Part 1 of a 2 Part Series
FAMU is currently the only school in the SWAC without a head coach. Since Willie Simmons announced his resignation on Jan.1 to become the running backs coach at Duke University, there has been a virtual whirlwind at Florida A&M University. The 2023 HBCU National Champions and Cricket Celebration Bowl Champions took home the top honor after winning their first-ever SWAC Championship.
The Florida A&M fanbase did not even get to enjoy the trophy for a month before utter turmoil broke out. FAMU Vice President and Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes began the process of replacing Simmons with Fort Valley State head coach Shawn Gibbs. That did not sit well with a large section of Rattler nation. Their last encounter with Gibbs surrounded an incident of fisticuffs during halftime when he was an assistant coach at North Carolina A&T in 2019.
The current football players on the Rattler squad immediately endorsed James Colzie III for the position. The players wanted to keep continuity on the team as they felt they were in what was built to be a successful program.
The FAMU alumni were determined to be heard
A third faction was the alumni. Several alumni and fans were in support of Billy Rolle for the next head coach. Rolle was brought in with Simmons after a historic career coaching high school football in Miami. He was a special assistant to the head coach and nickelbacks coach. Rolle was a FAMU Sports Hall of Famer for his play as a defensive back for Rudy Hubbard. He is a favorite son of FAMU as his mother and father are also members of the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame. He comes from FAMU Athletics royalty and has a historic resume in coaching.
The FAMU National Alumni Association was so offended at the snubbing of the coaches on staff and the appearance of fast-tracking Gibbs, that they issued a vote of “no confidence” on Gibbs as well as Sykes. This is an unprecedented step that had not been seen at Florida A&M before.
The FAMU Board of Trustees met for an update on the process. It was revealed that besides the board chair, many of the trustees expressed confusion and misunderstandings about such a high-profile university hire.
It was also emphasized that FAMU Athletics was operating in the red. Even with two guaranteed money games, a sold-out homecoming, a sold-out additional home game (SWAC Championship), 11,000 additional patrons at the Florida Blue Florida Classic, and a Cricket Celebration Bowl appearance, the department was far behind in revenue generation.
The Board of Trustees suggested a committee of the affinity group that has financially greatly supported the program over the last six years. The National Rattler “F” Club, Rattler Boosters, 220 Quarterback Club, FAMU NAA, and the FAMU Foundation were tasked with voting on a preliminary list accumulated by the search firm to be considered for the next head coach.
How did FAMU get here?
In 2018, when Willie Simmons was hired by then athletics director Dr. John Eason, FAMU football was in shambles. The team was on the tail end of serving NCAA probation for academics. Unfortunately, FAMU head coach Alex Wood never stood a chance as FAMU head coach. Upon being hired the team was not able to have Spring practice one year, lost a day each week of practice where players had to attend study hall, and dealt with scholarship reductions the entire time he was a head coach at FAMU.
For those unaware of the atmosphere Wood worked under, he appeared to be one of the worst hires. Truth is we may never know what kind of coach Wood would have been if he simply had a chance.
Upon Simmons’ arrival, he began to verbalize what it would take to build a winning program. He was respectful to the FAMU base, was well versed in the history of FAMU football, and investment in the program began to elevate to levels never seen before. In addition, the term of Kortne Gosha as Vice President and Director of Athletics was something FAMU needed for a long time. Gosha was a facilities expert and immediately began improving facilities. Before leaving as athletics director, Eason oversaw the installation of the artificial turf on Ken Riley Field.
When Simmons arrived, he would shun taking recruits to see the field or the fieldhouse. With Eason’s turf and Gosha’s revamping and renovation of the locker room, facilities took a big leap forward. Under Gosha’s watch, FAMU acquired a deal with Lebron James/Nike. Florida A&M would become the flagship school for Lebron James’ creativity within his signature shoe line.
The biggest improvement was alumni investment.
While all of those things happened, the biggest thing to happen was a tangible investment into the football program by alumni, friends, and fans. The state would only allow a maximum salary of $200,000 with state funds. To reach the five-year deal at $300,000 annually for Simmons, the groups mentioned above had to commit to supplementing the additional $100,000 annually. It happened without a blink. In FAMU’s history, this was a turning point. For once, all the affinity groups, the FAMU Foundation, FAMU Athletics, and the university were on the same page.
The results were instantly visible on the field. After a nominal 6-5 opening campaign, Simmons would win nine games in each of the next three seasons. In 2023, the team would finish 12-1, with the only loss a very close call at the University of South Florida out of the FBS division.
The plan collectively devised over six years was seen as a great investment
All of the things Simmons had championed at Florida A&M came together in the form of championships. FAMUans felt a great return on investment and did not want the party to stop. Many felt that like most athletics teams in the past, you re-arrange the staff, continue the same support and with the returning players the team would have a shot a repeating as champions.
The Rattlers Boosters, who had donated a record number of dollars to athletics, the 220 Quarterback Club, and the National Rattler “F” Club were stepping up and filling the gaps that had previously plagued the football program. Complete with an abundant nutrition program that translated to all sports, things that FAMU needed, they had finally found a way to finance it and it gave championship results. The spirit around FAMU football, the rise of the institution’s status as a Top 100 institution, and keeping the crown of Top Public HBCU as reported by U.S. News and World Report, were all things that had FAMUans beaming with pride. Being only the second SWAC school ever to win the Celebration Bowl despite just being in the conference for three years was a badge of honor. In addition to all of this, the Rattlers peaked at No.5 in the AFCA poll and ended the season in the Top 10.
Stay tuned for part 2 on Friday, Jan. 26. Exclusively on HBCU Gameday)
The NAA’s statement of no confidence was an overreaction. In a hastily called meeting, there weren’t enough cool heads deliberating the issues, and emotions prevailed. I don’t feel it’s the job of the NAA to micromanage the university’s administrators.
Collegiate athletics is an expensive enterprise. FAMU is dealing with an $800k deficit, but for perspective, UCLA and Cal (UC Berkeley) have a combined athletic department deficit of approximately $80 million. How many athletics departments across the SWAC, FCS l, Power5 or Group of 5 programs are operating in the black?
10%? Fewer?