Alcorn State, MS – Former Alcorn State football coach Marino Casem will have his name added to the university's stadium.
The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning approved on Thursday the university's request to rename the stadium to Casem- Spinks Stadium.
It had been named Spinks Stadium for Jack Spinks, the former Alcorn alumnus, assistant coach and NFL player.
Casem, nicknamed "The Godfather" at Alcorn State, is the Braves' all-time leader in career wins. He complied a 139-70-8 (86-48-7 Southwestern Athletic Conference) record and won seven SWAC titles.
Casem and Spinks coached together at Alcorn State. Their names will appear in alphabetical order and the field will remain named after Dwight Fisher.
"Coach Casem helped Alcorn athletics increase both in stature and in reputation to become a nationally recognized university," Alcorn State president M. Christopher Brown II said. "Every Alcornite celebrates the board's decision. Coach Casem built a quality football and athletic program during his tenure at Alcorn. What's more, he prepared athletes for life beyond the game. He believed in the concept of 'student-athlete' and stressed high academic performance in the classroom first."
Alcorn will celebrate the renaming of the stadium at the Sept. 17 game against Mississippi Valley State.
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