Marcus Hilliard is entering his third season as the Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line coach at Virginia Union University.
A veteran coach of the CIAA, it didn’t take long for Hilliard to put his stamp on the program at VUU. In his first season (2018) the Panthers went 8-2 and finished the season ranked eighth in the region, just narrowly missing the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Under his guidance, the Panthers boasted the #1 scoring defense in the CIAA which ranked 20th in the nation.
In two seasons at VUU, he has coached five All-CIAA performers to both first and second team honors.
After his first season at Union he was recognized as the AFCA National Division II Assistant Coach of the Year. In the summer of 2019 he was selected to the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Internship with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hilliard spent the entire NFL Training Camp learning from legendary Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his staff and was involved in day-to-day coaching and player development.
Prior to joining the Panthers, Hilliard was a part of a successful stint on the football staff at Elizabeth City State University (NC). He spent 14 seasons on the sidelines at ECSU, the last eight as the Defensive Coordinator. During his tenure as coordinator for the Vikings’ defense, Coach Hilliard produced some of the most decorated student-athletes in Division II most notably Malcolm Jenkins, Brad Davis and Nigel Rios.
In his first year with the reigns as the Defensive Coordinator, Jenkins blossomed into one of the most dominant lineman in the country finishing the season second in NCAA Division II in sacks. He was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award (Division II’s Best Lineman), was named the to the 2010 Daktronics All-American Team (ECSU’s first honoree in six years), was voted CIAA Defensive Player of the Year and participated in the Cactus Bowl, the top Division II All-Star Game.
Davis also garnered a considerable amount of success under Hilliard’s guidance. He was named the first AFCA All-American in school history, was two-time All-CIAA Defensive First Team honoree and was tabbed as the defensive MVP of the 2012 CIAA Championship Game.
Rios also enjoyed a celebrated career in four years under Hilliard’s coaching. He was named to the All-Rookie team in 2010 and then went on to be named to the All-CIAA Defensive First Team for three consecutive seasons.
Davis and Rios led defensive units for ECSU that advanced to two CIAA title games, earned an NCAA Playoff berth and were crowned 2013 Pioneer Bowl Champions with a 28-13 victory over SIAC power Tuskegee University in Columbus, Georgia.
Over his career as the Defensive Coordinator for ECSU, Coach Hilliard has produced a combined 16 All-CIAA First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention performers.
Hilliard moved up in the ranks at ECSU, coaching the Mighty Vikings' linebackers for two seasons (2004-2005) and was defensive line coach from 2006-2009 guiding the careers of All-CIAA standouts Greg Moore, Emanuel Plummer and Maceo Thomas.
Hilliard was a four-year letterman for the Vikings where he was the leading tackler for the 5th ranked defense in Division II during the 2002 season. He was also a member of the 2001 All-CIAA Defensive First Team, was a two-time Thomas A. Caldwell recipient for excellence in football (2001-2002) and received the Pepsi-Cola Most Outstanding Football Award in 2003.
In 2004 Hilliard joined the ECSU staff and became an intricate part of the heralded "Blue Swarm" defense. In 2006 the "Blue Swarm" shut out four opponents and held six opponents to seven points or less. The Vikings were also ranked 5th in the nation in scoring defense, 2nd in takeaways, 5th in interceptions and 4th in fumbles recovered. That season was one for the history books as ECSU set a new mark for wins (9-3).
During the 2007 season, his defense gave up only 234 yards per game which was good for 4th nationally in total defense. In 2011 Hilliard’s defensive unit finished 14th in the nation in total defense. He has been a part of four CIAA championship games (2006, 2008, 2011, 2012) and four post season appearances.
Hilliard is a life learner who is always looking to increase his knowledge and exposure. In May 2010, he was among 25 participants in the country chosen to participate in the NCAA Men's Football Coaches Academy. This program initiated by the NCAA, was developed to prepare minority coaches acquire head coaching positions.
On top of his coaching responsibilities and serving as a professor with a full course-load in the Department of Health and Physical Education at ECSU, Hilliard was very active with several community service programs including the ECSU Passing Camp, "Little Viking" Day Football Camp and the Viking Football mentoring program. He is a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), CIAA Football Coaches Association, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Black Coaches & Administrators (BCA) and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
A native of Goldsboro, NC, Hilliard obtained holds a B.A. degree in History from Elizabeth City State in 2004 and went on to earn his M.S. degree in Sport Management from the United States Sports Academy in 2007.
