​Florida A&M’s upcoming trip to Lorman, Mississippi, means a little more than just a Southwestern Athletic Conference football game against Alcorn State for Quinn Fordham Gray Sr.Alcorn State was Gray’s first SWAC job and a key step towards him moving up the coaching ladder, as he now leads his alma mater, FAMU.“My opportunity to be on The Reservation was second to none,” Gray reflected. “It gave me my first opportunity to see exactly how the SWAC works, how the game atmospheres were, because you’re talking about somebody that was just really exposed to the MEAC at that time ― was tremendous for me.”After three seasons coaching at a local Tallahassee high school, Lincoln Gray accepted a quarterbacks coach role with the Alcorn State Braves in 2020. It was his second college coaching job, following his stint as an associate head coach and offensive coordinator for the Rattlers. Gray stayed at Alcorn State until 2022.Gray was on staff under Fred McNair, a two-time SWAC championship head coach and five-time East Division winner during his tenure from 2016 to 2023. McNair is now the senior advisor and offensive playcaller for the Southern Jaguars.Gray and McNair recently reunited last Saturday, Oct. 31, as FAMU hosted Southern in Tallahassee for a Week 9 Halloween SWAC game. Southern won 42-14, and then the coaches shared a moment postgame.“I learned a lot as it relates to being a head coach from him,” Gray said of McNair. “In this profession, it’s a copycat league a lot of times. Some of the things he did, I definitely implemented in what we do here. But at the end of the day, you have to put your own twist and flavor to it.”Following two years at Alcorn State, Gray’s coaching journey continued on the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level as the Senior Offensive Analyst at the University of Memphis for the 2022 season. He moved on to a successful three-year stint as head coach at Division II Albany State, culminating in the team’s 2025 Black College Football National Championship.Then Gray returned to FAMU and the SWAC as head coach at the school where he became a Hall of Fame and record-breaking quarterback before playing six years in the National Football League.But he’s forever tied to Alcorn State.The famous secluded, tucked-away campus in rural Lorman fostered a sense of community. To get to campus, drivers must exit the highway and drive down a long, isolated 9-mile stretch of Dr. Walter Washington Parkway (the late former school president), known as “The Stretch,” with the Mississippi River bordering the back of the campus.The nearest gas station is roughly 11-12 miles from campus.“Allowed me to save some money because Amazon wasn’t coming out there,” Gray laughed. “The experience was great, and it gave me an opportunity to understand what SWAC football was all about and gave me a chance to learn under a great coach and coaching staff.”FAMU (2-7, 1-4 in SWAC) at Alcorn State (5-4, 3-2