Sports

It’s firing season for football coaches.

Virginia State fired head coach Andrew Faison after 11 seasons. Faison finished with a record of 58-53 but his Trojans struggled to challenge North Division heavyweights Elizabeth City State and Bowie State.

In the South Division, Livingstone has fired Elvin James, according to Football Scoop, a website that tracks coaches on the collegiate and professional levels. The site said the school was scheduled to name a replacement on Nov. 19.

Fayetteville State cut ties with Kenny Phillips earlier this month after 13 seasons. Phillips led the Broncos to their best stretch in school history, going 75-63 mark during his tenure with three CIAA championships and three appearances in the Division II playoffs. FSU has reassigned Phillips, who still has a year remaining on his contract, to other duties.

Programs and coaches with CIAA ties haven’t been immune from pink slips. West Virginia State, a former CIAA member, released head coach Earl Monroe after seven seasons. He finished with a 23-39 record. Former Johnson C. Smith coach Daryl McNeill was fired by Clark Atlanta after three years. Rod Robinson, a former JCSU player and assistant coach who was on McNeill’s CAU staff as assistant head coach, was also relieved of his duties.

With all the changes, who’ll be the hot candidates to take these jobs? Top candidates will likely include Shaw offensive coordinator Maurice Flowers, a JCSU graduate, and Winston-Salem State defensive coordinator Perez Boulware, whose Rams have led the CIAA in defense the last couple of seasons. A darkhorse could be JCSU offensive coordinator Steve Shipp, who coached the Golden Bulls to a 31.3 points per game average in 2012.

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