SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- 27th Head
- Education
- Head Football Coach
Aaron Kelton was hired as the 27th head football coach at Savannah State on April 5, 2022.
Kelton came to Savannah State from Howard University where he was the defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator. He also served as interim head coach at Howard in 2019.
Through his nearly three-decades of coaching experience, Kelton has served as an intern with four NFL teams and coached over 30 all-conference players.
Amber Hallman was named the head softball coach on August 25, 2022, marking a special homecoming for the Savannah State graduate and former softball all-star.
Hallman came to Savannah State from Talladega College, where she's been the head softball coach since 2020. Prior to that, Hallman began her coaching career at Rust College, where she led the softball program from 2018-2020.
Hallman was a starting third baseman for Savannah State for all four years of her career-when the Lady Tigers competed in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) at NCAA Division I level. In her freshman debut, in 2012, she led the team in batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, homes and total bases. That season, she was named the MEAC Rookie of the Year.
She was named to the All-MEAC team all four years of her career, and also earned MEAC All-Tournament and MEAC Defensive Player of the Year accolades. In 2021, Hallman was named to the MEAC All-Time Softball team with teammate Torrian Wright.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Education
- Head Women 's Basketball Coach
Cedric Baker enters his 19th season as head women's basketball coach at Savannah State University and his 29th year of head coaching. He was named head women's basketball coach at Savannah State on July 30, 2003.
Since coming to Savannah State, Baker has gradually improved the women's basketball program and in the process has become one of the most successful head coaches in University history.
In the 2013-14 season, Baker eclipsed 300 career wins and broke 100 Savannah State NCAA Division I wins, etching himself into the record books with the most NCAA Division I wins (111) in school history.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Education
- Head Women 's Tennis Coach
- Interim Head
Chuck Keenan was hired as the interim head women's tennis coach at Savannah State in early 2020, and promoted to head women's tennis coach in August of the same year.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men 's Basketball Coach
Job Titles:
- Interim President / Director of Athletics
- Title / Interim President
Job Titles:
- Coach at Savannah State University
- Head Baseball Coach
Florentino "Tino" Burgos was selected as the new head baseball coach at Savannah State University on February 3, 2024.
Burgos comes to "The Marsh" with a wealth of experience as a head coach, with his most recent post coming at Florida Memorial University, where he spent eight seasons, leading the Lions to their most successful era of baseball in program history.
During Burgos' tenure at the Miami Gardens, Florida based institution, the FMU baseball program developed into one of the best baseball teams among Historically Black Colleges and University's (HBCU's) and grew to be a highly competitive program in The Sun Conference, often referred to be the toughest baseball conference in the NAIA.
Job Titles:
- Tight Ends / Assistant Offensive Line Coach
Job Titles:
- Education
- Head Men 's Basketball Coach
Horace Broadnax was named the head coach for the Savannah State University men's basketball team on April 11, 2005.
Through 14 seasons, the Savannah State men's basketball team has showed tremendous improvement under Broadnax. As the program's 11th head coach, he inherited a team with an 0-28 record prior to his arrival in 2005. By 2008-09, Broadnax guided the Tigers to its first winning season in over 20 years with a 15-14 record.
Job Titles:
- Athletic Trainer
- Head
- Title / Head Athletic Trainer
Job Titles:
- Assistant Head Coach / Co - Defensive Coordinator / Co - Special Teams Coordinator
Johnson "Jeep" Hunter III was hired as the assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and co-special teams coordinator at Savannah State in the summer of 2022.
Hunter comes to Savannah State from Johnson C. Smith where he served as associate head coach, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. He joined the Johnson C. Smith staff in 2018 as the linebackers' coach.
Prior to Smith, Hunter was at Hampton University where he served as pass game coordinator for defense and teams coordinator, following a two-year stint at ASA Junior College in Miami, Fla. as quarterbacks' coach and offensive coordinator.
Hunter has coaching roots in FBS. He coached three seasons at the University of South Carolina-from 2009-2011-where he spent two seasons overseeing the tight ends, serving as assistant special teams coordinator and later moved to safeties coach. In 2012, he was hired as the secondary coach at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Hunter oversaw South Carolina's Patrick DiMarco's transition from fullback to tight end in 2010. The team captain was a key blocker for a much-improved Gamecock rushing attack. DiMarco also had a career-high three touchdowns among his 15 catches for 147 yards. He is currently on the New England Patriots roster after spending the 2016 season with the Atlanta Falcons.
In 2009, his first season in Columbia, Hunter's top tight end, junior Wesley Saunders, was among the Gamecock leaders with 32 receptions for 353 and three touchdowns.
Prior to his arrival in the Palmetto State, Hunter spent two seasons (2006-07) as the tight ends Coach at Georgia Tech, where he mentored Michael Matthews-who was a member of the 2007 Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Athletic Director
- Assistant AD for Media Relations
- Media Relations
- Title / Assistant AD for Media Relations
Joshua C. Jackson was named the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at Savannah State University on November 1, 2024.
Jackson comes to "The Marsh" after spending six years as the Sports Information Director at Edward Waters University. While at Edward Waters, Jackson was instrumental in re-branding and marketing the athletic department, developing the University's new athletics logo and identifying marks. He also consulted with various on-campus organizations such as college athletics departments on marketing initiatives, departmental structure protocols, and improvements for the student-athlete experience.
