BCSP Notes . . .
Alcorn State reaches back to pluck alum Jones as new football coach
Alcorn State named proud former Braves' player Ernest Jones as the school's new football coach last week.
Jones, who was a wide receiver for Alcorn State before graduating
in 2005 and part of the last SWAC championship team at the school in 1994, was
the running backs coach at Cincinnati this season. He coached defensive backs
at Central Michigan in 2005 before moving to running backs coach in 2006. He
began his coaching career at Division III Oberlin College as defensive coordinator.
"From this day forward, the bar has been set," he said at a news conference in Jackson, Ms. The 37-year-old Jones wore a purple shirt and tie and gold hat, Alcorn's colors, and spoke with confidence. He promised to win games while working to "graduate some young men that will go out and do something special in society"
He got a wild reaction when he raised his right fist into the air so the crowd could see his SWAC championship ring and promised not to "stop working until I get another one." Jones also told the crowd that he would be rival Jackson State.
"Today is truly a homecoming," he said. "I am excited to rebirth the pride and tradition of the Braves football program."
Jones takes over for Johnny Thomas, who was fired from the position on November 19 after a 10-year stint. Thomas led Alcorn State to an overall record of 48-61, with a 2-8 overall record in 2007, finishing last in the SWAC East.
Broadway staying at Grambling
Grambling State head football coach Rod Broadway announced last week that he will not be leaving the Tigers' program after just his first year on the job to take over at Florida A&M.
Broadway's decision came as FAMU reportedly offered him a
substantial raise over his $156,000 salary at GSU. Many thought Broadway would leave
for FAMU after school President James Ammons
hired former North Carolina Central Athletic Director
Bill Hayes two weeks ago. Ammons was chancellor
and Hayes the athletic director at NCCU where Broadway had a successful four-year
stint as head before taking the job at Grambling last year.
"Nobody listened," Broadway, who also was interviewed for a head coaching vacancy at Duke, told the Monroe (La.) News Star. "Everybody had me doing this and doing that. They all had their own opinion. I've said all along that I think this is a good situation. You can win here."
Broadway led Grambling to an 8-4 mark this year which included winning the SWAC West Division title and earning a spot in the league's championship game. They lost last to East Division champ Jackson State, 42-31 in the SWAC title game.
"We're pleased Rod Broadway has chosen to remain head coach," Grambling athletics director Troy Mathieu told the News Star. "As he heads into year two, we hope to continue to build on the momentum of this season's Western Division title."
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