Fort Valley State dismissed successful Head Coach Kent Schoolfield Friday for what Athletic Director Gwendolyn Reeves termed in a letter "insubordination" and "discourteous behavior." Defensive Coordinator Donald Dykes was named interim head coach Monday. The firing ends a six-year tenure that saw Schoolfield post a 48-21 record and lead the Wildcats to one conference championship and two NCAA Division II playoff appearances. FVSU finished 7-4 this season, third in the SIAC at 6-2 behind Tuskegee and Albany State. According to the Macon Telegraph, what could be at the center of the firing is Schoolfield's assertion earlier in the season that this could be his last leading the program and that administrators over him had a "lack of athletic knowledge." Those statements came in the wake of budget cuts and a coaching reassignment that Schoolfield said left a cloud over the entire season. "We couldn't go any further" Schoolfield said to Telegraph. "There was nothing we could've done anymore to go to the next level because of the things that were holding us back. We needed control over our department, so we could make these moves and go forward. And because of the people that I work for, that wasn't their interest." Schoolfield was scheduled to appeal the termination on Monday. Dykes is in his second year at Fort Valley, coming to the middle Georgia school from Delta State, where he was defensive backfield coach.

Maurice "Mo" Forte resigned as Norfolk State's football coach Saturday soon after the Spartans beat Morris Brown 32-19 to finish the season 5-6. Norfolk State was 15-29 during Forte's four-year tenure. The Spartans have not had a winning season since moving to Division I-AA in 1997. "Our program made significant strides," Forte said. "However, we fell short of the university's expectations. As a result, I am resigning my position." Forte coached at Minnesota, Duke, Michigan State and Arizona State before becoming head coach at North Carolina A&T in 1982. He left in 1987 for the NFL, where he was an assistant with Denver and Detroit. He was out of football for two years before taking the Norfolk State job in 1999. Forte said he hopes to remain in coaching.
"I'm not a Vince Lombardi. But I believe I do a decent job, that I'm a pretty good coach who's looking for a job," he said.

Benedict College fired football coach Tony Felder on Friday, according to Athletic Director, Willie Washington. Felder led Benedict to five-win seasons in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and compiled a 21-32 overall record. But the Tigers slipped to 2-9 this year, the program's first in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Tigers were 2-6 in the nine-team SIAC, finishing tied for seventh. Washington said Monday that Felder had been reassigned to an administrative position. "We didn't field what we thought was a competitive team this year," Washington said. "This was the coach's fifth year and we wanted to make a change. The team and coaches worked hard to get the team up. We're building a new stadium and we want to reassure our supporters and alumni that we'll have a team that's outstanding and competitive." He said a committee has been set up to find a new coach and would be advertising the opening immediately. Felder took over the Benedict program in 1998, its second season of varsity status after the sport was reinstated following an absence of more than 30 years. Under Felder, Benedict rose from the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in NAIA Division I to the Division II SIAC.

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