Rod Broadway enters his second season as the head football coach at North Carolina A&T. His first season at the helm produced a lot of excitement about the future of Aggie football.

The Aggies not only had a four-win improvement from their 1-10 season in 2010, but they were also in the thick of the MEAC race midway through the season before a four-game road trip derailed their chances. Also in his first year, Broadway became the first Aggie head coach in school history to produce a 2,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver.

Mike Mayhew, the Aggies' 1,000-yard back in 2011, was named MEAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Wallace Miles, the 1,000-yard receiver, signed an NFL free agent contract with the Detroit Lions. Defensively, linebacker D'Vonte Grant became a Jerry Rice Finalist for best freshman in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision after he led the Aggies in tackles. As a team, the Aggies showed their most significant improvement on the defensive end. They were ranked 114th in FCS rushing defense in 2010. In 2011 under Broadway, they finished seventh nationally and were tops in the MEAC. In 2010, A&T was 89th in FCS total defense. A year later under Broadway, they were eighth.

Broadway came to A&T with an impressive history of winning championships with a brand of football that is exciting offensively and punishing defensively. In his last two head coaching positions - N.C. Central and Grambling State - each school came away with a Black College National Championship.

Broadway has compiled a 73-29 (.716) record over nine years as a head coach. Before taking over the difficult task of rebuilding an Aggies program with just 14 wins in the previous seven seasons before his arrival, Broadway spent four seasons (2007-10) at Grambling State. The Tigers went 35-12 under his stewardship.

The year before he arrived at GSU, the Tigers went 3-8. During his first season there in 2008, the Tigers finished second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and made an appearance in the SWAC Championship Game. Five players received either All-American or All-SWAC honors, and Broadway was a finalist for the nationally-recognized Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.

The impact of Broadway's arrival was seen on both sides of the football. Grambling went from an average defense to one of the fiercest in the country. The Tigers ranked 12th nationally in total defense, eighth in rushing defense and 11th in scoring defense.

Grambling held three of their opponents to fewer than 30 yards, and 10 of their opponents committed three or more turnovers. Offensively, wide receiver Clyde Edwards earned FCS Fabulous 50 All-American honors and running back Frank Warren was named SWAC Freshman of the Year.

Year two led to even more improvements for the GSU program. The Tigers ascended to the top of the SWAC with a 9-0 record and a 41-9 win over Jackson State in the SWAC Championship Game. GSU's 2008 season also produced an 11-2 overall mark, a No. 24 national ranking in the Sports Network Division I-FCS poll and a Black College National Championship.

Defense was the catalyst for the Tigers' success as they finished the season ranked No. 1 nationally in turnover margin, pass efficiency defense and had a No. 7 ranking in rush defense. In addition, three players earned All-American honors, nine were named All-SWAC and five players earned Louisiana Sports Writers Association recognition. Accolades for Broadway included being named SWAC Coach of the Year and The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C., Coach of the Year.

In 2009, GSU continued to play well. The Tigers finished 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the SWAC. The Tigers led the nation in punt return yardage and they had the ninth-best scoring offense. The next season resulted in a 9-2 mark that was complemented by an 8-1 SWAC record. The Tigers' rushing attack produced more than 200 yards per game, which ranked 15th nationally.

During his career at GSU, Broadway also showed he had a hankering for winning rivalry games. He went 3-1 against archrival Southern. He also owns the best winning percentage in program history, even better than legendary GSU head coach Eddie Robinson.

Before his stint at GSU, Broadway turned N.C. Central into a Division II national power. His four-year stint (2003-06) at N.C. Central produced a 33-11 record, back-to-back CIAA titles for the first time in 50 years and the Eagles made two consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The 2006 season was the highlight of Broadway's tenure at NCCU.

Broadway led the Eagles to an 11-1 season and the top seed in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region. After fielding the No. 1 rated offense in the CIAA and the 15th ranked defense nationally, individual honors included two players being named Associated Press Little All-Americans.

There were also 12 players named All-CIAA, 10 Eagles earned Daktronics All-Southeast Region recognition and four members from the 2006 team were named SBN All-Americans, including freshman quarterback Stadford Brown, who was also named SBN Player of the Year. During his stint at NCCU, Broadway also put together a 16-game regular-season winning streak and led the Eagles to their first-ever victory over a SWAC opponent with a win over Southern in 2006.

Broadway began his collegiate coaching career at East Carolina University in 1979. His other coaching positions included stays at Duke University (1981-94), the University of Florida (1995-00) and the University of North Carolina (2001-02). As an assistant at UNC, Broadway helped the Tar Heels to a No. 15 national ranking in total defense and an appearance in the Peach Bowl.

At Florida, he served as a member of the Steve Spurrier's staff. In 1996, he helped the Gators win an NCAA National Championship. Broadway's stay also included four SEC Championships and six bowl appearances. The Gators defense led the SEC in sacks four straight seasons (1996-99), and the team set a school record for fewest rushing yards allowed, as offenses produced just 70.7 yards per game.

A 1977 graduate of UNC, Broadway played on the Tar Heels defensive line from 1974-77. He earned the team's Outstanding Freshman award in 1974 as helped the Tar Heels earn a Sun Bowl berth. In 1977, he earned All-ACC honors along with the team's Most Outstanding Senior honor.