FORT VALLEY STATE ATHLETICS

Maurice Flowers, who went 7-5 in two seasons as Fort Valley State’s head football coach, is headed back to Charlotte and a similar job at Johnson C. Smith, where he was an all-CIAA quarterback and Golden Bulls’ offensive coordinator from 2010-12.

It’s homecoming for Maurice Flowers.

Johnson C. Smith hired Flowers as head football coach 31 years after he graduated as an all-CIAA quarterback with the Golden Bulls and a decade after his tenure as offensive coordinator.

Flowers, a 1991 JCSU graduate, resigned Saturday as Fort Valley State’s coach after two years to pursue another football-related opportunity.  His new job will be to transform a program that went 16-43 over the last six seasons under Kermit Blount, who was fired in November.

“My sincere thanks to President [Paul] Jones and to Dr. [Anthony] Holloman for their confidence in me to lead the FVSU Football Program,” Flowers said in a statement posted to the school’s website. “It has been an honor and privilege to lead the young men of the FVSU Wildcats both on and off the field. I want to specifically thank the players, my coaching staff and their families, the university faculty and staff, and the alumni community. Fort Valley State University is a great place to be, and I am confident success will continue.”

Flowers, who is considered one of the best offensive minds in Black college football, was hired by the Wildcats in 2020. He coached FVSU to a 7-5 record, including 5-5 finish (3-3 SIAC) in 2021 to finish fourth in the East Division. The Wildcats’ 2020 fall season was cancelled but went 2-0 in a shortened non-conference spring 2021 season.

Flowers launched his collegiate coaching career in 2010 at JCSU as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, where Ryan Carter led the conference in passing. A year later, the Golden Bulls went 7-4 behind freshman quarterback Keahn Wallace, who earned CIAA Rookie of the year and Pioneer Bowl Pioneer Bowl most valuable player in the Golden Bulls’ win against SIAC champion Miles College.

Flowers moved on to coordinator jobs at Shaw and Fayetteville State. At Shaw, running back Marquise Grizzle led the CIAA in rushing and became the school’s all-time leader in that category. At FSU, the Broncos won Southern Division titles in 2017 and 2019 and the offense was one of the conference’s best, averaging 34 points per game. In 2019, six Broncos earned All-CIAA recognition on offense.

Flowers was Miles’ offensive coordinator in 2015 when the Bears won the SIAC championship as well as Division I Mississippi Valley State. With Flowers running the offense at Shaw, Bears quarterback James Stallons set the school’s single season passing record for yards and touchdown passes in 2012.

Before moving to the collegiate ranks, Flowers was head coach at Olympic (2001-06), West Charlotte (2007) and Chester (S.C.) high schools, where he led all three programs to postseason berths.

His lone West Charlotte squad advanced to the state 4A semifinals behind quarterback Darius Thomas, the Associated Press Player of the Year, and his 2008 Chester team paced by future Clemson signee Tony McNeal behind center went 11-4 and advanced to the South Carolina 3A championship.

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