Former Albany State coach Mike White introduced as new Benedict football coach

COLUMBIA, S.C. — By Mike White’s estimate, he’s been involved in Albany State athletics since he was a football player at the school back in 1975, and his career as player, assistant, and head coach spanned most of the next four decades.

That affiliation with the Rams ended officially Thursday afternoon, when White was introduced as the next head coach of the Benedict Tigers.

Speaking in the press area at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium, the former NFL defensive tackle and five-time Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year said he is intent on getting to work at changing the Tigers for the better.

“The first time I spoke with (Benedict President Dr. David Swinton), I wasn’t aware of the football team’s record, but that’s gonna change,” White said. “I’m just looking forward to getting it going. I know I can compete in this conference, and I think we can get some great guys in here. I don’t see it as a daunting task at all. I see it as a great challenge and I look forward to it.”

White’s resume and Benedict’s football history is a study in contrasts.

In his 15 years as head coach, White’s teams won five SIAC championships, the most recent coming in 2013. The 2010 Rams won the SBN National Black College Football Championship, as well as the Washington, D.C. Pigskin Club’s National Black College crown.

Besides those achievements, there are the seven NCAA Division II playoff appearances, including third-round appearances in 2004 and 2010.

The Golden Rams compiled a 68.7 winning percentage, going 112-51 under White. That includes a stellar 87-24 run in the SIAC.

Albany State finished 7-3 this year, including a 40-14 win at Benedict on Nov. 1.

The Tigers program, which finished 4-6 in 2014 under fourth-year head coach James Woody, has not been as fortunate, with just two winning seasons in the 19 years since football was reintroduced into Benedict athletics.

Athletics Director Willie Washington said he had his eye on White for a long time. When Woody was released last November, Washington said he was looking for a proven coach who understood how to build a program from the ground up.

“We’ve tried a lot of different roads trying to get there, but we hit a lot of dead ends. We didn’t get to where we wanted to go,” Washington said. “It worked out perfectly, for the coach to come to us, and for us to be here for the coach.”

White intends to change Benedict for the better. After stepping away from the podium, he addressed recruiting – for the first time since anyone can remember, the Tigers will be looking for home-grown talent.

“I don’t see why not,” White said. “I didn’t understand why they didn’t. I look forward to talking with the local coaches around here and working from Columbia out.”

White added that he looks at his time at Albany State as a roadmap to how to get things done at Benedict.

“For 31 seasons coaching there it was all about building a winning tradition ,” White said. “Before those years it wasn’t there, but it’s there now, and that’s my plan here. When you see that tiger on the helmet, it’s going to mean something. It’s going to mean that you have to compete to beat that team.”

Consistently during the introduction, White stressed winning and working in the right way, saying several times that “it’s the only way I know.”

With the Benedict program in mind, White finally shed a little light on what the “right way” is for him.

“It’s going to take time, I’m a pretty patient guy,” White said. “You win games in January, February, and March. You win games in the weight room, in the classroom, so when the season gets here, you’re a champ.”