By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. | For The Birmingham Times
Chris Goode acknowledged that football is nearly a family business.
The Town Creek, Alabama, native is part of the Goode family that produced gridiron stars at the University of Alabama and in the National Football League.
“All of us played,” said Goode, who was announced today as the new head football coach at Miles College. “My brother had a chance in the NFL. Antonio Langham (a first cousin and fellow University of Alabama standout) lived in our household since he was in the third or fourth grade. He went into the NFL. That’s just something we did.
“We’re a football family,” he continued. “My dad played football at Alabama State. He had a chance to go to the Chicago Bears but decided not to because I was baby then. I had to pay him back when I played, bringing him up to see me play. It was like he was playing in the NFL.”
Goode succeeds Sam Shade who left Miles after three seasons last week to take the head job at Alabama A&M University. All Shade did last year was lead the Golden Bears to the most wins in a season (10) while winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, a first-ever win in the Division II playoffs and knock off Alabama State, an A&M rival.
So, there’s nowhere to go but up, right?
“They set the bar high, but I like that. I like that,” he said. “I know the goal and I know what I’m trying to reach. It’s always one of those things where you say, Hey, the bar is here. This is where you need to get, here and higher. So that’s one of the things I’m looking at.”
President Bobbie Knight acknowledged the Golden Bears’ stellar season of 2024, which earned accolades for players and former coach Shade.
“With great success often comes change and at Miles College, we embrace change as an opportunity to grow and build on our foundation of excellence as a pillar of this community and a beacon of opportunity,” Knight said. “Miles College is committed to nurturing not only athletic achievement but also academic and personal success for our scholar athletes.
“Coach Goode brings experience, a deep understanding of the game and a commitment to shaping young men into leaders on and off the field,” the president continued. “We are confident that Coach Goode’s leadership will inspire our athletes to not only uphold the proud tradition of Miles College football but also to push beyond boundaries, set new records and strive for excellence in every aspect of their lives.”
Jeffery Artis, chairman of the Miles College Sports Hall of Fame, was among a host of Golden Bears who assembled at the Williams Welcome and Admissions Center for the announcement. He said he trusts Knight to have made a good choice in picking Goode just as she did in selecting Shade.
“When you trust your spouse, you don’t worry about what’s for dinner,”
Artis said. “You know it’s going to be good, right? When you have a president of President Knight’s caliber, you gotta go (with her).”
Goode said the offer to coach at Miles seemed divinely destined. He and his brothers played for Hazelwood High School where, like Miles, the school colors were purple and gold. And the Hazelwood teams were, like Miles, the Golden Bears.
“My dad (Clyde) was a principal and my mom (Vernell) was a teacher,” the coach recalled. “That’s one thing they did not play with, you coming home with bad grades. That’s one of the things I speak with kids right now about. You can’t stay here on campus if you don’t have the grades. That’s it. That’s what it is.”
Goode was asked if he will build his program from high school recruits or through the transfer portal. He said he’ll utilize both talent sources.
“I think we’ve done well recruiting heavily here in the Birmingham area and I think – not I think, I know – we will continue to do that,” the coach said. “But the portal is very important for any college team now because guys are leaving and coming every year. That’s an important factor.
“Me and the coaches we have talked about that,” Goode concluded. “What we’re doing is we’re looking for the best players out there, period, because, No. 1, we want to win.”
Miles College will open the 2025 season in Canton, Ohio, against Virginia Union in a Labor Day Classic.
