FAMU's Ammons believes in Hayes

Entrance to FAMU new on-campus teaching gym will be opened in time to host Spring Graduation with a seating capacity over 9,000 seats.

Through the negotiations that resulted in Bill Hayes being hired as athletic director, Florida A&M President James Ammons knew his choice would be second-guessed. More than anything else, Ammons expected Hayes' years of competing against the Rattlers as a football coach from North Carolina A&T would be an issue. But Ammons could empathize.

When Hayes was athletic director at his alma mater, North Carolina Central, Ammons served as chancellor. Back then, Ammons got an earful about his ties to FAMU, where he had a previous tenure as provost and professor.

Now it's Hayes' turn and he's getting some resistance as FAMU faces tough economic times with a $4.2 million deficit. Ammons said Hayes is the right man to fix financial woes and recently gave him a vote of confidence during an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. Hayes took over a situation at FAMU that is similar to what he met at NCCU before turning the Eagles into a championship program. He was named Athletic Director of the Year by the the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) the last two years before he came to FAMU.

Florida A & M University President James Ammons, left, presents Eugene Harris a FAMU cap after naming Harris as the new men's head basketball coach on September 20, 2007, in Tallahassee, Florida. Hayes, Harris and Ammons have the gargantuan task of filling 9,000 seats in the new multi-purpose teaching gym due to open next season for Rattler basketball.

Hayes was hired 15 months ago with a three-year contract that pays him an annual salary of $175,000. He spent four years as athletic director at NCCU before coming to FAMU. During his 27 years as football coach at Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T, he coached the football teams to multiple championships.

FAMU athletic director William "Bill" Hayes

"Nobody is going to work as hard for Florida A&M athletics as Coach Hayes," Ammons said. "I have the utmost confidence in his ability to get this job done. I would hope that there is nobody out there among the alumni that's questioning my commitment to Florida A&M because he wouldn't be here if I didn't think he could do the best job that I want done."

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