Mississippi Valley State University was scheduled to name its new head football coach at a 2 p.m. press conference today.
Even before the announcement, though, an Alabama newspaper was reporting that Karl Morgan, the defensive coordinator at North Alabama, has gotten the job.
“I’m very excited to get this opportunity,” Morgan told the Times Daily of Florence, Ala., in a story appearing on the newspaper’s Web site this morning. “Being a head coach is something I’ve always had in the back of my mind, but I never knew if it would happen.”
Debbie Montgomery, a spokesperson for Mississippi Valley State, would not confirm or deny that Morgan has been selected to replace Willie Totten, who resigned after eight seasons at the helm.
Interim Athletic Director Donald Ray Sims could not be reached for comment.
The university initially indicated that it would announce two finalists, then name its selection Wednesday. It was unknown why the timetable was moved up.
Valley brought five candidates to the campus last week for interviews and public forums. In addition to Morgan, the university interviewed Charlie Brown, ex-head coach at Savannah, Ga., High School; Sam Washington, Grambling State assistant and a former MVSU defensive coordinator; Richard Wilson, head coach at Arkansas Baptist; and L.C. Cole, head coach at Stillman College.
The new coach will be taking over a program that has just 13 winning seasons in its 58-year history.
“I want to take the program there in a different direction,” Morgan told the Times Daily. “I know there are some things to overcome, and I’m going into this with my eyes wide open. But I was very impressed with the campus and with the new president. I feel like we can turn things around and make it a good program.”
Morgan played nose guard at UCLA, where he was the defensive captain of the 1983 Rose Bowl championship team. He played professional football for four years — first with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, then with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Houston Oilers in the NFL.
He began coaching as a high school head coach and worked for the past 17 years as an assistant at the college level. His past nine years, he spent as a defensive coordinator.
At a conference with Valley supporters last week, Morgan said he was the best man for the job.
“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 mind set, and you do that with coaches who know how to win.”
Morgan said he already had a prospective staff put together and that he would serve as the defensive coordinator as well as head coach.
North Alabama, an NCAA Division II program, was 55-10 during Morgan’s five-year stint as the defensive coordinator.
