QUINCY, Ill. – Quincy University Athletics has named Cedric Minniefield the inaugural head coach of the women's flag football program.

Minniefield becomes the first head coach in program history and will lead the development of the Hawks ahead of their inaugural season of competition during the 2027-28 academic year.

"I'm drawn to building something from scratch," Minniefield said. "I've had similar opportunities prior to this one, and those experiences will help guide me as we get this operation off the ground. At my previous stop, I helped foster strategic partnerships with the Chicago Bears Football Development team in an effort to grow the game in the Central Illinois region. I look forward to continuing that relationship while also forming new relationships with local high schools and stakeholders in the Quincy community."

Minniefield comes to Quincy after serving as the head women's flag football coach and offensive coordinator at Eureka College during the 2025 and 2026 seasons. During his time with the Red Devils, he helped lay the foundation for the program while developing all-conference talent and creating partnerships to grow the sport throughout the region.

Prior to his time at Eureka, Minniefield spent two seasons as the wide receivers coach at Cisco College from 2023-24. He helped develop four all-conference wide receivers during his tenure with the Wranglers.

Throughout his collegiate coaching career, Minniefield has coached five all-conference selections between his stops at Cisco and Eureka.

"Sitting down with the athletic leadership here, it was clear right away that this isn't a department that wants to simply have a women's flag football program," Minniefield said. "They want one that competes and wins, both on and off the field. They're committed to putting real resources behind these young women so they can compete at a high level. When you get that kind of buy-in from the department and the university as a whole, that's the kind of place where a coach wants to build something."

Before entering the collegiate coaching ranks, Minniefield gained experience at the professional level as a football operations intern with the San Francisco 49ers during the organization's 2022 training camp.

Minniefield's vision for the program extends beyond success on the field, with an emphasis on preparing his student-athletes for life after graduation.

"At the end of the day, I want Quincy to be a place that turns these athletes into productive members of society," Minniefield said. "Yes, I want to win a lot of games, but more than that, I want to watch the athletes I coach graduate, start businesses and maybe even play in the Olympics or whatever professional league comes next for this sport. That's what it's really about."

A native of Ruston, Louisiana, Minniefield earned his degree from the University of Arizona Global Campus in 2016.

Outside of football, Minniefield enjoys traveling, photography, and video games. An avid traveler, he has visited 40 countries. He is also a fan of the Atlanta Braves.

Quincy University announced the addition of women's flag football in May, making it the university's 29th varsity athletic program and 15th women's sports offering. The Hawks are expected to begin competition during the 2027-28 academic year.

Click here to read the original announcement regarding the addition of women's flag football at Quincy University.