Former Michigan star, NFL champion Cato June joins BGSU staff

Apr. 10—BOWLING GREEN — Cato June brings an NFL pedigree to the Bowling Green coaching staff, and the former Super Bowl champion linebacker hopes to grow in his coaching career along with his young Falcon players.

June, a former standout safety at the University of Michigan, was hired last month as BG's outside linebackers coach and defensive run-game coordinator. June's six-year NFL career included an All-Pro selection in 2006 as well as a Super Bowl title with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.

His pro football credentials and Big Ten background bring instant credibility.

"I would like to think so," June said. "But that's just an ice breaker. When they hear me speak and teach, they respect the way I go about it and carry myself. To me, it's more about what they can extract from me.

"It doesn't hurt that they know you've been in their shoes. I want to be a conduit for each guy where you can pour your experience into them so that they can become better."

The young Falcons are coming off a forgettable 0-5 season and entered spring practice with 70 freshmen or redshirt freshmen on the roster.

June, 41, said the players have been very responsive.

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"They don't care how much you know, it's how much you care about them," he said. "They want to know you have their best interest at hand and, if you can get them to buy into that, they will do anything for you."

June, who comes to BG after a stint on the coaching staff at the University of Massachusetts, was a free safety as Michigan from 1998-2002. The Wolverines won 47 games during his time in Ann Arbor, and he earned All-Big Ten honorable mention as a senior in 2002.

BGSU head coach Scot Loeffler was a graduate assistant at Michigan under coach Loyd Carr when June was a freshman and sophomore.

"He was a really, really good football player and a really good student who did things the right way," Loeffler said. "He's a tremendous teacher. He's a tremendous recruiter. He can relate to our players like no other, and it was a no-brainer hire for us."

June had an instant connection and familiarity with the BG coaching staff because of those Michigan connections.

Bowling Green's passing coordinator Erik Campbell, who was a wide receivers coach at UM from 1995-2007, recruited June out of high school. BG's offensive coordinator Terry Malone, associate head coach Steve Morrison, and strength coach Kevin Tolbert also were on the Michigan staff at the time.

"I'm walking into a place where there are a lot of familiar faces, and that brings a level of comfort," he said. "We're all kind of cut from the same cloth in terms of ideology and philosophy."

June, who was a sixth-round pick in the 2003 NFL draft by the Colts, said he had to make two significant position changes in his career. He moved from cornerback in high school to safety in college. June then shifted to linebacker in the NFL.

"Those positions are totally different. There are some challenges. It was a lot. It's always the next hurdle or next step, and you have to execute to get through it," he said.

He played in 89 NFL games with the Colts (2003-06), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007-08), and Chicago Bears (2009).

"I had some great times and met some great people [in the NFL]," June said. "I accomplished some goals I set out to do when I was a little kid. And when it comes to fruition, you're blessed and I had a lot of favor from God. I was able to accomplish a lot and that was awesome.

"But I always say the next year is going to be the greatest year. Now I want things to be awesome in a different way. Those don't have to be the best days of your life. You can have better days."

Loeffler said his players can relate to June extremely well.

"He's walked the walk. He's right in between my age and the kids' ages," Loeffler said. "So it's a perfect age. They have respect because he's done it all before."

Michigan men

June said he plans to use his time as a college player at Michigan to relate to his BG players.

"It's how you operate and what's important to you and how you approach adversity," he said. "All that is built in the weight room and through college experiences."

Loeffler said during the Carr era at Michigan the staff was taught the same things.

"We did things the right way. We won. We graduated guys. We went to championship games. We all believe in how you do business the right way," Loeffler said. "That was passed from Bo Schembechler to coach [Gary] Moeller to coach Carr.

"We all grew up in that type of environment. When you look at that era, Michigan and Ohio State were two of the best programs in the country hands down. Cato grew up in that system. We felt Cato was the perfect fit because he knows how we do business."

June also wore the No. 2 jersey at Michigan made famous by Fremont Ross product and Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson.

June said he wore the No. 1 jersey in high school, but was told that at Michigan that jersey goes to the best receiver.

"So, I settled on 2. And to come after a great player like that is a badge of honor to carry that legacy on," he said. "You will never duplicate one of the greatest football players of all time. But it's more about carrying on the tradition. They let me know all the great players that wore that jersey and you understood that was part of the fiber of that program. I loved that burden. I had an edge about myself. "

June said it was later in his career that he learned the true value of his Michigan background.

"I talked to an NFL scout one time and he said, 'We love those Michigan guys because we already know what type of guy we're going to get,'" June said. "They know the culture they have there and what they preach and what the players believe."

He said Carr set a standard of excellence.

"He's an awesome person and a great teacher. Those things stick with you and they've been essential to everything I've done in life," he said. "It's part of my DNA."

Loeffler said when he got the job at BG he was contacted by June.

"He was extremely interested in wanting to be a part of our staff," Loeffler said. "But we already had our staff in place at that time. But I always had in the back of my mind if we had an opportunity to hire him that we would."

Giving back

June entered the coaching ranks in 2011 when he joined the staff at his alma mater, Anacostia High School in Washington, D.C.

"I wanted to work with kids. College coaching wasn't something I initially wanted to do, but you get the itch," he said. "You want to continue to grow and challenge yourself. You want to continue to move up the ranks. It's just the competitive nature and a natural progression. I want to continue to grow and get better."

June said coaching sometimes involves "tough love situations," and other players will be reached through a more passive, supportive approach. But he always takes a hands-on approach.

"I'm old and played 100 years ago, but I can still get down there and do the drills and they don't want to let this old man outdo them," he said.

June then spent four seasons at Howard University where he held various positions and was the program's recruiting coordinator. He joined the staff at U-Mass where he coached the outside linebackers last season.

"I spent a lot of time in the Midwest, being at Michigan and being in Indianapolis. This is a place that has a great appreciation for football. That has been refreshing," he said.

June joins a BG program that has endured significant struggles on the field. The Falcons are 3-15 under Loeffler in his first two seasons. Bowling Green never had a lead in any game and was out-scored 225-57. In his first season at BG, Loeffler's team went 3-9, including 2-6 in MAC play.

June, who said the building blocks as there, plans to be a teacher.

"I'm a father and I approach coaching with the same mentality," he said. "You have to dedicate your time to their specific needs."

Bowling Green most recently won a MAC title in 2015 in what was the last of three straight appearances in the MAC title game.

June said the defense is building from the ground up.

"It's very exciting. We're really trying to change the mindset of how people look at the football team here," he said. "We want to return to the dominance they had here when they were winning championships. When the kids start to see the fruits of their labor, there will be a change in the culture."

June said he calls his group of outside linebackers "The Edge."

"We're young, but they are very attentive and willing to become better players," he said. "It's a blank slate. They're a young group that hasn't played a lot of [college] football. But they're full of energy and want to learn. I have a different style than they are used to but they've been receptive to that."

June said redshirt freshman Blaine Spires has stood out. The Youngstown native played in all five games last season and had 11 tackles as a defensive lineman.

"He flashes," June said. "He's a guy that could be very dominating. He uses his hands very well. He has good pass rush ability. He's a guy that can kind of take the defense on his shoulders and be a playmaker."

June said he expects his BG players to mature, grow, and become better men.

"You will see the differences," he said. "I want to make sure these guys have an impact. I'm very excited for this challenge. It's another chapter in this great story."