It was a phone call James Colzie III will never forget.

That providential Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, saw Colzie become Florida A&M’s 19th full-time head football coach after two years as an assistant for the Rattlers.

Colzie’s appointment is his first head coaching job on the NCAA level. He last head coached Saint Mary’s University in Nova Scotia from 2016 to 2021.

“Surreal moment. Excited that it happened,” Colzie said, recalling his phone conversation with FAMU’s former Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Tiffani-Dawn Sykes.

“It’s an honor, and I don’t take this lightly. Being the 19th head football coach at Florida A&M is a huge blessing. Trust me, I take that responsibility very, very seriously.”

Colzie’s hiring concluded a 27-day search to replace former FAMU head coach Willie Simmons, who left the Rattlers on Jan. 1 after six years to coach the Duke Blue Devils’ running backs.

Colzie was immediately named the interim coach while FAMU vetted candidates to succeed Simmons.

While not knowing if he would land FAMU’s coveted permanent position, Colzie kept the program afloat during his interim stint. He was on a recruiting trip in his hometown Miami when elevated to the permanent role.

“Those kinds of moments you wish you could have everybody surrounding you so you can celebrate with everyone. But I was in Miami recruiting and trying to convince kids to stay with FAMU,” Colzie said.

After proctoring his first training camp, FAMU football’s Colzie era is officially underway where the Simmons era ended ― Atlanta, Georgia.

Eight months removed from Simmons’ Rattlers winning the program’s first Celebration Bowl over Howard in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, Colzie’s inaugural crew will battle Norfolk State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta’s Center Parc Stadium.

The Rattlers and the Spartans kick off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Fans who can’t attend can watch the Week 0 game on ABC or listen via the Rattlers mobile app.

“Excited. This is one of the best jobs in the country, with one of the best fan bases,” Colzie said.

“But as of right now, my number one job is to get this football team ready to play on Saturday. So, that excitement stuff can wait until hopefully after the game.”

The early days of FAMU football coach James 'Scory' Colzie III

The ‘Colzie’ name is synonymous with Miami sports.

Colzie III’s father, James Jr., is a Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Famer as a sports administrator.

Jim ‘Fireball’ Colzie, a Negro League pitcher and World War II veteran, was the FAMU coach’s grandfather. He has a street named after him in Miami.

Neal Colzie, Colzie III’s uncle, was an NFL cornerback for the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Before Neal Colzie reached the pros, he played at Ohio State. Former FAMU head coach Rudy Hubbard was an assistant coach for the Buckeyes at that time.

Neal Colzie was Colzie III’s biggest inspiration as the FAMU coach wore the No. 20 during his playing career.

“Neal was James’ idol. So, we have a connection in that regard. I kind of kin to him in a way,” Hubbard said. “I want him to win and succeed.”

FAMU football alum and former Rattlers assistant coach Billy Rolle first met Colzie III when the current Rattlers coach was 5 years old.

Rolle, who grew up with Colzie III’s relatives in Miami’s Coconut Grove village, recalls working his first job scoring summer league basketball games coordinated by James Colzie Jr. at Coral Gables High School. That’s where Rolle met a young Colzie III.

Rolle said he followed Colzie III’s athletic career as the FAMU coach excelled in football, basketball, and baseball.

Colzie III graduated from South Miami Senior High School in 1993 and won the Miami Herald Dade County Athlete of the Year as a senior, beating out his childhood friend and Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez for the honor.

After high school, Colzie III played college football and baseball for the Florida State Seminoles until 1996. At FSU, Colzie III was a freshman on the 1993 national title football team and an All-Atlantic Coast Conference Honorable Mention in 1996.

Colzie III had a brief professional sports career in football with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and in baseball in the Montreal Expos organization.

“He comes from a rich athletic background,” Rolle said. “He’s been into sports all his life, been in the church all his life ― education, academics. He’s got it all. So, I’m not surprised by his success.”

Alongside Rolle, Colzie III also impressed others with his natural athleticism and ability to be the best player on any field he played on.

From there, his idol and uncle, Neal Colzie, gave Colzie III a nickname that his Miami friends, like Rolle, still call him today.

