It was with fanfare that the Jefferson County Tiger family welcomed the new official head coach to the team on Tuesday night, Jan. 28
The hiring comes after a season of 2019 head coaching by football and NFL veteran Rodell Thomas.
It was Thomas who the Tigers looked to after the early 2019 firing of their former head coach, Leroy Smith.
While the impromptu firing gave the Tigers a rocky start to their schedule, the athletes managed to claw their way through the recent football season with all the roar and muster expected of Jefferson County Tigers.
All the same, having an official head coach back on the roster will be both a leadership and morale boost to the team in their upcoming seasons – and plenty of promises were given to the athletes, school and community on Tuesday night.
Ira Reynolds, a former FAMU High football coach has plenty of years under his coaching belt and was selected by a hiring panel of school administration as well as athletes.
In a unique opportunity that allowed the Tiger team a chance to choose their own leader, Jefferson Somerset invited three members of the team to sit in on and participate within the hiring panel that eventually selected Reynolds.
These three athletes – Brian Crumity, Lance Footman and Tyler Wilson – gave an athlete's perspective to the hiring process and fielded questions of their own to the eight candidates who had been interviewed for the job.
In his introduction speech to the gathered parents, teachers and community members, Reynolds spoke highly of the three young men who helped hire him – their grasp of the game and of what their team needed to claim future championship successes was as remarkable as the three athletes' inquiries on how Reynolds and his staff will help the team's members move into collegiate ranks.
At the Tuesday night meet-and-greet, Reynolds promised to see more of the team's athletes move on and obtain college scholarships. These weren't empty promises – Reynold's laid out his plan and the tools he and his staff would use in order to get Jefferson County's young men into colleges.
Reynolds also promised to bring back the name and prestige of the Tigers.
As a native of the Miccosukee community of Leon County, Reynolds reminisced on growing up and watching the Tigers play Friday night games.
“I never played for the Tigers,” he admitted, though he was quick to add that as a young man, he wanted to.
While he was never an athlete on the team, he fondly remembers the 'glory days' of Tiger accomplishments – the days when championship trophies flooded in and the Tiger name carried a legacy that remains to this day.
It is that legacy that Reynolds plans to reignite.
He may not have ever gotten the chance to play for the team, but as their coach, he plans to lead them on to the lofty heights he remembers.
“I'm pleased to be a part of something that's great,” he said, inspiring those around him into a cheer.
Near the closing, Athletic Director and JROTC 1st Sgt. Terry Walker spoke on his own positive outlook for the upcoming season, which will be under Coach Reynolds' guidance.
“It's been an honor and a joy,” said Sgt. Walker. “I can't wait to see what God's got in store for us in the next season. I'm excited.”
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