Blount vacates Rams head coach position

After 17 seasons, Kermit Blount the head football coach for the Winston-Salem State Rams has stepped down following the final football game of the season.

The Rams lost to Norfolk State University 28-21. The loss put the Rams at 1-10 overall, the worst season for the Rams under Blount since 2008 when they finished 3-8.

Blount has a 91-86-3 record and during his 17-year career the Rams won two CIAA titles along with two Pioneer Bowl appearances.

Blount, a 1980 graduate and former quarterback for the Rams, also helped many Rams transition into the NFL, most recently William Hayes who plays for the Tennessee Titans.

"Over the years, Coach Blount has done a great job of leading our football program and building an academic foundation for our student athletes," said Chancellor Donald J. Reaves, in a press release.

"We truly appreciate the contributions Kermit has made to Winston-Salem State as an athlete, a coach, an alum and a leader."

Blount began at WSSU in 1975 as freshman quarterback from Richmond, Va. Through the years he worked as an assistant coach with Howard University and East Carolina University . He returned to WSSU in 1993 as the head coach.

Blount's honors include the 1999 and 2000 CIAA Coach of the Year; DC Pigskin Coach of the Year; and 100% Wrong Club Coach of the Year.

Blount who has one year left on his contract will be reassigned to other duties at WSSU.