Willie Slater Named Clark Atlanta University Head Football Coach
02/10/2022
ATLANTA (Feb. 10, 2022) -- Legendary Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football coach Willie Slater has become the new head football coach at Clark Atlanta University, Athletic Director Dr. J. Lin Dawson announced today.
Slater, who won seven SIAC championships as a head coach at Tuskegee University, takes over for Tim Bowens, who served as CAU’s coach for the past three years.
“We are excited to have Willie Slater as part of the Clark Atlanta University football family,” said Dawson. “In 42 years of coaching, Coach Slater has set the standard for excellence and a winning formula for championships.”
Slater spent the past 16 years at Tuskegee where his teams were 123-47, winning SIAC titles in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2017. The 2007 squad was named HBCU national champions with a 12-0 record. His teams had nine wins in eight of his first ten seasons and had winning seasons in nine of those ten years. Slater has won more SIAC championships than any other coach in the conference.
Slater was named the National Coach of the Year by The Pigskin Club of D.C., and the Sheridan Broadcasting Network in 2007 and has five times been named SIAC Coach of the Year. He coached 48 All-SIAC players during his tenure. Slater was also named NCAA Division II National Assistant Coach of the Year five times prior to becoming a head coach.
Slater looks forward to put all of his efforts into coaching the Panthers football squad.
“I’m excited about being at Clark Atlanta University,” Slater said. “It’s exciting coming to a program where I think we can and will be a very good team inside and outside of our conference.
“I think the facilities are impressive,” he said. “When guys come here, they’ll see that the program is headed in the right direction. The administration is dedicated to making the program competitive and I think that once the young men get there, they are going to understand that and see that. That excites you. I’m excited about this program.”
About Clark Atlanta University: Established in 1988 by the historic consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869). Clark Atlanta University continues a 150-year legacy rooted in African American tradition and focused on the future. Through global innovation, transformative educational experiences, and high-value engagement. CAU cultivates lifted lives that transforms the world. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson; American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing "The Black National Anthem"; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit arts.microupgrade.net.
