Chicago State Begins Search for First Football Coach

When Dr. Monique Carroll started at Chicago State in 2022, the athletic department had to implore people to take jobs.

“When I first got here, we were begging people to take jobs,” Carroll told the Sun-Times.

But Carroll loved a challenge and already had a passion for transforming and building. Before joining Chicago State as its vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, Carroll served as the director of intercollegiate athletics at Huston-Tillotson University, a historically Black college in Texas. In her previous role at Huston-Tillotson, Carroll helped increase fundraising by 80% with local partners.

Tuesday’s Announcement

Carroll was jubilant because of Tuesday’s announcement that Chicago State had launched its search for a head football coach. The HBCU hopes to start FCS play in 2026.

“Today alone, we’ve had 60 emails and 40 people that have applied for this opportunity,” Carroll said. “It’s telling that everybody wants to be a part of what we have. As an AD, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Fundraising Efforts

In 2023, Chicago State announced its intention to raise $4 million to expand its women’s athletics programs and add football. For the first phase of the expansion, the school added a women’s triathlon program and women’s swimming. Carroll said in the press release that it would be a “major step forward” for Chicago State athletics.

Getting the necessary funding was a hurdle to overcome. Carroll said the university connected with industry experts to evaluate its fundraising operation. Events have been held to gauge the interest in donating while also connecting with alumni to form a bond.

“We have not completed the entire fundraising goal, but hiring this head coach is just another step in us helping to cultivate relationships and putting the face to the program,” Carroll said.

The Search for a Coach

Adding football wasn’t an easy decision. Carroll and her staff did their due diligence in researching, reading and understanding every variable that went into adding a football program. They had to make sure it made sense financially, that the university had the infrastructure to support the program and allow it to thrive.

Carroll created an exploratory committee of numerous people from within the community, including Larry Huggins — who co-founded the Chicago Football Classic, a not-for-profit organization that supports Black high school and college students to achieve educational success. Feasibility consultants, search firms and student leaders all were solicited for opinions.

A Home in the Northeast Conference

But before she could delve into football, she had to find a conference Chicago State could call home and the Northeast Conference came along. Carroll said the conference’s commissioner, Noreen Morris, held similar values to her own. In July 2024, Chicago State officially joined the FCS conference.

“We’re trying to build a strong athletic department,” Carroll said. “We don’t want to be a mediocre program that doesn’t have a vision for how we’re going to succeed.”

The Future of Football

Football is a big part of Carroll’s plans for the future of the university’s athletic department. The university is still working on solidifying a space that can hold football games — Chicago State has a facility on campus where the team can practice — but Carroll has the coaching search at the front of her mind. She knows how important that position is when starting a team from scratch.

“[The coach] will have to do some fundraising so someone that’s really comfortable in that lane,” Carroll said. “But at the end of the day, someone who really understands how to build and organize a program.

“This is going to always be one of those moments that we hope people can look back on and say, ‘Hey, remember when they hired the coach? Remember the first kickoff?’ This is just one in a series of future milestones.”

Conclusion

The search for the first football coach at Chicago State University is underway, with a promising start. The university’s vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, Dr. Monique Carroll, is excited about the prospect of building a strong program. With a focus on fundraising and building relationships, Carroll is confident that the team will be successful.

Frequently Asked Questions

• When will the football team start playing?
  The team hopes to start FCS play in 2026.
• How much money is being raised to support the football program?
  The university is aiming to raise $4 million to expand its women’s athletics programs and add football.
• Who is leading the search for the head football coach?
  Dr. Monique Carroll, the university’s vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, is leading the search for the head football coach.