Friday, February 24, 2017

Former UVa coach London has next challenge at MEAC member Howard

ROANOKE, Virginia -- Involved with Maryland’s football preparations this past year, associate head coach Mike London wasn’t paying close tabs to developments at Howard University, a nearby FCS program.

At the time that Howard was parting company with six-year head coach Gary Harrell, the Maryland staff was preparing for its final regular-season game against Rutgers with a bowl bid on the line.

The Terrapins beat Rutgers and got an invitation to play Boston College in the Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 26. Then, after a short break, London and the other coaches hit the road to recruit.



“I was in Detroit somewhere,” said London, who was the head coach at Virginia from 2010-15. “I got a phone call from the [Howard] athletic director, Kery Davis. He had just finished his first year here.”

London learned after the fact that Davis was a former executive at HBO, where he had put together boxing deals and other showbiz extravaganzas.

“He called and said, ‘Hey, listen, we’re going to be looking for a coach to take our program to another level,’ ” London, 56, said. “He said, ‘It’s a school that’s got a gCeat academic reputation and we’re for guys who’ve had success at those places.’ ”

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