It came as no shock Nov. 21 that A&T decided to part ways with Head Coach George Small and his football staff after the Aggies finished 3-8 for the second consecutive season.
Small, an A&T alumnus and member of the school’s athletic hall of fame, was the 2003 MEAC Coach of the Year after leading the Aggies to their first MEAC Championship since 1999. Yet, after two losing seasons and a combined record of 16-19, a change had to be made.
The decision was handed down by A&T Athletic Director Dee Todd, who in a statement said, “Today, coach George Small and his staff were dismissed after careful review and consideration of the direction of our football program. In line with our commitment to the development of student athletes and to our Division I-AA status, we feel that it is in the best interest of our football program to make this change. This allows the university to begin the process of finding Coach Small’s successor.”
The end was near on Nov. 18, when Todd asked the football staff to halt its current recruiting and to be on hand for a major review of the program.
The direction the Aggies will go is still a mystery. Internet buzz has a certain number of candidates with the proper credentials in order, but until Todd makes a statement, that is just speculation.
The players are really the ones hurt in all of this. As usual in cases like this, the players have been instructed to be very brief with the media, giving either “Personnel change” or “No comment,” as answers. Nevertheless, its obvious that players are hurt. For them, this transition has to tough because Small was not only their coach but also their father figure and spiritual leader. He was the man who believed in their talent and potential when many other coaches had overlooked them.
Nobody at A&T condones losing, but in this case you have to step back and look at everything you’re losing. In the end the players understand that life is a business; coaching is a business; and regardless of what happens, that the past coaching staff is still rooting for them.
The alumni and boosters seem to be happy with the decision. Although there are some kinks to work out, such as the $110,000 buyout of coach Small’s contract, the general feeling is relief and an outlook for a return to MEAC prominence for the Aggies.
The student body as a whole has mixed emotions. Some students feel as though Small was not given ample time for his system and players to prove themselves, while others say good riddance; it is all about wins and loses.
In an article by Rob Daniels in the Greensboro News & Record, Small added insult to injury, citing a lack of financial support as one of the reasons the Aggies were not successful. It should be noted that Small had the largest budget of any previous A&T football coach and that money does not necessarily buy wins.
Morgan State, a MEAC rival, has a football budget nearly double that of A&T’s and yet the Bears have finished near the bottom of the MEAC for the past three seasons. Small had one of the shortest stints as the head coach at A&T, being dismissed after three seasons. Only Charles W. Carter had a shorter stay, when he only last one season has the Aggie head man in 1945.Possible Replacements
As noted, most of the Internet buzz is hopeful speculation, but a few names stick out — Tom Knotts, the head coach of Independence High School in Charlotte.
Knotts has won five consecutive state championships in North Carolina’s most competitive division, 4AA, and has the nations longest winning streak with 90 (and counting).
Knotts has experience coaching seemingly uncoachable young black men at West Charlotte and Harding High Schools in Charlotte and has won at every one of his previous stops. As a North Carolina coaching legend, in-state recruiting should be an easier process.
His major flaw is that he does not fit the description of what A&T was looking for, someone with major D-1 experience. His only real experience was one uneventful season as Duke’s quarterback coach in 2004, but he did groom 2003 National Player of the Year, the University of Florida’s Chris Leak.
Norries Wilson, the offensive coordinator of the University of Connecticut has an impressive resume and looks to be the alumni’s favorite candidate according to internet buzz. If the Aggies pursue him, they will look to tap into his North Carolina roots as defensive coordinator at Livingstone College in Salisbury and an offensive line/tight ends coach at North Carolina Central University.
Wilson was a wrestler and football player at the University of Minnesota and has major D-1 experience as a graduate assistant at Minnesota University and Bucknell University as well as his current position at UConn. Wilson, on paper, is a great candidate, but does he want to leave UConn, who is rising Big East power, to rebuild a struggling black college program? Can we afford him after coach Small’s buyout?
Gerald Carr, the assistant head coach of Baylor University, comes in with all the right things — D-1 experience in a premiere conference and a big name recommendation from University of Texas head coach Mack Brown. Added to that, is his North Carolina roots. Carr has a lot of people looking.
He has 24 years of coaching experience with stops just about everywhere including Southern Illinois, Davidson, Akron, Washington State, Arizona, University of North Carolina, Wake Forest, Indiana, Kentucky and Baylor. Along with plenty of college experience, Carr was the receivers coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1995-98.
It would be great if A&T could get him. Yet, with a resume like his, two concerns come to mind. First, can we afford him? Two, does he have a true desire to be our head man?Good news for A&T
Every season has its silver lining. The Aggies had three first team All-MEAC players. All-MEAC performer Rickie Lewis appears on the list for the second consecutive season after posting 71 tackles and 7.5 sacks, good for third in the conference, and 12 tackles for a loss from his defensive end spot.
Senior Chamar Milton makes his first ever All-MEAC team. Milton had 106 tackles, which was fourth in the MEAC, including 13 solo tackles on homecoming against Delaware State, 3.5 sacks and averaged over 9 tackles a game along with 14.5 tackles for a loss.
The Aggies lone offensive All-MEAC performer was Offensive Lineman Walter Stith. Stith, a 6-foot-9-inch, 320-pound Western Michigan University transfer, anchored the Aggies rushing attack, clearing the way for Brandon Sweeney and Quante Speight to combine for seven 100-rushing games. He highlighted Sweeney’s 205-yard performance against Morgan State University and Sweeney’s 197 yards in the season finale against South Carolina State University.
Stith tallied nine pancake blocks and an 87-percent average grade (which is based off assignment and execution on every play). With his productive season, Stith has garnered a lot of attention from NFL scouts who love his natural athletic ability even though he is a raw talent. Coming into college, the Atlanta native was a 6-foot-7-inch, 265-pound tight end, who made the move to the offensive line after his first season.More Stith News
Walter Stith was invited to participate in the Hula Bowl, joining fellow Aggies Chris McNeil, Mo Smith and Curtis Deloatch as the third Aggie in the past seven seasons to be chosen to participate in the showcase for NFL scouts in Hawaii.
This is another accomplishment for a productive Aggie offensive line that saw Center Junius Coston go to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. and ended up going in the fifth round of the NFL draft to the Green Bay Packers.
The Hula Bowl has a history of propelling players up the draft board, and this year should not be any different. The East being coached by Auburn head coach, Tommy Tuberville, who saw four of his players go in the first round of last years draft. The West being led by University of Washington and former Notre Dame head coach Tyrone Willingham.
The 2006 Hula Bowl will take place on Jan. 21 in Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The game will also be nationally televised on ESPN at 7 p.m.
- Analysis by Michael J. McCray