Kendrick Wade, a Mississippi Valley State University alumnus and former wide receivers coach, has been named the football program’s 18th head coach.
He replaces Vincent Dancy, who left to join the staff of Deion Sanders at the University of Colorado after leading the Delta Devils’ program for five years.
“We were looking for a leader with a vision who could draw people into the program and towards him,” said Hakim McClellan, MVSU’s athletic director. “Coach Wade has been working hard and paying his dues in the high school and college coaching ranks. He has demonstrated proven success as an assistant coach and what he has accomplished working with players over the years, and we believe he will do the same coming back home to The Valley.”
Wade, a former MVSU wide receiver, coached high school football for seven years and has been an assistant coach on the collegiate level for six years. The Cleveland native is coming to Itta Bena from Delta State University, where he coached the Statesmen’s wide receivers.
Under his leadership, the wide receivers helped the Statesmen average 41.2 points a game en route to an 11-2 record as the Gulf South Conference champions.
During his playing time at Valley, Wade set the school record for longest receiving touchdown in 2004 (82 yards against Grambling), which was recently broken by receiver Jacory Rankin in 2019 with a 93-yard touchdown against Alabama State.
Regarded as a MVSU great, in 2016 Wade was named to MVSU’s All-Decade Football Team (2000-2010).
Coming back to Valley to lead the football progam is something that Wade knew was destined for him.
“I have dreamed of this moment; I saw it before it became a reality. I always felt I would have the honor of returning home to elevate this program to compete for championships, and that’s what we are going to do,” Wade said of getting the reins to the program. “I know it will not happen overnight, but the process of that elevation begins now. Valley, the time is now.”
Wade will be officially introduced at a press conference at 11 a.m. Jan. 9 in the R.W. Harrison Complex on the campus of MVSU.
-Contact Jared Conerly at 662-581-7237 or jconerly@gwcommonwealth.com.
