Football Coach

Jesse L. Thomas, a Baltimore Colts defensive back in the 1950s who then spent four decades at Morgan State University, serving for several years as its head football coach, died of dementia complications May 16 at his Columbia home. He was 83. Born in Guthrie, Okla., and raised in Flint, Mich., he was a much-praised athlete at its Central High School, where he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. He was Flint's 1945 Athlete of the Year and held letters in basketball, baseball, track and football.

Jesse L. Thomas, a Baltimore Colts defensive back in the 1950s who then spent four decades at Morgan State University, serving for several years as its head football coach, died of dementia complications May 16 at his Columbia home. He was 83. Born in Guthrie, Okla., and raised in Flint, Mich., he was a much-praised athlete at its Central High School, where he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. He was Flint's 1945 Athlete of the Year and held letters in basketball, baseball, track and football.

Loyola football coach Brian Abbott has stepped down after 10 years, four Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference titles and six Turkey Bowl victories. "I just think your internal clock tells you it's time," Abbott said. "My goal was never to be a coach that was a head coach for 30 years. There's a lot of opportunities out there and staying here at Loyola. I'm going to go back to grad school in the fall and just find new opportunities and be excited about the things that I can do. " Abbott, 45, will remain at the school, where he will continue to run the school's summer programs and the Blakefield Experience program as well as coach middle school lacrosse.

The 2012 college football season is still months away, but those who oversee its coverage at The Sporting News did their best this week to turn some of the attention away from the NFL's concussion controversy, the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs, the NBA's latest playoff injury and Josh Hamilton's home run derby at Camden Yards. Ranking the 125 coaches of Football Bowl Subdivision teams was a pretty ambitious undertaking , and I'm sure it will cause quite a bit of chatter in places like Tuscaloosa, Ala., where Nick Saban was ranked at the top as well as other college towns where the folks are still dissecting spring practice and recruiting classes.

Johnny Brooks Aberdeen A year ago, Brooks coached Havre de Grace to the state Class 1A final. Then, looking for a change, he packed up his coaching staff and moved down U.S. 40 to take over a floundering Aberdeen program coming off a 1-9 season. "We knew what we were walking into," he said. "We didn't know the talent, but we knew we had a lot of work ahead of us. We got on them in the summertime about getting better and not having to be 1-9. … That kind of fueled some of them, and the senior captains really bought into it. They were out there in triple digits [temperatures]

One of the more popular public figures in the corporate tent area Saturday afternoon was new Maryland football coach Randy Edsall, who was attending his first Preakness along with his wife, Eileen. Edsall's choice to replace Ralph Friedgen back in January was not universally accepted among Terps fans, but most of those who introduced themselves to Edsall at Pimlico were polite and supportive. Even Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, who introduced himself recently to Edsall and told him that he was in favor of the university hiring former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, had friendly greetings.

Et cetera McDaniel chooses Hoyt as football coach McDaniel announced Monday that Mike Hoyt has been named the 24th football coach in program history. Hoyt, who will begin March 19, comes to the Green Terror after serving as the associate coach and defensive coordinator, as well as director of strength and conditioning for the athletics program, at Albright in Reading, Pa. He was also responsible for recruiting in central Pennsylvania and northern counties in Maryland.

Towson University football coach Rob Ambrose has agreed to an extension, athletic director Mike Waddell said Thursday night. Ambrose received three years on top of the two left on the deal he signed when he took the job in 2009. Financial terms of the new contract were not announced. "It's more than a job to Rob," Waddell said of Ambrose, a 1993 Towson graduate. "He wants to build a championship program, not just from a professional standpoint, but for personal reasons. " Ambrose's new deal comes nearly three weeks after the Tigers finished a 9-3 season with a 40-38 loss to Lehigh in the second round of the Division I football championships, Towson's first postseason appearance as a Football Championship Subdivision team.

Barbara Edsall gently eased her Honda Civic down the hill to the intersection of Main Street and Baltimore Street. The stoplight was red. "Randy always talks about being a country bumpkin from a town that has one signal light," Barbara Edsall said as she sat waiting for the light to change. . "This is the one signal light. " The intersection is at the center of what was once a rural, agricultural and factory town of about 1,800 but seems now, more than three decades after Randy Edsall left to become its first Division I scholarship athlete in memory, part of the suburban sprawl between Baltimore and Harrisburg.

