Rattler Nation has learned that FAMU officials today have inked a deal that would bring Hampton University Head Coach Joe Taylor to the Rattler sidelines this season. Taylor who just yesterday was offered the head coaching vacancy at Western Carolina University apparently has rebuffed WCU's offer and will become the FAMU head coach. Sources close to the situation, said that a deal has been reached and FAMU now has a signed contract with Taylor. FAMU is expected to announce the deal at a press conference on Monday which will be attended by Taylor and his wife.
Taylor, was interviewed for the job by phone by incoming athletic director Billy Hayes and FAMU President James Ammons. It is not yet known how long a contract Taylor was offered or how much he will be paid. Taylor has immediately begun working the phones to assemble a staff at FAMU.
Taylor's contract must still be approved by FAMU trustees.
damn!
ReplyDeleteNot sure if i agree with this hire, if it's true. But is will support the President's decision.
ReplyDeleteWe could have done a lot worse. Taylor does hire well and fields a competitive team each year and sends players to the pros.
ReplyDeleteTaylor is a wise choice....Congrats Dr. Ammons you are continuing the tradition of building a strong Rattler Nation
ReplyDeleteRe: HU FOOTBALL: FAMU, Western Carolina interested in Joe Taylor
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FAMU, is a Step down. In HBCU speak, FAMU was like the FSU job when Billy Joe/ Bowden was the head Coach. That Program was on top and FAMU was a premier program. Now since they have had poor seasons some of the luster has eroded from the program and coaches are not looking for that job as an advancement in their career. Rod Broadway the Head Coach at Grambling recently turned FAMU down as the offer that the Staff at FAMU was much lower than what he anticipated. I expect Joe to listen to Western Carolina over FAMU. That would be nuts for Joe to move to Tally for a Program on the downswing. Here are the advantages and disadvantages to FAMU
Advantages
Better Fanbase / Alumni. They always travel
Support of the Community/ City / State
Larger Stadium Bragg Memorial is much larger but is showing some Age.
Access to the State of Florida
Name Brand. FAMU is known all over
Disadvantages
Poor Financing, Fr Heach Coach Billy Joe could not afford an Offensive Coordinator
No Support Staff, FAMU's support structure is Mild at Best, No Strength Program
Recruting Issues, BCC, FSU, MIA, UF, USF, FIU, FAU, Jacksonville State
Must Play Money Games to keep Program Afloat, MIA, UF, Recent Butt whippings
Will not have the quality athletes from HU, Tidewater Area is much too rich.
New Athletic Department, Not sure of the Stability.
Support of the community? We only pack them in for homecoming!!!!
ReplyDeleteIf we had support we would have landed Eason.
To hell with Eason. He's never been a head coach and serves as a token only for former FSU coaches.
ReplyDeleteJoe Taylor is an excellent choice.
GO RATTLERS!!!!
10:20p, Eason is another career assistant, and I'm glad he did FAMU a favor by declining the offer (again). He can continue to live out his pipe dreams of becoming UGA's next head coach while playing token negro on the sidelines. Any instrument of the Bryant/Corbin/Lowe clan should stay the hell away from FAMU.
ReplyDeleteGreat hire, Dr. Ammons! Taylor definitely knows what it takes to win and field playoff teams (although he didnt get pass FCS round 1 but was very close on a couple occassions). Damn that is a combination for your behind! AMMONS/HAYES/TAYLOR! LOOK OUT FCS!
Man, if he could bring Billy Joe back as the offensive Coordinator. We may have something. Bill Hayes, Joe Taylor, and Billy Joe, all cut from the same mold.
ReplyDeleteHampton is a punk of a school. Ammons needed to have a national search.
ReplyDeleteWell, that "punk of a school" beat our ass on the regular.
ReplyDeletewhy in the hell would Billy Joe lower himself to worked for a coach he has beaten his entire coaching career? I believe FAMU should had brought back Billy Joe as head football coach. then, we could had hire Rolle as his recruiting coordinator and possibly as his successor..
