Fobbs hires his first offensive coordinator

 

GREENSBORO, July 16, 2008 – North Carolina A&T head football coach Lee Fobbs announced the hiring of four new assistant coaches as the 2008 season begins. Among the new assistants on staff are two new coordinators.

John McKenzie highlights the coaching newcomers because as Fobbs enters his third season as N.C. A&T’s head coach, McKenzie is the fi rst offensive coordinator he has hired to his staff. Fobbs served as the Aggies offensive coordinator during his first two seasons.

Tayrone Odums, a former defensive coordinator at Clark Atlanta, will take over as the Aggies defensive coordinator position. Myron Jackson, a former standout at tight end at Florida State, will coach the defensive line. Rounding out the staff will be Chris Robinson, a recent Bethune-Cookman graduate who will coach outside linebackers.

                                                                                                                                                                        John McKenzie
“These gentlemen are here because I feel like their attitudes about coaching lines up with my overall vision for this program,’’ said Fobbs. “All these men have deep convictions about discipline, accountability, teamwork and hard work. They will all be a big plus for Aggies football.”

McKenzie spent seven seasons as Alcorn State’s offensive coordinator before arriving at N.C. A&T. In 2005, the Braves led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in rushing and in 2003 they totaled 4,885 yards of offense. McKenzie also served as Alabama State’s offensive coordinator from 1989-91.

Tayrone Odums

Alabama State’s offense averaged 430 yards and 41.2 points per game on its way to helping the Hornets win their first-ever SWAC championship by going 11-0-1 in ‘91. The Hornets earned a Heritage Bowl bid that same season and totaled 687 yards of offense in a win over N.C. A&T. As a player, McKenzie was a four-year starter at quarterback for Jackson State. He helped the Tigers win three SWAC Championships, was a two-time All-SWAC selection and is a member of the JSU Hall of Fame.

“John is going to play a big role in developing our quarterbacks,’’ said Fobbs. “The fact that he has coached quarterbacks and was one himself will play a big role in the maturity of our quarterbacks. He’s also going to be a great fit because our philosophies fit so closely together.”

Fobbs said the same of his new defensive coordinator. Odums takes over as the Aggies head defensive mind after spending the last two seasons as Bethune-Cookman’s defensive line coach. He served for two years as Clark Atlanta’s defensive coordinator before becoming the interim head coach in 2004. Odums also spent two seasons at Georgia Southern and was the outside linebackers coach on the Eagles 2000 Division I FCS (formerly I-AA) championship team.

Odums was an All-CIAA linebacker at N.C. Central.                                                                            Myron Jackson

“We’re not going to sit back on our heels with Tayrone as our defensive coordinator,’’ said Fobbs. “He likes to run that hard-nosed, aggressive, run to the football style of defense. He has the kind of attitude about playing defense that you want to rub off on your players.”

Jackson was an assistant at Western Carolina for six years before coming to N.C. A&T. During his playing career, he earned All-ACC honors at tight end for Florida State in 1998. He played in two bowl games during his career that had an impact on which team would be crowned the national champion.

Robinson is a 2007 graduate of Bethune-Cookman. He played outside linebacker during his four-year career.

Chris Robinson