Wells is Savannah State University football's last hope

Photo: SSU Tigers head coach Robby Wells is on the hot seat before the season starts for the 2008 Tigers.


Robby Wells saw Savannah State's football program as "a little gold mine" six years ago. Now the Tigers' head miner, Wells must find that hidden mineral vein. Or SSU should close its mine for good.

This is a program in peril. Nine coaches in 13 years, four since Wells became taken with the school as a South Carolina State assistant in 2002. Ten wins since moving to Division I-AA in 2000, only three against I-AA competition. A fan base dwindling with each coaching change, blowout loss and stranger-than-fiction episode, like student coaches selling steroids to players.

Wells is the Tigers' last hope. The administration made a long-term commitment when they hired him four months ago, with athletics' headmaster Claud Flythe promising Wells will be at SSU as long as he himself is.

Wells will either make the Tigers respectable or drive them to extinction. Such is the risk taken by a historically black college that hires a young white man with no head coaching experience to lead its marquee athletic program.

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Former Florida A&M head coach Rubin Carter was a finalist for this position. Kent Schoolfield, a former Fort Vally State head coach, and FAMU and Florida State assistant coach was also a finalist. Georgia Southern's legendary QB/current Bethune Cookman assistant coach Raymond Gross was a finalist.

But, the SSU president selects Robby Wells, with no head coaching experience--period, over coaches that have had some success at the Division I level or higher.

Carter was a Miami All-American and NFL All Pro; Schoolfield was an NFL player and FAMU All American; Gross won national championships with GSU and was an All-American player. Wells credentials just doesn't measure up to the other coaches that were available to SSU.

In all fairness to Wells and his staff, they have no chance of winning, even with a 12 game schedule stacked with NAIA and Division II programs.

Inadequate scholarships--no incoming talent equals no winning program. You can't attract Division I level talent based on a pipe dream and an unproven coaching staff. Who would put their football future into the hands of an unproven commodity like Coach Wells.

It can get worst than the Tigers ever imagined with a possible record of 1-11 or 0-12 in 2008, and a Tigers fan base quickly disappearing. SSU in its current condition with NCAA probation and reduced scholarships, would be hard pressed to be a competitive Division II program, today.

Nine coaches in 13 years speaks volumes about the ineptitude of the SSU administration when it comes to the major economic engine of the school.

Moreover, why schedule 12 football games in 2008, and only play four games on the Tigers home field? You don't make money playing road games at Division II and NAIA stadiums, so what's the logic behind that move?

The Tigers are not a Division I FCS football program in any stretch of the imagination, and until a full commitment is made financially to SSU football, attempting to compete at the FCS (formerly 1-AA) level is a major disservice to the Tigers student-athletes and fan base.

It will take more than hope (with no head coaching experience) to win at SSU. The first order of business should have been to hire a competent athletic director.

-beepbeep