Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Names Inaugural Class: Dr. Dick Barnett, Travis Grant, Bob Hopkins, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed, Clarence Gaines and John McLendon Makes Slate

EVANSVILLE, Indiana -- It is with great enthusiasm and excitement that Small College Basketball announces the inaugural Hall of Fame Class of inductees into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame.

The 2016 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Thursday, Nov. 17 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. Fans may purchase tickets/tables to the Hall of Fame Induction through the following link, www.HoFClassic.com, or by calling 812-421-2212.
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Players

Dr. Dick Barnett (Tennessee A&I)
Bevo Francis (Rio Grande)
John Ebeling (Florida Southern)
Travis Grant (Kentucky State)
Bob Hopkins (Grambling)
Lucious Jackson (Pan American College)
Phil Jackson (North Dakota)
Earl Monroe (Winston-Salem State)
Willis Reed (Grambling)
John Rinka (Kenyon)
Jerry Sloan (Evansville)

Coaches

Clarence Gaines (Winston-Salem State)
Arad McCutchan (Evansville)
John McLendon (North Carolina College, Hampton, Tennessee State, Kentucky State, Cleveland State)

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Ram Ramblings: Monroe, Gaines heading to Small College Hall of Fame

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- If you are going to have college basketball hall of fame dedicated to the small colleges and universities, Big House Gaines and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe are two of the initial inductees that make sense.

The Small College Basketball Hall of Fame, a new hall of fame that will be in Evansville, Indiana has been started.

The induction ceremony will be held Nov. 17 at the Ford Center.

Gaines, who died in April of 2005, guided WSSU to 828 wins in a 47-year career that included a national championship.

Monroe, 71, played at WSSU in the late 1960s and went on to become one of the all-time greats in the NBA.

“I’m just reading the e-mail as you called,” Monroe said by telephone today from New York. “I had no idea or any inkling that this was going to happen but it’s exciting for all of us who went to small colleges.”

Monroe was especially happy that Gaines, one of his mentors, is recognized for his contributions to basketball.

“It’s absolutely terrific that coach Gaines is going in as well and you can’t forget John McLendon also going in,” Monroe said about McLendon, the former N.C. Central coach.

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Wood excited for upcoming season, Rattlers in summer phase of program

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Just like last year, Florida A&M head coach Alex Wood has a strong focus on academics in the summer phase of his program.

Veteran Rattlers have been in summer school since May 9 while also participating in summer workouts. Wood said freshmen reported on June 21 and started class on Monday after going through a team orientation.

Wood, in his second year as head coach, said his players are understanding the expectations he placed on them – they aren’t going anywhere any time soon.

“It’s a new year,” Wood said. “We’re undefeated. That’s what I’m excited about. It’s a new team and I like these guys’ attitudes. They’re working at it. I like the way they’re coming together as a team and working well together. I’m excited about that aspect.

“It’s always a work in progress as we go. This is our second year. I think kids understand last year wasn’t just something we did because it was our first year, that’s the program. It was that way last year and it’ll be that way this year – doesn’t matter if we won no games or one game or ten games. That’s the program and that’s how we’ll go.”

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FAMU Mourns the Loss of Former Interim Athletics Director Joseph Ramsey

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) community is extremely saddened by the loss of former FAMU track star and chair of the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame Joseph Ramsey, Ph.D. Ramsey received his master’s degree in physical education from FAMU and a doctorate in administration of athletics and physical education from Florida State University (FSU).

A longtime supporter of the University and true Rattler, Ramsey provided years of tireless service to FAMU through various teaching and administrative roles, including serving the Athletics Department as its former interim director.

President Elmira Mangum, Ph.D., said the untimely passing of Joseph Ramsey is a tremendous loss to the FAMU community.

“Joseph Ramsey’s unconditional love for FAMU was shown through his years of service on behalf of FAMU students and our athletics programs,” Mangum said. “A person like Ramsey cannot be replaced, and he will surely be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his fa
mily, friends, and loved ones from FAMU and beyond during this time of mourning.”

Details of funeral arrangements will be announced as they are made available.

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John Stallworth, Robert Brazile & Harlon Hill proved it's where you finish, not where you start

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- There's more to football in this state than Auburn and Alabama.

Consequently, there's more to The 100 — AL.com's list of the top football players in state history — than former Tigers and Crimson Tide stars. Three players who earned spots in the top half of the list are proof that it doesn't matter where you start, but where you finish.

