In 2022, Janice Pettyjohn made headlines as the primary girl employed full-time by the Howard College soccer program. Three years later, she has firmly established herself as an important determine within the HBCU soccer program’s management. Pettyjohn now serves as Director of Participant Personnel and On-Campus Recruiting. Her promotion highlights her increasing affect at Howard College, one of the vital revered packages amongst HBCU establishments.
To know how far she has come, it’s value revisiting Howard’s unique announcement of her hiring.
When Pettyjohn joined the Howard College soccer program, she had simply accomplished faculty. Her improvement intently mirrors the Bison’s rise. Notably, she performed a key function in guiding the staff to MEAC championships in 2022 and 2023. The truth is, her ability in recruiting and operations helped form these successful seasons.
Coach Larry Scott praised her dedication in a earlier interview. He remarked, “She sort of trailblazed the place herself with simply work ethic and simply making herself an asset to what we’re attempting to do.”
Moreover, Pettyjohn’s recruiting method prioritizes expertise from the DMV area—Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. As she defined, “The most important focus is ensuring that we’re recruiting at dwelling. You need to hold the superstars at dwelling,” she instructed Andscape.
Furthermore, her impression extends past logistics and recruitment. Particularly, Darius Fox, a senior lineman and key determine within the staff’s offensive success, mentioned to Andscape, “She helped me deal with extra than simply soccer. Over time, we’ve really change into a household, and she or he’s the highest individual answerable for that.” Fox, who performs a serious function on the offensive line, helped energy Howard’s dashing assault of their MEAC title runs.
As her profile continued to rise, the NFL acknowledged her rising affect. In 2025, she was chosen for the NFL Ladies’s Discussion board, a program that helps girls advance in soccer management roles.
Total, Janice Pettyjohn’s journey from center faculty staff supervisor to revered chief at Howard College showcases the increasing roles of girls in collegiate sports activities. Her management additionally illustrates how HBCUs foster inclusive environments for rising expertise.
