December 24, 2023
Drama Envelops Texas Southern University Coaching Search
Texas Southern University’s hiring process has become a contentious affair.
Disagreements between a school’s administration and who they hire as a head coach are fairly common. Still, a report from Sports Illustrated indicates that those disagreements portend a greater rift between athletic departments and the trustee boards or regents of certain HBCU institutions.
Texas Southern University’s hiring process has become contentious due to its handling of former Alcorn State University head coach Fred McNair’s candidacy for their open head coaching position.
At a Dec. 14 meeting of the Southern University System Board of Supervisors, board member and attorney Tony Clayton addressed the matter of Southern University’s hiring process, saying, “I find that this process was flawed. I don’t think it’s indicative (of) the way we should operate at Southern University. This has nothing to do with coach Graves and/or his character…this administration hasn’t ceased to shock me with some of the actions that emanate from the head of this campus.”
He continued, “I think we, as (the) fiduciary, as the responsible people to this university, has to make sure that these taxpayers’ money is being met…No. It’s not about the coach, but it’s about the process… I’m not impressed with the way this administration handled this search. It leaves a lot to be desired.”
Regarding Texas Southern University, this sentiment is reflected in the push from TSU board members to hire McNair despite a minority of the board being bullish concerning the prospect of the university potentially hiring future Hall of Fame wide receiver and former Houston Texans player Andre Johnson. By most accounts, McNair, the elder brother of former Alcorn State standout and Houston Oiler Steve “Air” McNair, is an easy choice for the institution given his track record of compiling wins and TSU’s lengthy history of being a losing football program. However, Jerome Solomon, a long-time Texan insider for the Houston Chronicle, believes Johnson may mesh better at the university than most TSU board members.
In a November column for Houston’s newspaper, Solomon writes that though Clarence McKinney’s job is not difficult to fill, the position itself is one of the most difficult in all of college football. Solomon compares Johnson to another Hall of Fame talent who spent time at an HBCU and elevated the program to previously unseen heights, Deion Sanders. Solomon admits, however, that a more analogous example, given Johnson’s low-key temperament, would be the Tennessee State University head coach, Eddie George.
“As is the case with Eddie George, the former Oilers/Titans running back who coaches the other TSU, Tennessee State,” Solomon wrote, “Johnson could parlay his playing experience and reputation into building a strong coaching staff that would be otherwise difficult for TSU to assemble.”
The debate between those in favor of McNair among the board and a small group reportedly in favor of hiring Johnson has turned what likely should have been a formality into something more protracted. Sports Illustrated reported that a contract for McNair had all but been agreed to after its head coach search committee nominated McNair as its top choice. However, on Dec. 15, they failed to reach a consensus after planning a meeting to approve a four-year, $313,000 coaching deal with McNair. In addition to this, there was another special meeting called by the board of regents on Dec. 19 so that they could endorse the contract for McNair, but similar to the other vote; it failed because board members who preferred Johnson either disagreed with the choice or failed to show up for the vote.
Yet on National Signing Day, Dec. 20, the university did not have an official head coach, according to Terrance Harris, a reporter for the Houston Defender, Houston’s Black newspaper, who, on Dec. 19, spoke to TSU Board of Regents Vice-Chair James Benham. Benham would only tell Harris that the university has yet to agree on its next coach.
The waiting game for McNair, who is expected to be hired by now, continues alongside the drama.
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