NORMAL — Former Alabama star defensive back Sam Shade, who helped lead the Tide to the 1992 national championship, has been named head football coach at Alabama A&M University.
Director of Athletics Dr. Paul A. Bryant made the announcement tonight during a special edition of the “From the Hill Podcast. Shade is the 22nd head football coach in program history.
“This is a new and exciting time to bring Coach Sam Shade to the Hill,” Bryant said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and proven success to a program ready to thrive. His vast resources in the State and impeccable relationships with his team made him the perfect candidate for Alabama A&M University.”
As a head coach, Shade led Miles College to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) crown this season and Pinson Valley High School to a State Championship in 2020.
In three seasons at Miles, Shade compiled an 18-15 overall record and a 15-7 mark in the SIAC. In addition, to winning the conference title, Miles reached the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, falling to top-ranked Valdosta State in the second round.
In 2023, the Golden Bears finished 7-3 overall, 6-2 in the SIAC. The season included the program’s first win over Division I FCS opponent Alabama State and a 9.2 average margin of victory. It was a marked improvement over his first season in Fairfield, where Miles went 1-9 overall, 1-5 in the SIAC Western Division.
Shade came to Miles after spending two years as head football coach at Pinson Valley High School, where he won an Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 6A state championship in his first season in 2020.
Prior to coaching, Shade played eight years in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals (1995-98) and Washington Redskins (1999-02). He was the Bengals’ leading tackler in 1997 while ranking second on the team in 1998, and then he led the Redskins in 1999.
During his NFL career, his defensive coordinators included NFL Hall of Fame coach Dick LeBeau as well as Mike Nolan, Ray Rhodes and Marvin Lewis. In April 2000, Shade received the Redskins’ Unsung Hero Award for commitment and community service involvement.
Shade played collegiately at Alabama, where he was a member of the Crimson Tide’s 1992 national championship team and was named a team captain as a senior in 1994. He was selected by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL Draft.
Following his retirement from the NFL, Shade began his coaching career as a volunteer coach at Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham from 2004-08 before spending eight years at Samford, coaching the secondary and special teams.
He moved to Georgia State, where he coached cornerback. His career would send him back to the NFL as an assistant special teams coach for the Cleveland Browns before returning home to coach at Pinson Valley.
Shade is a Birmingham native who attended Wenonah High School, where he was the recipient of the prestigious Bryant Jordan Scholar Athlete Award, given to the state’s top student-athlete. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Alabama in business administration and finance.
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