Kyle Archie, LB, makes a tackle on an opposing receiver.  Photo from NSUSpartans.com.

by Shaye Southall

During the days of the late Dick Price, Spartan football sat atop the ranks of black college football; NSU was a powerhouse. With championship after championship, the Norfolk State University football program was bound to stay a powerhouse for years to come. So what happened?

Today, the Norfolk State University football team sits at the bottom of the MEAC conference at 0-3. After a 35-0 devastating defeat by the North Carolina A&T University Aggies, the Spartans look to have another dismal season.

During Norfolk State’s tenure in the CIAA, they won four CIAA championships with over 140 wins and just 88 losses.

Norfolk State’s time in the MEAC saw the opening of a brand new stadium named after the late Dick Price, which was the best of its kind at an HBCU. There was an influx of television, radio time, and sponsorships, but the football program has gone from a once powerhouse in the CIAA to a run of the mill, oversized-high-school-like team playing in the MEAC.

Since the move to the MEAC, there have been four coaches at Norfolk State University.

• Mo Forte  |  4 seasons (15-29)  .341

• Willie Gillus  |  2 seasons (2-19-0)  .095

• Pete Adrian  |  10 seasons (32-60)  .348

• Latrell Scott  |  1 season (4-7)  .364

The jury is still out on Coach Latrell Scott, whose record in his second season with the Spartans is 0-3 in conference play and 1-5 overall.

Can Coach Scott bring the once powerful Spartans back to football dominance? Or will the team fizzle out of contention for the MEAC crown and again sit at the bottom of college football obscurity?

Only time will tell.