Sam Washington

Last updated

Sam Washington
Sam Washington in Atlanta (cropped).jpg
Washington at the 2018 Celebration Bowl
No. 41
Position: Head coach
Personal information
Born: (1960-03-07) March 7, 1960 (age 64)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school: Tampa Bay Technical
(Tampa, Florida)
College: Mississippi Valley State
Undrafted: 1982
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
  • MEAC Coach of the Year (2018)
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:7
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Head coaching record
Regular season:31–15 (.674)

Samuel Lee Washington Jr. (born March 7, 1960) is an American football coach and former defensive back who was the head football coach at North Carolina A&T State University. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Washington played college football at Mississippi Valley State. After signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent, he played four seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals from 1982 to 1985.

Contents

Washington has been a football coach since 1987, beginning as defensive backs coach at Bethune–Cookman. He later held defensive coordinator positions at multiple other historically black universities, including North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T, Mississippi Valley State, and Grambling State. Washington turned around a struggling defensive unit at Mississippi Valley State to one of the best in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and elevated the Grambling State defense to the upper tier of NCAA Division I FCS.

After seven seasons as defensive coordinator at North Carolina A&T, Washington became head coach in 2018. His first two seasons had a cumulative 19–5 record, back-to-back black college football national championships, and top 25 FCS rankings. After the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19, the football program moved from its longtime home in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to the Big South Conference in 2021.

Early life and college career

Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Washington graduated from Tampa Bay Technical High School in 1978. [1] Washington then attended Mississippi Valley State University, where he played at cornerback for the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team. [2]

Pro football career

Washington signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent after the 1982 NFL draft. He played four games in 1982 as a rookie. Then in 1983, Washington played all 16 games as a reserve and had his first career interception. Washington played and started 14 games in 1984 with a career high six interceptions for 139 yards including two returned for touchdowns. [1]

After seven games with the Steelers in 1985, Washington was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played eight games and had a fumble recovery. [1]

Coaching career

Assistant coach (1987–2017)

From 1987 to 1991, Washington was defensive backs coach at Bethune–Cookman, helping Bethune–Cookman win the 1988 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship. [2] In 1992, Washington was assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, and special teams coordinator at Johnson C. Smith University, where he was also the head track and field coach. [2] Then from 1993 to 2000, Washington was defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at North Carolina Central. [2]

Washington's first job at North Carolina A&T was in 2001 as special teams coordinator under head coach Bill Hayes. Then from 2002 to 2006, Washington returned to his alma mater as assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, and defensive backs coach at Mississippi Valley State, turning around one of the worst defenses in the Southwestern Athletic Conference into the second best. [2]

From 2007 to 2010, Washington was defensive backs coach at Grambling State Tigers under head coach Rod Broadway. The 2007 Grambling State team had the no. 12 total defense in all of NCAA Division I FCS. Then in 2008, Grambling State was the FCS leader in turnover margin and third in scoring defense. [2] Following Broadway, Washington returned to North Carolina A&T in 2011 to become defensive coordinator and secondary coach, positions he would hold for seven years. [2]

North Carolina A&T head coach (2018–2022)

Following the retirement of Broadway, Washington was promoted to head coach at North Carolina A&T on January 9, 2018. [2]

In his first season in 2018, Washington led A&T to a 10–2 record. On September 2, North Carolina A&T defeated East Carolina 28–23, marking the third straight season A&T defeated an FBS opponent. [3] A&T's Twitter video of Washington's postgame locker room speech was widely shared; it ended with Washington remarking, "tell 'em to bring me my money." [4] North Carolina A&T received a $330,000 payment from East Carolina for the game. [5] A&T finished the season with a MEAC co-championship, 2018 Celebration Bowl title, black college football national championship, and year-end rankings in both FCS polls (no. 12 STATS, no. 11 AFCA Coaches).

Then in 2019, A&T went 9–3 for a second straight MEAC title. The team went on to win the 2019 Celebration Bowl and defended their black college national championship as a result. [2]

North Carolina A&T did not play in the 2020 season. In July 2020, the MEAC suspended all fall sports due to COVID-19. [6] Although a spring 2021 season was an option, the MEAC declined to hold a football championship, so A&T decided not to compete at all in what would have been the last season before the athletics program would move to the Big South Conference. [7]

In 2021, A&T's first season in the Big South, A&T finished 5–6.

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs STATS#Coaches°
North Carolina A&T Aggies (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)(2018–2020)
2018 North Carolina A&T 10–26–11stW Celebration 1211
2019 North Carolina A&T 9–36–2T–2nd*W Celebration 2322
2020–21 No team—COVID-19
North Carolina A&T Aggies (Big South Conference)(2021–2022)
2021 North Carolina A&T 5–63–4T–3rd
2022 North Carolina A&T 7–44–12nd
North Carolina A&T:31–1519–8*conf champs in 2019 due to NCAA sanctions on Florida A&M
Total:31–15
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwestern Athletic Conference</span> Collegiate athletic conference made up of historically black colleges and universities

The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for most sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly referred to as Division I-AA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference</span> American collegiate athletic conference

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, and in football, in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware State Hornets football</span> Intercollegiate American football team for Delaware State University

The Delaware State Hornets football team represents Delaware State University (DSU) at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They play at the 7,193-seat Alumni Stadium located in Dover, Delaware. The facility opened in 1957 as a multi-purpose venue, for football and track and field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina A&T Aggies football</span> Football program

The North Carolina A&T Aggies football program represents North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in college football. The Aggies play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision as a member of CAA Football, the technically separate football league operated by the Aggies' full-time home of the Coastal Athletic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team</span> American college football season

The 2013 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team represented Bethune-Cookman University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Brian Jenkins and played their home games at Municipal Stadium. They were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Bethune-Cookman finished the season 10–3, 7–1 in MEAC play to win a share of the conference championship with South Carolina State. Due to their win over South Carolina State, they received the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Coastal Carolina.

