Becker's Mills is one of a kind

LEICESTER -- The only black head college football coach in New England occupies a cramped, unmarked basement office on a rural campus in a bedroom town where football never has been king. Mel Mills couldn't be happier.

``To be blunt, it's very difficult for an African-American to become a head coach anywhere," Mills said recently in his first season guiding Division 3 Becker College. ``This is truly a blessing."

Not since Floyd Keith resigned at the University of Rhode Island in 1999 has an African-American served as a head college football coach in New England. And Mills is only the fifth black head football coach in New England history, according to college sports officials.

``I recognize the significance of this," said Mills, 36, who spent last year as an assistant during Becker's inaugural football season. ``I'm following guys who opened the door for me. Hopefully, I will be able to open the door for some other guys."

Becker was eager to make way for Mills, who played two seasons in the Arena Football League after serving as a captain of the Louisville team that stunned Alabama, 34-7, in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl. He later served as an assistant coach for the University of Oklahoma, Florida Atlantic University, and the Cologne (Germany) Centurions of NFL Europe.

``We hired the best coach we could get and it just happened to be that he was black," said Becker president Ken Zirkle, who presides over campuses in Worcester and neighboring Leicester.

The school quickly promoted Mills after head coach Dave Dunn resigned to take the head coaching job at Division 3 Catholic University. Mills, who had served as Dunn's top assistant, faced no serious competition, even though he had never before interviewed for a head coaching job.

``We didn't see any sense in giving anybody else false hopes," Zirkle said. ``We were convinced we were not going to find anybody better."

Never mind that Becker went winless in eight games last year, losing by an average margin of 45-16. Or that the team has no home field. Little name recognition. A small budget. And a team made up predominantly of freshmen.

Mills became one of only 16 minority coaches among the 616 NCAA football programs -- and the only minority among 54 head coaches in New England. He expressed no reservations about starting at the bottom. He is 0-3 since taking over this season.

``My goal is to help this program move forward, flourish, and one day win a national title," Mills said.

His fortuitous route to Leicester included a detour to a federal prison in Michigan, where he spent four years as a corrections officer after retiring from the Arena Football League. He holds a degree in police administration from Louisville.

``People might think I was crazy, but I enjoyed working in that type of setting," Mills said of the prison job. ``One thing you need is good communication skills."

Those skills helped endear him to Becker officials, who said they valued the way he counseled his players on and off the field. School officials said they hope Mills gains as much from his new job as Becker benefits from appointing him. And they expressed satisfaction at increasing the ranks of African-Americans in collegiate head coaching jobs.

``I'm very proud we're part of the movement," Zirkle said.