After 31 seasons as head coach of the Rams, Monte Cater, a 1971 graduate of Millikin University, announced his retirement on January 24, 2018. Cater was appointed the program’s 12th head coach on February 9, 1987 and served as Shepherd’s director of athletics from 1993-2004. Shepherd’s all-time winningest football coach, Cater boasts a 245-93-1 (.724) record in 31 seasons as head coach of the Rams, and an overall record of 276-116-2 (.703) in 37 years as a head coach.
Cater’s .703 winning percentage and 276 victories both rank among the top totals in the NCAA II coaching ranks among active coaches. He is ranked first among active NCAA coaches in victories and is the all-time leader in WVIAC coaching victories and also holds the all-time mark for WVIAC coaching titles with 13. His 245 wins at Shepherd are the most by any collegiate football coach at a college or university in West Virginia.
Cater wasted little time establishing himself as a winner at Shepherd as he led the Rams to a tie for the WVIAC title in 1988.
A 6-3-1 record in 1990 earned the Rams a second-place finish in the WVIAC and served as a prelude to a two-year run of domination through the conference. Cater led the 1991 team to an 8-3 record and the school’s first NAIA Playoff appearance since 1986. Although the Rams fell in the first round of the playoffs, they had established themselves as the team to beat in the WVIAC and finished the season ranked sixth nationally.
The 1992 season proved to be one of Cater’s best as head coach of the Rams as Shepherd compiled a 9-3 overall record, which included their second straight 7-0 mark in the WVIAC. The Rams won their first NAIA playoff game with a 6-3 win at playoff-nemesis Carson-Newman.
In 1997, Cater earned WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year honors leading the Rams to a 9-1 mark and a share of the WVIAC title. The Rams earned their first-ever NCAA Division II ranking, and set a new school record for scoring with 340 points.
In 1998, Cater again earned WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year honors in leading Shepherd a 10-2 mark as WVIAC champions. Shepherd made its first appearance in the NCAA II Playoffs and upset Indiana (PA), 9-6, in the first round.
Cater earned WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year honors for the third consecutive season in 1999 as the Shepherd posted a 9-2 mark and returned to the NCAA II Playoffs.
Cater’s 2000 squad posted a 7-3 mark. Dalevon Smith and James Rooths both earned First Team All-America honors for the Rams.
The Rams used a 6-0 start en route to an 8-2 record in 2001.
Cater led the Rams to a 7-3 mark in 2002. Shepherd finished just a win shy of the WVIAC title.
The Rams rebounded from a 0-3 start in 2004 with a 7-0 run in conference play to gain their eighth conference title under Cater.
Shepherd had one of its finest seasons ever in 2005 with a perfect 11-0 regular season mark before falling to C.W. Post in the NCAA II Playoffs. Cater was named WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year and also grabbed Coach-of-the-Year honors for 2005-06 from The Journal.
Shepherd posted back-to-back undefeated regular seasons as Cater’s 2006 team recorded a 10-0 record. The Rams proceeded to defeat Merrimack, 31-7, before dropping a 24-21 heartbreaker to Bloomsburg in the NCAA II Playoffs. The Rams finished eighth in the final AFCA NCAA II poll.
The 2007 Rams recorded a 10-2 overall mark and won its fourth consecutive WVIAC crown in the process. Cater’s squad also made its third straight postseason appearance. Cater gained WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year honors for a record ninth time and became the first active coach to be inducted into the Shepherd Athletic Hall of Fame.
Cater’s 2010 squad posted a 12-2 mark en route to winning the 12th WVIAC title during his tenure. The Rams won the NCAA II Super Region One title and advanced to the national semifinal game.
The Rams posted a 9-2 mark in 2011 and led NCAA II in total defense and scoring defense. Shepherd also ranked third in scoring offense.
Shepherd recorded an 8-3 overall mark in 2012. The Rams captured a record-setting 18th WVIAC title and made their second postseason appearance in the last three seasons.
The Rams recorded their third undefeated regular season under Cater and finished with an 11-1 mark in 2013.
Shepherd posted an 8-2 overall mark in 2014. The Rams led NCAA II in rushing defense for the fourth consecutive season.
Shepherd posted a record-setting 13-1 mark in 2015 and captured its second MEC title in the last three years. The Rams won their second Super Region One title and advanced to the national championship game. Cater earned MEC along with AFCA and Don Hansen's Football Gazette Region Coach of the Year accolades. He was also named MEC Men's Coach of the Year for 2015-16. The Rams ranked second in the final AFCA Poll and earned the NCAA II Lambert Award as the top team in Eastern college football for the first time. Cater also was named the Mickey Fufari Award winner as the state's college coach of the year by the West Virginia Sportswriters Association.
