Shaw University has announced the departure of Adrian Jones, who served as the head football coach for the past eight seasons. The university is initiating a national search to find his successor.
Jones took over the Bears’ football program in 2016, inheriting a team that had finished the previous season with a 1-9 record. Under his leadership, Shaw University saw a notable turnaround, achieving an 18-10 conference record over four seasons. The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jones also led the Bears to multiple victories in the “Raleigh Classic” against crosstown rival Saint Augustine’s University, securing the trophy four times in six games since the annual matchup was named in 2016.
Despite these successes, the program faced challenges. In the 2024 season, the Bears held a 4-4 overall record and a 2-3 mark in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) as of late October.
Jones, a former North Carolina Central University player, began his coaching career at Southern High School in Durham, North Carolina, where he served as head coach from 2007 to 2013. He also held coaching positions at North Carolina Central and with the South Georgia Wildcats of the af2 league.
The university has not provided specific reasons for Jones’s departure. The search for a new head football coach is underway, with the goal of building upon the foundation established during Jones’s tenure and elevating the program to new heights.
For more insights from Adrian Jones on his coaching philosophy and experiences, you can watch his interview below: https://youtu.be/_3o_QUlJTkE?si=n1yo0YGicwjgx8kv
