MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | Florida Memorial University has officially named
Michael Jones head coach of its football program.
"I am grateful and excited to accept the position as head football coach of Florida Memorial University," said Jones. "I personally want to thank President William McCormick and the FMU Administration for this tremendous opportunity."
The FMU Football Program Mission Statement:
To cultivate an environment that empowers our student-athletes to become better men on and off the field as a direct result of being a part of the program will be the cornerstone of operations under Coach Jones' tenure.
"What you can expect from our football team is a championship mindset on and off the field," said Jones. "We will have a team of players that are tough both mentally and physically and that can overcome challenges presented before them. Our team will be built on faith and dedicated to providing service to the general public and the City of Miami Gardens. I am from Miami Gardens, and it's my belief if you take care of the community, the community will take of you. We will be a team that competes at a high-level and we will finish our goals in everything we do. We will be an exciting team to watch on Saturday's; we will play with passion, precision and enthusiasm."
"Michael Jones has been with the program since its inception," said Florida Memorial University Director of Athletics Kevin Nesfield. "Jones has been part of a group that has seen success in steadily building the culture. He has risen from the coaching ranks in South Florida and has consistently built offenses that have received national recognition in the Sun Conference and the NAIA. He has been recognized in having one of the top offensive minds in the NAIA, and he's been identified as the best assistant coach within the Sun Conference (2023) and nationally among his coaching peers (with the AFCA in 2024). It is fitting that he has earned the right to receive the opportunity to lead the program and the young men willing to be a part of it," Nesfield explained.
Jones' dedication to the team and exceptional coaching abilities have been recognized with many prestigious accolades, including the inaugural 2023 SUN Conference Assistant Coach of the Year, followed by a national award the next year as he was named 2024 AFCA NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year.
"Our staff will motivate and encourage all of our players to achieve a 3.0 grade point average. Our goal is to graduate every student-athlete in four years," Jones explained. "We will be a family."
Under his leadership, the program has achieved remarkable milestones and unseen successes. Having coached at Florida Memorial since 2020, serving as the offensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach since 2021, he helped lead the team to the most wins in modern history, guiding them to their first SUN Conference victory and their back to back SUN Conference Championship appearances in 23-24 and 24-25.
In addition, Jones helped significantly improve the team's conference record from 0-5 in 2022 to an impressive 5-2 in 2023, culminating in the program's first winning season with a record of 7-4. In 2024, FMU finished 4-2 in conference play, and 6-3-1 overall.
In 2023, the FMU Lions' offense averaged 37 points per game, good for third among all HBCUs. In 2024, the Lions' offense averaged 38 points per game, good for second among all HBCUs.
