Lee Fobbs named head football coach at NC A&T
December 2, 2005
GREENSBORO, N.C., – Lee Fobbs Jr., has been appointed head football
coach at North Carolina A&T State University, director of athletics Dee
Todd announced Friday during a press conference at the Bryan Fitness and Wellness
Center.
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Lee Fobbs |
Fobbs, 55, will end a three-year stint as the Texas A&M Aggies’ running
back coach to become the 16th head football coach in N.C. A&T Aggies history,
starting January 3. Fobbs has played a vital role on seven different Division
I-A staffs, including Texas A&M, Alabama, Baylor, Minnesota, Southern Mississippi,
Louisiana State and Tulane. He has also coached at the Division I-AA level
at Louisiana-Monroe.
He began his coaching career in 1975 as a graduate assistant under legendary
Grambling coach Eddie Robinson.
After leaving Grambling he eventually became the head football coach and athletics
director for his high school alma mater, Carroll High School from 1985-1988.
In his final two seasons there, he led Carroll to the Louisiana State Class
2AA semifinals and Class 2AAA quarterfinals respectively.
“This is an extremely important hire,’’ said Todd. “We
are pleased to have named coach Fobbs as the new leader of Aggie football.
We feel like he is someone who will enhance our football program, he will be
an outstanding leader in our community and he is someone who will personify
Aggie Pride.”
“You cannot find a better coach or person than Lee Fobbs,’’ said
Bill Byrne, current director of athletics at Texas A&M, and the former
director of athletics at Nebraska.
Fobbs has coached running backs at three different Division I-A schools, and
the running backs under his tutelage have enjoyed great success. This past
season, Texas A&M had three different runners rush for more than 550 yards.
Two of those runners – Courtney Lewis and Jorvorski Lane – were
among the top rushers in the Big 12 conference. Each of the runners averaged
more than 5.0 yards per carry, while combining for 19 rushing touchdowns.
In 2004, two Texas A&M runners rushed for more than 700 yards, averaged
a combined 4.5 yards per carry and scored 17 times. During Fobbs’ first
year as the running back coach at Texas A&M, Lewis was just four yards
shy of reaching 1,000 yards on the season. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry
and scored 11 touchdowns.
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The University of Alabama’s running game also benefited from Fobbs’ presence.
Alabama’s offense ranked second in the SEC in total offense in 2002 on
its way to the best record in the SEC West. A year earlier, the Crimson Tide
led the SEC in rushing.
In 1997, Fobbs’ first year as the running back coach at Baylor, running
back Darrell Bush averaged a school record 6.73 yards per carry.
The running back position is not the only position Fobbs has coached. He has
extensive experience on both sides of the football. He has coached defensive
tackles, outside linebackers, offensive tackles, tight ends, defensive ends
and wide receivers.
Fobbs’ experience coaching a variety of positions has led to many different
players achieving NFL success once leaving the leadership he exhibited. Among
those players are former San Francisco wide receiver Odessa Turner, former
Arizona Cardinals tight end Terry Hardy and former Indianapolis Colts running
back Roosevelt Potts. Fobbs has helped five other players enjoy NFL success
including, Kenny Mixon, Dwight Johnson, Gabe Northern, Santonio Beard and Ahmaad
Galloway.
Fobbs is a 1973 graduate of Grambling University. He played for the Tigers
under Robinson from 1968-72. He was an All-SWAC performer his junior and senior
seasons, and was drafted in the eighth round by the Buffalo Bills in 1973.
Fobbs also played professionally with the Canadian Football League’s
Ottawa Rough Riders and Winnipeg Jets, and the WFL’s Detroit Wheels and
Birmingham Stallions.
Fobbs is a Monroe, La., native. He and his wife Sheila have three children – Broderick,
Jamaal and Chelsea.
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