Terry Sims wasted little time setting the tone for what his tenure will be as Clark Atlanta coach.
Sims, a veteran HBCU coach, made it clear that he did not come to merely restore respectability – he came, in his words, “to sustain a successful championship football program.”
Sims said from his first days on campus, he has felt embraced by Clark Atlanta, describing the university as “a very welcoming place” where he already feels at home.
He promised Panthers supporters they would see “a different, detailed, tough football team” representing Clark Atlanta.
Sims, who last was head coach at Bethune-Cookman, stressed that turning CAU into a consistent winner cannot fall on his shoulders alone.
“It doesn’t happen by just having me, a couple of coaches and a few of the players,” Sims said, pointing to the need for support from “the university, the community, the city, the state of Georgia.
”He repeatedly used the phrase “buy in,” saying every person associated with Clark Atlanta must be aligned if the Panthers are going to reach a championship level.
While acknowledging the financial realities of college athletics, Sims told supporters he does not intend to be “the guy always asking for money.”
Instead, he issued a direct appeal to alumni, particularly former players, to give what he values just as highly: their time. Sims said Clark Atlanta has successful graduates spread across the country and wants them visible on campus, showing current players they, too, can follow that path. “Come back and show these young men they can do it also,” he urged, noting that today’s Panthers are “walking the same grounds” as those who came before.
Standards for everyone, not just players
Sims emphasized that his expectations will extend beyond the players on the field. He said anyone connected to Clark Atlanta football will be held to the same high standard and required to “do it the right way.”
The coach said he believes the program already has “a good group” in place, but must build on that foundation and keep moving forward.
Sims was blunt about his mission of transforming a football team that went 3-7 in 2025 and then moved on from Teddy Keaton. “I’m here to win football games,” he said, adding that he is not interested in pleasing everyone.
Even as he mixed in humor about loving to have fun and sometimes feeling like a “20‑year‑old guy,” Sims closed by returning to his core message of commitment.
He thanked the Clark Atlanta community for welcoming him and vowed to pour himself into the job. His promise, delivered to a room he hopes will stay with him through the grind ahead, was simple: he would work to the end to ensure that Clark Atlanta University has a football program its people can be proud to call their own.