Jackson was also key in creating and overseeing social media platforms, creating and managing the University's athletics website, and creating streaming & broadcasting opportunities for EWU Athletics. He was a key figure in ensuring Edward Waters' successful transition from being a long-time member of the National Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NAIA) to the NCAA Division II and move to the SIAC.
Also while at Edward Waters, Jackson was named the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference's Sports Information Director of the Year in 2020 and 2021. Jackson also received a Top Five Twitter Page award from the NAIA in 2019.
Jackson also served as the play-by-play voice of the EWU football team, where he created the Edward Waters Sports Network which had games streamed on the local CBS Sports Radio affiliate. He also was the public address announcer for the Edward Waters men's & women's basketball, baseball, and softball programs.
Jackson is also an accomplished broadcaster and announcer in addition to his media relations work. Currently, he is the public address announcer for the Jacksonville Sharks of the Indoor Football League, where he has been with the team since its inception in 2010. Jackson is a multiple time award winner for Best Public Address Announcer and Best Gameday Experience with the Sharks, and has been a part of the team's four championships in 2011 (ArenaBowl XXIV), 2017, 2019, and 2023 (National Arena League Champions).
Jackson also was the radio play-by-play voice for the Florida A&M University football program from 2014-2018. He has also been the announcer for the Jacksonville Giants (American Basketball Association), Jacksonville 95ers (The Basketball League), as well as both men's and women's basketball programs at the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University.
Jackson is a proud native of Jacksonville, Florida and a 2010 graduate of Florida A&M University with a degree in Communications/Broadcast Journalism. He is also a member of College Sports Communicators (CSC), the Black College Sports Information Directors Association (BC-SIDA) and the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
Job Titles:
- Athletics Academic Specialist
Job Titles:
- Coach / Recruiting Coordinator
- Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks / Recruiting Coordinator
Nicholas Trist was named the quarterback's coach/recruiting coordinator over the summer of 2022.
He begin his career at Savannah State in 2020 as a volunteer coach, working with tight ends.
Before coming to Savannah State University, he was offensive coordinator and quarterback's coach at Allen University from 2018-2020 and previously the defensive coordinator and defensive back's coach for Palmetto Prep Postgraduate Academy in 2017.
Trist played college sports at Boyce Christian College in Louisville, Kentucky. He was a standout athlete playing multiple sports at Bible Baptist School for his first three years of high school. For his senior year, he attended Groves High School where he was coached by Karl DeMasi.
Trist received his bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Gordon State University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Basketball Coach
Obunaga served as the interim head coach for the 2019 season. In their first year of competition within the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Obunaga's Lady Tigers earned six conference wins, enough to make the SIAC Championship as the No. 4 seed from the East Division.
Following the cancelation of the 2020 season due to the pandemic, Obunaga and the Lady Tigers earned another SIAC Championship appearance with a 6-9 SIAC record in 2021. They finished the season 10-15 overall.
Obunaga is a two time Olympian athlete. She competed in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics as a member of Kenya's National Women's Volleyball Team. She also competed in several African championships.
Job Titles:
- Faculty Athletics Representative ( FAR )
Job Titles:
- Team Physician
- Title / Team Physician
Job Titles:
- Assistant Athletics Trainer
Job Titles:
- Head Track & Field / Cross Country Coach
Theodore "Ted" Whitaker enters his 22 season as the head track & field and cross country coach at Savannah State University. The Camden, South Carolina native attended Jackson High School and matriculated from there to South Carolina State College in 1960. He earned a bachelor's degree in physical education at SCSC in 1965. Whitaker then received his Master of Science degree at Indiana University in 1969.
Whitaker began his coaching career in 1965 at Michael C. Riley High School in Bluffton, South Carolina. He taught physical education and science while serving as athletics director and head men's basketball coach. Whitaker was also Bluffton's head football coach from 1966-68 and head Middle School track coach from 1970 to 1972. He left Riley in 1972 and took a job at Bluffton/McCracken High School in Bluffton, South Carolina where he taught physical education and was athletics director until 1983. At Bluffton/McCracken, he was head men's basketball coach from 1972-80, assistant men's track coach from 1972-74, head men's track coach from 1974-83, added head women's track coach to his duties from 1979-83 and was men and women cross country coach from 1976-83.
In 1983, Whitaker's career led him to Hilton Head, South Carolina where he taught physical education, was athletic director, head men and women track & field coach and head men and women cross country coach at Hilton Head High School until 1996. He spent the next year in Savannah, Georgia as a member of the Groves High School Faculty teaching weight training and personal fitness while coaching men and women track & field and men and women cross country.
During his 35-year coaching career (32 high school, 3 college) Ted Whitaker has captured 66 track and cross country region titles, 12 track and cross country state titles, six track and cross country state runner-up titles, and one Class A men's basketball state runner-up title. He has been named region Coach of the Year, a national finalist for Coach of the Year, region track and cross country Coach of the Year 17 times, state track and cross country Coach of the Year seven times, national nominee for state Coach of the Year three times. He has coached two National High School Track & Field All- Americans, three National Collegiate Athletic Association All-Americans, and one National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American. Whitaker was twice winner of the Greenville News Number One Award for best overall athletic program in South Carolina(all classes), six-time winner of the "Wachovia Number One Award" for best overall athletic program in the region and he was the 1996 South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association(SCACA), Athletic Director of the Year.
He is married to the former Alavern L. Grant of Bluffton, South Carolina and he has five children; Adrian , Kevin, Kellye, Tori and Taylor .
Job Titles:
- Team Physician
- Title / Team Physician
Job Titles:
- Compliance Coordinator / SWA