Entering his 15th season as head coach of the Rams is Monte Cater, a 1971 graduate of Millikin University. Cater was appointed the pro-gram's 12th head coach on February 9, 1987 and was named Shepherd's director of athletics on February 5, 1993. Cater boasts a 92-53-1 (.633) record in 14 seasons as head coach of the Rams, and an overall record of 123-76-2 (.617) in 20 years as a head coach.

Cater's .617 winning percentage and 123 victories both rank among the top totals in the NCAA II coaching ranks among active coaches. He is in sixth place on the all-time WVIAC coaching victories list with his 92-53-1 mark at Shepherd and is in a tie for second place on the all-time WVIAC coaching titles list (7).

Cater wasted little time establishing himself as a winner at Shepherd as he led the Rams to a tie for the WVIAC title in 1988.

The 1990 season was Cater's first with a senior class that he recruited and the results were visible in the win-loss column.

A 6-3-1 record in 1990 earned the Rams a second-place finish in the WVIAC and served as a prelude to a two-year run of domination through the conference. Cater guided the 1991 team to an 8-3 record and the school's first NAIA Playoff appearance since 1986. Although the Rams fell in the first round of the playoffs, they had established themselves as the team to beat in the WVIAC and finished the season ranked sixth nationally.

The 1992 season proved to be one of Cater's best as head coach of the Rams as Shepherd compiled a 9-3 overall record, which included their second straight 7-0 mark in the WVIAC. In the process of winning the conference title, the Rams ran their WVIAC unbeaten streak to 18 games, while finishing the year as the fourth-ranked team in the NAIA.

The 1992 post-season brought another chapter to the rich history of Ram football as they won their first-ever NAIA playoff game with a 6-3 win at playoff-nemesis Carson-Newman to advance to the national semifinals for the first time in school history. For his efforts, Cater was tabbed the WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year in 1991 and 1992.

In 1997, Cater earned WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year honors leading the Rams to a 9-1 mark and a share of the WVIAC title. The Rams earned their first-ever NCAA Division II ranking, and set a new school record for scoring with 340 points.

In 1998, Cater again earned WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year honors in leading Shepherd to one of its finest seasons ever with a 10-2 mark as WVIAC champions. Shepherd made its first appearance in the NCAA II Playoffs and upset Indiana (PA), 9-6 in the first round, before falling to Slippery Rock, 31-20 in the quarterfinals.

Cater earned WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year honors for the third consecutive season in 1999 as the Shepherd posted a 9-2 mark and returned to the NCAA II Playoffs. The Rams also set a school record with 18 players being named to the WVIAC All-Star squad.

Cater's 2000 squad posted a 7-3 mark with the three losses coming by a total of 12 points. Dalevon Smith, who led the NCAA II in rushing, and phenom return specialist/defensive back James Rooths both earned First Team All-America honors. In his 14 seasons at Shepherd, Cater has coached 159 WVIAC All-Stars and 26 All-Americans.

Prior to coming to Shepherd, Cater was the primary architect in reviving the Lakeland College program in Sheboygan, WI. In six seasons as the head coach at Lakeland, Cater transformed the program into a winner as the team won three conference titles in his last four seasons, while he garnered Coach-of-the-Year honors twice during that time.

Cater began his collegiate coaching career as an offensive line coach at his alma mater, where he would also serve as co-offensive coordinator. During his stay at Millikin, the Big Blue posted a record of 28-8. He has also served as the head coach at Assumption High School (Assumption, IL) and as an assistant coach at both Sparta and Mater Dei High Schools in Illinois before moving up to the college ranks.

Cater, a former member of the NAIA National Football Ranking Committee, the Playoff Manual Committee, and the District 2 All-American Selection Committee for the American Football Coaches Association, earned his B.A. in physical education from Millikin in 1971, before moving to SIU-Carbondale, where he earned his master's in physical education as well.

Cater and his wife, Bonnie, reside in nearby Martinsburg, with their daughter, Taylor, and son, Logan.