TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Florida A&M University athletics announced Thursday that three head coaches in their program have been given contract extensions.
Football coach Willie Simmons, men's basketball coach Robert McCullum and women's basketball coach Shalon Pillow all received extensions after Board of Trustees approval on Wednesday afternoon.
"We are excited about the trajectory of our programs and it was important that we maintained elite coaches to ensured that continuity," said Florida A&M Vice President and Director of Athletics Kortne Gosha. "I am grateful to President Robinson, Board of Trustees, and Foundation Board for their unwavering support."
Simmons, who took over the FAMU football program in 2018, led the Rattlers to a 9-2 record and an HBCU National Championship in 2019. FAMU has extended Simmons by three years, which keeps him in Tallahassee through 2025.
Prior to Simmons' arrival at FAMU, they hadn't had a winning season since 2011. The Rattlers finished the 2019 season ranked No. 24 in the STATS FCS Poll and No. 25 in the FCS Coaches Poll.
McCullum led the Rattlers back to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament during the 2020-21 season and was named the MEAC's Men's Basketball Coach of the Year, the first time a coach from FAMU earned the honor in the 50-year history of the conference. McCullum earned a three-year extension, which runs through 2024.
Pillow, who also signed a three-year extension through 2024, took control of the FAMU women's basketball program during the summer of 2020, bringing coaching experience from stints at Middle Tennessee State, Kentucky, South Florida and Hofstra.
