Reginald Ruffin, who has more than two decades of experience as a coach and administrator in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was named the Director of Athletics at Tuskegee University on Dec. 21, 2021. He later stepped down from coaching after the 2022 season to focus solely on administration. Ruffin spent the previous 10 years at Miles, most recently as the athletic director and head football coach.
Ruffin hit the ground running in his role as Tuskegee’s athletic director and head coach as he immediately resurrected the football program, leading the Golden Tigers to an 8-3 record, eclipsing the 700 all-time win mark for the program, and reaching the SIAC Championship Game in his lone year at the helm. Ultimately, he named Tuskegee graduate Aaron James as the 18th head football coach in January of 2023.
Throughout Ruffin’s first 15 months at Tuskegee, 11 of 12 reached conference postseason play, while three programs advanced to their respective national tournaments, highlighted by both men and women’s basketball making the NCAA South Regional Tournament, and softball also going to the South Regional Tournament for the second straight year.
Also notably, Ruffin has played a major role in the facility upgrade and advancement project, which began in 2022, that included work on the Cleve Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium, Daniel “Chappie” James Arena, Pepsico Tennis Courts, TU Softball Field and Washington Field.
Ruffin's appointment comes at a crucial time as the athletics department prepares for the upcoming football recruiting season.Ruffin's leadership will allow Tuskegee to get off to a quick start this spring.
"We are excited to see the return of Reginald Ruffin to Tuskegee," said President Charlotte P. Morris. "He has proven himself a leader in SIAC football, and we look forward to him taking our program to the next level."
Ruffin returns to Tuskegee after completing one of the most successful decades in the history of Miles College and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. In nine seasons at the helm of the Golden Bears, Ruffin has led the program to four SIAC championships and an additional SIAC Championship game appearance. The school has also made two NCAA postseason appearances. Over nine seasons, Ruffin has won more than 60 percent of his games, going 59-39 overall, and was named SIAC Coach of the Year three times.
Ruffin spent five seasons at Tuskegee as the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach from 2006-2010. As defensive coordinator at Tuskegee, Ruffin had the SIAC (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) top scoring, pass, and rushing defense in 2007. His team's defense finished second in scoring and among the leaders in most defensive categories in 2008 and posted the league's top defense in 2009.
Before his first stint with the Golden Tigers in 2002-2003, he served as athletic director and head football coach at Choctaw County High School in Butler, Alabama. Other stops included times at West Georgia, his alma mater, North Alabama, and Jackson High School in Jackson, Alabama.
Ruffin is a 1998 graduate of the University of North Alabama and holds a Master's degree in Education Administration from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During his playing days at the UNA, he became the Lions'second three-time All-American and is the only Lion to be named All-America at two different positions: a defensive end in 1995 and 1996 and a linebacker in 1997. A four-year starter, he established a school record with 34 career sacks and the school single-season sack record with 11 in 1994. During his career, the Lions went 43-9 and won two Division II National Championships. In 2020, he was inducted into the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 1994, Ruffin was selected Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year. In 1995, he was selected first-team All-Gulf South Conference, first-team CoSIDA NCAA Division II All-South Region, third-team CoSIDA NCAA Division II All- American, third-team C. M. Frank All-American, and honorable mention Football Gazette All-American in 1996. Ruffin was selected second-team All-American in 1996 by the Associated Press, CoSIDA, Football Gazette, and All-Gulf South Conference and first-team CoSIDA All-South Region. In 1997, he was selected first-team All-American by the Associated Press, Football Gazette, American Football Coaches Association, and second-team All-American pick by Daktronics as a linebacker.
Ruffin is the father of one son, Gabriel.
