Entering his 27th season as head coach of the Rams is Monte Cater, a 1971 graduate of Millikin University. 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 190-87-1 (.685) record in 26 seasons as head coach of the Rams, and an overall record of 221-110-2 (.667) in 32 years as a head coach.
Cater’s .667 winning percentage and 221 victories both rank among the top totals in the NCAA II coaching ranks among active coaches. He is the all-time leader in WVIAC coaching victories with his 190-87-1 mark at Shepherd and also holds the all-time mark for WVIAC coaching titles with 13. His 190 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.
The 1990 season was Cater’s first with a senior class that he recruited and the
results were visible in the win-loss column.
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 1992 post-season brought another chapter to the rich history of Ram football as they won their first-ever 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 record-setting 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 a 8-3 overall mark and led NCAA II in rushing defense in 2012. The Rams captured a record-setting 18th WVIAC title and made their second postseason appearance in the last three seasons.
Prior to coming to Shepherd, Cater was the primary architect in reviving the Lakeland College program in Sheboygan, WI. 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. He has also served as the head coach at Assumption High School (Assumption, IL) and as an assistant coach at both Sparta and Mater Dei High Schools in Illinois before moving up to the college ranks.
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.
