Harrell tries to return Bison to the glory days Interspersed with dramatic footage from the film “Transformers” are Howard football highlights. The two-minute trailer on the school’s athletic website, titled the “Road to Redemption,” introduces a new era of high expectations for Howard football.
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When the video was shown to the Bison at the start of preseason camp, the first image that popped on screen was 11-0.
If that goal sounds preposterous for a team coming off a 1-10 season, consider the man who authored it. If anyone knows the road map to 11-0 at Howard, it’s new coach Gary “Flea” Harrell. As a player, the former New York Giants wide receiver helped Howard improve from 2-9 in 1991 to 11-1 in 1993, the last time the Bison went undefeated in the regular season and won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
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| Howard at Eastern Michigan |
| When » Saturday, 7 p.m. |
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| Ypsilanti, Mich. |
“When I was here, [11-0] was our goal, and we were here in the summer — all summer,” said Harrell, offensive coordinator last year at Bowie State. “With the video, we’re just trying to deliver a message to reach them, to motivate them from the inside.”
After going 8-36 in four seasons under Carey Bailey and losing 27 straight games in the MEAC, Howard is reaching into its past for brighter future. Harrell’s staff includes former Howard All-American quarterback Ted White (offensive coordinator), former Bison coach Rayford Petty (defensive coordinator) and former Howard players Billy Jenkins and Bobby Jones.
“I knew it was going to be a family atmosphere,” said White, who coached last year at Southern. “It was a no-brainer coming back.”
To reinforce Howard’s proud past, Harrell has brought back several former players as visitors. Junior linebacker Keith Pough, who sounds like a historian as he rattles off the accomplishments of Bison teams of the past, gets the message.
“When wise men are speaking, you listen,” Pough said. “Hearing them, we had to look at ourselves in the mirror. They were champions. We had to ask ourselves if we were doing all we could, too.”
Harrell also has instilled discipline. Practices are faster and crisper. He has established Professional Wednesday, in which the Bison dress for success.
“Business ready, just a new look to change the mindset of not only the players but the student body,” Pough said.
On the field, Harrell wants the Bison to look the way they did in 1993. He has installed a spread offense, a departure from the run-oriented triple-option of last year.
In strong-armed freshman Greg McGhee, a left-hander from Pittsburgh, Harrell has a quarterback he believes has a chance to break White’s school records for completions, passing yards and touchdowns. With a big season, McGhee’s top target, senior Willie Carter, could break the school’s career receptions mark, held by Harrell (184).
Howard opens up at the FBS’ Eastern Michigan, which went 2-10 last year. Then the Bison host Morehouse in the inaugural Nation’s Football Classic at RFK Stadium. Howard has yet to win a game under Harrell, but the coach sees victories every time he takes the field for practice.
“We had some guys who fought that battle. We were going to have structure. We were going to have discipline,” Harrell said. “But I believe we’re winning right now, just that mindset where we come from spring ball to where we are now.”
