Entering his 25th season (no season was held in 2020 due to Covid-19) as a member of the Falcon coaching staff, Tom Caines will be starting his 13th year as the defensive coordinator, while also serving as the team’s Recruiting Coordinator. From his first season in 1998 where he served as the team’s offensive line coach for 11 years, Caines had 19 of his 26 sophomore linemen earn Division I scholarships in the last eight years he held the position. In all, he sent 36 offensive linemen to the four-year level, with 20 of them receiving Division I scholarships. In his 12 years as the defensive coordinator, Caines has seen 108 players transfer to the four-year level, with 47 of those Division I scholarships.

Caines came to Cerritos College with plenty of community college experience, after serving as the head coach at Hacienda Heights Wilson High School for two seasons. He also spent three years as an assistant coach at Mt. San Antonio College, where he handled the inside linebacker duties, and even produced an All-American. In 1996, he led Wilson High to the league championship, as well as the CIF Championship and a 14-0 record. He began his coaching career at Bishop Amat High School, where he spent three seasons as their defensive line coach.

Caines was an acclaimed football player, graduating from Damien High School where he was a two-way starter at linebacker and tight end on their 1982 CIF Championship team and earned All-CIF honors as a senior. He then attended Taft College and earned 2nd Team All-State honors as the Cougars won the 1984 National Championship. Caines then received a scholarship to Cal State Long Beach and led the 49'ers in tackles and was their captain. In his senior season (1988), he earned 2nd Team All-Pacific Coast Athletic Association honors. The following year, he signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks.

Caines graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 1989 with a degree in Physical Education and went on to earn his Master’s degree in Education from Azusa Pacific University in 1995.

During his coaching career, Caines has produced several very good players at both the high school and community college level. That list includes D.J. Reed, who is a member of the New York Jets and played in the Super Bowl in 2019 with the San Francisco 49’ers. Also included are former Falcon offensive lineman Tupe Peko, who was drafted by the New York Jets and spent six years in the NFL, Kyle Peko, who has spent seven seasons in the NFL and is a currently a member of the Las Vegas Raiders and Anthony Guerrero, who was a starting guard for the Florida Gators and spent two seasons on the Falcon coaching staff.

Tom and his wife Yessenia have a blended family and reside in La Habra. Tom has three children – Justin (28) – who spent four seasons as the team's wide receivers coach after playing at the University of Rhode Island and with the Falcons – as well as Dillan (23) and Bobby (22), while Yessenia has two sons - Gael (17) and Jaden (11).