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Flordia A&M head football James Colzie recently spoke about the departure of Vice President of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes. Sykes stepped down from her role on Monday after FAMU interim President Timothy Beard asked for the resignation of the senior staff.
James Colzie III expressed his gratitude for Sykes in a quote obtained by WCTV, saying, “Tough day, tough day. On January 27, she changed my life by making me the 19th Head Coach in the history of Florida A&M. Haven’t had a chance to speak to her yet, hopefully get a chance to speak to her really, really soon. Obviously, they made a decision, and we have to respect that decision and as a football team, we’re going to let that stay where it is and hopefully win a football game next week.”
With 23 years of coaching experience, James Colzie joined the Rattlers’ staff as cornerbacks coach under Willie Simmons in the summer of 2022. The 2023 season marked a historic year for FAMU as they won their first SWAC championship and Celebration Bowl, which resulted from Colzie’s contributions to the team.
Colzie was afforded the opportunity to become head coach of the team following Simmons's departure to become a running backs coach at Duke University under new head coach Manny Diaz. Immediately following his departure, rumors circulated that Fort Valley State head coach Shawn Gibbs was the front-runner for the position.
Florida A&M alumni and supporters weren't pleased with the decision, as many wanted for an existing coach from Simmons's staff such as Colzie to take over the position. Gibbs and Sykes have a professional history that dates to their time at Grambling University. Under head coach Rod Broadway, Sykes served as the Director of Compliance while Gibbs was the Running Backs coach.
Gibbs led Fort Valley State University to an 8-2 record in 2022. Building on that success, Gibbs guided Fort Valley State to another strong season, going 8-3 and securing a victory in the inaugural Florida Beach Bowl.
After an extensive search with the guidance of a search firm, Colzie was appointed as the 19th Head Football Coach by Sykes. Colzie has big plans for the football team and what he visions for the 2024 season.
“The 2023 Celebration Bowl Champions have already started the work to duplicate last season’s success,” expressed Colzie. “My job will be to surround these incredible young men with an outstanding coaching staff to ensure a great student-athlete experience while on the Highest of Seven Hills.”
The season for the Rattlers kicks off on August 24th when they play Norfolk State University in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge. The game will kick off at 7:30 PM and will be broadcast on ABC.
