Sources: WSSU fires Kermit Blount

[Appaholic]

Winston-Salem State has fired football coach Kermit Blount, several sources said Thursday afternoon.
Blount, who had one year left on his contract, was told of the decision Thursday morning. He will finish the season and coach Saturday's final game at Norfolk State, said another source on campus.
Blount, 51, has coached the Rams for 17 seasons, but has faced one struggle after another this season. The Rams (1-9) have their worst record since 1975 and have lost twice in overtime.
Blount, when asked about his job status at his weekly press conference Wednesday, said he would return next season but acknowledged that this season "has been a tough one."
Blount, a 1980 graduate of WSSU and former quarterback for the Rams, is the all-time leader in victories in WSSU history but his overall record is just 91-86-3. He coached two teams to CIAA titles and was twice named CIAA coach of the year.
"We saw some lean years initially when I started at Howard as an assistant, but I've not seen this kind of year since I've been in the business," Blount said. "It was a different kind of experience, but we learned some things along the way as well."
This season's team has been WSSU's lowest scoring in 17 years (11 ppg), and the offense has committed nine turnovers in the last two games. The defense allows 21 points a game, not bad considering the amount of time it spends on the field.
One of the hardest days of this season for Blount and his staff was Sept. 11, when school officials announced that WSSU was stopped its transition to Division I and would remain in Division II. That announcement came the day after a 34-10 loss to Florida A&M.
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009 ... nt/sports/

[dbackjon]

Victim of the attempted move up.