Samuel Lee Washington Jr. (born March 7, 1960) is an American football coach and former defensive back who was the head football coach at North Carolina A&T State University. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Washington played college football at Mississippi Valley State. After signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent, he played four seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals from 1982 to 1985. Washington has been a football coach since 1987, beginning as defensive backs coach at Bethune–Cookman. He later held defensive coordinator positions at multiple other historically black universities, including North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T, Mississippi Valley State, and Grambling State. Washington turned around a struggling defensive unit at Mississippi Valley State to one of the best in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and elevated the Grambling State defense to the upper tier of NCAA Division I FCS. After seven seasons as defensive coordinator at North Carolina A&T, Washington became head coach in 2018. His first two seasons had a cumulative 19–5 record, back-to-back black college football national championships, and top 25 FCS rankings. After the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19, the football program moved from its longtime home in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to the Big South Conference in 2021. Early life and college career Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Washington graduated from Tampa Bay Technical High School in 1978. Washington then attended Mississippi Valley State University, where he played at cornerback for the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team. Pro football career Washington signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent after the 1982 NFL draft. He played four games in 1982 as a rookie. Then in 1983, Washington played all 16 games as a reserve and had his first career interception. Washington played and started 14 games in 1984 with a career high six interceptions for 139 yards including two returned for touchdowns. After seven games with the Steelers in 1985, Washington was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played eight games and had a fumble recovery. Coaching career Assistant coach (1987–2017) From 1987 to 1991, Washington was defensive backs coach at Bethune–Cookman, helping Bethune–Cookman win the 1988 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship. In 1992, Washington was assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, and special teams coordinator at Johnson C. Smith University, where he was also the head track and field