As Ricky Rahne begins his tenure as the new head coach of the Old Dominion Monarchs, part of his move is a literal one – from Pennsylvania to Norfolk. That move is almost complete. Rahne has purchased a home, which he hopes to move into by May. For now, though, the Colorado native is still lives in the Keystone State.

“We are still in Pennsylvania, and probably will be until late-May,” Rahne commented. “I have one (a house), closed on it last week. I was actually in Norfolk last week, they (current tenants) are not able to move out until May.”

Good Eats

The head man has good taste in restaurants, saying, “The restaurant I’ve probably been to the most, that I’m pretty loyal to, is Sam’s Sub Shop. That’s one I’ve gone to when I was in German, I even took a picture in my Sam’s shirt. I’ve been pretty loyal to them.”

Another favorite of Rahne’s is a popular spot for ODU fans, Perfectly Franks.

“P-Franks right there in the ODU Village,I love. And my boys, that’s their favorite place, so I’ve been there quite a bit and I’ve probably eaten there alone more than any human being on the planet. LeGrand Kitchen, I’ve eaten there a couple of times and really liked it. My wife and I went there one time, recommended to us by one of the other coaches on staff.”

“I’m going to be honest, the food is great. I have loved the food culture that goes on,” Rahne exclaimed.

Rahne Family Tour

While awaiting their move to Norfolk, the Rahne family attended a handful of basketball games at Chartway Arena to get acclimated to their new surroundings.

“They love it (Norfolk),” Rahne said. “They can’t wait to get down there full-time. When I was down there by myself and my family was up in Pennsylvania, my boys would ask all the time why they couldn’t be down there yet. But every time they have come down, they’ve really enjoyed it.”

“Obviously, they are going to miss their friends in Pennsylvania, but they are looking forward to the area. They’ve toured Larchmont Elementary, which is where they would go and loved it. They are really excited about it,” Rahne said of his sons.

While Rahne hasn’t gotten out to explore all that Norfolk has to offer, like Nauticus, the zoo, and elsewhere, his family has.

“My wife and kids have (explored), they really liked it, we are zoo people by nature,” Rahne commented. “My wife is an animal nut, so they’ve really enjoyed some of those spots but I haven’t been able to be there yet. But obviously as soon as we can, we will.”

Rahne Recruiting More Than Players

Part of Rahne’s job is recruiting, and that doesn’t stop at players. Ever since Rahne took over the Monarchs, fans have raved on social media about the new head coach calling them. Why? To chat with the fans for a few minutes – something that will go a long way towards filling the stands come fall.

“You know we have season ticket holders, and we have just been saying thank you for their support and really looking forward to getting around everybody and building Monarch Nation and that sort of thing,” Rahne described. “It’s been great getting on the phone with everybody. I’ve called probably close to 300 people, it’s been really good. I’ve enjoyed the interactions I’ve had, it’s been great, hearing people’s story.”