Harlon Hill stayed in his hometown of Florence for college football, but was so successful there and in the professional ranks that a national award was named for him. Robert Brazile's route took him from Mobile to Jackson State, sparking a career as one of most feared defenders in the NFL.



John Stallworth left Tuscaloosa for Alabama A&M, and eventually wound up a four-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer. Hill is No. 36 on The 100, while Brazile is No. 25 and Stallworth No. 23.

Hill was born May 4, 1932, in Killen, hard up against the Alabama-Tennessee line. After starring at Lauderdale County High School, he enrolled at what was then Florence State Teachers College (now the University of North Alabama) in the early 1950s.

Hill was an NAIA All-American end as a senior in 1953, and scored 19 touchdowns in his career despite catching just 53 passes in a run-oriented offense. An opposing coach tipped off a Chicago Bears scout about Hill, and the Bears drafted him in the 15th round in 1954.

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Life on the field: Longtime JSU coach Bob Braddy to be inducted into National College Baseball Hall Of Fame

Tickets for the 2016 induction are available on the Hall of Fame's website at www.collegebaseballhall.org.

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Growing up in Florence, Mississippi, Bob Braddy looked forward to Saturdays.

R.T. Braddy Sr., being a church deacon, wouldn’t let his children play ball on Sundays and, in a family with eight boys and six girls, work and chores consumed weekdays.

That left Saturday afternoons for baseball.

The neighborhood kids would clean up cow manure from the pasture, cut up a car tire for the pitching rubber and fashion bases by filling cloth grain sacks with dirt. The catcher had a mask, but no chest protector, no shin guards, no other equipment, so a “pigtail” would set up shop 30 or 40 feet behind him.

“He would get the ball and get it back to the catcher,” Bob Braddy said. “That was like a designated player. It was a second catcher.”

Retrieving pitches wasn’t the only group effort.

“The park was surrounded by trees,” Braddy said. “If someone hit a fly ball into the woods, you would see guys scatter like ants into the woods, trying to find the ball.”

From such humble beginnings, Braddy made a life from the game. Coaching Jackson State from 1973-2000, Braddy went 824-546, setting the coaching victories record for the Southwestern Athletic Conference, winning 12 SWAC titles and taking three teams to the NCAA tournament.

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HU's Johnson named MEAC Male Student-Athlete of the Year

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Hampton University guard Reginald Johnson, Jr. has been named the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Male Student-Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced.

Johnson is the first Hampton student-athlete to receive the honor.

"I would like to congratulate Reginald Johnson, Jr.," MEAC Commissioner Dr. Dennis Thomas said. "He's had an absolutely phenomenal career at Hampton University, not only as a student-athlete, but academically and in extracurricular activities as well. I wish him continued success and I would like to thank all the people who had a positive influence on Reginald."

In two seasons with the Pirates, Johnson helped the program win back-to-back MEAC Tournament titles and make consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. This past season, Johnson was named First Team All-MEAC and the MEAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, ranking second in the conference in scoring with 18.1 points per game.

He had two 30-point games on the season, including a career-high 35 points at Northern Arizona on Dec. 2. He also had 30 points against Washington Adventist.

Johnson was also third in the MEAC in steals and sixth in assists. Johnson averaged 19.3 points and 8.3 assists per game in the MEAC Tournament, and he dished out a MEAC Tournament record-tying 13 assists in the quarterfinals against Morgan State.



Johnson was also named a BoxToRow All-American and Second Team All-State by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID).

In addition to his on-court excellence, Johnson graduated this past May with a degree in sports management, boasting a 3.18 GPA.

He also has been a pillar in the community, volunteering at local elementary schools in Hampton and Newport News, Va. He also participated in Jump Rope for Heart, Read Across America, and the annual Pirates Leading Area Youth Day.

In addition, he worked in the Department of Athletics as a marketing representative.

The Male Student-Athlete of the Year honor is provided to the student-athlete who has excelled academically and athletically and is in his final season of intercollegiate athletic eligibility and competition under MEAC and NCAA regulations for the sport in which the student-athlete was nominated.

Each of the MEAC's 13-member institutions may nominate one male student-athlete for the honor. The honoree is selected by a committee of five conference Athletic Directors that use a combination of the following criteria in selection of the award: service of leadership, academic achievement and athletics excellence.



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