It's odd timing, but Maryland released the contracts of head football coach Randy Edsall's assistant coaches today even as the school continued its review of the program. The school has not ruled out staff changes. The timing was happenstance. We media bloodhounds had requested the pacts months ago and are receiving them now. These contracts sometimes take months to finalize. We got eight of the nine contracts today and were told that offensive coordinator Gary Crowton's pact was not yet available.

It was amusing to read Paul Marx's complaint ("Towson U.: football factory?" April 17) about the hardest working football team in America - the CAA Champion Towson Tigers - the morning after I attended Towson's 10th annual Scholar Athletic Dinner. I sat with the football coach and several of his student athletes - each of whom had over a 3.5 GPA. Well over 100 students attended, approximately 40 percent of whom were male athletes. I have been privileged to serve as an adjunct faculty member at Towson University for 12 years.

The first months of a college athletic director's tenure are typically spent getting a feel for the landscape. For Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson, his first seven months included leading a major overhaul that included the messy divorce with a popular football coach who also happens to be an alum and the sudden retirement of one of the country's most respected men's basketball coaches. Add to that the decision to eliminate as many as eight teams. A little more than a year after Anderson replaced Debbie Yow, and you get a feeling of - if not quite have some sympathy for - what he has faced since coming here from Army in October of 2010.

Et cetera McDaniel chooses Hoyt as football coach McDaniel announced Monday that Mike Hoyt has been named the 24th football coach in program history. Hoyt, who will begin March 19, comes to the Green Terror after serving as the associate coach and defensive coordinator, as well as director of strength and conditioning for the athletics program, at Albright in Reading, Pa. He was also responsible for recruiting in central Pennsylvania and northern counties in Maryland.

McDaniel College announced on Monday, March 5, that Mike Hoyt has been named the new head football coach. Hoyt comes to McDaniel after serving as the associate head football coach and defensive coordinator, as well as director of strength and conditioning for the athletics program, at Albright College in Reading, Pa. He was also responsible for recruiting in central Pennsylvania and northern counties in Maryland. He becomes the 24th head coach in the 117-year tradition of Green Terror football and will assume his duties at the college March 19. McDaniel Athletic Director Paul Moyer said that after a nationwide search, "Mike's experience as an educator, coach and leader of young men separated him as the top candidate for our program.

Loyola has hired Brant Hall, the Dons' offensive coordinator for the last nine seasons, as its new head football coach. Hall will succeed Brian Abbott who stepped down in January after 10 years, four Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference titles and six wins over Calvert Hall in the Turkey Bowl. The Dons starting quarterback from 1995-1997, Hall went on to play at Lehigh, where he started for two years and was a two-time All-Patriot League quarterback.

A youth career fair, with keynote speaker Randy Edsall, head football coach at University of Maryland, will be held Wednesday, Feb. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Laurel Boys and Girls Club, 701 Montgomery St. The program is presented by High School Development Program-Extended and Laurel Boys and Girls Club. Representatives from several career industries will be present, including education (college level), insurance, marketing, physical therapy, banking and child care and development.

Jim Doyle will not return as football coach at Severn School, athletic director Fred Hewitt said yesterday.John Beckman, an assistant coach and faculty member, will replace Doyle."

A youth career fair, with keynote speaker Randy Edsall, head football coach at University of Maryland, will be held Wednesday, Feb. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Laurel Boys and Girls Club, 701 Montgomery St. The program is presented by High School Development Program-Extended and Laurel Boys and Girls Club. Representatives from several career industries will be present, including education (college level), insurance, marketing, physical therapy, banking and child care and development.

The positive momentum from Towson's 9-3, CAA-championship season continued last week when coach Rob Ambrose unveiled the Tigers' 19-man recruiting class. Towson signed eight Maryland natives, plus three players from Virginia's Tidewater area. There are four Division I transfers and four Baltimore-area high school standouts. There are 11 defensive players, seven offensive players and one athlete. Ambrose spoke with Recruiting Report this week about the class. Overall, what do you like about this class?

Submitting sports notices The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. Monday. We prefer email (howardcountysports@patuxent.com). Questions? Call 410-332-6578. Football Columbia Ravens Football, Inc. is seeking qualified, committed individuals to coach in its youth tackle football program, for players ages 5-14, for the spring 2012 indoor and fall 2012 outdoor seasons. Interested parties should contact the director of football at columbiaravens@gmail.com . For more information, go to http://www.columbiaravens.com.