Struggling Miles College Fires Its Football Coach

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —  Financially struggling Miles College fired the football coach after he gave information about other schools to his team, officials said.

Athletic director Alfred Baker said coach Robert Smith, who headed the football program for one season, was dismissed for “insubordination and misconduct.”

“If a student is unhappy and wants to transfer, that’s fine.” Baker said. “But there are proper NCAA channels that have to be followed.”

The firing occurred after Smith received applications for admission and financial aid to another school and passed them on to some players in violation of NCAA regulations, Baker said.

He said he received a letter early last week from Miles President Albert Sloan and acting Dean of Students Carolyn Day announcing Smith’s dismissal.

Smith told Baker that he had given the applications to players because of the “up-in-the-air status of the school’s financial situation and the questions of whether there would even be football at the school in 1990,” Baker said.

Attempts to reach Smith during the weekend were unsuccessful.

After talking to the coach, Baker said he called a team meeting to get some things straightened out--mainly that there would indeed be a football team in 1990.

“Dr. Sloan has told me personally that the school would have a football program in 1990. My biggest concern is letting the students know that to transfer to another institution would involve sitting out a year or athletics in order to become eligible to play,” Baker said.

The Miles football program has floundered during the last three seasons, winning only two games on the field. Miles also won two games by forfeits.