Caldwell, Wife Cheryl, Will be Involved in Indianapolis Community
INDIANAPOLIS – Jim Caldwell knows the imance of community.
He said he knows the importance of contributing to the community as the new head coach of the Colts, and he said he and his wife, Cheryl, will be involved in Indianapolis on a level that extends beyond Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Community, Caldwell said, is a key part of coaching the Colts.
And it's crucial to he and Cheryl as well.
"My wife and I have been talking about it for a while and we're going to pray about it for a little bit and kind of see what suits us as a family and make our decision accordingly," Caldwell said on Tuesday during his introductory press conference.
"There are some charitable organizations that I've been a part of already like All-Pro Dad, things that I will continue. At some point in time the others we'll designate. We understand the importance within our organization of our community involvement and we'll continue that."
Colts Owner and Chief Executive Officer Jim Irsay said the role of the head coach in community efforts is critical, and one Caldwell will handle well.
"It's also important for him to have an impact in the community," Irsay said. "He's that sort of individual as well, where as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and this city and state, I know he'll represent us in a tremendous way in the community, getting involved in certain things that he has passion in and he's motivated to get involved in.
"I know he's the complete package when it comes to that."
Cheryl, with whom Caldwell has four children, said the Colts' new head coach is a product of "who raised him, his parents."
"I think that's where he got his foundation as to how to treat people, how to do things the right way," she said Tuesday. "His parents were great examples. I saw that in him even at a young age. That may be one thing that attracted me to him at such an early age.
"Jim's going to make sure things are done the right way."
Caldwell, who grew up in Beloit, Wis., said during his opening statements Monday that having known his wife since he was 15, "she probably knows me better than anyone else around except for my parents.
"She loves the game of football, has been part of it, has been a great support to me and certainly allowed me to perfect my craft, took care of our children and directed them while I was off either chasing recruits or working in the office studying film during those early days," he said.
Cheryl said being an NFL head coach won't change her husband, and being the wife of an NFL head coach won't change her, either.
"We've gotten a lot of phone calls from people, good friends of ours," she said. "They know us. They know we won't change. It's not like all of a sudden, because he's the head coach, we'll forget about our roots and where we came from. If it weren't for those people, we wouldn't be where we're at today."
Said Caldwell, "From her vantagepoint, when she says, 'Life doesn't change,' she's always kind of been accustomed to the rigors of this sport. She kind of puts those things in perspective."
And Caldwell said it's unlikely their lives won't change at all.
"It does change a bit," said Caldwell, the head coach at Wake Forest from 1993-2000. "It changes in terms of exposure. We've been through it one time. When we were in Winston-Salem, it was kind of difficult to go out and have dinner without someone coming up to you and talking about the game and things of that nature. That's going to be a bit different.
"We'll have to get readjusted to that, but that's the fun part of it, too. We love the interaction with the fans and the community. We try to keep things relatively simple other than that. We try to live modestly. We try to conduct our lives in a way in which there's not a whole lot of change. We are family first in terms of dealing with our children. Although they're in North Carolina, they're still a big part of our lives.
He added with a laugh, "Cheryl talks to them about five times a day, so that keeps her busy."
Cheryl said while the Colts may not have a head coach with NFL head-coaching experience, they do have one who has been preparing for such an opportunity.
"He interviewed for six head jobs," she said. "He could not have gone in there not prepared. He was really, really prepared for those interviews. Why he didn't get them? I just think this was our plan. This was the plan that was for us. Jim crosses every 'T,' dots every 'I,' and leaves no stone unturned.
"You have to. When you work for an organization like this one, when you coach a player like (Colts quarterback) Peyton Manning, you can't come up short. You really can't."
