Plainfield Central hires alum Robby Carriger as head coach

New Plainfield Central head football coach Robby Carriger has moved around a lot in his life.

But there’s one place inside of all of that movement that Carriger always considered home. And that was Plainfield.

“We were originally from Oklahoma, but we moved around a lot,” Carriger said. “And Oklahoma is about as equally as home as Plainfield is, but there’s something about that middle school/high school time in your life that is so impactful. So anytime I say home, that’s what I’m referring to. So it’s been a big circuitous route to get there, but we’ve made a full circle.”

So when the opportunity came along for Carriger, a 1999 alum of the school, to return to Plainfield and take the reins of the Plainfield Central program it didn’t take a lot of arm twisting for him to sign on the dotted line.

“It has always kind of been there speaking in the back of my head to get back to the Chicagoland area, but it’s always going to have to be the right job,” Carriger said. “It was going to take the right situation and essentially what it boiled down to was it was going to take a job at Plainfield Central High School.

“It being my school and getting the opportunity to run that back. So this was essentially the only job I was leaving for. It was a perfect storm of timing and the opening happening.”

This will be Carriger’s first head football coaching job, but he doesn’t lack experience. Carriger has spent the past 12 years working as a coordinator at four high schools in Oklahoma. His most recent stop was at Union High School, a program that reached the state semifinals last fall.

“I’ve gotten the chance to work with some really, really good coaches over the last few years,” Carriger said. “I’ve learned a lot, not just X’s and O’s wise, but how to run a program and how to build relationships with the players and the community. I’ve been very fortunate. Hopefully, I’m going to be able to take some of the things that I’ve learned out here and bring it home with me.”

Carriger takes over the Plainfield Central job from Robert Keane, who compiled a 17-12 record in three seasons with two playoff appearances. Keane has moved over to lead the Plainfield Central baseball program.

While Carriger feels his previous experiences have prepared him well, he still expects some butterflies on opening night this August.

“Ready is a funny word sometimes,” Carriger said. “I think there’s different degrees of readiness. And I’m not sure if I’ll be ready when we kick off on opening night. But in terms of stepping into those shoes, I do believe I’m ready to utilize what is around me and the people around me to try to build this program.

“It’s been a long process and a long road to get here and I’m just really excited. I’ve been a head baseball coach and a head golf coach but for football, this is my first go-round. Hopefully, the first is the best and the last.”