Introduction
Caesar Felton "Zip" Gayles (May 22, 1900 – November 1986) was an American football and basketball coach. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974, and the NAIA Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1986
Coaching career
Tennessee A&I
After graduating, Gayles took a faculty and coaching position at Agricultural and Industrial State College in Nashville, Tennessee, now called Tennessee State University. As the fourth head coach of the football team in 1927 he led the squad to a record of 1 win, 2 losses, and 3 ties.
Some records list his name as "Felton Gale" at this time but other records confirm that "Felton Gale" and "Caesar Felton Gayles" are indeed the same person.
Arkansas–Pine Bluff
Gayles was the head football coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He held that position for the 1928 and 1929 seasons. His coaching record at Arkansas-Pine Bluff was 8 wins, 9 losses and 2 ties.
Langston
Gayles coached for 35 years at Langston University. As the basketball coach from 1930 to 1965, his teams compiled a record of 571 wins and 281 losses. He also was the football coach for 28 seasons from 1930 to 1957, finishing with a record of 146–78–18. His teams were National Negro champions twice in both basketball and football.