In two seasons atop the South Carolina State football program, Chennis Berry has amassed 19 wins.
Waiting some 25 years for his first-ever head coaching opportunity which finally arrived at NCAA Division II program Benedict earlier this decade, Berry now has amassed 41 NCAA wins in his past four seasons as a head coach.
This year, Berry, who for nearly a decade directed the offenses at Southern University and also has been a part of the NFL's various internship programs with six different league franchises, doesn't remember remotely getting that many questions from the weekly Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference coaches' Zoom calls as South Carolina State's second-year leader.
And after his Bulldogs won arguably the most captivating Celebration Bowl Saturday in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Berry let it be known he has kept a record of his program being ignored.
"Get ready. I'm going to say this now before y'all start talking," said Berry, building to a crescendo. "All through the season, you know, we had those (MEAC) conference calls and nobody was asking me any questions. It was always directed to the two NFL guys (Delaware State's DeSean Jackson, Norfolk State's Michael Vick).
"You know, and I would sit there and get one or two questions, and they'd get 20 or 30. So I'm gonna say that. There's good football coaches that come through HBCUs. We can coach. Because we had to get out the mud. So I'm going to say that, with a proud - PROUD - chest. There's a lot of really, really good football coaches."
Berry faced off against Prairie View A&M first-year head coach Tremaine Jackson, who also has surged in recent years for his work atop the Colorado Mesa, Valdosta State and now PVAMU programs, in Saturday's epic season-finale which has been hosted by the city of Atlanta since 2015 and served as the unofficial HBCU National Championship.
South Carolina State trailed 12-0 at halftime to the Panthers before they rallied in the second half to set the stage for a wacky, back-and-forth battle.
The Bulldogs emerged Celebration Bowl champs, 40-38, after a four-overtime epic that was finalized when South Carolina State converted its two-point play in the fourth OT and Prairie View A&M could not.
"Again, I got great relationships with all of them (coaches in the league). But. I remember. And I keep receipts," Berry said. "That motivated me. Every day I go to my staff meeting and say, 'Guess they ain't got a whole lot for me.' Dr. (Kenyatta) Cavil always asks me questions; that's my guy.
"But invite one or two (questions). Everybody else want to talk about everything else.
"So, we just fell in love with the process and that motivates you, man. When somebody tells you no, and God be for you, man, who can be against you?"
The Celebration Bowl moderator then started to dismiss the Bulldogs players who had appeared in the post-game press conference. Berry had one more line.
"They don't want to leave me! They love me," Berry said. "These are my boys. ... Go celebrate!"