College football coaching legends aren't born, they are shaped

Bill Hayes built an HBCU college football legacy, but his foundation came at North Carolina Central when he played both ways under Herman Riddick at what was then North Carolina College.

Before the wins at Winston-Salem State and North Carolina A&T, Hayes was a hometown kid in Durham. He grew up just a few blocks from campus. He played four seasons for the Eagles as a center and linebacker. North Carolina Central lists him as a three-time All-America selection from 1962 through 1964 before graduating in 1965 with a degree in physical education.

That is the résumé. But Hayes' own words tell the story better.

"It was different," Hayes told HBCU Gameday. "We played both ways. It was one football."

That phrase - one football - says a lot about the era. Hayes did not come off the field after an offensive series. He did not wait for a special teams unit to do its job. He was the unit.

"So I played center but also was the middle linebacker," Hayes said. "I never came out of the game. I mean, you're on the kickoff team, you're on the punt team, you're on the punt return team. You're on all the teams."

Bill Hayes played college football both ways

Bill Hayes came through HBCU football at a time when specialization was still limited. Players had to be complete. They had to be tough. They had to stay ready for every snap.

Hayes said players who started a quarter had to stay in for the whole quarter. The quarterback was usually the only player who could be substituted. Even then, many teams moved the quarterback to safety.

"When you went in the game in the first quarter, you had to stay in the game," Hayes said.

That made North Carolina Central football demanding in a way modern players might have trouble picturing. Hayes had to snap the ball on offense. Then he had to turn around and play middle linebacker. Then he had to run down the field on special teams.

"You had to be a hell of an athlete," Hayes said. "Because you didn't get any rest."

He laughed about the pace of the game.

"The game was much slower because guys were tired," Hayes said. "We didn't realize we were tired, but obviously we had to be tired."

Still, he did not describe it as misery. He described it as joy.

"That was a lot of fun at North Carolina College," Hayes said.

North Carolina Central had elite HBCU football talent

Bill Hayes was not playing in a small pond at NCC. He remembers the talent around him as some of the best Black college football talent in the region.

"The thing of it is, can you just imagine that when I played college football, we had the best Black athletes in all of North Carolina and all of Virginia at North Carolina College?" Hayes said.

He remembered big men who could move. He remembered linemen with size that would still stand out today.

"It was amazing, the kind of talent that we had out there. I mean, six-five, six-six, six-seven was the norm on D-line and O-line."

North Carolina Central was already an important HBCU football program when Hayes arrived. Riddick had helped make it that way.

Riddick was later called "The Dean of CIAA Coaches." North Carolina Central credits him with a 112-56-11 record in 20 seasons, four CIAA championships and one tie for a championship. He was also chosen CIAA Coach of the Year in 1945, 1953, 1954, 1961 and 1963.

That was the program Hayes entered. But Riddick's influence went beyond his record.

Herman Riddick shaped Bill Hayes at North Carolina Central

A spirited but seasoned man of 83 years old, Bill Hayes still talks about Herman Riddick with reverence.

"Coach Herman Riddick, my coach, was phenomenal," Hayes said with admiration gleaming in his hazel eyes.

Hayes played for strong coaches across the board. He mentioned James Stevens, his offensive line coach. He remembered Dillon Coach as "a ball of fire." He also mentioned George Quiett, who later became head coach at North Carolina Central.

But Riddick was the model.

"Herman really taught me a standard that I followed just watching him," Hayes said. "You want to emulate your coach in your actions, the way you act, the way you dress, the way you present yourself."

Riddick was not just the football coach at North Carolina Central. He was also a biology teacher. Hayes said the only time Riddick was not dressed formally was at practice.

“Not only was he the head football coach, he was the best biology teacher at North Carolina College back then,” Haye said. “And quite a gentleman."

That mattered to Hayes. He was not just watching a coach call plays. He was watching a Black educator carry himself with authority and class.

"He was real mild-mannered and real classy," Hayes said. "Proper is the right word. He was proper in everything he did."

Then Hayes said the line that explains how deep the connection ran.

"I had so much respect for him," Hayes said. "I wanted to be like him so much."

Bill Hayes carried North Carolina Central into coaching

Bill Hayes became a great HBCU football coach later. But the roots of that greatness were already showing at North Carolina Central.

He learned toughness by playing both ways. He learned preparation by watching Riddick. He learned professionalism by seeing his coach dress like a teacher, leader and gentleman. He also learned care.

After Hayes graduated from North Carolina Central, he got his first job in Gretna, Virginia. He had no car. So he caught the bus and walked to school. His coaches helped him get started.

"The coaches took up collection and bought me a couple of white shirts," Hayes said. "You had to dress when you worked in physical education back then."

Indeed, Riddick’s impact had crossed state lines. Hayes did not just leave North Carolina Central with a degree and All-America honors. He left with a standard.

"I copied my brand from Herman Riddick," Hayes said.

That brand followed him everywhere. It showed up when Hayes became the first African American coach in ACC history at Wake Forest. It showed up when he took over Winston-Salem State. It showed up when he built champions at WSSU and North Carolina A&T.

But before Bill Hayes became a Hall of Fame-level HBCU football coach, he was a player learning the game the hard way at North Carolina Central.

Hayes played center and linebacker. He ran down on kicks.

And under Herman Riddick, he learned what a coach could be.

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This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 7:29 PM.