ReplyDeleteI too wish that Dr. Ammons would have chosen Billy Rolle or gone after a young offensive coach in the FBS that understands all of the new trends in college football, i.e., the "spread" offense which utilizes speed and superior athletes to make the offense work. In my view, Joe Taylor is certainly a "safe" choice, he is undeniably a winner. But, he is cut from the old "Big Ten" philosophy of how to win - Big offensive line, I formation, strong but not necessarily fast running backs, ball control, control the time of possesion and scoring by forcing turnovers. FAMU will win games but they won't be pretty - without turnovers, think of scores like 10 - 7. The game has changed, look at Florida State, they still recruit the top athletes, year after year, but their offensive schemes are old and transparent now and thus they are struggling to compete against more modern spread offenses, i.e., UF. FAMU should have hired somebody that is innovative, understands talent, can recruit both High School and JUCO and is very current in their offensive and defensive philosophies. While Taylor is certainly not that guy, he will return FAMU to the top of the MEAC, but it will be ugly and they still won't be competitive in the FCS playoffs. Billy Joe is still the only coach in the black college ranks to be competitive in the FCS playoffs. If there was ever a time for a HBCU with FAMU's rich heritage to take a chance on someone outside of the current HBCU retread community, this was the time. Any way, I am behind our President!
ReplyDeleteJerry Holmes to replace Joe Taylor as Hampton football coach
ReplyDeleteHolmes, a defensive coordinator the last three years at HU, takes over for the longtime Pirates coach, who reportedly is moving on to Florida A&M.
BY MARTY O'BRIEN
247-4963
12:12 AM EST, December 30, 2007
Jerry Holmes is the new head football coach at Hampton University, HU athletic director Lonza Hardy said Saturday night. Holmes, the Pirates' defensive coordinator the past three seasons, replaces Joe Taylor.
Holmes will be introduced as the Pirates' coach during a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday. The press conference will be held in the team meeting room in the football offices at Armstrong Stadium.
Taylor, the Pirates' head coach the past 16 seasons, is leaving to become the coach at Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Florida A&M, Tallahassee.com reported Saturday afternoon. The report said that FAMU will introduce Taylor as its coach Monday.
Taylor could not be reached Saturday night to confirm whether he will accept the FAMU job. But Hampton announced Holmes as the new coach on Saturday because school officials said that Taylor had announced his intentions this week to accept another head-coaching position.
"Jerry Holmes, just like Coach Taylor, is a man with high morals and ingenuity on the football field," Hampton president William Harvey said. "When Coach Taylor told us he was leaving, we didn't have to look far to find a very qualified replacement.
"That individual was on the staff already."
Taylor said Friday that he had interviewed for the vacant coaching position at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. He did not comment on FAMU.
"When I look back on my 16 years at Hampton University, I have nothing but fond memories," Taylor said in a press release issued by HU on Saturday night. "The leadership of the university has treated me well.
"The staff, the alumni and the players who played for me all treated me like I was a member of their family."
Taylor is the winningest football coach in HU history. He compiled a 136-49-1 record, guiding the Pirates to five MEAC and three CIAA titles. His 197-78-4 record, in 25 seasons as a head coach, is third-best among Football Championship Subdivision coaches.
"Coach Taylor is a man of great character," Harvey said. "One of the many reasons I've enjoyed working with (him) over the years is because of his positive leadership.
"He has been a positive role model for hundreds of young men. He has been a true ambassador for Hampton University."
Harvey said that Holmes, who could not be reached for comment, will sign a multi-year contract. Hampton is a private school and the administration does not reveal salary details.
Holmes, 50, brings an impressive playing and coaching rèsumé to his new position. A Newport News native, Holmes helped Bethel High win the 1974 Group AAA football title.
He played defensive back at West Virginia University, where he was team captain and later inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. He played 10 seasons in the NFL as a defensive back from 1980-91 -- six with the New York Jets, two with the Detroit Lions and two with the Green Bay Packers. The head-coaching job is Holmes' first.
He has spent the past 16 seasons as an assistant coach on the collegiate and professional levels. His six seasons as a secondary coach in the NFL include one (2001) with the Washington Redskins.
He assisted Taylor at Hampton for seven seasons, from 1992-94 and 2004-2007.
He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2005, when the Pirates went 11-0 during the regular season and led Division I-AA in scoring defense. Holmes inherits a program that went 6-5 in 2007, but was 31-5 in winning the MEAC title the previous three seasons. The Pirates should return 14 offensive and defensive starters next season.
Taylor faces a rebuilding task, either at FAMU or Western Carolina. Western Carolina has lost its past 15 Southern Conference games.
