Post by Aggie One on Dec 3, 2005 4:48:08 GMT -5
www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051203/NEWSREC0105/512030309
Lee Fobbs era begins at N.C. A&T
GREENSBORO -- In a quick, decisive stroke, N.C. A&T athletics director Dee Todd changed the face of Aggie football Friday.
Todd introduced Lee Fobbs, an assistant at Texas A&M, as A&T's new football coach. He replaces George Small, who was fired 11 days earlier.
It's the first college head coaching job for Fobbs, 55, who has been a college assistant since 1989.
Todd said A&T's short list consisted of "about five" candidates, but it didn't take her long to identify Fobbs as the one she wanted.
"I felt that in the scheme of things I wanted a football coach who could take us to the I-AA championship game and win it," Todd said. "I didn't want someone who could just win the MEAC title."
Fobbs received a four-year contract with an annual salary of $165,000. That's a significant boost from the $110,000 paid to Small, but Fobbs also will be A&T's offensive coordinator.
"I collapsed the positions, which, in doing some research, I found is very common in I-AA," Todd said. "That's how you can get a coach and pay him a little more and get a little more for your money."
Fobbs, a running backs coach the last five years, said he welcomed the dual role.
"I've always thought of myself as an offensive coach," he said. "Being able to coach on both sides of the football has been a blessing to me. Being back on the offensive side for the last five years has been a plus."
Fobbs said he didn't hesitated to take the job despite the fate of his predecessor. Small is an A&T graduate who won the MEAC title his first season and guided the Aggies to 10 wins, the second most in school history. The next two seasons, the Aggies dipped to consecutive records of 3-8.
Fobbs was presented to a festive gathering of Aggies supporters. Chancellor James Renick walked in with Todd and Fobbs, thrusting his right fist in the air.
"I don't look back and I don't want anybody else to look back," Fobbs told the crowd. "What has happened, has happened. It's behind us. Those guys were good coaches; they felt like they did what they needed to do in order to win.
"Now we're going to move forward. That's the approach I've always taken. If you look back, it will slow you up, so you've got to move."
In that regard, one of the first things on Fobbs' agenda is hiring a staff, which he said he hopes to assemble by the time the Christmas holidays are over.
The other big issue is recruiting, currently being handled by three assistants temporarily held over from Small's staff. Fobbs said he feels he's behind in that area already.
A native of Monroe, La., Fobbs has no ties to A&T or to North Carolina. He played for coaching legend Eddie Robinson at Grambling and still stays in touch with him.
After a stint as a graduate assistant for Robinson, Fobbs became the offensive coordinator at Wossman (La.) High School for 10 years and head coach and AD at Carroll (La.) High School for four years.
His college career started at Northeastern Louisiana, now Louisiana-Monroe, in 1989. He has been an assistant at eight schools, with experience coaching running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive tackles, defensive tackles, outside linebackers and defensive ends.
He has coached the running backs on the staff of Dennis Franchione for the last five years, two at Alabama and three at Texas A&M.
Fobbs was approached by A&T about the job. Todd said some people she respects recommended him, including Texas A&M athletics director Bill Byrne. Fobbs met her criteria of having experience at the Division I and I-AA levels, head coaching experience and ties to an Historically Black College or University.
A&T's long-range goals impressed Fobbs, who said the situation "felt good" when he visited for his interview.
"We were very productive as we talked business, we were very productive as we laughed and joked from time to time," he said. "I've been on interviews before and it's been totally straight line. This was different. I told my wife that I knew in my heart this was the right place."
Fobbs hasn't yet met with the team, but plans one-on-one talks soon. He'll also start evaluating this season's game tape as soon as possible.
Fobbs doesn't want to take long to turn around the Aggies' football fortunes.
"I'd like to take a bunch of wins right now if I can get them," he said with a laugh. "Being a realist, we're going to approach it one game at a time. We'll coach our kids to the best of our ability. If it happens early for us, we'll take it."
