Dr. Henry Frazier III is an HBCU-lifer and Bowie State College legend. At the moment the coach at Virginia State College, Dr. Frazier III submitted the next to HBCU Gameday.
Bowie State College (BSU) Maryland’s oldest Traditionally Black School and College (HBCU) stands as a beacon of perseverance, tutorial achievement, and athletic excellence. Since its founding in 1865, Bowie State has been devoted to fostering management, neighborhood service, and lifelong studying. Its soccer program, particularly, exemplifies these values—producing a storied lineage of coaches and student-athletes who proceed to form the panorama of collegiate athletics and management throughout the convention and nation.
Bowie State A Historic Basis Rooted in Schooling and Resilience
Based by the Baltimore Affiliation for the Ethical and Academic Enchancment of the Coloured Individuals, Bowie State initially served as a instructing establishment dedicated to uplifting the Black neighborhood by means of training. Over the many years, the establishment advanced, turning into a college in 1988, with a give attention to liberal arts, trainer training, and management improvement. Regardless of early challenges on the gridiron—together with a 32-game dropping streak from 1983 to 1987—the resilience of Bowie State’s soccer program turned a defining attribute. The breakthrough got here in 1987 when, in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, the Bulldogs ended that streak—a second etched within the recollections of gamers, coaches, and supporters as a testomony to perseverance and hope.
Cultivating a Legacy of Mentorship and Management
The energy of Bowie State’s soccer program extends past wins and losses. It’s constructed on a foundational tradition of mentorship, neighborhood, and management improvement. Because the mid-Nineteen Eighties, a succession of devoted coaches has nurtured not solely athletic expertise but additionally character, integrity, and life abilities. The pinnacle coaches at BSU have been linked since 1986 beginning with key figures similar to Dave Dolch 1986-1988 (28 profession wins as a head coach) Sanders Shiver 1989-1993 (15 profession wins as head coach) and Coach Sherman Wooden, 1994-1999 (214 profession wins as a head coach)—every contributing to this system’s progress and stability. Notably, Coach Wooden earned his grasp’s diploma from Bowie State, exemplifying the college’s dedication to tutorial and athletic excellence.
Once I assumed the top teaching position from Coach Wooden in 1999-2004 (99* profession wins as a head coach) I inherited a program with a wealthy historical past and a mission to develop student-athletes as future leaders. This ethos continued after me with Michael Lynn 2004-2008 (26 profession wins as a head coach) and with alumni Damon Wilson 2009-2021 (103 profession wins as a head coach) and Kyle Jackson 2022-Current (16 profession wins ) exemplifying the seamless integration of athletic achievement and tutorial success. Nice coaches don’t simply win video games; they spot potential leaders and create alternatives for them to develop. Prime instance is the BSU development from Dave Dolch-1986 to Kyle Jackson-2025, which reveals how intentional mentorship and culture-building creates these lasting impacts. Coach’s Dolch and Wooden recruited each me and Damon Wilson to BSU, after which I recruited Lamar Manigo, and Wilson recruited Kyle Jackson. Every of us has constantly demonstrated a robust capability to determine expertise and a dedication to fostering improvement.
Bowie State’s teaching lineage has profoundly impacted the broader collegiate panorama. This 2025 season, three head coaches within the CIAA are Bowie State alumni— me at Virginia State College, Kyle Jackson at Bowie State College, and Lamar Manigo at Shaw College. This represents a singular and unparalleled focus of management originating from a single establishment, underscoring the college’s position in shaping influential sports activities leaders.
The tales of BSU alumni, Sherman Wooden-Masters, Damon Wilson-Bachelor and Masters, Lamar Manigo-Bachelor, Kyle Jackson-Bachelor, and myself-Bachelor, Masters, and a PhD in Academic Management, all mentor younger athletes as head school soccer coaches. This displays the college’s dedication to holistic improvement— tutorial, athletic, and private. Who would have thought a bit trainer’s school in Bowie, Maryland that struggled to win soccer video games would produce such a robust pipeline of soccer coaches that makes up almost 30% of the top coaches within the CIAA for the 2025 season. Moreover, from 1986-2024, BSU head soccer coaches’ profession mixed win whole is 500 video games! There might not be one other convention within the nation that has three head soccer coaches from the identical college. I’d additionally problem, if at any given time, 5 Alumni from one college served as head soccer coach anyplace within the nation as is the case in 2025 with these BSU Alumni-unprecedented!
The Energy of HBCU Schooling and Group
Bowie State College exemplifies how larger training can function a catalyst for private {and professional} progress. The college’s supportive atmosphere, mixed with a tradition of dedication and excellence, empowers college students and alumni to excel in various fields. My very own journey—from incomes levels to teaching at a number of ranges— illustrates the transformative energy of Bowie State’s academic mission. The establishment not solely shapes athletes but additionally develops leaders dedicated to service and neighborhood uplift. Prime instance is the soccer teaching legacy; Coach Dolch employed each Shiver and Wooden, Coach Shiver employed me, Coach Wooden referred Wilson to me, and I employed him at two completely different universities, I additionally employed Manigo at three completely different universities, and Coach Wilson employed Jackson and me—really spectacular!
Trying Ahead
This sort of teaching tree usually emerges from applications that emphasize not simply profitable video games however growing leaders and college students of the sport who perceive how one can construct applications and mentor younger individuals. Bowie State has created one thing particular – a tradition that produces coaches who can succeed on the highest ranges of faculty soccer whereas sustaining the values and work ethic instilled throughout their time at Maryland’s oldest HBCU. The legacy of Bowie State’s soccer program is a testomony to resilience, mentorship, and excellence.
With a sustained custom of management, Bowie State continues to provide influential figures who affect the game and society. It’s fascinating how every era has continued to determine, recruit, and develop the subsequent wave of leaders. As we have fun this legacy, we reaffirm our dedication to nurturing future generations of leaders—on the sphere, within the classroom, and inside communities. Bowie State College stays a proud image of “Boldness”—a spot the place goals are realized by means of perseverance, training, and shared objective. We’re Bowie. We’re Daring!
Editor’s Observe: * Six wins at the moment vacated as a result of NCCU NCAA sanctions
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