DURHAM, NC -- North Carolina Central University introduced Rudy Abrams as the new head football coach of the Eagles during a press conference on Saturday (Jan. 30) at the LeRoy T. Walker Complex.
Abrams, 57, boasts more than 25 years of football coaching experience in North Carolina on both the high school and college levels. A 1964 graduate of Livingstone College (Salisbury, NC), he spent the last five seasons as the head football coach at his alma mater.
As the head coach at Livingstone, Abrams was selected as the CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) Football Coach of the Year in each of the last three seasons (1996, 1997, 1998). During that time, the Fighting Blue Bears won back-to-back conference championships, made two trips to the Pioneer Bowl, and accumulated an overall record of 25-6.
Abrams has made a reputation for turning football programs around. In 1972, he took over a West Charlotte High School football program that had never won a conference game; and in the fourth year, played for the North Carolina 4-A State Championship. The same turn-around occurred at East Mecklenburg High School, as Abrams took a losing program to a 9-1 record in his first season (1983). Likewise, prior to Abrams' arrival at Livingstone, the Blue Bears finished 1-10. In his first year, Livingstone improved to 5-5. In Abrams' second season at Livingstone, the Blue Bears recorded their first winning campaign in 12 years (5-4-1). Then came a second place CIAA finish, followed by back-to-back conference championships in 1997 and 1998.
Along the way, Abrams earned a master's degree from North Carolina A&T State University in 1978, and made a CIAA stop at Johnson C. Smith University as an assistant football coach in 1982. [Abrams Bio]
Press Conference Quotes:
What Coach Abrams said ...
"I am extremely happy to be here, and I am very eager to get to work.""I look forward to building a championship caliber football program here as soon as possible."
"We (Livingstone) came here to play a few years ago, and the stadium was filled with fans and everything was so beautiful here. I said to one of my assistant coaches, 'I'd like to coach at a place like this some day.'"
"NCCU has a great tradition. It is a place where I think I can build a program and be successful."
"I would like a high-powered, scoring offense. I like option football, but we'll do whatever it takes to win."
"We play an aggressive defense, putting a lot of pressure on our opponents."
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