Contact Bill Hass at 373-7047 or bhass@news-record.com
Lee Fobbs era begins at N.C. A&T
GREENSBORO -- In a quick, decisive stroke, N.C. A&T athletics director Dee Todd changed the face of Aggie football Friday.
Todd introduced Lee Fobbs, an assistant at Texas A&M, as A&T's new football coach. He replaces George Small, who was fired 11 days earlier.
It's the first college head coaching job for Fobbs, 55, who has been a college assistant since 1989.
Todd said A&T's short list consisted of "about five" candidates, but it didn't take her long to identify Fobbs as the one she wanted.
"I felt that in the scheme of things I wanted a football coach who could take us to the I-AA championship game and win it," Todd said. "I didn't want someone who could just win the MEAC title."
Fobbs received a four-year contract with an annual salary of $165,000. That's a significant boost from the $110,000 paid to Small, but Fobbs also will be A&T's offensive coordinator.
"I collapsed the positions, which, in doing some research, I found is very common in I-AA," Todd said. "That's how you can get a coach and pay him a little more and get a little more for your money."
Fobbs, a running backs coach the last five years, said he welcomed the dual role.
"I've always thought of myself as an offensive coach," he said. "Being able to coach on both sides of the football has been a blessing to me. Being back on the offensive side for the last five years has been a plus."
Fobbs said he didn't hesitated to take the job despite the fate of his predecessor. Small is an A&T graduate who won the MEAC title his first season and guided the Aggies to 10 wins, the second most in school history. The next two seasons, the Aggies dipped to consecutive records of 3-8.
Fobbs was presented to a festive gathering of Aggies supporters. Chancellor James Renick walked in with Todd and Fobbs, thrusting his right fist in the air.
"I don't look back and I don't want anybody else to look back," Fobbs told the crowd. "What has happened, has happened. It's behind us. Those guys were good coaches; they felt like they did what they needed to do in order to win.
"Now we're going to move forward. That's the approach I've always taken. If you look back, it will slow you up, so you've got to move."
In that regard, one of the first things on Fobbs' agenda is hiring a staff, which he said he hopes to assemble by the time the Christmas holidays are over.
The other big issue is recruiting, currently being handled by three assistants temporarily held over from Small's staff. Fobbs said he feels he's behind in that area already.
A native of Monroe, La., Fobbs has no ties to A&T or to North Carolina. He played for coaching legend Eddie Robinson at Grambling and still stays in touch with him.
After a stint as a graduate assistant for Robinson, Fobbs became the offensive coordinator at Wossman (La.) High School for 10 years and head coach and AD at Carroll (La.) High School for four years.
His college career started at Northeastern Louisiana, now Louisiana-Monroe, in 1989. He has been an assistant at eight schools, with experience coaching running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive tackles, defensive tackles, outside linebackers and defensive ends.
He has coached the running backs on the staff of Dennis Franchione for the last five years, two at Alabama and three at Texas A&M.
Fobbs was approached by A&T about the job. Todd said some people she respects recommended him, including Texas A&M athletics director Bill Byrne. Fobbs met her criteria of having experience at the Division I and I-AA levels, head coaching experience and ties to an Historically Black College or University.
A&T's long-range goals impressed Fobbs, who said the situation "felt good" when he visited for his interview.
"We were very productive as we talked business, we were very productive as we laughed and joked from time to time," he said. "I've been on interviews before and it's been totally straight line. This was different. I told my wife that I knew in my heart this was the right place."
Fobbs hasn't yet met with the team, but plans one-on-one talks soon. He'll also start evaluating this season's game tape as soon as possible.
Fobbs doesn't want to take long to turn around the Aggies' football fortunes.
"I'd like to take a bunch of wins right now if I can get them," he said with a laugh. "Being a realist, we're going to approach it one game at a time. We'll coach our kids to the best of our ability. If it happens early for us, we'll take it."
Contact Bill Hass at 373-7047 or bhass@news-record.com
