Black College Sports Weekly
Alabama A&M is now at .500 after its 49-7 dominating win over Kentucky State last Saturday, Sept. 8. The win was Head Coach Connell Maynor’s 100th career victory.
“My 100 win just says I’m getting old,” quipped the Bulldogs HC to the MSR during Monday’s weekly SWAC football media call. Throughout his coaching career, Maynor has won nearly 65% of the games he’s been on the sidelines in 14 years at three institutions, including being part of 10 championship teams (six as a player and four as a coach).
“I’ve had a lot of great football coaches and a lot of great football players,” continued Maynor. “If you have some players and good coaches, you’ll be able to win some football games. You got to have the players.
“I’ve been fortunate to have great coaches and some great football players over my years,” added the coach, “and that equals into wins. I’m grateful, thankful, and blessed, and look forward to the next win.”
Maynor’s century win milestone came on the same day last weekend as Northern Illinois knocked off No. 5 Notre Dame 16-14 at South Bend, Ind. It was NIU Head Coach Thomas Hammock’s third win over a Power 4 program in the past four seasons. He is a former Minnesota Gopher assistant (2007-10).
Hammock is only one of 16 Black head coaches at 134 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) schools. He has been at NIU since 2019 and was the 2021 MAC Coach of the Year.
“It’s great, man,” said Maynor of Hammock’s achievement. “We all know the X’s and O’s but it’s about the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s as well.”
According to reports, Notre Dame agreed to pay Northern Illinois $1.4 million to play at the Irish’s home field—a “guarantee game” that many smaller schools as well as HBCUs agree to schedule for both the opportunity to play up as well as getting paid to help the school’s athletic department coffers.
Getting an unexpected win is a bonus: “It gives our guys hope that we can go in and not only play with [the home team], but we also can upset them,” as NIU did last Saturday at Notre Dame, surmised Maynor.
Finally …
“We are using this week to really learn how our players tick,” said James Colzie III, the first-year FAMU head coach, on this week’s bye week. Colzie was named permanent HC in January after being the team’s interim coach.