Post by bluehaze on Dec 21, 2004 9:42:09 GMT -5
JCSU brings back McNeill
Coach returns for 2nd stint with Golden Bulls football program
HERB WHITE
Special Correspondent
Johnson C. Smith reached into its football past to rebuild the program.
Daryl McNeill, who was named coach Monday, has been here before, taking over the Golden Bulls in 1995 after they went winless the previous season. The goals are the same, too: return the program to respectability.
"I've been somewhat around the world, and now I'm back," he said.
"I know I have a lot of work to do, but if any of you have researched the situation, I'm pretty much coming back into the same situation in a team that was 0-10 and (hadn't won) that season. I'm here with high hopes of winning a national championship, with high hopes of winning a CIAA championship."
McNeill, 44, who succeeds Tim Harkness, went 10-10 in two seasons at Smith, including 7-3 in 1996. He left the Bulls for Division II Savannah State, then moved to Division I-AA as offensive coordinator at S.C. State, his alma mater, and N.C. A&T.
Early in the month-long search, McNeill emerged as the top candidate, primarily through his previous ties to Smith as well as his ability to produce graduates and success on Saturdays.
"He is a coach's coach and he's the kind of coach other schools wish they could get," JCSU President Dorothy Cowser Yancy said.
Wins were rare for Smith, which went 10-50 under Harkness, 1-19 over the past two seasons. McNeill, who has a five-year deal that includes a position as assistant athletics director, said he'll immediately contact returning players to become familiar with personnel. He'll also hit the recruiting trail to find playmakers, especially for a defense that was last in the CIAA in nearly every major category.
"On this level, you really recruit what you need, you don't recruit to establish a big program as far as making freshmen into seniors right now," McNeill said. "You really have to recruit and establish what you need right now and that's the thing I'm excited about."
Since there's no place for the Bulls to go but up, McNeill is anxious to prove his earlier stint at Smith was no flash in the pan.
"There's a lot of work to be done, I'm ready for the challenge," he said. "Dr. Yancy and I have worked really diligently over the last week to put this thing together.
"We've talked about commitment and I think the university has definitely made one, and I'm definitely committed to making sure we stay on the right track and do the things we need to do bring winning football back to Johnson C. Smith."
Coach returns for 2nd stint with Golden Bulls football program
HERB WHITE
Special Correspondent
Johnson C. Smith reached into its football past to rebuild the program.
Daryl McNeill, who was named coach Monday, has been here before, taking over the Golden Bulls in 1995 after they went winless the previous season. The goals are the same, too: return the program to respectability.
"I've been somewhat around the world, and now I'm back," he said.
"I know I have a lot of work to do, but if any of you have researched the situation, I'm pretty much coming back into the same situation in a team that was 0-10 and (hadn't won) that season. I'm here with high hopes of winning a national championship, with high hopes of winning a CIAA championship."
McNeill, 44, who succeeds Tim Harkness, went 10-10 in two seasons at Smith, including 7-3 in 1996. He left the Bulls for Division II Savannah State, then moved to Division I-AA as offensive coordinator at S.C. State, his alma mater, and N.C. A&T.
Early in the month-long search, McNeill emerged as the top candidate, primarily through his previous ties to Smith as well as his ability to produce graduates and success on Saturdays.
"He is a coach's coach and he's the kind of coach other schools wish they could get," JCSU President Dorothy Cowser Yancy said.
Wins were rare for Smith, which went 10-50 under Harkness, 1-19 over the past two seasons. McNeill, who has a five-year deal that includes a position as assistant athletics director, said he'll immediately contact returning players to become familiar with personnel. He'll also hit the recruiting trail to find playmakers, especially for a defense that was last in the CIAA in nearly every major category.
"On this level, you really recruit what you need, you don't recruit to establish a big program as far as making freshmen into seniors right now," McNeill said. "You really have to recruit and establish what you need right now and that's the thing I'm excited about."
Since there's no place for the Bulls to go but up, McNeill is anxious to prove his earlier stint at Smith was no flash in the pan.
"There's a lot of work to be done, I'm ready for the challenge," he said. "Dr. Yancy and I have worked really diligently over the last week to put this thing together.
"We've talked about commitment and I think the university has definitely made one, and I'm definitely committed to making sure we stay on the right track and do the things we need to do bring winning football back to Johnson C. Smith."