The Rams recorded a 13-1 record in 2016 with a 10-0 mark in conference play as the MEC Champions. Shepherd won its third Super Region One title and advanced to the national semifinals. The Rams were ranked third in the final AFCA Poll and won the NCAA II Lambert Award for the second consecutive season.
Shepherd posted a 10-1 mark in 2017 and gained the MEC title with a 10-0 record. Cater earned MEC Coach of the Year honors as he garnered conference Coach of the Year honors for the 13th time in his tenure at Shepherd. The Rams posted their third consecutive undefeated regular season and made their third straight NCAA II postseason appearance. Shepherd had its highest regular season ranking in the AFCA poll when the Rams were ranked second for six consecutive weeks in 2017. Shepherd finished 14th in the final AFCA rankings.
Prior to coming to Shepherd, Cater was the primary architect in reviving the Lakeland College program in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In six seasons as the head coach at Lakeland, Cater transformed the program into a winner as the team won three conference titles in his last four seasons, while he garnered Coach-of-the-Year honors twice.
Cater began his collegiate coaching career as an offensive line coach at his alma mater, where he would also serve as co-offensive coordinator. During his stay at Millikin, the Big Blue posted a record of 28-8.
Cater recently served as a member of the NCAA Division II Football Committee with a stint as the regional chair. A member of the AFCA Board of Coaches which conducts the NCAA II Football Poll, Cater earned his B.A. in physical education from Millikin in 1971, before moving to SIU-Carbondale, where he earned his master’s in physical education as well.
Cater and his wife, Bonnie, reside in nearby Martinsburg, with their daughter, Taylor, and son, Logan.
The Cater Era at Shepherd University
Year School Record Notes
1987 Shepherd.................... 4-6-0 T-4th/WVIAC
1988 Shepherd................... 6-4-0 WVIAC Champions
1989 Shepherd.................... 3-7-0 T-5th/WVIAC
1990 Shepherd.................... 6-3-1 2nd/WVIAC
1991 Shepherd................... 8-3-0 WVIAC Champions
1992 Shepherd................... 9-3-0 WVIAC Champions
1993 Shepherd.................... 5-5-0 T-2nd/WVIAC
1994 Shepherd................... 6-4-0 WVIAC Co-Champions
1995 Shepherd.................... 3-7-0 5th/WVIAC
1996 Shepherd.................... 7-3-0 3rd/WVIAC
1997 Shepherd................... 9-1-0 WVIAC Co-Champions
1998 Shepherd................. 10-2-0 WVIAC Champions
1999 Shepherd................... 9-2-0 WVIAC Champions
2000 Shepherd.................... 7-3-0 3rd/WVIAC
2001 Shepherd.................... 8-2-0 T-2nd/WVIAC
2002 Shepherd.................... 7-3-0 T-2nd/WVIAC
2003 Shepherd.................... 4-6-0 T-2nd/ WVIAC
2004 Shepherd................... 7-3-0 WVIAC Champions
2005 Shepherd................. 11-1-0 WVIAC Champions
2006 Shepherd................. 11-1-0 WVIAC Champions
2007 Shepherd................. 10-2-0 WVIAC Champions
2008 Shepherd.................... 5-5-0 6th/WVIAC
2009 Shepherd.................... 6-4-0 4th/WVIAC
2010 Shepherd................. 12-2-0 WVIAC Champions/Super Region One Champs
2011 Shepherd.................... 9-2-0 T-2nd/WVIAC
2012 Shepherd................... 8-3-0 WVIAC Champions
2013 Shepherd................. 11-1-0 MEC Champions
2014 Shepherd.................... 8-2-0 2nd/MEC
2015 Shepherd................. 13-1-0 MEC Champion/Super Region One Champions/National Runner-up
2016 Shepherd................. 13-1-0 MEC Champions/Super Region One Champions
2017 Shepherd................. 10-1-0 MEC Champions
Record at Shepherd:..................... 245-93-1 (.724) (31 years)
MEC Record:...................................... 48-2 (.960) (5 years)
WVIAC Record:........................... 135-42-1 (.761) (26 years)
Overall WVIAC Championships:...................................... 13
Overall MEC Championships:........................................... 4
WVIAC-MEC Coach-of-the-Year Honors:......................... 13
(1991, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017)
