Canadian Football League Grey Cup Champion Kenneth Watson enters his eighth season coaching the Golden Bears safeties. This is his second stint with Miles, as he also worked with defensive backs from 2002-05. Prior to coming back to Miles, Watson was the wide receivers coach at Minor High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He also was part of the coaching staff with the San Antonio Commanders of the American Alliance of Football League.
In 2017, Watson coached All-SIAC performer Jawaski Randle. In 2016, he helped Cedric Poole earn All-Conference, All-Region and All-America honors. In 2015, Watson coached Jibril Cox to First Team All-SIAC honors as the Golden Bears won the conference title. He has also been a part of the 2011 SIAC Championship team coaching staff as well as the 2012 team, which earned the school’s first NCAA Division II playoff appearance.
Watson spent eight seasons in the Canadian Football League, playing with multiple franchises: Edmonton Eskimos (2000), Toronto Argonauts (1999), Montreal Alouettes (1996-97), Baltimore Stallions (1994-95) and the Calgary Stampeders (1992-93). He played in three Grey Cup Finals, winning two of them: 1992 with Calgary and 1995 with Baltimore.
Watson played four seasons at Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama) from 1985-88 and was a four-time All-Gulf South Conference defensive back. As a player at Livingston, coach Watson moved into the record books, where he still appears today in both career interceptions (15, tied third) and career punt return yards (690, second). He also had the sixth longest punt return in school history in 1986, a 67-yard return versus Western Kentucky. He returned to West Alabama for two seasons (2005-06) as the defensive backs coach.
Watson earned a degree in Drafting and Design Technology from Bessemer State Technical College in 2001, where he finished with a 4.0 grade point average and appeared on the Dean’s List every semester. He married (Charlene) and has two children, Kenneth, Jr. and Koi Alexis.
