On April 7th, Langston Athletics hosted a press conference to announce that longtime assistant coach Calvin Miller would be stepping up as interim head coach for the Lions football squad.
The event was a true celebration of a new era for Langston football with Miller serving as its first new head coach in 10 years. Miller expressed his sentiments, saying that this position means, “a whole lot.”
“It gives me a great honor to lead these young men not only in character but also in life, and on the football field, as well as in the classroom, and well around campus, so I am very excited.”
Miller’s excitement is a fire beneath him to expand the “great tradition” of Langston football; however, he believes this cannot be done without the community’s support and donations.
Miller has big aspirations for Langston Athletics, specifically in growing and updating their weight-training facility and the ways the university showcases successful alumni athletes.
“Our weight room is very limited. We need to enlarge the territory. When we look at the teams we are competing against, they have larger facilities. There are some things that remain the same for the work … but yet still we have to have ample room to be able to do that, not only for football but for other sports.”
He adds, “When we look at the data there are 24 NFL players, former NFL Players from Langston University. When someone walks into our facility, you know, my goal is to find a way to display those names … of those guys that played here.”
In hopes of making progress on these goals and raising funds for the upcoming season, Miller and Langston Athletics are hosting a 9-hole golf tournament to raise money for the Lions football team on May 15th.
Miller also shared his academic aspirations for his players, detailing that they should put their focus toward school before scoring.
“We are constantly, consistently talking to them about grades, so for those who are below the level of standard and competition … I say, hey, you don’t need to pass the football, you need to work on your academics.”
In addition to Coach Miller, the athletics department also announced the new defensive coordinator, William Jones III, who, at Coach Miller’s request, came out of retirement to join Dear Langston’s family.
In regard to how he plans to impact the success of the team, Jones said, “We’ll work really hard and invest our time in the areas of improving fundamentals and techniques. When it gets down to it, when you get tired, …, it comes down to fundamentals and techniques, blocking and tackling, catch the ball, those kinds of things.”
Jones expects to “set the gold standard in everything you [the players] do.” He believes that being able to do these things strengthens teams and builds them up to win championships.
The event began at noon and featured refreshments, a Q&A panel with the coaches hosted by the president of the Langston University Alumni Association, Dezz Lewis, and music from Langston alum and current assistant volleyball coach Chris Dixon, otherwise known as DJ CDOT/ It concluded with closing remarks from Langston University President Ruth Ray Jackson and LU Athletic Director Donnita Drain-Rogers, and just like that, the Miller era had begun for Lions’ football.
Layla Nickerson
Features Editor and Staff Reporter
Layla Nickerson is a sophomore broadcast journalism major with a minor in marketing. Her “why” as a student reporter is to be a storyteller of culture and community, in hopes of featuring all the aspects that LU has to offer, whether they are niche or grand. She believes that the work of The Gazette grants power to the students of Dear Langston by giving them a voice, and because of this, she knew it had to be something she was a part of. Outside of her journalistic tendencies, Layla loves immersing herself in other forms of media like music, film, TV, and occasionally reading. For any inquiries, she can be reached at layla.c.nickerson@langston.edu in Outlook as well as @layla_nickerson on Instagram.