The 2013 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team represented South Carolina State University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by 12th year head coach Oliver Pough and played their home games at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. They were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 9–4, 7–1 in MEAC play to win a share of the MEAC championship with Bethune-Cookman. Due to their loss to Bethune-Cookman, they did not receive the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. However, they did receive an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they lost in the first round to Furman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team</span> American college football season

The 2014 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team represented Bethune-Cookman University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Brian Jenkins and played their home games at Municipal Stadium. They were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC. They finished the season 9–3, 6–2 in MEAC play to finish in a five-way tie for the MEAC championship. However, they did not earn the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs and did not receive an at-large bid.

The 2010 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team represented Bethune-Cookman University as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Wildcats were led by first-year head coach Brian Jenkins and played their home games at Municipal Stadium. They finished the season 10–2 overall and 7–1 in MEAC play, sharing the conference title with South Carolina State. Bethune–Cookman was invited to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they received a first-round bye before losing to New Hampshire in the second round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 North Carolina A&T Aggies football team</span> American college football season

The 2015 North Carolina A&T Aggies football team represented North Carolina A&T State University as a member of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Rod Broadway, the Aggies compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for the MEAC title with Bethune–Cookman and North Carolina Central. North Carolina A&T was invited to inaugural Celebration Bowl, where the Aggies defeated Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), champion Alcorn State, earning the program's fourth black college football national championship. North Carolina A&T played home games at Aggie Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 North Carolina Central Eagles football team</span> American college football season

The 2015 North Carolina Central Eagles football team represented North Carolina Central University as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Jerry Mack, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 7–1, placing in a three-way tie for the MEAC title with Bethune–Cookman and North Carolina A&T. 2015 was the first season in which the MEAC abstained from the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. Due to a head-to-head loss to Bethune–Cookman and lack of FCS non-conference victories, the Eagles were not invited to the newly-formed Celebration Bowl. North Carolina Central played home games at O'Kelly–Riddick Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

The 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season was the XXth season for MEAC Football, as part of the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team</span> American college football season

The 2015 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team represented Bethune-Cookman University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Terry Sims and played their home games at Municipal Stadium. They were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They finished the season 9–2, 7–1 in MEAC play to finish in a three-way tie for the MEAC title with North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central. 2015 was the first year the MEAC champion abstained from the FCS Playoffs. Due to their head-to-head loss to North Carolina A&T, they were not invited to the newly formed Celebration Bowl and also did not receive an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Celebration Bowl</span> College football game

The 2015 Celebration Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on December 19, 2015 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The inaugural Celebration Bowl game pitted the North Carolina A&T Aggies, co-champion of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, against the Alcorn State Braves, champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The event was the finale of the 2015 FCS football season for both conferences as their champions abstained from the NCAA Division I FCS football playoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team</span> American college football season

The 2016 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team represented Bethune–Cookman University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Terry Sims and played their home games at Municipal Stadium. They were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They finished the season 4–6, 4–4 in MEAC play to finish in a two-way tie for fifth place.

The 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football season was the XXIst season for MEAC Football, as part of the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 North Carolina A&T Aggies football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 North Carolina A&T Aggies football team represented North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This season marked the 94th for the program, and the final season for head coach Rod Broadway, who retired at the season's end. The Aggies finished the season undefeated with a record of 12–0, 8–0 in MEAC play, capturing their ninth conference title. The Aggies also earned an invitation to the Celebration Bowl where they defeated Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Grambling, earning their fifth black college football national championship. The Aggies played their home games at Aggie Stadium and were members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

The 2017 Celebration Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game that was played on December 16, 2017 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. This third Celebration Bowl game matched the champion of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, against the champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the two historically black division I conferences. The event was the finale of the 2017 FCS football season for both conferences as neither had teams earn an at large selections into the NCAA Division I FCS football playoffs and their champions abstain from the tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team represented Bethune–Cookman University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Terry Sims and played their home games at the newly renamed Daytona Stadium. They were a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They finished the season 7–5, 5–2 in MEAC play to finish in a tie for second place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Celebration Bowl</span> College football bowl game

The 2018 Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on December 15, 2018, with kickoff at 12:00 p.m. EST. It was the first game of the 2018–19 bowl season, and the only bowl to feature FCS teams. It was the fourth edition of the Celebration Bowl and the final game of the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season for the participating teams. The Air Force Reserve resumed its role as the title sponsor after a one-year absence.

The 2022 Celebration Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 17, 2022, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The seventh annual Celebration Bowl, the game featured the Jackson State Tigers, champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and the North Carolina Central Eagles, champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The SWAC and MEAC are the two prominent NCAA Division I conferences of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sam Washington". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Sam Washington". North Carolina A&T. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  3. ↑ Walker, Richard (December 12, 2018). "National title pursuit for North Carolina A&T". Gaston Gazette. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  4. ↑ Rashad, Kenn (September 3, 2018). "N.C. A&T coach to team after win: 'Tell them to bring me my money' – (Video)". HBCUsports.com. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  5. ↑ Rovell, Darren [@darrenrovell] (September 7, 2018). "North Carolina A&T got paid $330,000 last week by East Carolina & beat them. Awesome postgame line from coach Sam Washington, who this year is getting paid less than $330,000" (Tweet). Retrieved January 10, 2022– via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Torok, Jackie (July 16, 2020). "Pandemic prompts Aggies' athletic conference to suspend all sports for fall semester". North Carolina A&T State University. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  7. ↑ "N.C. A&T Cancels 2021 Spring Season". North Carolina A&T. February 11, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.