BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Southern University is mourning the loss of one of the university’s former athletic directors, Floyd Kerr, who passed away Saturday, Feb. 4.

Kerr served as director from 2000 to 2005 and played a key role in expanding Southern’s A.W. Mumford Stadium and athletics fundraising initiatives. He’s also credited with spearheading the first Jag-A-Thon.

The Mississippi native was named one of the 101 Most Important Minorities in Sports by Sports Illustrated in 2004. The honorable mention highlighted Kerr’s successful efforts in tightening operations within Southern’s athletics department and placing increased emphasis on academics, which led to a more than 50% increase in the student-athlete graduation rate. 

Before his tenure with Southern University, he became the first Black person to serve on Colorado State University’s coaching staff in 1974.

Kerr was a skilled athlete on the basketball court and football field. After graduating from Colorado State University, he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns (NBA), Utah Star (ABA), and Dallas Cowboys (NFL).

But his talents went beyond the athletic arena. Kerr was also known as an accomplished actor and visual artist. 

The former athletic director is survived by his wife, Vivian Kerr, who is the director of museums for the Southern University System. Kerr died at 76 years old.