April 9, 2012
USD head football coach Ron Caragher and former Torero tennis standout David Stewart will enter the Bellarmine College Prepartory Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, April 13th. Both honorees were 1985 graduates of Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, California, and will be joined in this year's induction class by legendary baseball coach Gary Cunningham and the 1990 CCS Champion track team.
"It is a privilege and honor to be selected to the Bellarmine College Preparatory Athletic Hall of Fame," said USD head football coach Ron Caragher. "I have fond memories of my experience at Bellarmine and feel fortunate to have learned from so many outstanding coaches and teachers, many of whom helped influence my coaching philosophy today. I was also blessed to have competed alongside so many outstanding teammates. These people were all pivotal in helping me grow into who I am today."
The 42nd Annual Bellarmine Athletic Hall of Fame will be held in the Samuel A. Liccardo Center. For more information, contact Diane Seadler at 408-537-9215 or dseadler@bcp.org.
Ron Caragher '85 - Current USD Head Football Coach
Ron Caragher earned an impressive 7 varsity letters in his time at Bellarmine including 3 in football and 2 in basketball and track. An outstanding athlete, Caragher set himself apart in his mastery on the football gridiron where he led the 1984 Bells to the CCS Championship game. During his memorable senior season, he threw for 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns while guiding the Bells to a 12-1 record. He would earn WCAL Offensive Back of the Year honors while also being named the WCAL's First-Team QB and Second-Team All CCS accolades. He also was a key member of Bellarmine's basketball squad before heading out to the track, where he made the CCS Regional Finals in the hurdles and eventually won the Billy Schmidt Award in Track. He earned a football scholarship to UCLA and was part of four consecutive bowl winning teams under head coach Terry Donahue. Following his collegiate career, Caragher moved into the coaching ranks where he has worked as an assistant at UCLA and Kentucky before being named the head coach at the University of San Diego. At USD, he continues his Bellarmine education of "men for others" by connecting the football program with the Autism Tree Project Foundation as the Torero football program has been active in autism advocacy in San Diego, mentoring ATPF kids, inviting ATPF families to Toreros events, and raising awareness in the community. This past season he was named the Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year after guiding the Toreros to a 9-2 overall mark and 7-1 PFL record. He owns a five-year record of 36-19.
DAVID STEWART '85 - USD Men's Tennis (1986-89)
David Stewart is one of the best to ever don the Bellarmine tennis uniform as he was a four-year letterwinner who spent a majority of his time at the No. 1 singles position. He helped guide the Bells to four consecutive WCAL titles and CCS championships in his first two seasons. He also led the Bells to the 1984 CCS Championship match. Stewart became only the 3rd player in WCAL history to win two league singles championships and the second to earn back-to back WCAL titles when he won in 1984 and 1985. He became the first Bellarmine tennis player to win a CCS Singles Championship winning in 1985. He also finished his career with a CCS Doubles title earned in 1983. As a senior, he finished the year ranked No. 2 in Northern California and No. 20 in the United States. He would go on to compete at the University of San Diego (1986-89) where he currently holds the school record for career doubles victories at 67, and the single season mark of 28 in 1987. He was the West Coast Conference Doubles Champion in 1988 and 1989 and was instrumental in the Toreros winning the 1989 WCC Championship. In his senior year at USD, the Toreros finished the season ranked No. 16 in the country and competed in the NCAA Tournament. He would finish his career ranked No. 30 in Doubles.
