JC Smith tabs decorated alumnus as new football coach: ‘We’re going to build a winner’
It’s taken a long time, but Maurice Flowers says he’s finally gotten the job he’s always wanted.
Flowers was named head football coach at Johnson C. Smith University last week, the school where he played quarterback and from which he graduated in 1991. Flowers resigned as head coach at Fort Valley State, a Division II school in Georgia, where he was 7-5 in two seasons.
“I can’t put this into words,” said Flowers, 52. “I’m a Charlottean. I went to Randolph Middle School, East Meck High School, and then Smith. No one knows Charlotte as well as I do, as far as high school football in this area, and I know my university has struggled in football and it’s personal to me. And I think the answer is in this Charlotte area.”
Flowers knows exactly what he faces at Division II Smith: low scholarship numbers, lagging facilities and a fan base that is shrinking.
Smith hasn’t had a winning season in a decade. Kermit Blount, who was let go recently, was 16-42 in six seasons. None of Blount’s teams had a winning record.
But before Blount, Steven Aycock went 25-36 from 2009-14. And he had some success. The Golden Bulls were 6-5 in 2011, earning the school’s first postseason win since 1969. In 2012, Smith finished 6-4.
That was the first time the Bulls had back-to-back winning seasons since 1972-73.
Flowers was a big part of that success. He was offensive coordinator at Smith in 2010 and ‘11.
“I did not win at Johnson C. Smith as a player,” Flowers said. “But every place else I’ve had success. I’m not coming to my alma mater not to be successful. I’ve won a lot and know what it takes.”
Flowers, using a wide-open passing style, helped Olympic High School in Charlotte briefly become a regional power, with three straight winning seasons from 2004-06, including a 10-3 record in 2006 that included a second-round playoff berth. In 2007, he led West Charlotte to the N.C. 4A semifinals before losing 10-8 to seven-time state champion Independence at Memorial Stadium.
In 2008, his Chester (SC) team, led by future Clemson signee Tony McNeal, made the S.C. 3A championship game.
In 2010, Flowers came to Smith, which hadn’t had a winning season in four years, and helped QB Ryan Carter lead the CIAA in passing. In 2011, freshman QB Keahn Wallace earned CIAA Rookie of the Year and was MVP of the Pioneer Bowl when Smith beat SIAC champion Miles College.
After he left Smith, Flowers built a reputation as one of the best offensive minds in Black college football.
▪ As offensive coordinator at Shaw University in Raleigh in 2012 and ‘13, he helped running back Marquise Grizzle lead the CIAA in rushing and become the school’s all-time rushing leader. QB James Stallions set the school’s single-game passing records for yards and touchdowns in 2012.
▪ At Miles College in Alabama, Flowers was offensive coordinator for an SIAC champion. Ditto at Mississippi Valley State, Jerry Rice’s alma mater, in 2019.
▪ As Fayetteville State’s offensive coordinator, Flowers helped the Broncos win the CIAA Southern Division title twice, including in 2019, when the offense averaged 34 points per game and six players earned all-conference honors.
Back home at Smith, Flowers wants to win with the Golden Bulls, a place where he was once named an All-American three years in a row.
“We conducted a national search for a head coach who would take Golden Bulls football to the next level in every aspect,” JCSU President Clarence D. Armbrister said. “Coach Flowers stood out as the right person for the job at this point in the University’s history. I’m happy to welcome him back to his alma mater and look forward to his leadership as he builds a winning tradition that makes all Smithites proud.”
Flowers believes the way to do that is to recruit the area he knows best. He also said that Armbrister and athletic director Steve Joyner have already discussed bringing Smith’s scholarship count from 25 to the Division II maximum of 36 as well as improving or replacing Smith’s weight room and practice facilities.
But ultimately, Flowers believes the fastest way to success is getting players into school from the immediate Charlotte area.
“Fayetteville State has been to four straight CIAA championships, but a lot of the guys on those teams are Charlotte-area guys who contributed,” Flowers said. “And if you look around at the teams that reach state championships or reach the Final Four in North Carolina, they’re always from the Charlotte-area. You want to build a winning program? You need people from winning programs.
“So my immediate plan is this: I’ll be visiting every high school in Charlotte myself. I’m not going to put that on any of my assistants. Then I’ll work out to the metro area, to Gaston, Union, Cabarrus, Cleveland counties, all those areas. We’ve got to tell our story. We’ve got great majors for education. Our president and AD said it’s time to stand out in football and athletics the way the university does for academics.”
Flowers promises a brand of football that will be fast-paced and fun — with a lot of passing.
“We’ve got to give the fans something, a good product to come watch,” Flowers said. “I don’t know exactly what happened in the past here, but I can say what’s about to happen...We’re going to compete for championships. We’re going to build a winner.”
