HBCU HC Building Legacy as He Nears 100 Career Wins

Miami Herald

5 days ago

"There were moments I didn't know if I'd ever coach again," said Virginia State Head Coach Henry Frazier III. "Now I'm sitting at 98 wins-and I want that hundred." One hundred wins will cement his legacy as an HBCU coaching icon.
For Frazier, the climb to 100 wins is about more than the number. It's about redemption, proving HBCU coaches belong in any conversation, and honoring the path he's walked-from Bowie to Prairie View, from the sidelines to the classroom. "That's something I want, you know, from a personal standpoint," he added. "It's something I've worked toward my whole career."
"I am proud, man, proud. I couldn't be more happy for Lamar," Frazier said, referring to Lamar Manigo, the former Bowie State quarterback who played under him and eventually joined his staff. "It's not just a branch. I recruited him out of high school."
That branch is part of a vast coaching tree. "We did a survey a few years ago… over 83 or 84 guys that I've coached are coaching now," he said. "I love to see boys go to men. That's my 'why.'"
Henry Frazier III calls it guided discovery. "I want you to have that aha moment. And when it happens, you're gonna know. I'm gonna know. And I'm gonna say job well done."
Frazier's reach spans every level of education. "I mentor middle school boys… I write children's books… and I recruit high school guys to college," he said. "From kindergarten to a college graduate, I have an impact on young people."
He chairs the fatherhood and mentoring program for Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, working with youth at Ernest Everett Just Middle School. "That's been so rewarding," he said. "I'm an educator. I got my degree in education."
Off the field, Frazier finds time to recharge. "I chase the white ball on the golf course. Some days I binge-watch Netflix. That's how I stay strong."
After last season's 7–4 finish, Frazier knows expectations are high. "We play the top five teams… Fayetteville, Smith, Winston, Union, and Bowie," he said. "We have no room for error."
He owns last year's late-season dip. "We lost four football games by 13 points. That's on me. Just bad coaching after the bye week. I won't make that mistake again."
With five quarterbacks competing to replace Mello, Frazier has his eye on one name. "If we get the right guy in there, which I think we have in R.J. Matthews… we're gonna be a tough out."
And if older players don't step up? "You'll see a bunch of freshmen playing," he warned. "Because the goal is to win a championship."
"We're good football coaches," Frazier said with conviction about his HBCU counterparts. "A lot of the white schools look at us and think that we can't coach ball. We're gonna just keep proving them wrong."
Then, after a pause, he added: "I'm not chasing a number-I'm chasing impact. If a hundred wins gets me one more young man who believes in himself, then I've done my job."
The post HBCU HC Building Legacy as He Nears 100 Career Wins appeared first on HBCU Gameday.
Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025