September 2019, Sports

Football coach fired; interim coaches take over

Interim coaches Regnald Cooper and Okesa Smith

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 24) – Okesa Smith and Reginald Cooper were named Interim Head Football Coaches at Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) on Tuesday, Sept. 24.

Both coaches take over for Tim Chavous, who was released as SAU Head Football Coach.

“Within the Department of Athletics, goals and expectations are set for each team,” said George Williams, SAU Director of Athletics. “Athletes must meet the requirements for eligibility from the institution, the CIAA, and the NCAA to participate. Unfortunately, achieving eligibility is not always easy and our expectations are not always met. It is times like these that we have to re-evaluate and make changes that we feel are necessary.”

“This has happened with the football program, and we feel that a change has to take place immediately,” Williams added. “Our primary interest is always the well-being of the students.”

Smith is in his second season at SAU, including his first as defensive coordinator this year. Cooper re-joined the SAU football staff this year as quarterbacks coach after previously coaching at SAU from 2014 to 2016.

Chavous posted a 10-28 overall mark as Falcons’ head coach in five seasons, including a 0-3 record this year. His best season was 2017 when the Falcons tied for the best conference record in the CIAA Southern Division.

— Office of Sports Information