“It was ‘Scory’ because I was a three-sport athlete,” Colzie said as a grin spread across his face. “They called me that because of all the times they used to see me come play; I always scored. That’s the nickname that was given to me by my uncle. So, it stuck with me.”

'He had aspirations of being a head coach again': James Colzie III leaves Canada for FAMU football

Before his 2022 arrival at FAMU, Colzie spent seven years in Canada, in 2014, then from 2015 to 2021.

Looking to bring Colzie back to Florida, former FAMU coach Simmons hired Colzie to be his cornerbacks coach and oversee the Rattlers’ defensive passing game strategy. Colzie left Saint Mary’s after six years, two Loney Bowl appearances (2017 and 2018), and a 23-19 record for FAMU’s position coach job.

Simmons promoted Colzie to FAMU’s assistant head coach in 2023.

“Colzie’s family. We’ve been friends in the profession for a while and always talked about the chance to work together,” Simmons said. “So, when I had the chance to hire him in the 2022 season, I jumped at the opportunity. He had a lot of knowledge and energy as soon as he got there, and the players responded to him really well.”

After practices, Simmons and his FAMU coaching staff often took walks down Wahnish Way, now Althea Gibson Way, to decompress.

The daily walks were a haven for the FAMU coaches to discuss various topics, including career goals.

“He’s been a head coach before, and I knew he had aspirations of being a head coach again,” Simmons said.

James Colzie III joins a rich legacy of FAMU head football coaches

When Simmons left FAMU for Duke on New Year's Day 2024, his Rattler resume read a 45-13 record, and two claimed Black College Football National Championships in 2019 and 2023.

Simmons had hoped to hand FAMU football’s keys to Colzie.

“I felt confident that once I decided to leave, he could be a guy to run the program and keep it going,” Simmons said. “He’s got the temperament and the knowledge to ascend the program higher.”

Simmons spent six years rebuilding FAMU football, which hadn’t had a winning record since 2011 at the time of his hire before the 2018 season.

Colzie doesn’t have a rebuild on his hands with the Rattlers fresh off a championship season. Instead, he’s reloading to keep FAMU on HBCU football’s pinnacle and maintain national respect.

“When Coach Simmons took the job, FAMU football was not at the level everyone wanted it to be. So, when he ultimately decided to go to Duke, he left it at the top of the national level,” Colzie said.

“Now it’s my job to make sure we stay at that level. FAMU is the number one HBCU in the country. Our football team should replicate that as well.”

Hubbard knows a thing or two about national respect and recognition.

He coached the Rattlers to capture the first-ever NCAA Division I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision) title over Massachusetts in 1978, making FAMU the first and still the only HBCU to win an FCS championship.

Hubbard also led the Rattlers to a 1979 upset win over the Miami Hurricanes at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Hubbard got to spend time with Colzie at FAMU Athletics’ Strike Tour this summer.

Gaither. Hubbard. Joe. Simmons.

Hubbard feels Colzie has the traits to join the lineage of FAMU’s four national championship coaches.

“When we were in Jacksonville, he was feeling really, really good about the upcoming season,” Hubbard said. “I’m proud of the fact he’s very positive. He’s been around pretty good and seems to know what he’s doing.”

A players' coach: FAMU football coach James Colzie III's leadership style

Colzie is well-respected in the Rattlers locker room.

For example, during FAMU’s head coaching search process, Rattlers football players continuously lobbied for Colzie to be upgraded from interim to permanent.

The player advocacy was a testament to how Colzie developed players while strengthening his player-coach relations.

Of course, Colzie connects the most with the Rattlers’ cornerbacks, the position he’s primarily focused on since coming to FAMU in 2022.

But to FAMU star cornerback Kendall Bohler, it’s not about how Colzie developed him into an All-American talent. It’s about those off-the-field moments he shares with his head and position coach.

“Colzie being the head coach has been amazing,” Bohler said.

“We were already close, but our connection is getting better each and every day. I see [Colzie] during my free time and talk about life.”

No matter the stop, Colzie has left his mark.

After helping Valdosta State win the 2007 Division II National Championship as the defensive backs and special teams coach, Colzie left for West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia, to serve as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 2008 to 2011.

At West Georgia, Colzie met Andre Pope, a nationally-ranked linebacker and safety for the Wolves during the 2010 season.

