Three former Princeton players will remember the Alamo Bowl

You never know where you’ll find former Princeton Tiger football players these days.

Three of them reunited on the field for the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28 in San Antonio, Texas, where Kaleb Cain (2021) served as equipment manager for the University of Oklahoma and brothers Branden (2020) and Caleb (2021) Haring worked as equipment managers for the University of Arizona. Branden is the head defensive manager for the Wildcats.

Tyler Gibson (2021) was on the field as a student assistant for the University of Wisconsin in the RellaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida, while Teegan Davis (2023) was on the sidelines on rehab for the University of Iowa on New Year’s Day at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

Cain said it was real neat to meet up with his old teammates at the Alamo Bowl. They were teammates on the Tigers’ 2019 state semifinalists.

“It was great being down there and experiencing it and be with the team. And then funny enough we get to see Caleb and Branden Haring, who I went to school with. That was a great thing for us. I really loved that,” Cain said.

“Going into the season, I always thought there was a chance with them being Pac-12 and us being Big 12 that we could meet in that bowl. Once the rankings came out and Arizona’s up there top 15 and we’re sitting there 10 to 11. Dang, this is going to be a good chance happening. Luckily enough for us, it did.”

Cain and Caleb Haring got a lot of TV time together on the Oklahoma sidelines. Cain served as a screen protector for the Sooners’ defensive signals (keeping the Arizona staff in the press box from intercepting their calls), while Haring was the ball boy.

“I’d be running back and forth following our coaches, and Caleb would be right there,” Cain said. “That was something for all our friends back home watching, ‘Oh, there’s Kaleb and Caleb.’” I’d get a picture from grandma [off TV] almost every game.”

Cain said the best part of his job on game days is that he has the best seat in the house.

The Haring brothers enjoyed the spoils of victory at the Alamo Bowl, where the Wildcats won 38-24.

Cain is one of 12 student managers at Oklahoma who work with two graduate assistants. They help get the players ready for practices and games.

“Just normally during the week we help around the facility getting players practice clothes so they all match and get balls and equipment out there and agiles for the coaches to use for drills. And then we just assist our position group with that,” he said.

On game days, they set up the sidelines, serve as ball boys and hold screens for play-callers and defensive play cards.

Cain, a junior majoring in sports business, said Scott Matthews, a 1992 PHS graduate and former Tigers quarterback/multisport standout and friend of his parents, who works in the Sooners athletic department, was instrumental in helping him land his position.

“I’ve talked to Scott a lot about different opportunities in the athletic department. He’s been a great help ever since I started school. Having somebody down there that I know and my parents know has really helped with that transition,” said Cain, who started out as an event manager at Oklahoma.

Cain credits the regimen learned from playing football under Tigers coach Ryan Pearson for helping prepare him for his current assignment and future endeavors.

“Even as an equipment manager I have to be on my ‘A’ game every day. Be locked in, focused, being ready for whatever coaches need,” he said. “Playing football for Princeton and coach Pearson really led me to be ready to do that.

“Football taught you a good work ethic. And that’s something we preach at Oklahoma. Football is limited. You can’t play forever. Coach [Brent] Venables is doing a great job saying, ‘Hey, we need you to prepare for for life after football.’ Just building men instead of football players. Which is something coach Pearson did, too.”

Cain had to work especially hard as an undersized center on the Tigers’ offensive line.

“I was a little smaller for the position, but I tried to make up for it with speed and all that,” he said. “I tell everyone at Oklahoma and some of the players, ‘Yeah, I was a center in high school,’ and they just look at me and say, ‘How did you do that?’” I still don’t know some days.

Cain plans to return in his role for his senior year next year.

Kevin Hieronymus has been the BCR Sports Editor since 1986. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com