Rick Cauley spent 25 years of his life coaching football in Mobile County.

It’s time for a new challenge.

The Davidson head coach announced last week he was retiring from the public school system in Alabama and will seek a new opportunity.

Cauley has spent the last five years as the Warriors’ head coach. He also spent one year as head coach at B.C. Rain (2018) and three years as head coach at Murphy (2014-2016) after a long tenure as an assistant for the Panthers.

John Lambert has been named Davidson’s interim head coach, though Cauley will remain with the school for the rest of the academic year.

AL.com caught up with Cauley on Monday as he discussed his career and future.

Q: Why did you decide to step down now?

“There is never really a good time. There is always a group of seniors you want to coach, but at some point, you have to pull the trigger and do it. My kids are getting older, and I want to do more with them. I need something a little more low key where I don’t have to leave work or family behind. I read somewhere – though it could be made up – that by the time kids turn 15, you’ve already spent 90 percent of the time you are going to with them. I want to be with them more.”

(NOTE: Cauley has three daughters ages 15, 11 and 8).

Q: What’s next for Rick Cauley?

“I’m going to take some time and, hopefully, go see some stuff. I’ve been vacationing through google images. Some people tell me it is better to actually go see stuff in person. I’ve even heard there is something where water comes out of mountains, and they call it a waterfall. I might check out a few of them.”

Q: Will you still coach somewhere?

“I’ll always be around the sport. I love football. I’m not sure I’m qualified to coach football, but I’m sure not qualified to do anything else. I’ll always be around the sport in some capacity. I’m not retired from coaching and working. Apparently, gas is expensive, so I still have to buy that. I would like to have a decision made by the time school gets out so at least I know what is coming and what is on tap for the summer.”

Q: Will you remain at Davidson through the spring?

“Yes. I’ll finish out the year here. I’m still the athletic director. I will help as much as I possibly can with getting kids through spring and with the transition. I just got off the mower from cutting the grass a few minutes ago.”

Q: How would you characterize your five years with the Warriors?

“We’ve run through it here. It was good. Mr. (Jason) Richardson (principal) gave me an amazing opportunity and was an amazing administrator. The support here was great. Kids are amazing. We went through some hardships. COVID here was not easy. It hit us pretty hard. Then, having the stadium is great, but there was a year where we didn’t have anywhere to practice, and that was difficult. But the kids always came with a smile on their face, and they were always happy. That’s something I won’t forget.”

Q: Do you still like coaching?

“I love it. It’s fun to take a group and see what they can do best and put a plan together and see if it works. You get to create in this job. There are a lot of jobs out there where you don’t get to create. We are lucky in this one that we can.”

Q: How did the team react to the news?

“There was a little bit of shock in the beginning, but we talked it out. I talked about where I am in life. Your most valuable commodity is time and how you are going to spend it. Twenty-five years doing one thing … it’s just time to do something else. I do believe what we do as coaches is important, but it’s time to be important to some other people right now.”

Q: How difficult is it on family when you are a coach?

“It’s very hard. My wife Ashley has been super supportive. Sometimes in the spring, I have a little more time on the hands and am able to help, but I see what she does in the fall when she has zero help. I don’t know how she does it. The logistics alone are difficult.”