“He’s been a mentor of mine,” Pope said. “Funny guy. Great guy. He’s got a warm heart. But he still got that fiery mindset.”

Pope began his coaching career in 2013.

And as fate would have it, Colzie hired his former player to his inaugural FAMU staff as the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator this April.

“When the spot opened, I couldn’t turn it down,” Pope said. “He’s a winner. He’s won at every stop ― player, coach. It’s just a matter of time for the rest of the world to see it. I’m a believer. That’s why I’m here.”

'FAMU is at a national level': Rattlers football coach James Colzie III supported everywhere

Colzie represents both universities in Tallahassee, being a key player for FSU football and now head coaching FAMU football.

So, the head Rattler has the capital city’s support.

With FAMU and FSU football both on the upswing, there’s a possibility that both of Tallahassee’s college football teams can win conference titles in the same season, something the Rattlers and the Seminoles accomplished for the seventh time in 2023.

“I’m excited for Coach Colzie. A Florida State Seminole guy who I have much respect for. He has been around the program a lot over the years,” said FSU head football coach Mike Norvell.

“I was happy when he got the opportunity. We typically text back and forth. He does it the right way, and I’m excited for what he’s going to be able to continue to build upon there at FAMU.”

Though he played college football across the street from FAMU at FSU, Colzie knows all about the Rattlers, stemming from his childhood, college days, and now as he leads the football team.

“He’s not necessarily a stranger to FAMU. He had a lot of friends and relatives that attended FAMU. His parents are HBCU graduates. Outside of being over at Florida State, he spent a lot of time on the yard. So, he knows the culture and tradition,” Rolle said.

“When he was a kid, and we had the Orange Blossom Classic down in Miami, he came up through all that stuff. He’ll feel right at home. And hopefully, at the end of the day, I’ll be there with him to help him through.”

Getting in front of Rattler Nation is part of being a head coach at FAMU.

So, on Wednesdays, Colzie is a weekly keynote speaker at the Eddie Jackson 220 Quarterback Club, a financial support group for FAMU. It’s something Simmons did while he was at FAMU, too.

“Mainly about what makes that place unique ― the people there. So, building a bond with the alumni, student body, administration, and community,” Simmons said. “Anybody in any leadership role there flourishes when they embrace that.”

Outside the 220 Club, Colzie spent his first offseason as the Rattlers head coach at the FAMU Athletics Strike Tour. Colzie, other Rattlers coaches, and former FAMU VP/AD Sykes visited Tampa, Washington D.C., Jacksonville, Davie, and Atlanta from May to July to raise money for the athletic program.

“You see the support across the country,” Colzie said. “Everything regarding FAMU is at a national level. Hopefully, we can continue bringing that national level to the highest point it can get.”

James Colzie III aims to run FAMU football 'the right way'

It’s game time.

Colzie is about to put his FAMU football product on the field when his first set of Rattlers debut against the Norfolk State Spartans on Saturday in Atlanta.

Mediocrity is unacceptable.

Rattler Nation wants FAMU football to remain on its championship trajectory.

So, Colzie is shouldering some of the highest expectations as any other head coach in the nation.

“I worked six years there to build FAMU up. And I have no intentions to see it go down,” Simmons said.

“He is the right man for the job and understands the magnitude of the position. He’ll go in there and put his identity on the program, and they’ll continue to perform at a high level.

“I look forward to seeing it.”

Colzie has won national championships as an assistant coach.

It’s his time to shine and move the Rattlers forward under his tutelage.

When it’s all said and done, and it’s time to hang up the whistle, Colzie wants to leave FAMU in an even better position that was inherited to him.

To Colzie, that means adding more national championship trophies to Galimore-Powell Fieldhouse’s trophy case.

“You think about last year in Atlanta, getting the trophy, all that confetti with everybody excited and celebrating ― if you can leave it in that moment, that would be how you want to do it ― leaving this place with a national championship,” Colzie said.

“Doing it at the highest level the right way.”

Florida A&M vs. Norfolk State ― Week 0, MEAC/SWAC Challenge

When: Saturday, Aug. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

Broadcast: ABC/WTXL (Television), Rattlers Mobile App (Audio)

Tickets: Purchase Here

Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football's James Colzie III: Inside the new Rattlers coach's life