UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
GSU STICKS WITH SPEARS: Grambling State has decided to remove the interim tag from Head
Coach Melvin Spears' title and hand him
the permanent reins to the most storied program in black
college football. The official word came Thursday at a press
conference led by GSU's new athletic director, former
South Carolina State head coach Willie Jeffries.
Spears led the G-Men to a 6-5 record this past season earning the
winning record with an all-important season-ending win over
arch-rival Southern University at the Bayou
Classic. Spears was named interim head coach last winter following the
sudden departure of former head coach Doug
Williams, the former GSU and NFL quarterback who left after seven seasons
to take an executive position with the NFL's Tampa
Bay Buccaneers. Spears spent six years under Williams as
the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator
helping return the luster to the Grambling program after the
retirement of legendary coach Eddie Robinson
and helping lead the Tigers to three straight
SWAC titles in 2001 thru 2003. A Clinton, Louisiana native, Spears was a standout
quarterback and wide receiver during his playing days at
Alcorn State where he received his Bachelor of Science degree
in both computer science and applied mathematics in 1983.
He also earned his Master's degree in Educational
Leadership from Northern Arizona University. Spears was one of
three finalists interviewed by a four-member committee
headed by school president Horace Judson. The others were
Texas A&M running backs coach Lee Fobbs, an All-American
at Grambling; and Alabama A&M head coach
Anthony Jones, who coached with Jeffries at Wichita State and
South Carolina State.
ADRIAN TO NORFOLK STATE: Norfolk State President
Dr. Marie V. McDemmond and Acting 
Athletics Director
Marty Miller announced last week the hiring of
Bethune-Cookman Defensive Coordinator Pete
Adrian as the university's new head football coach. Adrian, whose
defensive units at B-CC have been among the most respected in
the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference, becomes the 16th head
coach in Spartan football history, replacing Willie
Gillus, whose contract was terminated in
December. Adrian, who is white, becomes only the second white
head football coach in the 32-year history of the
Mid Eastern Athletic Conference and the first in a
revenue-producing sport at NSU. Adrian has more than 30 years of
coaching experience at the collegiate level. He served seven
seasons as defensive coordinator at B-CC from 1997-2000
and 2002-04. His defenses have ranked in the top 15 in I-AA
in total defense in three of the past four seasons and
have produced numerous professional players, such as
current Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back and 2002
Buck Buchanan Award winner Rashean
Mathis. "I'm happy to be here. I want to thank the administration and the search
committee for having confidence in me," Adrian said. "I believe
that NSU is a gold mine waiting to happen. People around
this conference have asked me why NSU isn't winning, and
I don't know why we can't make it happen. We're going to
win here, and hopefully a lot quicker than people think." He
also served as an assistant at West Virginia, Rhode Island
and Idaho State. He was head coach at NCAA Div.
II-member Bloomsburg State from 1986 to 1992 compiling a
36-37-1 record.
© 2005 Azeez Communications, Inc.