Tuskegee athletic director and football coach Reginald Ruffin will only be wearing one hat in the near future.
The longtime HBCU coach announced on social media that he will be stepping down as head coach at the end of the 2022 season.
“It comes a time when you have to say I’ve fought the good fight and I ran my race and I’m finishing my course,” Ruffin wrote on Facebook. “This is Coach Reginald Ruffin Last Ride.
Ruffin then named his successor, Aaron James, who is currently the Tuskegee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
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James, who was the starting quarterback at Tuskegee from 1998 to 2001, compiled an impressive record of 42-5 as a starter. He has the most wins of any signal-caller in Golden Tigers history. He helped lead the program to three SIAC championships and a Black College Football national championship.
Over the past nine seasons, Ruffin won more than 60 percent of his games, going 59-39 overall, and was named SIAC Coach of the Year three times. Prior to his time at Miles, Ruffin spent five seasons at Tuskegee as the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach from 2006 to 2010.
“On a final note please by no means think I’m taking many a** whipping(s) on this final ride because I plan on going out with a bang like Michael Jordan’s Last Ride and that’s the bottom line because Coach Ruffin said so,” Ruffin said. “I will continue on as Athletic Director at Tuskegee University.”
