Courtesy of NCAT Athletics
GREENSBORO – Shawn Gibbs will return to Aggieland . Only this time, he returns as the 23rd head football coach in North Carolina A&T State University (NCAT) football program history. A&T Director of Athletics Earl M. Hilton III announced Gibbs’ hiring on Friday. Gibbs, 49, replaces Vincent Brown, who spent two seasons at A&T. An introductory press conference for Gibbs is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18, at 11:30 a.m. in the Deese Ballroom inside the campus Student Center at the Greensboro, NC HBCU.
A native of Black Mountain, N.C., Gibbs spent 11 seasons at NCAT as the football program’s running backs and special teams coach under head coaches Rod Broadway (2011-17) and Sam Washington (2018-2021) before taking his first career head coaching position at Division II HBCU Fort Valley State University (FVSU) on February 10, 2022.
Gibbs posted a 22-9 record in three seasons with the Wildcats. In 2023, he led the Wildcats to the Florida Beach Bowl in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where Fort Valley State earned a 23-10 win over Johnson C. Smith. During Gibbs’ tenure there, FVSU went 17-6 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play.
“I want to welcome back Coach Gibbs to North Carolina A&T State University,” said Hilton. “We are excited for his return. A&T fans certainly have fond memories of the outstanding job he did coaching some of the best players in our school’s history while also maintaining a high level of respect from those same players. Shawn’s coaching history is very impressive.
“It is obvious he finds a way to get the best out of his players. Coach Gibbs understands the challenge ahead and has great enthusiasm and passion for North Carolina A&T. I know he can’t wait to get started.”
During Gibbs’ time as an assistant coach, the program earned a national reputation as Running Back U. The Aggies won Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championships in 2014, 2015, and 2017-19 with Gibbs as a key member of the HBCU championship-winning coaching staff. He also served as the position coach to one of the most historic players in program history, running back Tarik Cohen.