Haney Catchings

Haney Catchings
Sport(s) Football
Biographical details
Born (1949-01-15)January 15, 1949
Died April 19, 2015(2015-04-19) (aged 66)
Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
Alma mater Alcorn State University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1983–1985
1986–1987
1987–1989
1990–1991
1992
1993–1995
1996–1998
2000–2001
2002–2006
2007–2008		 Albany State (OC)
Prairie View A&M (OC)
Prairie View A&M
Tuskegee (OC)
Alabama State (OC)
Tuskegee
Fayetteville State (OC)
Seventy-First HS (NC)
E. E. Smith HS (NC) (assistant)
Head coaching record
Overall 19–41

Haney Catchings (January 15, 1949 – April 19, 2015) was an American college football coach. He served as head coach at Prairie View A&M University from 1987 to 1989, and Tuskegee University from 1993 until 1995, compiling a career record of 19 wins and 41 losses.

Coaching career

Prairie View A&M

Catchings was the 16th head coach for the Prairie View A&M University Panthers located in Prairie View, Texas and held that position for three seasons, from 1987 until 1989. He initially served in an interim capacity for the final seven games of the 1987 season, taking over for Conway Hayman who was fired after a 0–3–1 start.[1][2] His overall coaching record at Prairie View was 8 wins and 19 losses. He only put together one team with an even record, when his 1988 team finished 5–5—the once-proud program's first non-losing season in 13 years. However, the school subsequently forfeited one win over Southern due to an ineligible player.[3]

Longest losing streak

Catchings' last two losses of the 1989 season were the start of an 80-game losing streak between 1989 and 1998—the longest in NCAA history.[4]

Academic accusations

Catchings was accused of pressuring his players to abandon their studies in favor of football. According to multiple players, Catchings "withheld textbooks and financial aid until players proved themselves on the field. For some players, it was the middle of the semester before Catchings thought them worthy of getting their books. As a result, 43 players on the 55-man roster had grade point averages below the NCAA minimum of 2.0. The players demanded that Catchings be fired.[5] When the administration was slow to act, the players boycotted the program.[6]

Program suspension

Serious damage occurred to the program in 1989 when Catchings was charged with filing fraudulent expense reports.[7] Due in part to the fraud, Prairie View opted not to field a team in 1990.[8] In 1991, he pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges related to the scam. He was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to pay over $1,500 in fines and restitution.[9]

Tuskegee

Catchings later became the head coach at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. He was the 14th head coach for the Golden Tigers and held that position for three seasons, from 1993 until 1995. His coaching record at Tuskegee was 11 wins and 22 losses.[10] Catchings died of cancer in 2015, aged 66.[11]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Prairie View A&M Panthers (SWAC) (1987–1989)
1987 Prairie View A&M [n 1] 3–4 1–3
1988 Prairie View A&M 4–6 (5–5) [n 2] 2–5 (3–4) [n 2]
1989 Prairie View A&M 1–9 1–6
Prairie View A&M: 8–19 (9–18) 4–14 (5–13)
Tuskegee Golden Tigers (SIAC) (1993–1995)
1993 Tuskegee 3–8 3–4 [12]
1994 Tuskegee 6–5 6–2 [13]
1995 Tuskegee 2–9 2–6 [14]
Tuskegee: 11–22 [10] 11–12
Total: 19–41 (20–40)

Notes

  1. ↑ Conway Hayman was fired after a 0–3–1 start and replaced on an interim basis by Catchings who coached the last seven games.[1][2]
  2. 1 2 Prairie View A&M finished with a record of 5–5 (3–4 in SWAC) on the field but later had to forfeit its 20–14 win over Southern due to an ineligible player.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Tennessee A.d. And Coach Deny Covering Up Payments". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 30, 1987. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Winless Prairie View Fires Coach". The Dallas Morning News. October 1, 1987. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "PVU forfeits win over Jaguars". The Advocate. May 31, 1989. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Memorable Losing Streaks". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Coach Under Fire". The New York Times. February 12, 1989. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  6. ↑ Rick Telander (1996). The Hundred Yard Lie: The Corruption of College Football and What We Can Do to Stop It. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06523-9. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  7. ↑ Chris Dufresne (October 2, 1998). "Losers No More". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  8. ↑ John Ed Bradley (August 28, 1995). "Once Upon A Time...". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  9. ↑ Associated Press (January 12, 1991). "Ex-Prairie View Coach Pleads Guilty To Charges". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Year-by-Year Football Record". Tuskegee.edu. Tuskegee University. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  11. ↑ Notice of death of Catchings, fayobserver.com; accessed April 21, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Final 1993 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report" (PDF). NCAA.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Final 1994 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report" (PDF). NCAA.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Final 1995 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report" (PDF). NCAA.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
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