Reggie Theus held up a maroon sports coat featuring the Bethune-Cookman insignia and gleefully urged Raymond Woodie Jr. to replace it with the gray one he wore in what was the culmination of a nearly two-month search for a football coach amid a firestorm of criticism and examination of the program.
The jacket was symbolic that one of B-CU’s own — a member of its university family — would be at the helm of a football outfit that need direction and certainty after the school parted ways with Pro Football Hall of Fame player Ed Reed weeks earlier.
Woodie was officially introduced as the 16th head coach in program history during a news conference at the Larry R. Handfield Athletic Training Center on Wednesday.
“Welcome to the day that seemed like it was never going to get here,” Theus, B-CU’s athletic director, said. “It took over about a month and a half, but it seemed like it was about a year and a half.”
Woodie — in his excitement — revealed on social media a week earlier that he was coach. So some of the luster eroded from a moment that the school had waited so long for. More than 150 candidates applied for the job.
Woodie played for Wildcats from 1992-95 and earned All-America honors on the field. He later transitioned into a high school coach and the FBS recruiting guru.
“I’m so incredibly happy and honored to be chosen as the next head football coach at Bethune-Cookman,” Woodie said.
During the 30-minute press conference, Woodie talked about how he would reshape the program through his vision.
“It’s all about being smart, physical, aggressive and fast,” he said. “Being smart, that covers a lot. Discipline, doing the right thing in the classroom, on the field. When those things happen, wins are going to come. If you asked me ‘Are we going to do better than we did in the past?’ Yes, we are, in all aspects.”
Woodie said met the players Wednesday morning prior to the press conference and pitched to them why they should give him a chance and the expectations if they did.
“We just showed up and went to work. We didn’t care about facilities or all of this extra stuff that people visualize that our program needs. Obviously, things need to progress in order to be upper echelon,” he said.
B-CU junior linebacker Conroy Cunningham, who was part of the coaching search, said the team was pleased with Woodie and his vision for the program.
“We’re ecstatic,” he said. “We’re rejoiced that the train is back moving and we have a conductor that can lead us to the places we need to go.”
