Wood says he’s proud to walk in the footsteps of FAMU greats such as Gaither and Hubbard

At a press conference yesterday afternoon, new FAMU Head Football Coach Alex Wood said he was proud to walk in the footsteps of the 17 men who preceded him.

“I’m extremely honored to have a chance to coach in the shadow of men like Jake Gaither,” he said.

Wood, a native of Massillon, Ohio, also shared his great admiration of former Head Coach Rudy Hubbard, who coached from 1974 to 1985.

“I remember sitting in my dorm room at the University of Iowa in 1978 watching [Hubbard] play Youngstown State and watching him win the national championship,” Wood said. “A guy from Ohio just like me. I was proud that day to see that happen.”

Wood said that the four pillars of his program will be to help the student-athletes (1) excel in the classroom, (2) learn the importance of community engagement, (3) develop spiritually, and (4) become socially responsible individuals.

“And in the process of all this, we’re going to win some games,” Wood said. “Without the winning experience, it’s not quite as fun.”