Courtesy of Morgan State Athletic Communications
BALTIMORE, Md., Dec. 13, 2021 -- A coaching era in Morgan State volleyball history has come to an end. Ramona Riley-Bozier has announced she is retiring from coaching after 34 years at the helm of her alma mater, effective immediately.
While her stint as volleyball coach has ended, her work at Morgan State has not; Riley-Bozier will now serve as Assistant Director of Intramurals and Wellness.
"On behalf of the entire Morgan community I would like to thank Coach Bozier for her service to Morgan State University for the last 30 plus years," Vice President and Director of Athletics, Edward Scott, Ph.D.. said. "Ramona has served Morgan in various capacities, as a student-athlete, a coach, a teacher, and a mentor to countless individuals throughout her distinguished career. We look forward to her remaining part of the Morgan family in her new capacity as Assistant Director of Intramurals and Wellness."
"I am so grateful and blessed to have been given the opportunity to serve as the head coach for thirty-four years. This position allowed me to meet so many amazing young people who will always be part of my family," Riley-Bozier said. 'Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.' - J.M. Barrie. I could never forget Morgan State because of its role in my life. This is not goodbye, just transitioning into a new and exciting position as Morgan State Assistant Director for Intramurals and Wellness."
Riley-Bozier's coaching stint had come to define Morgan State volleyball, as she was easily one of the most decorated coaches in the history of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and is one of the most accomplished coaches in any sport in the history of Morgan State athletics.
The winningest coach at Morgan State (481), Riley-Bozier guided MSU to four MEAC Championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances and five MEAC Coach of the Year honors during her career.
Morgan State captured its first MEAC crown in 1992, five seasons after Riley-Bozier took over the program. That was followed by championships in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. (The Lady Bears were awarded the 1999 title after the MEAC rescinded Florida A&M's championship in the wake of NCAA violations).
The 1997 championship team was a history making contingent. After capturing the conference crown, they went on to defeat Grambling State in an NCAA Play-In match. That victory earned the Lady Bears the distinction of becoming the first Historically Black College or University to earn a trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament.
While she was proud of what her team accomplished in '97, she wanted to continue to push the program to higher limits. The Lady Bears went on to collect MEAC titles in both '98 and 2000 and represented the MEAC again in the NCAA Tournament on both occasions.
Under her leadership, the Lady Bears were a particularly dominant force in the MEAC's North Division. At one point Morgan State won 88 consecutive MEAC North Division matches between 1994 and 2003.
1997 MEAC Champions
During her undergraduate days, Bozier was a two-sport star. She shined for the Lady Bears on the volleyball court and on the track. A native of Kansas City, Mo., she came to Morgan State after transferring from the University of Missouri and made an immediate splash for Morgan State.
Bozier was a key component of the record setting relay teams that turned heads in the national track community. Bozier, who was a three-time All-American and a top performer in the MEAC, recorded personal bests in the 100-meter dash (11.2) and the 200-meter dash (23.8). She became one of the top triple jumpers for Morgan with a career-best jump of 36'11 and also holds the UMBC Meet record in the 60-meter dash, which she set in 1983.
That record still stands today.
Bozier ran the first leg on Morgan State's legendary 4x100-meter relay team, which in 1986 set the school record, burning up the track in a time of 44.47 seconds, which still stands today. The squad also won the Penn Relays and finished second that year at the Division I National Championships. A picture of Bozier, along with fellow teammates Rochelle Stevens, Wendy Vereen and Elthyn Tate rests at the Sports Legends Museum located at Camden Yards in Baltimore.
Her athletic gifts were not limited to the track; she was also an enormously talented volleyball player during her days at Morgan State. Bozier, who is one of only 11 volleyball players in the history of the program to have registered 1,000 career kills, was inducted into the Morgan State Hall of Fame in 2003.
In addition to her volleyball coaching responsibilities, Bozier was also the softball coach at Morgan State for seven seasons. And it's no coincidence that she is the program's winningest head coach in that sport too at Morgan State with 161 victories.
In 1998 Bozier guided the squad to a then-school record 25 wins. That record would stand for 20 years, until the 2018 team set the mark with 28 wins. In 1999 she led the Lady Bears to their first appearance in the MEAC softball championship game.
While proud of her athletic and coaching accomplishments, Riley-Bozier is extremely proud to have seen her daughter, Dominique Nicole, graduate in May 2011 from Morgan State with a degree in Family Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Business/Fashion Merchandising and play volleyball for her. Her son, Jeff Jr., also graduated from Morgan State in May 2014 with a degree in sociology.
"It has been an experience I will never forget, both professionally and personally," she said. "I want to thank everyone, including assistant coaches, volunteer coaches, administrators, student workers, student managers, support staff, and facilities (including Housekeeping) staff, who have worked tirelessly to benefit Morgan State volleyball. I want to also say a personal thank you to my adult children (Dominique and Jeff, Jr.) and my husband, Jeff, Sr., for allowing me to do something I enjoyed doing, which was helping young people on and off the court."
A search for the next head volleyball coach is underway.