Two of the five finalists for the Mississippi Valley State head football coaching job got a chance to sell themselves to fans in public forums Wednesday on the Itta Bena campus.
In separate forums, Charlie Brown and Karl Morgan laid out their plans for reviving a floundering Valley football program that has had just five winning seasons in the last 20 years.
Former Valley defensive coordinator Sam Washington, who currently holds that same position at Grambling State, spoke on campus today at 1, followed by Richard Wilson, the head coach at Arkansas Baptist, at 7 tonight.
The fifth finalist to replace Willie Totten is L.C. Cole, the head coach at Stillman College. He is scheduled to speak to fans at 1 p.m. Friday. Cole was fired at Alabama State in 2003 after university officials accused him of violating NCAA rules. The school released a report saying that ASU had violated 24 NCAA rules.
Speaking to a crowd of about 25 Wednesday afternoon, Brown said he had no reservations about the job when asked about battling limited scholarships and a small budget.
"Every university wants more funding. If I get the job, I will work hard to do the best with what I've got," said Brown, who is not currently in coaching and last served as the head coach at Savannah (Ga.) High.
When asked to identify the three biggest weaknesses of the program, Brown said funding, facilities and a lack of scholarships - all of which can be fixed by raising more money. And the former Pro Bowl wide receiver (1982 and 1983) and Super Bowl winner (1981) with the Washington Redskins says he's the man for the job.
"I have the contacts it takes to bring in money," said Brown, who was the offensive coordinator at Valley in 1999.
Valley uses just 39 scholarships - well short of the 63 allowed by the NCAA for Division I-AA schools.
He also he is the right man to turn around an anemic Delta Devil offense that ranked last in scoring this past season in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with 13 points a contest.
"I don't know about the talent here, but my offense, the West Coast offense, will be an immediate upgrade," he explained. "It's a great offense that spreads the ball around in the passing game. It will create excitement and get the alumni back involved."
Brown is a former standout player at South Carolina State. He was drafted by the Redskins in the eighth round of the NFL Draft .
He finished his six-year NFL career (three with Washington and three with Atlanta) with 220 receptions for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Morgan, the defensive coordinator at North Alabama, also has an NFL background after playing nose guard for the UCLA - where he was the defensive captain of the 1983 Rose Bowl championship team.
Morgan then played professional football with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League in 1983. He then played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1984 to 1986 and also played with the Houston Oilers in 1986.
Morgan would bring a wealth of coaching experience and success to Valley. He got his coaching start as a high school head coach and has worked for the last 17 as an assistant at the college level - the last nine as a defensive coordinator.
North Alabama, one of the nation's premier NCAA Division II programs, is 55-10 during Morgan's five-year stint as the defensive boss.
"I've got leadership skills. I proven that as a defensive coordinator for the last nine years. Our teams were 84-26 during that time," Morgan said. "We've won. I am a winner.
"I come in with no illusions. I know it's not the greatest situation, but I see a lot of promise here. You've got to change the culture and the mindset, and you do that with coaches who know how to win."
If hired, Morgan says he has a staff already put together. He would be the defensive coordinator.
Morgan said one of the first things he would do if hired would be update the coaches' offices.
"That's the first thing a kid sees when they come in for a visit. We need a wow effect," he said. "And it wouldn't take much to upgrade that space."
Morgan said another key to success at Valley is recruiting the best players from the Mississippi Delta.
"This is a fertile recruiting ground. That's the way to do. Out-of-state players cut into your scholarships more because of out-of-state tuition."
Valley officials say the search committee will narrow the finalists down to two on Friday and then present them to interim athletic director Donald Ray Sims. Sims will then make his suggestion to president Donna Oliver, who will make the ultimate decision.
A new coach could be named as early as Wednesday.