The Catamounts have employed 11 football coaches since starting the sport in 1931, and only Bob Waters (1969-88) compiled an overall winning record.
FAMU won the MEAC in 2000 and '01 but has struggled since. The Rattlers made an ill-advised jump to Division I-A in 2003 but returned to I-AA a year later.
In 2006, the NCAA placed FAMU on four years probation for rules violations, which included improper certification of student-athletes and participation by ineligible athletes. The Rattlers finished 3-8 in 2007, winning only two of eight MEAC games.
Both Western Carolina and FAMU have experienced huge difficulties in replacing their most recent head coaches. WCU reassigned Kent Briggs on Nov. 12 and FAMU fired Rubin Carter on Nov. 20.
FAMU has since offered the head coaching job to Grambling State coach Rod Broadway and Georgia assistant John Eason. Both declined.
WCU athletic director Chip Smith offered the job to Newberry coach Zak Willis, according to published reports. Smith rescinded the offer a day later, reportedly without offering Willis an explanation.
To all of the complainers: FAMU is a great school coming back from some serious limitations based on the decisions of past administrations. Taylor is one of the best ECONOMICAL and WINNING moves that we could make. There are still rebuilding issues and other items that need university monies. Hampton can't be a punk school if they whipped us. This is the process. Rolle could still be contacted to be groomed as the successors but we need to bring on a winner and let them develop a strategy. We can't have EVERYTHING our way. I'm glad this is simply our opinions on this board. Give Ammons and Co. a chance to put FAMU on the right track again.
ReplyDelete5:10p, my thoughts exactly. Rolle or some young, hot offensive FBS coordinator experienced with the new, winning offensive schemes can still be brought in under Taylor, and groomed as FAMU's next head coach when Taylor decides to move on or retire. I mean he is 58.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've been reading, Taylor isnt officially FAMU's new head coach quite yet. There have been conflicting reports about him going to WCU as well. I really, really hope Dr. Ammons, Hayes, and staff have truely and finally found our man, and has this deal squared away.
Coming from a Hampton Pirate. Excellent acquisition and good luck FAMU.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Taylor not getting over the first round playoff hump, two of the last three appearances for us (Hampton) ended in very close scores, and could have gone either way. In 04, our secondary got burned on 4th and long, which resulted in a W&M TD, and our eventual loss. In 06, JMU beat us by a field goal. I say all of that to say that Taylor wasnt outcoached and couldve won those contests barring mental breakdowns from defensive personnel and lack of execution. Honestly if you watched those games, you would see that Taylor's poor reputation for not progressing beyond the 1st round is an unfair, misconstrued one. But as the 16 year leader of our team, of course Taylor would have to carry all the unmerited blame.
New direction needed for athletics
ReplyDeleteBy Roosevelt Wilson
Sports fans tend to reduce everything to wins and losses and as a consequence too often relegate everything else to background noise.
Many in the media last week seemed to suffer from that myopia as Florida A&M University President James H. Ammons at a campus news conference announced the resignation of athletic director Nelson Townsend and the firing of head football coach Rubin Carter.
Based on the number and variety of questions, Carter’s dismissal drew the greatest interest. But Ammons’ response to those questions reflected much more than a decision based solely on Carter’s won-lost record.
Carter came to FAMU in July 2005, just a few weeks before the start of the season and led the Rattlers to a 6-5 record.
In 2006 his team went 7-4 but fell to 3-8 this year, including a 34-7 loss to rival Bethune-Cookman. His three-season record was16-17, including a 2-1 record against Bethune-Cookman.
Painful, but not fatal
Though he said the loss to Bethune-Cookman was painful, Ammons stressed that his decision to make the change was not based solely on Carter’s record.
He said he evaluated the overall program thoroughly and wants to take it in a new direction.
Perhaps I have an advantage over some fans in that as athletic director I was in charge of FAMU’s athletic program from 1980 until the stress got to me in 1985. Believe me, Ammons is right.
FAMU’s athletic program needs a new direction - and badly.
First, a matter of honor
I’m not getting into the personnel. That’s Ammons’ job to hire and fire. However, I must say that Ammons must make it unambiguously clear to the public that the university will fully and completely honor Coach Rubin Carter’s contract, which has two years remaining.
