MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – With spring football on the immediate horizon, Florida Memorial University head football coach Tim "Ice" Harris announced the addition of three more coaches to his staff Wednesday.
Former Miami Booker T. Washington High School defensive coordinator
Nitron Stork will join the FMU staff as its defensive coordinator; former NFL and CFL offensive lineman
Brandon Washington will serve as the Lions' new offensive line coach; and
Carl Cunningham will work as the assistant defensive line coach.
Cunningham, a Florida Memorial University alumnus with a Master's degree in education, will also assist in the team's academic initiatives.
Washington, Stork, and Cunningham are the latest announced additions to Harris' staff. Harris announced the addition of
Davon Johnson (wide receivers' coach),
Pierre Senatus (defensive line coach), and
Paul Lasseur (assistant defensive line coach & video coordinator) this past Monday and confirmed that more additions will be announced within the coming days.
Harris called the latest hires "big wins" for Florida Memorial University's football program.
"My goal is to bring this program to a national level in terms of operation and competition…and the only way to do that is to bring in coaches that have done it before," Harris said. "All the coaches that we've brought in are all guys that have been a part of building up programs and they understand what it takes to bring out the best in the student-athletes. More importantly, all three of them are men that can serve as excellent examples to our student-athletes of what it takes to be successful on and off the field."
Stork, 34, comes to Florida Memorial University with a decorated resume as a defensive coordinator at the high school level. A former defensive back at the University of South Carolina, Stork began coaching at Booker T. Washington in 2009 under Harris as the defensive backs coach. Stork was named the Tornadoes' defensive coordinator in 2014 and orchestrated the team's defense for five seasons – being a part of five state championships teams in that span.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Chad Thomas, former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Matthew Thomas, and former Washington Redskins defensive end Lynden Trail all were coached by Stork during their high school careers at Booker T. Washington.
Stork said he's going to relish the opportunity to teach and coach at the college level.
"I'm so grateful to Coach Ice [Harris] for this opportunity," Stork said. "I fell in love with coaching during my first year back in 2009 and I always envisioned myself as being a college coach because I worked with Coach Ice. There is so much potential here at Florida Memorial University and I am very excited to have the chance to be on the ground floor of building up the football program and the university as a whole. My goal is to build a defense that is fast, physical, plays with great technique, and instinctual but at the same time pays attention to detail and dictates how the game will go for the opposing offense."
"We want the defense to take on the same fiery and energetic attitude of the coaching staff," Stork added.
FMU's offensive line will be headed by Washington, a 2012 draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles that played professionally for seven years before electing to coach full-time.
Washington was a starting offensive lineman on Miami Northwestern High School's 2007 state and mythical national championship team, played collegiately at the University of Miami – where he received his Bachelor's degree – then played professionally with the Eagles, the then-St. Louis Rams, and with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts, where he was a part of Grey Cup Championship team.
In Washington, 29, FMU's offensive line will be taught by someone who not-that-long-ago had and achieved the dreams of playing football at its highest levels and can impart the knowledge that comes along with that success.
"I'm extremely blessed that my first coaching job is not only at the college level, but that it's here in Miami, at an HBCU, and that it is working with Coach Ice and the rest of this staff," Washington said.
"I was able to learn from some of the best offensive line coaches while I played in college and in the pros…guys like Jeff Stoutland, who coached me at the University of Miami before he went on to coach national championship-winning offensive lines at Alabama and a Super Bowl-winning O-Line with the Philadelphia Eagles. Also, I learned a lot from Jonathan Himebauch during my time in the CFL. Now I'll have the chance to give teach those lessons to our linemen here."
Bringing in Stork and Washington represents building a connection to the younger players, but in adding Cunningham, Harris is adding a coach that can help guide the student-athletes not only on the field but off of it as well.
Cunningham will assist Senatus with the Lions' defensive line, but his other role will be just as – if not – more impactful.
Cunningham played defensive tackle at the University of Florida in the mid-80's and spent time as an assistant coach at various high schools in Miami-Dade County, including working with Harris at Booker T. in 2007. But much of his day-to-day work will pivot towards academic advisement specifically for FMU's football players.
"Advising goes beyond simply insuring students complete all academic requirements. It is helping students achieve their full potential," said Cunningham, who is the father of Robin Reynolds – one of Miami-Dade County's most decorated high school track and field athletes that's currently training to compete for a spot on the 2020 USA Olympic team.
"My goal is to cultivate a relationship with students and help guide them towards the most appropriate major, student organizations, and activities for their needs and goals. I strive to help students understand and accept themselves by empowering them to uncover their strengths and teaching them to use those strengths to achieve success."
