Durant played at a small, historically black school, Hampton University and didn’t anticipate playing in the NFL

FRISCO, Texas -- When Justin Durant decided to play football at Hampton University in 2003, the very last thing he thought about was parlaying that opportunity into a job in the National Football League.

“I didn’t even know that I had a shot of going [to the NFL] until probably my senior year,” Durant said. “When agents started calling and I’m looking at the ratings, I’m like, ‘Is this serious? Is this what’s going on?’ ”

Hampton University is a predominantly black university which doesn’t have the training facilities and equipment – and financial backing from its alma mater – which many of the predominantly white universities have. Durant, a linebacker with the Dallas Cowboys, even admits to the difficulties of trying to get to the NFL via the Historical Black College or University (HBCU) route, yet he knows it’s possible.

“I guess it’s a little bit harder,” Durant said. “But I’ve been trying to tell people that if you have the talent they’re going to find you, especially with all the ways of scouting and how they can get to see you regardless of the different platforms you’re put on.

“If you can do what you need to do, then they’ll come and find you.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars found Durant and chose him on the second round (48th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. That year, Durant appeared on the pro scouts’ radar after he became the first player named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year on three different occasions.



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Ben Carson’s Top Adviser Offers To Pay Historical Black College’s (Talladega) Way To Inauguration

Talladega College is still weighing whether to accept Armstrong Williams’ offer to pay $60,000 for the school’s marching band to participate in the Trump inaugural parade

TALLADEGA, Alabama -- Armstrong Williams, a longtime conservative media entrepreneur and adviser to former GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson, said he has offered to pay $60,000 in travel expenses for Talladega College’s marching band to perform at the inaugural parade on Jan. 20.

Williams told BuzzFeed News he hadn’t heard back from the president of Talladega College — the oldest historically black, private liberal arts school in Alabama — since making the offer Friday.

“The issue is: The kids want to go,” Williams said. “I don’t want resources to be a reason they can’t go.”

Of the 41 organizations formally invited by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, Talladega College — founded in 1867 by former slaves — is the only historically black college or university (HBCU). Talladega applied to participate in the event before the election.

Talladega College President Billy Hawkins said Wednesday that the school’s Board of Trustees has told him they’d prefer to raise their own money. Hawkins noted that the school has raised nearly $32,000 of its $75,000 goal through a GoFundMe account.



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Hughes needs time to get Jackson State football right

JACKSON, Mississippi -- When Tony Hughes left Mississippi State to take the head coaching position at Jackson State, he didn’t think he was looking at a complete rebuild.

There was talent on the roster. He inherited a solid group of linebackers and defensive ends and a quality veteran defensive backfield left over from the Rick Comegy era.

Hughes only had 45 days to pull together his first signing class, but he still found a way to make some noise. He signed 31 players, including 28 high school seniors, highlighted by North Pike three-star quarterback Juwan Adams.

But everything since that day has been a learning experience for Hughes, who will officially enter his second year on the job when he wraps up his 2017 recruiting class in two weeks.

Hughes has said he wants to build the program from the ground up — signing at least 25 high school players every year. That sounds great to fans, alumni and administrators within the athletic department, but few know just how big a task that is proving to be.

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Philander Smith College Names New Athletic Director

Little Rock, Arkansas – Philander Smith College has named Nathan Cochran to the post of Athletic Director. Cochran, who started work on Jan. 3, will oversee the institution's sports programs which currently include, Men's and Women's basketball, Women's volleyball, and Men's and Women's track and field.

A native of Boulder, Colo., Cochran comes to Philander Smith from Paine College in Augusta, Ga., where he was the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and Sports Information Director. Prior to entering athletics administration, he spent fourteen years in collegiate coaching, including stints as the Head Men's and Women's Track and Field/Cross Country Coach at Paine; Assistant Football Coach/Offensive Coordinator in Paine's inaugural NCAA Division II football season; and two years as the Head Football Coach at Lincoln University in Missouri. Additionally, he is a USA Track and Field (USATF) Level 1 certified coach specializing in sprints and jumps.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to serve Philander Smith College, bringing my passion for sports and commitment to educating student-athletes," says Cochran. "As I work to enhance and expand our athletic programs, my foremost concern is to ensure that Philander Smith athletes are successful not only in competition, but also as scholars and well-rounded individuals."

Cochran holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics education from South Carolina State University – where he played football and ran track – and a master's degree in management from Webster University.

