Talk about a stark contrast. Yesterday, Winston-Salem State announced the hiring of Connell Maynor as its new head football coach. And for all of his experience, ties to the university and familiarity with the CIAA, it was a spectacular hire by the Rams.
24 hours later, Livingstone College does the complete opposite, handing the reigns of a struggling program to an inexperienced head coach in Elvin James. Now, it’s nothing personal against James; his life and the descriptions of it read like the first draft for a role model handbook.
But Livingstone is fast approaching Prairie View-level ineptitude, and they are in need of an executive breakthrough on the coaching tip. James’ last collegiate coaching experience was as an offensive line coach and recruiter at Elizabeth City State from 2000-05. His most recent gig was at the high school level in 2006, and the majority of his coaching experience is at the secondary level.
Livingstone hasn’t had a winning season in 11 years, has won just three games in the last three years, and won nothing this season. This school requires a dynamic coach that not only can recruit players away from the MEAC and other Carolina football institutions, but coach them to success, and convince fans that things will change. There has to be a huge presence that can transition LC from a doormat of the CIAA to a contender with other growing programs like Bowie State and Virginia State.
James may be a good guy to bring happy feelings, but happy feelings don’t light up scoreboards. Seems like this may have been the affordable hire for the Blue Bears, instead of the right one.
I first learned about 
