Position: Coach
Years: Alabama State (1963), Alcorn State (1964-85), Southern (1987-88, 1992)
Place of Birth: Memphis, TN
Date of Birth: Jun 23, 1934
Place of Death: Baton Rouge, LA
Date of Death: April 25, 2020
Legendary coach Marino Casem led programs at Alabama State, Alcorn State and Southern, and he was awarded the NFF's Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award in 1998.
In conference circles, as well as across the nation, Casem is nicknamed the "Godfather." He was regarded by his fellow athletic directors, college presidents, coaches and players as one of the finest athletic administrators in college sports, putting as much emphasis on seeing his players do well academically as well as in their respective sports.
Casem started coaching as soon as he graduated from the University of Colorado where he played for the Buffaloes. That was 1956 and he immediately got a job as an assistant coach at Utica Junior College. He spent 1957-59 in the Army before Alcorn State called and a new chapter in football history was written.
Casem served as an assistant coach at Alcorn State from 1959-63 before on year as the head coach at Alabama State. Casem then returned to Alcorn State, serving as the head football coach for 22 seasons and director of athletics for 20 years. He's the winningest football coach in the history of Alcorn athletics, amassing a record of 132-65-8 from 1964-85. During his coaching tenure, Alcorn won seven SWAC football championships and Casem was named SWAC Coach of the Year seven times. He also coached the Braves to four Black National Titles in 1967, 1968, 1973 and 1984.
As Alcorn State's athletics director, Casem led the effort in building the Davey L. Whitney Complex, the home to the school's basketball and volleyball programs, which opened in 1975. He also initiated the idea of and lobbied for the construction of a new football stadium complex. The Braves play their home football games in a stadium named in his honor, Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium.
Casem went on to serve as the head football coach at Southern from 1987-88 and as the university's athletics director from 1986-99. Casem made a huge impact as Southern's athletics director, removing athletics from the general operating budget of the university and creating a self-supporting enterprise with a $4,500,000 budget. He also developed cooperative partnerships with area businesses that accounted for $100,000 a year.
Throughout his career, he served on many national committees including the NCAA Football Rules Committee and the NCAA Executive Committee.
Casem was named to the SWAC Hall of Fame in 1992, Alcorn State Hall of Fame in 1993 and the State of Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
He passed away April 25, 2020, at the age of 85.
