HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Head Coach Connell Maynor was introduced to the Alabama A&M media, fans and administrators on Monday during a press conference where he unveiled his vision for the Bulldogs football program.
Quotables from Press Conference
President Dr. Andrew Hugine, Jr.
Opening statement:
"Good morning. It is certainly always a good day to be a Bulldog and to be here in Bulldog Country. It is delightful to see all of you here and thank you for coming and sharing this very historic announcement this morning as we transition into another phase here at Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University."
"Whatever we do here, takes the cooperative effort of many persons. We certainly want to thank our alumni for their support. Our faculty, our staff and other supporters. I certainly want to thank the committee and let me start first by thanking our Athletic Director Mr. Hicks. Thank you for the leadership that you provide to our athletic programs.
"Let me recognize our search committee for the wonderful job you did in hiring for the athletic program and in this case, our football program. We certainly want to thank Coach Towns for coming back to your alma mater and helping in making the selection."
"We are very pleased and happy about the choice that has been made and we look forward to great things here at Alabama A&M University as we transition in the year 2018. I do want to make two special appeals while I stand here as it relates to 2018."
"First appeal, let's make this a record year in the support of athletics at Alabama A&M University and we do that by purchasing season tickets. We want this to be an historic year in athletics."
"Secondly, as we bring on a new coach, we also want to be sure that we have another addition to the Louis Crews Stadium. That is our new marketing effort, sometimes referred to as the scoreboard or jumbotron. We are moving, but we are not moving fast enough. We want to be sure that when Coach Maynor shows up for the first game in the fall of 2018, that the jumbotron is in place. So if you have not contributed or if you've not made a commitment, what better time to do it than today."
Alabama A&M Director of Athletic Bryan Hicks
Opening statement:
"The search is over and I want to thank the Committee for the work that they did. Coach Maynor is an outstanding coach and better human being. He is a leader of many and we found that he shared the vision that we had for Alabama A&M Athletics and our program as a whole. It is a good match and we are looking forward to the young men that he develops, the leadership that he brings to the program and obviously the victories as they come."
"We are going to win on the field and we are going to win off the field. That is his commitment."
Alabama A&M Head Coach Connell Maynor
Opening Statement:
"First of all, I would like to thank my personal Savior, Jesus Christ, with Him I can do all things and that is one reason that I am standing here today. That's one of the reasons that I've been married 22 short years to the same woman. I have a daughter that is 17 years old and she's going to North Carolina A&T next year and has a 1150 SAT and a 4.3 GPA."
"I want to thank Dr. Hugine for his support and his efforts in getting me hired and Mr. Hicks and the great job that he has done. Mr. Wims and his committee for doing a great job in bringing me to Alabama A&M, on "the hill" and I can't wait to run off of that hill come the first game."
"Like Dr. Hugine said, when I rub that bulldog, I want to look up at that big jumbo screen and see the team behind me. We have to get it done. We don't have any problems that money can't solve. If everybody buys in, we are going to turn this thing around and we are going to get it done fast."
"I want to get the community involved. Get out into the Boys and Girls Club and talk to the alumni and get opinions on what you think needs to be done and evaluate those, and I will do what is best for the football program. That's what I'm always going to do. What's best for the program at Alabama A&M. It's not about me or any individual. It's about this University."
On preparing the players to have a winners' mentality:
"It's going to start with discipline. We have to teach these guys how to win. We have to teach them how to be winners and that starts with commitment, effort, discipline, preparation and that's how you teach them how to be a winner. Once you do that, the wins and losses will take care of themselves. We are going to win on and off the football field. Off the field, it comes to walking across that stage and getting that piece of paper."
"We are going to teach these guys how to be fathers, leaders, role models and they will be held accountable with every single thing that they do."
On his philosophy and his role as a coach in achieving the necessary APR ratings:
"As it pertains to my philosophy, defensively we are going to be aggressive. We are going to play to the situation. If we are up, we are going to try to play a little bit softer. Run the pocket a little bit, and when we need to bring pressure, we are going to bring pressure."
"Offensively, we are going to play to our strengths. We aren't going to ask our kids to do anything that they can't do and we will have multiple sets that we will display to cater to the strengths of our team."
"APR wise, two years ago at Hampton university, we had the highest APR in the history of MEAC football. We will monitor study hall, check classes and I will be in direct dialogue with the academic advisor regarding those that are at risk, missing study hall and things of that nature. Like I said, they will be held accountable to everything that they do."
On the one factor that made you choose Alabama A&M:
"It was Alabama. Football country. The fans and the alumni are very knowledgeable and they want to win and that's what I want to do. Our goals are going to be very simple. Individually, every day, every drill we do, you go full speed so you can get better as an individual and when you do that, we will get better as a football team."
"Win our next football game, win the SWAC, Win Black College National Championship, and if we get to the playoff, we are going to win the National Championship. I played for the National Championship before, so I know how to get there. We are going to get back and this time, we are going to win it."
On his plans on building the team:
"We are going to build it from the ground up, that's how you do it. However, you have to have a couple of transfers and JUCOs to fill in a couple of spots that you may not have or you may need to spot them into, especially coming this late."
"We may not be able to sign as many high school guys and young men as we want to. We will evaluate the film and try to have another recruiting weekend this weekend. Look at those guys, invite them and hopefully we can get them up here to see the campus and see what we are about."
If we can sign 8-10, that would be great and that would be 8-10 guys that we like and that we think fits our system and what we want to do with the bulldog mentality. Also, we will try to get a couple of transfers and JUCOs guys."
BULLDOGS Football Coaching Staff 2018
Connell Maynor, Head Coach
Duane Taylor, Offensive Coordinator
Mark DeBastiani, Defensive Coordinator
Brian Jenkins, Receivers/Special Teams Coach
Keith Wagner, Offensive Line
Travis Pearson, Outside Linebackers & Safeties
ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
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