I can understand Ammons’ refusal to discuss Carter’s contract with the media last week other than say the university will take up the matter with Carter and his “advisers.” But because Ammons is taking the university as a whole in a new direction, he must also restore the university’s honor and integrity, so much of which have been lost over the past few years.
That begins with honoring the university’s obligations, which I believe Ammons will do, but I know that intent was not made clear to some reporters who raised the question about Carter’s contract.
New direction
We have entered a new day in intercollegiate athletics, and doing things the old way simply won’t cut it anymore. FAMU is trying to operate its much larger and more expensive athletic program today on a budget not much larger than it was when gasoline was 89 cents a gallon.
The numbers just don't add up, and because by Florida law taxpayer dollars cannot be used to fund intercollegiate athletics, the expenditures for athletics must be limited to the revenue the department generates.
There are four primary sources of revenue for athletics: student fees, ticket sales, guarantees from playing schools like Miami and the University of Florida, and revenue from classics such as the Florida and Atlanta classics.
Students agree to pay an athletic fee above and beyond tuition and other fees. With the proposed tuition increases over the coming years, the amount of this voluntary fee could be affected adversely.
The price of tickets has been raised steadily in an effort to increase revenue, but spectators can afford only so much from inflation-shrunken budgets. Soon, the adverse impact of steadily rising ticket prices could make itself evident by shrinking attendance.
Guarantees from bigger schools have their risks as well as the financial rewards. Playing against bigger and more powerful opponents is OK occasionally, but it cannot be an annual budget line item. The risk of injury and bruised morale is too great. Also, such tough games could cripple the team for its regular opponents.
The Florida Classic and Atlanta Classic are lucrative and successful, but FAMU can’t count on other classics on a yearly basis because there aren’t that many successful ones around.
At this point, the Rattler Boosters are a very minor player in the revenue-generating game.
The bottom Line: FAMU cannot continue doing things the same way and expect different results. Ammons recognizes that and addressed it during the news conference.
“One of the things we will talk with the new athletic director about is the total program,” Ammons said, “what we do off the field and on the field. Marketing the athletic program will certainly be part of that discussion.”
He said there are things that can be done in terms of maximizing the FAMU brand as well as putting fans in the seats.
Talk is cheaper than cheap
Despite the new direction Ammons takes the athletic program, it will never be as good as it can be without meaningful giving by all who care enough about the program to criticize any aspect of it. And that’s where the Rattler Boosters must step up to the plate.
Andy Miller, executive director of the (Florida State University) Seminole Boosters, said FSU’s athletic department couldn’t balance its budget without significant contributions from the Seminole Boosters.
No, that’s not a misprint. With some 80,000 fans at each home game, conference revenue sharing including television revenue, FSU athletics still needs help from the Seminole Boosters in order to balance its budget.
Rattler fans and supporters must understand that they are as important to the success of the athletic program as any coach or administrator.
For example, some had been calling for Carter’s ouster. OK, he’s out. Where’s the money coming from to pay the other two years on his contract. Carter’s replacement, if he’s worth anything, will command a salary larger than the one Carter got, and his assistants, if they’re worth anything, will be more expensive than were Carter’s.
Where is all this money coming from?
Without an increase in giving (at least $1 million a year above and beyond the value of tags, tickets and parking), FAMU fans will be giving only lip service, criticizing everything and everybody while doing nothing to help.
There is no way around it: Success, whether in a single sport or in an entire athletic program, is expensive.
And unless FAMU supporters, who care enough about the program to criticize it, put some money in the till of success, it will be very difficult for Ammons to move the program in the direction he or we want it to go.
HUBBA THAT, Roosevelt!
ReplyDeleteI hate it when folks, especially Roosevelt compares us to FSU. FSU ain't the be all in football.
ReplyDeleteIf we want to emulate greatness and how to garner athletics support, please for pete's sake look to a Notre Dame, U of Mich or Ohio State. These are the programs that got it goin - on!
Don't miss the point. His mention of FSU was only to point to the fact that their booster program amply supplements their athletic program. We need to make sure that we don't complain (which seems to be the frequent nature of this board) but that we too amply support our athletic program.
ReplyDeleteAnd point IS there are other boosters on top of their game, eon years ahead of FSU.
ReplyDeleteWhy does it matter who we are compared to? Is FAMU ready to step up to the plate (collection plate, that is)?
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