{"id":148374,"date":"2025-08-11T17:55:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T21:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/?p=148374"},"modified":"2025-08-11T17:55:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T21:55:18","slug":"former-hbcu-coach-loses-decade-long-battle-with-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/2025\/08\/11\/former-hbcu-coach-loses-decade-long-battle-with-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Former HBCU Coach Loses Decade-Long Battle With Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Bethune-Cookman University athletics community is mourning the loss of former bowling head coach Chelsea Gilliam, who died Thursday, Aug. 7, after a nearly decade-long battle with cancer. She was 35. Known for her bright, bubbly spirit and unwavering determination, Gilliam joined the HBCU in October 2018 to lead the Wildcats\u2019 bowling program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She arrived from Youngstown State University and made history as the school\u2019s first bowling head coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gilliam took over Bethune-Cookman\u2019s HBCU bowling <a href=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/category\/swac\/bethune-cookman\/\">program<\/a> during the 2018-19 season, navigating a year marked by roster challenges due to injuries. Her leadership and resilience left a lasting impression on the <a href=\"https:\/\/bcuathletics.com\/\">Maroon and Gold family<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-championship-legacy\">A Championship Legacy<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Before her collegiate coaching career, Gilliam was a standout student-athlete at the University of Pikeville. As a 2012 Pikeville women\u2019s bowling team member, she helped capture the program\u2019s first NAIA national championship. The team\u2019s accomplishment earned them induction into the Bears Hall of Fame in November 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That season, Pikeville entered the year ranked No. 1 in the NAIA Coaches Poll and secured the No. 3 seed in the national tournament. Gilliam and her teammates twice defeated Webber International, a team they had previously lost to, to clinch the historic title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gilliam graduated from Pikeville in 2012 with bachelor\u2019s degrees in mathematics and psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"148375\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/2025\/08\/11\/former-hbcu-coach-loses-decade-long-battle-with-cancer\/gilliam-rip\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gilliam-rip.png\" data-orig-size=\"960,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Gilliam-rip\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gilliam-rip.png?w=240\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gilliam-rip.png?w=819\" height=\"1024\" width=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gilliam-rip.png?w=819\" alt=\"HBCU Chelsea Gilliam Bethune-Cookman University cancer\" class=\"wp-image-148375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gilliam-rip.png 960w, https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gilliam-rip.png?resize=240,300 240w, https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gilliam-rip.png?resize=768,960 768w, https:\/\/hbcugameday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gilliam-rip.png?resize=819,1024 819w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-building-programs-from-the-ground-up\">Building Programs from the Ground Up<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Gilliam\u2019s coaching journey began at Union College in Kentucky. From 2012 to 2015, she led both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s bowling teams. She guided the men\u2019s squad to back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Mid-South Conference Tournament and was named the league\u2019s Women\u2019s Co-Head Coach of the Year in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gilliam spent her first year building the program from scratch at Youngstown State. She recruited the inaugural roster and set the team schedule. The Penguins debuted in 2016-17 and quickly rose to prominence, earning Top 25 rankings in her two seasons at the helm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-fighter-and-inspiration\">A Fighter and Inspiration<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Gilliam was first diagnosed with breast cancer at just 23 years old in 2013. She fought through treatment, only to be re-diagnosed in May 2016. Her resilience inspired many, both inside and outside the bowling community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She appeared in a commercial alongside WWE superstar Roman Reigns, sharing her cancer journey and encouraging others facing similar battles. Gilliam also documented portions of her chemotherapy on social media, aiming to inspire courage and perseverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier this month, a fundraiser was held in her honor near her home in Ormond Beach, Fla., as she continued her treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bethune-Cookman University officials, former players, and colleagues across the HBCU bowling community remember Chelsea Gilliam for her coaching achievements and the grace and determination with which she faced life\u2019s greatest challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chelsea Gilliam, who led Bethune-Cookman bowling and inspired many during her cancer fight, has died at 35.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":148376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_ml_titleColor":"#000000","_ml_titleFont":"Roboto","_ml_titleFontSize":1.136,"_ml_titleFontWeight":"400","_ml_titleLineHeight":1.3,"_ml_metaColor":"#708090","_ml_metaFont":"Montserrat","_ml_metaFontSize":0.6785,"_ml_metaFontWeight":"400","_ml_metaLineHeight":0.92,"_ml_bodyColor":"#a9a9a9","_ml_bodyFont":"Open Sans","_ml_bodyFontSize":0.85,"_ml_bodyFontWeight":"400","_ml_bodyLineHeight":1.2,"_ml_wooPriceColor":"#666","_ml_wooPriceFont":"Open 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