By “Nunnie” Robinson, Westside Gazette Sport Editor
In last week’s column we spoke of the demise of Jacob “Jake” Caldwell, the great Miami-Dade educator, administrator and basketball coach, and I might add, a 1965 graduate of then Tuskegee Institute, now university. Prior to his death, the president of our local alumni club, Oscar Braynon, and I met at Jake’s home to discuss a proposal he had introduced regarding the recruiting of the talent rich area known as the Gold Coast by our athletic department coaches, specifically football. Coach Caldwell noted the dearth of athletes on Tuskegee rosters from South Florida. With President Braynon and I in total agreement, we decided on a path forward to rectify the issue, thus changing the trajectory and landscape of Tuskegee recruiting in South Florida, specifically Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.
The meeting’s outcome mandated raising funds via SFTAC members (South Florida Tuskegee Alumni Club), friends and supporters to ascertain the possibility of Tiger football recruiters traveling to South Florida to immediately begin the process of establishing a recruiting network with high school coaches, athletic directors and administrators in the area. To honor Coach Caldwell’s vision and with the extraordinary organizational skills and powers of persuasion of President Braynon, the concept gained immediate traction and within a two week period, TU head football coach Aaron James and running backs coach/recruiting coordinator James Thompson landed in South Florida with deliberate speed. Coach Thompson attended Friday‘s coaches Meet & Greet @ HardRock Hotel, where high school coaches, intent on extolling the virtues of their current players, met college coaches from across the country. High schools represented included Miami Southridge, West Broward, Deerfield Beach, JP Taravella and Western.
On Saturday Morning, Coach Thompson represented Tuskegee at the Orange Bowl High School Football showcase at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, where over 300 high school seniors (238), and some juniors (123) participated in football related drills and tests to demonstrate their abilities to compete at the college level in front of 39 college coaches.
Sunday’s Alumni Meet & Greet in Miami Lakes presented an opportunity for both Head Coach James and Coach Thompson to meet with our loyal and dedicated SFTAC members including former TU player & Head Coach Mandrel Nickles of Miami Sunset, former Stranahan coach Travis Harden, Vice-President Eric McClary, Secretary Valerie Montgomery, Treasurer Margaret Moncur, Gregory Gay, Mark Smith, Anthony Davis, Barry Robinson, Sonia Henry-Robinson, Nunnie Robinson and President Oscar Braynon.
On Monday and Tuesday the highly motivated, dedicated and committed coaches visited the following schools and coaches: Chaminade Madonna, Norland, Jackson, Glades Central, Pahokee, Dillard, Nova, Deerfield, Monarch, Coconut Creek, Cardinal Gibbons, Northwestern, Edison, Booker T. and Mourning High Schools.
Given the opportunity to meet Coconut Creek Principal Dr. Nicole Nearor, whose presence at an after school classroom session of players and coaches in what is deemed a weekly open mic op, we were all taken aback when she announced that Coach Thompson and she were schoolmates in Butler, Alabama, and that he had played ball with her brother. What a small world! However, it got better as she found it in heart somehow to forgive Coach Thompson, an Alabama State University graduate, as is she, for having gravitated to ASU’s much despised rival – the Golden Tigers of Tuskegee! That for me was a most gratifying moment because it was obvious that Coconut Creek High has something special brewing: Dr. Nearor, Head Coach Sloan and OC Yeargin and the Cougar football team. I want all of Broward and South Florida to know this: if all of the coaches are of the same character and quality as of those that Coach Thompson and I met – Dillard’s Coach Mincey, Nova’s Coach McCloud, Deerfield’s Coach Thomas, Monarch’s Coach Davis, Creek’s Coach Sloan, and Gibbon’s Coach Dubac, then yours sons are in great hands.
HC visited
Chaminade Madonna HS in Hollywood
Miami Gardens Norland HS
Belle Glade Glades Central HS
Pahokee High School
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