When Bobby Rome II stood to greet Chicago State leaders Tuesday morning at Gwendolyn Brooks Library on the South Side, he declared the community and area are “starving for a Division I football program.”
Chicago State is counting on Rome to take that program from an idea to reality in about 16 months.
Chicago State athletic director Dr. Monique Carroll introduced Rome as the university’s first football coach during a news conference on campus, the next step in an idea she sprouted more than two years ago to enhance the student and community experience through football.
The Cougars, members of the Northeast Conference, plan to play their first Football Championship Subdivision season in 2026.
Rome, a former North Carolina fullback, coached the previous three seasons at NAIA Florida Memorial, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Miami Gardens, Fla. The school didn’t renew his contract in January.
He went 15-15-1 at Florida Memorial, including 6-3-1 in 2024. The Lions averaged 425 yards and 38 points per game in 2024, among the top 25 in the NAIA.
Rome previously coached at HBCUs Central State and Virginia-Lynchburg and also started a football team at Far Eastern Federal University in Russia in 2013.
Chicago State, with the help of Renaissance Search and Consulting, hired Rome from a pool of more than 230 applicants after multiple Zoom and in-person interviews with candidates, Carroll said.
“One of the things I said to the search committee was we’re looking for someone who is a leader,” Carroll said. “We’re looking for someone who understands where we are in the project — that we are still finalizing our fundraising campaign — and can get excited about that. Not all good coaches are excited about fundraising. He rose to the top with that (along with) just being a good person and having…
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Publish date : 2025-04-08 22:55:00
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