Ricky Rahne Writes a Love Letter to Family, Football and Penn State
Former Penn State offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne admits he doesn't handle loss well. Nor does he celebrate winning properly. But COVID-19, which will prevent Rahne from taking the field this fall as a first-year head coach at Old Dominion, has given him some perspective.
"If I do my job well, these young men will always refer to me as coach," Rahne wrote in a personal Twitter post this week. "... If I do my job well, my mailbox should be filled with wedding invites, baby announcements and family Christmas cards. If I do my job well, the experiences in our program should encourage others to pick up this wonderful life choice of coaching."
Old Dominion recently canceled its fall sports seasons, preventing Rahne from taking the sideline as a college head coach for the first time. Rahne has conducted a Penn State family reunion in Norfolk, Va., bringing in several coaches, staff members and former players. Ricky Slade, a former Penn State running back, transferred to Old Dominion in June.
It's no surprise why. Rahne spent six years on Penn State's staff, the last two as offensive coordinator, and a decade with Penn State head coach James Franklin at various stops. He saw how Franklin scouts and develops coaching talent and then built his first staff around some of those guys.
Little wonder, too, that Rahne's three-page letter carried such a Penn State tone. Rahne referenced Franklin, strength coach Dwight Galt and players such as Trace McSorley and Jason Cabinda as being important to him and his family.
"While anyone reading this may think that it is sad how football has affected my family, those people have clearly never been a football coach," Rahne wrote. "My sons are blessed enough to have their heroes come over for dinner. Through the glasses of my son Jake, [former Penn State linebacker] Jason Cabinda will forever be the best LB in history and [son] Ryder defies any person to tell them that [tight ends] Mike Gesicki & Pat Freiermuth are not the best red zone threats in the history of football.
"... When Trace McSorley played his last game in Beaver Stadium, my son was blessed enough to walk the field with him. (That 3 minutes still brings tears to my eyes.) My sons have seen the sun set over the Rose Bowl. They have been shook by the pure adrenaline that is a White Out in Beaver Stadium. They have been on the field with confetti falling down around them in Indianapolis [after the 2016 Big Ten title game]. These are moments that most people would give anything to experience .. and my sons were able to live it all within the matter of months in 2016."
Rahne deserved a better start to his head-coaching career. He'll be successful on the field when football resumes. And he's clearly setting the proper tone at Old Dominion off it.
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