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Angela Suggs up and active during FAMU homecoming, first month as new athletic director
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- Angela Suggs up and active during FAMU homecoming, first month as new athletic director
(This story has been updated to add additional information.)
It was a busy October for Angela Suggs .
But it's been a rewarding month for Suggs as she returned to her alma mater as Florida A&M's Vice President and Director of Athletics.
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In September, FAMU hired Suggs away from the Florida Sports Foundation . Suggs was the Florida Sports Foundation's Vice President and Chief Executive Officer since 2017.
Suggs signed a three-year contract worth $750,000 ($250,000 annually) and began her role as FAMU's 19th athletic director on Oct. 7.
Suggs credited FAMU's coaches, student-athletes, her colleagues, and university interim President Dr. Timothy Beard's commitment to athletics for enjoyment in holding the athletic director seat.
"It's been great being back. The energy here on campus has been amazing, and I'm excited to be here," Suggs told the Tallahassee Democrat in a one-on-one interview at her office Wednesday.
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"The support has been unmatched. It's good to come back to The Hill, my alma mater, and build what will be the legacy for the next 137 years."
FAMU's fall sports are in full swing.
The FAMU football team is currently 4-3, with its homecoming game against Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent Texas Southern Saturday at 4 p.m.
Rattlers volleyball is 19-6, highlighted by an undefeated 11-0 SWAC record. FAMU women's cross country completed its season on Oct. 21, finishing with the SWAC Championship's second-place trophy.
FAMU basketball teams are set to begin on Nov. 4, with women's hosting Howard and men's traveling to Texas Christian.
Florida A&M's new Vice President and Director of Athletics Angela Suggs speaks at an introductory press conference while Interim President Timothy Beard listens Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
FAMU has two new head coaches for the 2024-2025 athletic year, with Brittany Beall leading softball and Jeramy Williams now overseeing bowling .
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"It's the 850. We want Rattlers from everywhere to view Tallahassee as home and support all of our teams," Suggs said. "It's been amazing to come back and be a part of the success of Rattler Nation."
Angela Suggs reconnecting and building new relationships as FAMU's athletic director
At Suggs' introductory press conference, she said that she would go on a listening tour to learn the needs of FAMU coaches, student-athletes, and administrators.
She said preliminary discussions have begun. Once the new calendar year arrives, Suggs will start making headway into boosting FAMU athletics to remain one of the university's most coveted entities.
Florida A&M's new Vice President and Director of Athletics Angela Suggs speaks at an introductory press conference Monday, Sept. 23, 2024
"The conversations we've had have been really good," Suggs said.
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"We're going to continue those conversations, and then at the top of the year, we'll look at those findings. Looking at the business of FAMU athletics and what our infrastructure looks like, the connections we're making, the practice and the process going hand in hand, and how we become the value to the overall campus, fiscally as well as in pride to the university as the front porch."
Suggs has worked in FAMU's athletic department before, serving as the program's Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs and Senior Woman Administrator before leaving for the Florida Sports Foundation in 2017.
Still, Suggs stayed affiliated with FAMU in her departure, such as working in the Rattlers' three-year stint in the revived Orange Blossom Classic football game. Suggs' return to FAMU rekindles past relationships while forging new ones.
"It's been a little over seven years ― the world has changed in the last seven years. Meeting people that were not here when I was here before and reconnecting with those that were," Suggs said.
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"The experiences we've had with the Florida Sports Foundation and some of the amazing events ― to bring those experiences back here to this program will help us move things forward."
FAMU football watch party among new ideas Angela Suggs bring as new athletic director
It's homecoming week at FAMU.
The Rattlers' football game versus the Texas Southern Tigers at Bragg Memorial Stadium has sold out.
Sold-out homecoming football games have become a formality at FAMU. So, this year, Suggs has launched a watch party at the Al Lawson Center to see FAMU football face Texas Southern.
"We want to give as many people as possible that come to campus a chance to see our Rattler football team and what's happening inside Bragg. But we know that we have a capacity there," Suggs said. "The watch party idea for here on campus was another way to have Rattlers be engaged in the game."
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Tickets to the watch party cost $30.
"We will continue to look at new revenue streams because we have to look at our budget and find ways to grow it to remain competitive at the Division I-FCS level. We will continue to be creative and look at how we can add other revenue opportunities to our budget," Suggs added.
It's still early in Suggs' tenure as FAMU's athletic director.
So, her formative days leading the program are just the tip of the iceberg.
Florida A&M's new Vice President and Director of Athletics Angela Suggs speaks at an introductory press conference Monday, Sept. 23, 2024
What's next, Suggs says, is increasing the backing from Rattlers everywhere.
For example, on Tuesday, FAMU athletics announced it received a $115,000 gift from Tola Thompson to implement the George 'Godfather' and Alice Thompson Endowment Scholarship to honor the couple's ties to the program. The scholarship covers the tuition of one FAMU student-athlete per year.
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"We have many ideas. When I say we ― myself, alums, fans, and many of our affinity groups," Suggs said.
"Our stakeholders' passion for the program's success is motivating and encouraging. And we're appreciative of all of that. But we want to look at how we sustain the support. We want to make sure that we are data-driven, results-oriented, and solution-focused as we activate these ideas and plan strategically."
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Here's what new FAMU AD Angela Suggs has been up to in her first month
