It's been a big couple of days for John Carroll University, a small Jesuit school in Cleveland, Ohio.

One alum, Josh McDaniels, got one of the plum jobs in professional sports when he was named head coach for the Denver Broncos.

A few days later, another alum, Nick Caserio, got one of the other plum openings in professional sports, as vice president of player personnel for the New England Patriots.

Of course, they are light years away in pro football achievement from the most esteemed ex-JCU football player ... Don Shula. The school's $10 million football stadium is named after the Hall of Fame coach.

"Not bad for a little Division 3 school in Cleveland," said Tony DeCarlo, the former John Carroll football and wrestling coach, who not only speaks to Shula several times a year but personally recruited both McDaniels and Caserio.

"Maybe John Carroll is the new cradle of coaches."

DeCarlo says he a little bounce to his step with this week's announcements about McDaniels and Caserio.

"I'm not going to say I predicted this for either Josh or Nick, but I'm not surprised," said DeCarlo, who coached JCU to winning seasons in every one of his 12 years as head coach, including three years in the Div. 3 national playoffs. "As players, they went the extra mile in the weight room, watching film and finding out everything there is to know. The one thing both of them always did as players was ask 'Why?' They wanted to know."

McDaniels and Caserio both entered JCU as freshmen in 1995. Both were star quarterbacks in high school.

"When you're at a small school like ours, I liked to recruit athletes rather than strictly for positions," said DeCarlo. "I liked to bring in quarterbacks. They were usually the best athletes in high school."

As freshman, Caserio was named the backup quarterback, behind a senior, just ahead of McDaniels on the depth chart. The senior went down with a season-ending injury in the first game of the year.

Caserio started for four years, finishing 33-7-2, including 10-2 as NCAA quarterfinalists in 1997.

"Nick was a really strong kid. He was also very smart," said DeCarlo of his two-time captain and two-time, first-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference performer. "From the beginning, he had a great ability to read defenses. He always was comfortable changing a play at the line of scrimmage. We always had a great deal of confidence in him.

"I just remember Nick using every free moment he had in the film room. I had to kick him out a few times so other people could watch."

Rather than sit on the bench as a backup, McDaniels chose to play wide receiver instead.

In 1997, McDaniel had 23 receptions for 356 yards and five touchdowns as John Carroll advanced to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA playoffs. One of his touchdowns was a 9-yard score that clinched the school's first Division III playoff win, a 30-20 victory at Hanover.

"Josh came to us knowing a lot about the game," said DeCarlo. "His father (Thom McDaniels) was a high school coaching legend (at Ohio powerhouses Canton McKinley and Massillon). Josh was the starting quarterback on a state championship team. He was a smart player, a good athlete. He was important to our success. He always wanted to get better."

John Carroll University has produced more NFL talent, beyond McDaniels and Caserio.

Three alums — Chris Polian, Tom Telesco and David Caldwell — are in the Indianapolis Colts' front office and all also own Super Bowl rings. Another former Super Bowl champ, Washington Redskins star linebacker London Fletcher, who played with both McDaniels and Caserio, and former Ravens line coach, Joe Roman, are grads, too.

Shula has always been a big booster of the program.

"Josh and Nick have some of the same qualities in Coach Shula," said DeCarlo. "They come from the same mold. They are all about winning. I really couldn't be prouder.

"I speak to Nick a little more often than I do with Josh. But I've followed their careers with the Patriots closely. Now they are at the top of their professions at such a young age (Caserio is 33, McDaniels is 32). But they've earned it."

They'll also be earning a lot of money, as in the seven-figure range.

I see the strong possibility of letters from JCU seeking donations.

DeCarlo said with a laugh, "That's not a bad idea."

E-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.

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