Pioli Family Fund for HBCU coaches and scouts awards grants to 2 HBCU coaches
Livingstone College’s Marcel Caver Jr. and Albany State University’s Elijah Washington have been selected to receive grants from the Pioli Family Fund for HBCU Coaches and Scouts to help further their career aspirations in football.
Scott Pioli, with his wife, Dallas, and their daughter, Mia, established the endowed fund in 2020 to create opportunities for men and women affiliated with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are football coaches or scouts. Caver and Washington are the 10th and 11th recipients of fund grants.
Caver, currently the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Livingstone College, has spent a decade in the sport helping the next generation of athletes. A walk-on wide receiver for three seasons at Youngstown State University, he earned camp visits with the Detroit Lions (NFL) and Montreal Alouettes (CFL) before injuries led his career pivot into coaching.
With the grant, Caver said he plans to invest in upgraded supplies for his players, including notebooks and printing materials for new playbooks.
Caver’s long-term aspirations include “becoming a successful head coach at the Division I level.” This upcoming season, he plans to use his resources to become the “No. 1 offense in DII football.”
Washington, a 2016 graduate of Grambling State University, earned his first coaching job as a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Accruing 12 years of experience in the profession, he has made stops at Louisburg College, Highland Community College, McNeese State University and Albany State University in various roles.
Now a special teams coach, Washington said he plans to use the funds to improve his current living amenities and upgrade his means of scouting, including film study software and tools for recruiting. He also plans to use the funds to attend coaching clinics to better develop his players, with the goal of one day becoming a head coach.
“I’m extremely encouraged by the paths both Marcel and Elijah have taken to this point in their respective careers and look forward to seeing how each develops into the future,” said Scott Pioli, a five-time NFL Executive of the Year with the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots and recipient of three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots. “Coaches like Marcel and Elijah affect the lives of so many players at their schools in a positive fashion.
“The entire Pioli family is proud to contribute to their continued professional growth.”
Pioli and his family work with the Pro Football Hall of Fame to oversee the fund due to the museum’s affiliation with the Black College Football Hall of Fame, which began in 2016. The Pro Football Hall of Fame houses a major exhibit honoring the greatest players, coaches and contributors from HBCUs.
“Scott had profound influence in the NFL,” said Adrian Allison, Chief Relationship Officer of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “We are honored to play even a small role in his family’s noble efforts to help others reach their goals and achieve their dreams.”
In addition to housing the Black College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has hosted the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic over Labor Day weekend since 2019. This year, Johnson C. Smith University will take on Albany State University in Canton, Ohio, on Sept. 6.
The weekend will also celebrate the six newest members of the Black College Football Hall of Fame with their plaques officially being unveiled in the museum in Canton. The class includes Jimmy Smith (Jackson State), Eddie Robinson Jr. (Alabama State), Nick Collins (Bethune-Cookman), Tyrone Poole (Fort Valley State), Coach Rudy Hubbard (Florida A&M) and Steve Wyche (Howard).
Applications for grants from the Pioli Family Fund for HBCU Coaches and Scouts will reopen in January.
To help create more opportunities for years to come, the Pioli Family Fund for HBCU Coaches and Scouts is accepting additional gifts from outside donors. Learn more about the fund here.