About Philander Smith College
Celebrating its 140th Anniversary, Philander Smith College – founded in 1877 – is a small, privately supported, historically Black, four-year liberal arts institution related to the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. The College's mission is to graduate academically accomplished students, grounded as advocates for social justice, determined to change the world for the better. Philander Smith College, the only United Negro College Fund (UNCF) member institution in Arkansas, strives to provide a quality education for all regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin or ethnic background. For more information, visit www.philander.edu.

PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGE ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

NFL dreams carry 6 from Grambling to HBCU all-star game

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- All-American wide receiver Chad Williams will get the bulk of the NFL Draft attention among Grambling players during the next several months.

This weekend, however, six departing Tiger players get their shot to further their career in the HBCU Spirit of America Bowl, a showcase game in Virginia Beach that features 110 players from 53 HBCU schools around the country, ranging from the FCS level to NAIA programs.

Wide receivers Verlan Hunter and Dominique Leake, running back Jestin Kelly, offensive lineman Trey Goins and defensive backs Guy Stallworth and Jameel Jackson will suit up for the Pride roster Sunday at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.

"It's huge because any time you get a chance to put your product out there and play in front of NFL scouts, there's always a chance you can possibly get an opportunity out of it," Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs said. "At the end of the day, all you want is a chance, you want an opportunity. This is another one of those opportunities."

The HBCU postseason game wraps up ...

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XULA Gold Rush rack up points and roll past Rust 97-53

NEW ORLEANS — Freshman guard Mike Williams scored 15 points Friday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana in a 97-53 men's basketball rout of Rust.

The victory gives XULA (5-11) its first two-game winning streak this season.

Williams reached double figures for the first time since Dec. 1 and scored his most points since Nov. 15. He scored 11 in the first half. Williams grabbed a career-best seven rebounds and had four assists and three steals to equal career highs.

Seth Jackson scored 14 points, Chris Ward 13 and Hakeem Simon a career-high 12 for the Gold Rush. Simon was 5-of-5 from the floor and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, and Elex Carter had eight points, seven rebounds and a career-best five assists. Jackson was 6-of-7 from the floor. Innocent Kukulu had a game- and career-high six assists.

Allen Potts scored 19 points for the Bearcats (2-17), and Dewan Fowler had 17.

XULA outscored Rust 58-28 in the second half and finished with its largest winning margin and most assists (29) since November 2007. All 11 Gold Rush players in uniform produced points and rebounds, and 10-of-11 had assists. XULA committed eight personal fouls, its fewest since November 2004.

"Our guys played with a lot of energy," said XULA coach Alfred Williams, whose team outshot Rust 58.8 to 35 percent from the floor. "I was most excited by our 29 assists and winning the boards by 21."

XULA is an NAIA member, and Rust competes in NCAA Division III. This was the first matchup of these HBCUs since 1993.

The Gold Rush will play city and Gulf Coast Athletic Conference rival SUNO at 7:30 p.m. Monday at XULA's Convocation Center. It'll be a doubleheader; the XULA and SUNO women will meet at 5:30.

NOTES: XULA produced its highest-scoring game and first 50-point half since October 2014 and its highest-scoring half since October 2009 . . . Simon and Carter, both centers, made their only 3-point attempts. It was Simon's first XULA attempt; Carter is 2-for-3 from long range this season . . . Simon's six offensive rebounds matched the most in a game by a XULA player this season . . . XULA is 5-1 this season against HBCUs . . . The losing margin was Rust's largest since December 2013.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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FAMU AD Overton cuts spending, fundraising for Bragg begins

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- There’s still work to do – and funds to find – but Florida A&M Athletic Director Milton Overton Jr. is chipping away at the nearly $1.3 million he needs to cover both a projected 2016-17 budgetary shortfall and repairs to Bragg Memorial Stadium.

Friday, during a BOT budget, finance and facilities committee conference call, FAMU CFO Wanda Ford said Overton reduced spending for the 2016-17 fiscal year by eliminating department positions and reducing administrative travel expenses. He also secured $200,000 from the NCAA.

The measures mean the athletics department is now projected to fall $237,442 short of its $8,937,500 budget – down from the $651,724 shortfall projected in a December meeting of the committee.

Per a presentation given to trustees, Overton saved $177,282 by eliminating mostly part-time positions and by not hiring an additional compliance officer – the salary for that position would have been $55,000. In a phone interview after the meeting, Overton said the $200,000 from the NCAA was a “one-time” payment.

FAMU needs $622K for mandatory repairs to Bragg Stadium.

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