FAMU
releases Billy Joe and two assistants
June 14, 2005
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida A&M University announced Tuesday at an afternoon
press conference that it was terminating the contract of head football coach
William "Billy" Joe,
due to violation of NCAA rules in the football program.
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Billy Joe |
In addition, the contracts of two assistant football coaches - assistant head
coach/offensive line coach Gregory Black and running backs coach Mario Allen
- will not be renewed. Their current contracts were to expire June 30.
"We truly regret having to make this move today," said FAMU Interim
Athletic Director E. Newton Jackson, Ph.D. "Coach Joe and his staff have
given many years of quality service to the football program and the university.
"However, rules compliance must be paramount in any program, and given
the fact that we are under intense NCAA scrutiny at this time, we felt it necessary
to address any program concerns in an expeditious manner to protect the integrity
of the institution and the athletic program," Jackson concluded.
Jackson also indicated that a national search for a new head coach will begin
immediately.
The university's athletic program has undergone a self-investigation into
possible NCAA rules violations, which is a followup of the school's own self
disclosure last summer of 196 possible infractions.
Coach Billy Joe served as head football coach at Florida A&M for
11 seasons (1994-2004), compiling an 86-46-0 record, with one Black College
National title in 1998, four Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles (1995,
1996, 2000*, 2001*) and seven postseason appearances between 1995 and 2001.
Joe also holds a 237-108-4 overall record in 31 years as a collegiate
head coach.
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