Bethune-Cookman University announces new head football coach

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman University has officially announced Monday a new head coach will lead its football team.

Director of Athletics Reggie Theus named Raymond Woodie Jr. as the HBCU’s head football coach.

Woodie, a B-CU alumnus, will become the university’s 16th head football coach.

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“We are elated to have Raymond Woodie, Jr. return to Bethune-Cookman University to lead our storied football program,” Theus said. “We felt confident in his experience, his leadership, and his ability to embrace the spirit of our founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune in this 100th year of B-CU football. We are locked in the vision for providing a championship culture through his detailed plan for recruiting academically talented student athletes, along with a sustained desire to provide a high-level experience.”

Woodie previously had served as an assistant coach at numerous Power 5 schools, overseeing football teams at the University of South Florida and Florida State University.

He recently was a assistant head coach at Florida Atlantic University, where he was managed the school’s special teams and worked as a recruiting coordinator.

Woodie is considered a premier recruiter, as seven of the football players he has coached have been drafted in the NFL.

Woodie graduated from BCU in 1996 and was the first BCU student athlete to be awarded an GTE Academic All-American, an award given to the most outstanding athletes in their program.

“It’s evidently clear why Coach Woodie has had terrific success in his journey, and we look forward to his return to Daytona Beach and starting this new era,” Theus said.

The University’s Interim president, Lawrence M. Drake II, said the university was beyond excited to welcome Woodie back to BCU.

“Throughout our search process, we stressed the need for a leader who understands our university’s history, traditions, and values, in addition to possessing firm athletic leadership prowess,” Drake said. “Coach Woodie embodies each of these qualities.”

Woodie’s hiring comes during after contract negotiations fell through for former NFL star and Pro Hall of Famer Ed Reed to lead the football team after Reed posted a video online criticizing the campus poor conditions.

Students from the historically Black university protested the poor living and campus conditions, claiming Reed was giving attention to a much bigger issue at hand.

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