Florida A&M University Won’t Renew Contract With Basketball Coach Robert McCullum

After winning the MEAC Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2021, the past 2 seasons his team went 13-45.

Florida A&M (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University) men’s basketball head coach, Robert McCullum will not return as the coach of the Rattlers next season.

According to a statement released by the university, Vice President and Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes stated that McCullum’s contract, which expires later this year on June 30, will not be renewed. He has coached the FAMU basketball team for the past seven seasons.

“I want to thank Coach McCullum for his dedication to FAMU and our basketball student-athletes,” Sykes said in a written statement. “He has led this program with integrity and has positively influenced countless young men, both players and coaches. We wish Coach McCullum and his family the very best in the future.”

While coaching the basketball team, McCullum has compiled a losing record of 67-133 during his seven seasons. That includes a dismal 53-61 mark in conference play. Just three years ago, in 2021, McCullum was named the (MEAC) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

According to Clutchpoints, the coach was hired by FAMU in May 2017, and at the start of his tenure with the Rattlers, he led the team to four consecutive winning seasons in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. McCullum led Flordia A&M while the team switched conferences from the MEAC to the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference). When FAMU joined the SWAC, he took the team to an 11-7 record in the conference and a seven-game win streak. One of his players, MJ Randolph, became the SWAC Player of the Year in the 2021-2022 season.

The honeymoon ended quickly for McCullum. The team struggled to win the past two years, posting a 7-22 record for the 2022-2023 season and then doing one game worse this past season with a 6-23 record.

A search committee will immediately conduct a national search for McCullum’s replacement.