George Ragsdale, one of the best football players to ever wear an Aggies uniform, has also served the Aggie family proudly as assistant coach. The 2010 season will mark his 12th season as an assistant football coach at North Carolina A&T. He is going into his second season in his role as the Aggies assistant head coach.
On Oct. 21, 2008, Ragsdale was announced as the Aggies interim head football coach. In his debut four days later, Ragsdale led his alma mater to a 21-20 win over Howard University. The win ended a six-game losing streak. As the Aggies assistant head coach Ragsdale will be instrumental in assisting the head coach Alonzo Lee in coordinating with the athletics staff, team physicians and university faculty to ensure tasks are accomplished in specified areas.
Ragsdale will also return for another season of passing on his vast knowledge to Aggie running backs. In 2009, Ragsdale took on two rookie running backs, and led them to superb seasons. Mike Mayhew earned MEAC Rookie of the Year honors, and Dontavious Payne carried the ball 110 times for 388 yards and three touchdowns.
Each year under Ragsdale's tutelage, Aggies running back Michael Ferguson progressed tremendously. Under Ragsdale's guidance, Ferguson rushed for 2,524 yards and 16 touchdowns on 540 carries to finish sixth on the Aggies all-time rushing list. Ferguson had a career year under Ragsdale in 2007 by almost doubling his yardage total from the previous season with 1,169 yards on 182 carries.
Ferguson was the third-leading rusher in the conference. Ragsdale came back to N.C. A&T after spending two seasons as the running backs coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where he coached SWAC Freshman of the Year running back Mickie Dean, who led the conference in touchdowns with 17.
Ragsdale has been a staple in the Greensboro community for four decades. Ragsdale's return to the Aggie coaching staff marks his third stint with N.C. A&T. His presence usually proves beneficial for the Aggies. In his previous two stints, the Aggies won MEAC Championships while he was on staff and as a player Ragsdale helped the Aggies win the school's first-ever MEAC Championship.
Ragsdale began his coaching career as an Aggie in 1983 when he accepted an assistant coaching position as a running back coach and recruiting coordinator under then head coach Mo Forte. Under Ragsdale's tutelage, Stoney Polite became one of the best running backs in Aggies history. Polite ended his career as the Aggies all-time leading rusher, and stands at No.4 on the rushing list today.
After leaving N.C. A&T in 1988, Ragsdale spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Dudley High School in Greensboro. During that time frame, he also worked as an intern on the Washington Redskins coaching staff. Ragsdale returned to coaching on the collegiate level in 1996 when he became the offensive coordinator at Morris Brown College. He remained there for four seasons before taking over the offensive coordinator duties at Norfolk State for three seasons.
Ragsdale worked as a part-time assistant coach at N.C. A&T in 2003, helping the Aggies win their sixth MEAC Championship in 2003. His position players would do well to listen to him, considering his accomplishments while at N.C. A&T from 1972-75, and his numerous years playing on the professional level. Ragsdale was inducted into the N.C. A&T Hall of Fame in 1994 and is the Aggies eighth all-time leading rusher.
In March of 2007, Ragsdale was inducted into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. During his career at N.C. A&T, he rushed for 1,989 yards. On Oct. 10, 1975, Ragsdale rushed for a career-high 232 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carriers against Morgan State. Ragsdale spent eight years playing professional football. He played five years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one year with the Redskins and two years with the USFL's Oklahoma Outlaws.
