The vetting process: Henry Frazier III

[Aggie77]

Since 'thrilla hasn't posted a new candidate recently, lets look at Henry Frazier III.

What are his pros and cons?

Do you think he would be a good fit?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Biography:

Henry Frazier III is in his fifth season as head coach of the Prairie View A&M University Panthers. He became the 22nd head football coach in PVAMU athletic history on Dec. 22, 2003. Last season Frazier and staff led the Panthers to their first winning season in thirty years and most wins in over four decades.

A native of Washington D.C. and a 1993 graduate of Bowie State University, Frazier played quarterback for BSU and went 18-3-1 as a starter. He guided the Bulldogs to the NCAA playoffs in 1988 and a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship in 1989. Upon graduating from Bowie State, Frazier entered the coaching ranks and had tremendous success as a head coach on the high school level in Maryland. Frazier continued to climb the coaching ladder and was named the head football coach at Bowie State in 1999. He quickly turned his alma mater into one of the CIAA’s best.

In 2001, Frazier led Bowie State to its best season since 1989 with a 7-3 record. For his success on the field, he was selected as the Coach of the Year by the CIAA and 100 percent Wrong Club in Atlanta, Ga. In addition, the 2001 Bulldogs also fielded the number one ranked pass defense and number seven ranked defense in NCAA Division II.

After an impressive 2001 season, Frazier moved the BSU program to another level during the 2002 season with their first-ever CIAA Eastern Division title and CIAA championship game appearance. Continuing the winning tradition in 2003, he guided the Bulldogs to their third consecutive winning season with a second place finish in the CIAA Eastern Division. Frazier’s 26-24 career record at Bowie State currently stands as the most victories by any football coach at BSU.

Prior to his arrival, Prairie View had posted two consecutive one win seasons in 2002 and 2003. In his first season at PVAMU, Frazier and staff led the Panthers to their most wins since 2001 by winning a total of three games. Prairie View also defeated arch rival Texas Southern for the first time in 15 years, beating the Tigers 25-7 in the 20th annual Labor Day Classic. In doing so, he led the Panthers to their first 2-0 start since 1964.

In 2005, Frazier continued Prairie View’s upward swing and guided the Panthers to their best season since 1988 with a 5-6 record. Included among the highlights last season was the Panthers’ first victory over Jackson State since 1971 and the team’s first SWAC road win in 17 years. In addition, Frazier moved into some elite company and joined PVAMU legendary head football coach William “Billy” Nicks as the only other coach in Prairie View history to beat Texas Southern in consecutive seasons.

In 2007 Frazier after leading the Panthers to their first winning season since 1976 and most wins since 1964 he was selected as Coach of the Year by the College Sporting News and the Black Sports Page.

When comparing Frazier’s current win totals he has already eclipsed the win marks of the last ten coaches at PVAMU. Frazier’s coaching philosophy centers around the belief that for a program to become successful, its players need to have fun on the field.

"In order to run a successful program you must provide your student-athletes with structure and discipline," said Frazier. "Whenever you are able to create that type of atmosphere for your players as well as making it fun for them, you have the basic elements needed for success."

Frazier is married to the former LaNier Turner of Washington, D.C. They have three children, Brijan (17), Brinia (8) and Henry IV (6).

[Aggie77]

Under Frazier, an Entirely Different View

By Steve Yanda
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 17, 2008; E04

Henry Frazier had no sensible reason to leave Bowie State at the conclusion of the 2003 season. He had coached his Division II team to a third consecutive winning season and a second-place finish in its division. He had 17 starters returning for the following year. And Prairie View A&M, the school that wanted to hire him away, had been mired in futility for the previous three decades.

"The only thing I knew was they were the team with the 80-game losing streak," Frazier said. "The athletic director [at Bowie State] laughed at me when I told him I was going to go interview there."

Fast forward five years to Saturday night, when Frazier, a D.C. native, guided Prairie View to a 37-3 win over Alcorn State in its regular season finale. The victory boosted the Panthers to 9-1 and strengthened their claim for an at-large berth into the division I-AA playoffs.

This season continued the monumental turnaround Frazier has orchestrated for a program that didn't have a winning season between 1976 and 2007. Prairie View, located about 50 miles northwest of Houston, suffered through a record 80-game losing streak from 1989 to '98 but recently has transformed into a Southwestern Athletic Conference title contender.

The Panthers finished this season with the program's best record since 1964 and sit in second place in the SWAC West division with the possibility of playing in the league championship game still alive.

When Frazier was hired to lead Prairie View in December 2003, the Panthers had just completed a 1-10 season in which they were outscored 543-109. The program operated on the ninth-lowest budget of the 10-team conference.

