NC Central has hired former Eagles defensive back and punter Trei Oliver as its new football coach.
In doing so, it extended the branches of Rod Broadway’s coaching tree to both sides of the Aggie-Eagle rivalry.
Oliver, 42, returns to his alma mater after a three-year stretch as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Southern University. He was assistant under Broadway at NCCU from 2003-06, when the Eagles won back-to-back CIAA championships and earned consecutive trips to the Division II playoffs.
Another former Broadway assistant, Sam Washington, took over after his mentor’s retirement at A&T this season, leading the Aggies to 12 wins and a second straight trip to the Celebration Bowl.
Like Washington, Oliver also spent time on Broadway’s staff at A&T from 2011-15, helping the Aggies to a pair of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles.
The Yorktown, Va., native has also spent time as an assistant at Grambling and Delaware State. During his 15 years of college coaching experience, he has been part of only one season with fewer than seven wins. His teams have won 124 games during that stretch with a winning percentage of .725.
He inherits an Eagles team that went 5-6 in 208 under Granville Eastman, who was hired on an interim basis after former coach Jerry Mack left to become the offensive coordinator at Rice.
Oliver was a standout player at NCCU from 1994-97, finishing his career with 234 tackles, seven interceptions and a 39.3 yard punting average. He was named to the All-CIAA first or second team in each of his four seasons with the Eagles.
He twice led the CIAA in punting and as a junior, he was part of a defensive backfield that led the nation among Division II schools in pass defense efficiency.
Not only is Oliver a graduate of NCCU, so are both his parents — Colon and Evelyn Oliver — as well as his wife Yvette. Colon Oliver also played football for the Eagles as a wide receiver from 1963-66.
Oliver signed a five-year contract at a base salary of $185,000.
