DSU changing athletics director, football coach

Delaware State University on Sunday announced it has promoted a senior associate athletics director to interim athletics director and won't extend the contact of its head football coach.

Mary Hill, senior associate athletics director for internal operations and senior woman administrator, is in her fifth year at DSU and already is supervising seven major sports, according to a university news release. She'll now serve as interim director of athletics.

“Mary enjoys the trust of all our coaches and athletes,” Vice President for Student Affairs Stacy Downing said in the release. "We expect the transition to be a seamless one.”

Hill came to DSU from South Carolina State University after a career in both coaching and sports administration, according to the news release.

The university decided not to continue its relationship with former athletics director Louis "Skip" Perkins, who came to DSU in 2015 as the interim athletics director. He'd served in similar roles at Howard University and the University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff.

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Head football coach Kenneth Carter's contact ends Jan. 31, and the university won't extend his contact. The process to recruit a new coach begins in December.

Carter, who replaced Kermit Blount in 2015, led the Hornets to a 3-30 record in his three seasons with the Hornets. Delaware State struggled in Carter's first season with a 1-10 record, followed by marks of 0-11 (2016) and 2-9 (2017).

Carter's predecessor went 16-29 overall and 13-19 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Director of player development and defensive line coach E.J. Junior will serve as interim head coach.

“Coach Carter is an exceptional individual and maintained a classroom first philosophy for all of his players. We wish him well as he continues his career,” Downing said in the news release. “Making these changes now, after the fall sports season had concluded, was important to maintaining stability for our current student athletes and being transparent with our recruiting class for the upcoming year.”

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Prior to the Hornets' 17-14 win over South Carolina State on Oct. 21, Delaware State had lost 17 consecutive games, including 12 straight against MEAC opponents, stemming back to the 2015 season.

DSU's second win of this season came against Morgan State on Nov. 11.

Contact Adam Duvernay at aduvernay@delawareonline.com or (302) 319-1855 or @duvINdelaware.