Clark Atlanta University has turned to a familiar name in HBCU football to lead its football program.
The school announced Friday that it hired Terry Sims as its newest coach.
Sims, who guided Bethune-Cookman for seven seasons from 2015 to 2021, brings a wealth of HBCU experience to a Clark Atlanta program looking to climb back into contention in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Terry Sims to our university. His dedication to fostering player development and achieving competitive excellence aligns perfectly with our vision for the Panthers football program. We look forward to an exciting chapter under his guidance,” said Dr. Jerel Drew, Athletic Director of Clark Atlanta University, in a statement.
Sims replaces Teddy Keaton, who was let go in December.
Sims, a veteran defensive specialist, began his coaching career at Division II programs before joining the staff at Bethune-Cookman in 2010 as special teams and defensive backs coach. He was elevated to head coach in 2014, where he led B-CU to back-to-back MEAC titles in his first two seasons.
Sims had a 38-39 record, winning MEAC Coach of the Year in 2015. In that same season, Bethune-Cookman was MEAC co-champions, along with North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T. Sims also defeated Florida A&M five consecutive times in the Florida Classic from 2015-2019. Despite having winning campaigns in four of his seven seasons in Daytona, in the last two seasons, Sims went just 4-18 overall and 4-12 in SWAC play.
Sims was fired amid all the losing and reports of resource shortcomings that impacted the program.
Sims was temporarily replaced by Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed before his contract was not ratified after he attempted to expose administrative and resource issues that he believed hampered the institution, before the school moved on from him. The school has since hired former B-CU football player Raymond Woodie as coach.
Clark Atlanta finished 3-7 last season, showing flashes of promise but struggling to find consistency in conference play. Sims’ hire gives the Panthers a proven HBCU coach familiar with the challenges and opportunities of rebuilding a program.
