Bobby Rome II Named First Ever Head Football Coach at Chicago State

If you were handpicking the perfect resume for Chicago State University’s first-ever head football coach, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better fit than someone who’s breathed life into a brand-new HBCU program; after all, that’s what they’d be doing again in the South Side. Bobby Rome II didn’t exactly start Florida Memorial University’s football team from scratch—he took the reins in their second season—but what he did there might be the next best thing. On Tuesday, CSU introduced Rome as the man tasked with building its Division 1 FCS program from the ground up, and his knack for turning struggling teams into winners is exactly why he’s here.

Florida Memorial is his most recent successful stop. His contract was unexpectedly not renewed for the NAIA school after he grew the program from winners of 3 (non-conference only) games in his first season to playing in the Sun Conference Championship in his 2nd and 3rd year at the helm. It was following the 3rd year that FMU unexpectedly did not retain the successful coach. Florida Memorial, like Chicago State, is an HBCU. It’s the biggest reason to feel optimistic about the hire and the fit, but it’s not the only one.

It’s not what stood out to me, anyway.

There’s a few types of football fans in America. We can all point toward the biggest schools and historic winners, especially at the D1 level, but how many fans know about Virginia University of Lynchburg? If you do, you’re likely aware that the small HBCU is usually brought in as a home opponent for programs looking to add to their schedule. They’ve played NEC schools in the past, including last season. The rarest thing at VUL is actually winning those games.

But Coach Rome won 3 games in a single season there. The knowledgeable football fans reading this article just spit out their drinks. It’s so impressive of a feat that he was named the 2018 Small College Sports Report National Coach of the Year for his work that season for the VUL Dragons.

Chicago State won’t be his first stab at starting a program from nothing. He did it before at Far Eastern Federal University in Russia. Just like back then, he’s walking into a place with no built-in recruiting ties. But on Chicago’s South Side, he’ll find plenty of athletes who know the game and can be molded. If you add in the new and distinctly American transfer portal, there’s a real shot Chicago State won’t be a pushover for long.

If his past is any clue, Coach Rome doesn’t just build programs—he turns them into winners. It’s all he’s ever done.