Savannah State University Loses Its Seventh Head Coach in 11 Years

Yesterday Savannah State University head football coach Robbie Wells resigned after two years with the program compiling a mediocre seven wins in two years. 

Outsiders will look at the record on the surface and say it was time for him to go, however those such as myself who are close to the program saw the record as a vast improvement, an improvement that showed movement in the right direction.  The news broke yesterday and sent shock waves throughout various social networks with alumni and former players such as myself wondering what was going. 

As an outsider you must know a little bit about the past to get a sense of the confusion and outrage that preceded the news of the winningest coach over the last eight or nine years for the Tigers with his decision to resign. 

Savannah State University football in the late '80s became a respectable Division II contender under the direction of the late Bill Davis leading the Tigers to there only NCAA Division II playoff appearance in 1992, and producing the most notable alum in Shannon Sharpe who went on to become one of the best tight ends in NFL history. 

From there the programs success staggered with inconsistency in terms of wins.  During the 1997–1998 seasons Savannah Stateflirted with various defensive milestones gaining national attention for being one of the stingiest defenses in the nation and recording the schools last winning season at 7–4 under head coach Daryl McNeill. 

The program has seemingly gone down hill from there with seven head coaching changes over the past eleven years and producing sub par results on the field.  Daryl McNeill, Steven Wilks, Bill Davis, Kenneth Pettiford, Richard Basil, Theo Lemon, and now Robert Wells have all either been fired or have resigned from the program. 

As an alumni and a former player I am extremely disappointed in the results of the last decade of football from my alma mater.  I grew up in Savannah for most of my life and as a witness there is a clear disconnect from the Savannah State Football played in the eighties to the Savannah State Football played in the last decade. 

I played for SSU from 1998–2002 under the leadership of coach Daryl Mcneill, Steven Wilks, Bill Davis, and Richard Basil (although Basil he was an assistant coach during this time he later became head coach). 

There was a since of tradition when I came in as a freshman walk-on athlete, there was clear leadership on the team and we produced on the field, though for reasons that I cannot explain, coaches began to leave the program.  As the coaches left so did the leadership structure of the team. 

Savannah Georgia is a city with a population of roughly two-hundred thousand people, and within this population Savannah State University is the only collegiate football team within the city limits (Georgia Southern University located in Statesboro, GA is about an hour outside of the city).

With Savannah State University being the oldest public university in the state of Georgia and rich with history, there is an enormous opportunity to captivate the fan base again and build a powerhouse from within. 

So where do we go from here?  With national signing day quickly approaching, SSU is now without a head Coach.  Recruits are now faced with the dilemma of not knowing what direction the team will take, and like in the past current players may choose to transfer to a more stable program (IE. Roosevelt Williams transferred to Tuskegee University in 2000 and later went on to play in the NFL for four years with various teams). 

Will recruits now choose to pursue other schools because of the SSU instability?  Will highly qualified coaches choose not to apply for the now vacant head coaching position at SSU due to the schools history of coaches coming and going over the last decade?  Will the SSU faithful turn there backs on the school?

I believe that all questions will be answered in the coming months, and behind the leadership of school president Earl Yarbrough; I as an alumni have faith that he has a progressive plan for the program, a plan that will place SSU in a position to become a relevant contender once again.

As an alumni I ask the for patience and understanding, to the students I ask for support and resilience, to the administration I ask for one clear voice showing leadership and progression with the universities best interests in mind, and to the future players please remember that SSU is what you make it, this university has a lot to offer and as the motto goes, "you can get anywhere from here."