Fulton, Md.---- For his first-year work with the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches (NCMFC), San José State University assistant head coach Alonzo Carter received the organization's "MVP Advocate Award" during its online convention the last weekend in May.
Named to the NCMFC's 10-person executive board as the West region representative in August 2020, Carter increased membership by recruiting more than 100 members, provided mentoring, and conducted mock interview opportunities for job candidates of color.
Since the beginning of the year, 20 people he assisted realized professional advancement either as a first-time high school or community college head coach; or as a graduate assistant, position coach, unit coordinator, analyst, or director of player personnel at the college or university level.
"It (the award) means a lot, because I did not expect anything in return. It was me being myself, wanting to serve and help other people of color who are like me, help them in their process, and trying to just spread the love," says Carter, who is beginning his fifth season at San José State.
"When the coalition was put together after Coach (Mike) Locksley came up with the idea and put me on the (executive) board, I felt honored to be a part of that. I wanted to represent the coalition and everything it wants to represent."
AN AWARD-WINNING COACHING CAREER
Carter is in his 28th season coaching football. In 18 seasons as a head coach at the high school and community college levels, his teams compiled a 129-69-3 win-loss record, won 11 league championships, three California Interscholastic Federation (C.I.F.) Oakland Section titles, and six post-season bowl games. He is a seven-time league or conference "Coach of the Year."
In January 2017, he accepted an offer to enter the college game at San José State as the running backs coach. Carter added the responsibilities of recruiting coordinator in 2018 and assistant head coach in 2021. The Spartans won the 2020 Mountain West championship and finished 24th in the final Associated Press poll.
247sports.com recognized him as its 2019 Mountain West Recruiter of the Year. Last year, Zoom Technology awarded him with a Zoomtopia Award for innovation – "emphasis on diversity: bridging the divide" for conceiving his West Coast Zoom clinics. Hundreds of football coaches would join a Zoom weekly call to listen, learn, and network with an interest in professional upward mobility while dealing with the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sports and society and the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONNECTIONS
"…Now that I'm in college football and befriended a lot of people, there are young men that don't have the means or resources to reach out to people, I'm kind of like a connector," Carter says about his universe of contacts at all levels of the game.
The NCMFC also honored University of Nevada head coach Jay Norvell as its College Coach of the Year and USA Today sportswriter Jim Trotter with its Excellence in Media award during its first national convention.
About the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches (NCMFC):
"We will use our platform to give a voice to minority coaches. We advocate for issues that distinctly affect our members at every level of the game."