Sam Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sam Washington

Washington at the 2018 Celebration Bowl
No. 41
Position:	Head coach
Personal information
Born:	(1960-03-07) March 7, 1960 (age 65) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school:	Tampa Bay Technical (Tampa, Florida)
College:	Mississippi Valley State
Undrafted:	1982
Career history
As player:
Pittsburgh Steelers (1982–1985) Cincinnati Bengals (1985)
As coach:
Bethune–Cookman (1987–1991) Defensive backs coach Johnson C. Smith (1992) Assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, defensive backs coach North Carolina Central (1993–2000) Assistant head coach, defensive coordinator North Carolina A&T (2001) Special teams coordinator Mississippi Valley State (2002–2006) Assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, defensive backs coach Grambling State (2007–2010) Defensive backs coach North Carolina A&T (2011–2017) Defensive coordinator North Carolina A&T (2018–2022) Head coach
Career highlights and awards
MEAC Coach of the Year (2018)
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions: 7 Defensive touchdowns: 2
Head coaching record
Regular season:	31–15 (.674)
Player stats at PFR

Sam Washington (born March 7, 1960) is a well-known American football coach and a former player. He used to be the head football coach at North Carolina A&T State University. Sam Washington grew up in Tampa, Florida. He played college football at Mississippi Valley State.

After college, he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a player. He played four seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals from 1982 to 1985.

Washington started his coaching career in 1987. He coached defensive backs at Bethune–Cookman. He also worked as a defensive coordinator at several other historically black universities. These included North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T, Mississippi Valley State, and Grambling State. He helped turn struggling defenses into strong ones.

After being the defensive coordinator at North Carolina A&T for seven years, Washington became their head coach in 2018. His teams had amazing success, winning championships and earning high rankings.

Sam Washington's Early Life and College Days

Sam Washington was born and grew up in Tampa, Florida. He finished high school at Tampa Bay Technical High School in 1978. After that, Washington went to Mississippi Valley State University. There, he played as a cornerback for the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team.

Playing in the NFL

After the 1982 NFL draft, Sam Washington signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was not chosen in the draft but still got a chance to play. In 1982, he played in four games as a rookie. The next year, in 1983, Washington played in all 16 games. He made his first career interception that year. In 1984, Washington played and started in 14 games. He had his best year with six interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns.

In 1985, after playing seven games with the Steelers, Washington was traded. He joined the Cincinnati Bengals. He played eight games for them and recovered a fumble.

Sam Washington's Coaching Journey

Starting as an Assistant Coach (1987–2017)

From 1987 to 1991, Sam Washington coached defensive backs at Bethune–Cookman. He helped them win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship in 1988. In 1992, Washington worked at Johnson C. Smith University. He was an assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, and special teams coordinator. He also led the track and field team there. From 1993 to 2000, Washington was the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at North Carolina Central.

In 2001, Washington first joined North Carolina A&T. He was the special teams coordinator under head coach Bill Hayes. Then, from 2002 to 2006, Washington went back to his old college, Mississippi Valley State. He was an assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, and defensive backs coach. He helped make their defense much better, turning it into one of the top two in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

From 2007 to 2010, Washington coached defensive backs for the Grambling State Tigers. Their defense was very strong, ranking high in the NCAA Division I FCS. In 2008, Grambling State was a leader in getting turnovers. After this, Washington returned to North Carolina A&T in 2011. He became the defensive coordinator and secondary coach, roles he held for seven years.

Leading the North Carolina A&T Aggies (2018–2022)

After the previous coach retired, Sam Washington became the head coach at North Carolina A&T on January 9, 2018.

In his first season in 2018, Washington led the team to a great 10–2 record. On September 2, North Carolina A&T beat East Carolina 28–23. This was the third year in a row they defeated a top-level college team. A video of Washington's speech after the game became very popular online. North Carolina A&T ended the season as MEAC co-champions. They also won the 2018 Celebration Bowl and the black college football national championship. They were ranked among the top teams in college football.

In 2019, the team continued their success with a 9–3 record. They won their second straight MEAC title. They also won the 2019 Celebration Bowl again, defending their national championship.

The 2020 football season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. North Carolina A&T did not play that season. In 2021, the team moved to the Big South Conference. In their first season there, in 2021, they finished with a 5–6 record.

Sam Washington's Coaching Record