HBCU coach reflects on firing that set him up for success

By Steven J. Gaither
https://hbcugameday.com

Chennis Berry is the toast of HBCU football now, sitting at the head of the table at South Carolina State University.

But it was a long and winding road to get there. And let Berry tell it — it started with a firing.

Berry shared he was recruited by HBCU coaching legend Bill Davis, getting his only scholarship offer from Savannah State while playing high school basketball in the early 1990s. Davis is the man who coached Shannon Sharpe when he was at Savannah State.

He played his first two seasons under Davis at SSU before finishing his career under Joe Crosby. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPtLXL10mnw

When his playing days were up, Crosby offered the young offensive lineman the chance to become offensive line coach at then-SIAC rival Morris Brown University. He started working two days after graduating from Savannah State.

“He knew me and my leadership role and things of that nature,” Berry told “Inside The Headset. “ So he offered me — at 23-years old — to be the offensive line coach. 

“When the season was over he called me in the office and said ‘you know what, we’re going to a different direction,” Berry recounted in his signature, gruff voice. “We need some more experience as an O-line coach. You’re a little young and we need to take this program to the next level, so we’re going to have to go in a different direction.”

He admitted it was a tough pill to swallow at the time. Today, nearly 30 years later, Berry views that firing as a turning point in his career.

Berry was almost immediately added to George Small’s staff at Kentucky State University. He made the most of his time there, pursuing his master’s degree and sharpening his skills. A few years later, Small was hired as the head coach at North Carolina A&T, and Berry joined him as offensive line coach. 

“I really believe that that firing, really spearheaded my career because it put me in front of people in different staffs that now…every job — I’m going to encourage young people with this. Up until I became a head coach — and I started interviewing for head coaching jobs — out of all the jobs I’ve ever had, and I’ve worked at nine different institutions. I’ve never interviewed. The crazy thing about never interviewing is my reputation started to progress and people started to know me.” 

Chennis Berry spent the next 17 years honing his skills at various HBCUs in the FCS and Division I before being hired at Benedict College. After a 5-5 season in 2021, he led Benedict College to back-to-back 11-0 regular seasons and SIAC championships. 

Now he’ll look to get South Carolina State back to the MEAC mountaintop.