An old friend and legend returns home.
Alcorn State will host Southern University in a game that carries little weight in the SWAC standings but carries emotional weight off the gridiron.
Now South Alcorn State Head Coach Fred McNair will return to Lorman to face the program and community he forged his legacy as a coach and player.
McNair, who spent eight seasons at Alcorn State, won four SWAC East division titles, two SWAC championships and two record companies, Left after the 2023 season.
Since then, Alcorn Thomas, McNair’s trusted assistant for all these years, Cedric Thomas, who says that they lacked the influence of his predecessor.
“Coach McNair recruited me twice. I am forever indebted to him for what he did for me and my family.” Thomas said on Monday. Along with him, there were coaches about this squad who were part of these championships. He is dear to many people, not just the staff, but the entire Alcorn community. “
Thomas expressed his excitement about the match, but he will continue all his work when the whistle blows.
“We’ll just be excited to see the coach, excited to know what he’s done for us career-wise. But at the end of the day, as kids say he’s on the sidelines — he’s not an ops.”
After school, McNair was named the head coach of the Southern Intermediate Terrrene Graves fireHe shared his complex emotions in front of his former team.
“It’s always special to come home and be a part of something you love so much. But at this point, my emotions are about getting young men to play a full 60 minutes of football in the South,” McNair said. “We have to fix some things in practice today and get guys in the right mindset to play and play good football.”
Alcorn State enters the game with a 3-6 overall record and 2-3 in Swac play, coming off a 33-14 road win over Texas Southern.
South is looking for its first SWAC win of the season.
The 2-hour game at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium promises to be more than just a hard-fought contest on the field, but a celebration of history and legacy for Braves fans and the McNair homecoming community.
