to do is look at what's happened there since he arrived. That year allowed me to see up close what a real head coach should look like. I have so much respect for those guys. St. Thomas has a blueprint that I really believe in."

Staley stays in touch with Caruso and others at St. Thomas. Last year, Caruso and his wife, Rachael, went to Tampa to watch Staley's defense beat Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

There's another side to Staley's relationship with the Carusos, one that had Glenn choking up.

"In 2017, we're getting ready for the playoffs and Rachael goes in for a routine checkup and we find out that she has Stage 3 colorectal cancer," Caruso said. "Brandon would pray for Rachael daily. Brandon would text Rachael, and it's not like he didn't have other things going on because he's coaching in the NFL.

"If he knew she was going in for chemo, he would just send a note and say, 'Hey, I'm thinking about you. I love you. I'm with you.' If there was a surgery, I swear he would be the first one to be calling after the surgery as I'm sitting there in the waiting room."

Staley heard those words and said, "From my experience, I just know that you can't do it alone. … Those guys are amazing people. They just mean a lot to me."

To this day, that interview with Staley back in 2009 has stuck with Caruso.

"Nowadays, when I want to strongly recommend someone for a job, I think back to Tom Matukewicz calling me about Brandon," Caruso said. "I pick up the phone and say, 'Just bring him in and if you don't hire him, I'll pay for the interview.' That sure worked with Brandon."