Black History Month Spotlights: Devin Merritt

During Black History Month, App State Athletics is highlighting some of the accomplishments and perspectives of coaches, administrators and staff members who serve as role models to our student-athletes.
 
Today, we hear from Devin Merritt, who serves as a graduate assistant with App State Football. A New Jersey native, Merritt played football at Averett University until his graduation in 2020. Not only did he play football, but he was also an SGA class president, an officer with SAAC, a resident assistant and a vice president of the National Society of Leadership and Success. He is the son of four-time Super Bowl-winning defensive backs coach David Merritt, who won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants and most recently two with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Q: Describe your role within App State Athletics.
Merritt: I am a graduate assistant with the football team who has been able to assist coaching the cornerbacks and DOG linebackers, as well as work in recruiting and operations. 

Q: Why is celebrating Black history important to you?
Merritt: Celebrating Black history is a 24/7 and 365 days-a-year situation for me, but highlighting some of the great achievements of African Americans over the years is imperative in order to reflect on the resiliency of the race through multiple struggles from 1619 until now.  

Q: Is there a figure in Black history whose story particularly resonates with you?
Merritt: The story of Thurgood Marshall in the Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954 deeming segregation of children in public schools as unconstitutional resonates with me.  His boldness as a young lawyer is forever inspirational to me. 

Q: How do you share Black history with App State student-athletes and/or staff?
Merritt: By always having a positive attitude during the various tasks asked of me throughout the day, as African Americans would have never imagined to be in my position just 40-50 years ago. 

Q: Why is it important to have representation within athletics?
Merritt: The Jim Crow era from 1896 through 1965 left an enormous detrimental impact on America. When the Housing Act of 1968 was ratified, it was evident that athletes in sports compared to the coaches and staff in the front offices of these sports did not have the same representation. This is still evident today. There are many athletes of color yet very few coaches of color and front office staff of color. Sports are all about relationships, so having representation that correlates with the representation of the athletes is more than important so they can relate to their leaders on a psychological and personal level. 

Q: What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to someone looking to pursue a career in college athletics?
Merritt: I encourage anyone interested in working in athletics to be themselves unapologetically without trying to fit in or impress people in the business. Everyone has a special gift that can impact athletics in a specific way, and there is no need to compromise that special gift due to the laws of conformity. One must always be respectful, work hard, persevere through adversity, be early and more, but always doing it, as Frank Sinatra said, "My Way."