During the 2004 season opener against Southern, Frazier said an opposing tackle picked up a Prairie View defensive end high enough that the end's feet were dangling in the air. Then, according to Frazier, his player got tossed "like chow."

"It was a daunting task," Frazier said. "But I had something to pull from."

Bowie State had lost 21 straight games when Frazier arrived there to play quarterback after a standout career at Fairmont Heights High School, but with Frazier under center, the Bulldogs went 18-3-1. He later coached at Central High School and then returned to Bowie State as coach before taking the job at Prairie View.

Grambling State -- the only team to beat Prairie View this season -- leads the SWAC West, but if it loses its final two regular season games, Prairie View will advance to play Jackson State in the conference title game on Dec. 13.

"There was never any lack of confidence that he could do it," said Ralph Paden, who coached Frazier at Fairmont Heights and whom Frazier considers a father figure. "You get confidence from doing something before." . . .

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/16/AR2008111601730_pf.html

[Bornthrilla]

This guy has worked wonders at PV ... and I think he may have had a previous relationship with Wheeler. I think he was the football coach at Bowie State when Wheeler was the assistant AD there.

Somebody see if that is indeed accurate. If so, he might just be a wild card.

People tend to hire folks they are familiar with.

[Aggie77]

They overlapped a year, Wheeler was only at Bowie for one year (I think).

Pros:
Has built two programs from scratch
There's longevity and stability in this hire
Strong Head Coaching experience
Appears to recruit locally (state)
Probably not a budget buster
Probably could transplant current staff (hopefully Heishma Northern, DC would also come)

Cons:
Never won the big game

[DECKS]

Seems like he made the jump from high school to college with no problem.

[aggie62]

Frazier is #1 on my list and Maynor is #2

[oleschoolaggie]

this cat is high on my list! in fact, he's challenging my loyalty to monroe.

frazirer has turned two (count 'em!) rock bottom programs "completely" around! what else is there to say about a cat who can do that! prairie view is currently 9-1 for crying out loud! we're talkin' prairie view folks!

if frazier is available to us, then we'd better snatch his azz up! if he can succeed at bowie state where he had virtually no facilities, imagine what he could do in aggieland!

[oleschoolaggie]

i've got one other big plus for frazier. he's from the washington, dc area. he coached high school there and played college ball there. imagine the recruits he could pull from the washington, dc area!

[DECKS]

Didn't PV give Frazier a full compliment of scholarships? Something they've never had before. Has Frazier ever won a playoff game or beaten a PWC?

[Aggie77]

I don't think PVA&MU has a full complement of scholarships yet, but more than the 12 during the streak years.

It looks like he beat the WVSU Yellow Jackets a couple of times, but that about it.

www.bsubulldogs.com/documents/2008/9/23/BSU%20FB%20MG%20WEB.pdf?id=375

[Freeze]

Nov 17, 2008 19:09:40 GMT -5 DECKS said:

Seems like he made the jump from high school to college with no problem.

I seem to recall a famous NC high school coach who literally destroys his competition, has college experience, and knows the state of NC like the back of his hand....*scratches head* .....now what was his name???

[Bigboy]

I dought if he has ever won a playoff game because the SWAC does not participate in the D1AA playoffs. I feel he would be a good fit here in "Aggieland", and he is young.

[Bornthrilla]

If he gets screwed on this purported SWAC coin toss to decide the Western division champ, he may really be ready to bolt the SWAC conference:

community.meacfans.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5501054881/m/5131061645

[The Professor]

Nov 18, 2008 1:05:44 GMT -5 Freeze said:

Nov 17, 2008 19:09:40 GMT -5 DECKS said:

Seems like he made the jump from high school to college with no problem.

I seem to recall a famous NC high school coach who literally destroys his competition, has college experience, and knows the state of NC like the back of his hand....*scratches head* .....now what was his name???

I think I know him... Didn't he win titles at 3 different schools.... God what is his name

[Aggie One]

He is probably number three on WB's short list slightly behind (1) Broadway and (2)Webster. His youth really works to his advantage which makes him extremely serviceable for 20 or so years at A&T which would be a first in and of itself.

He does fit Brown's criteria almost perfectly - young, used to working with a restricted budget, HBCU guy, and has consistenly turned around programs actually that were worse off than ours in every aspect almost instaneously.

His only real draw back is having a specificallystrong recruiting knowledge of North Carolina talent but he is east coast/DC guy with player contacts in that DC, VA, Mayrland metro area so that transition could be eased greatly with theaddtiton of a couple of the right assistants with North Carolina ties like luring Rich McGeroge away from Shaw to take over the o-line or bringing in Steve Davis from Dudley or Knox from Charlotte.

That's where Broadway and Webster may have a one up on him.