By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter
Jackson State University coach Rick Comegy said many of his team’s fans would not be traveling to Southern for the game Saturday because he had heard the atmosphere in and around A.W. Mumford Stadium is “hostile.”
“A lot of people are not taking their families,” Comegy said.
SU (5-1, 3-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) hosts Jackson State (3-2, 3-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.
Comegy, in his second season at Jackson State, has never been to a game at Mumford Stadium.
“My understanding is, it’s always been a hostile situation when we get down there,” said Comegy, who declined to detail any specific incident.
Jackson State has played at Mumford Stadium just once this decade, in 2005. Three other games were at the Superdome in New Orleans.
“I’m quite sure there’s not going to be anything happening,” SU coach Pete Richardson said.
Gunfire marred two previous Jackson State games at Southern.
In the third quarter of the 1996 game, a Southern University police officer fired a shot into the air to break up a brawl outside the stadium between the stadium and the tennis courts. The game was halted in the third quarter, with players, coaches and officials hitting the ground.
During the third quarter of the 1990 game, a 20-year-old man was shot in the West stands after an altercation stemming from a dice game. That sent that side of the stadium into bedlam.
In each of the last two seasons, Southern has had a shooting incident outside the stadium.
In September last season, at a private parking lot across the street from Mumford Stadium, 59-year-old Freddie Jackson was shot and killed. Mississippi Valley State was the visiting team for the season opener.
And in 2005, at the homecoming game with Alabama A&M, shots were fired into a crowd of tailgaters south of the stadium. Bullets struck three, including a female Southern student.
The shooting was the result of two feuding groups crossing paths on campus, Southern University police said.
None of the instances involved one school’s fans acting out against the other school’s fans.
In the wake of last season’s shooting, Southern has taken steps to try to avoid any further problems.
The general area in which both shootings occurred, south of the stadium, has been closed to tailgaters, and blue tarps cover the fencing so that no loitering occurs. Also, game times this season have been moved to 7 p.m. from 6 p.m.
“They’re very welcome,” Southern Athletic Director Greg LaFleur said of Jackson State fans. “We welcome all of our visiting teams.”
LaFleur said perhaps the only problem visiting fans could have is with parking.
“If you’re not familiar with Southern, it can be difficult, because all the parking near the stadium is reserved,” LaFleur said.
Also, there are limited roads into campus, making traffic flow difficult for big games. Saturday’s homecoming game with Alabama A&M was sold out, and cars were still flowing over the Harding Boulevard ramp as late as halftime. That game drew a sellout crowd of 24,600.
“We’re excited about having Jackson State come, because they have a huge following,” Richardson said.
The game has traditionally been one of the biggest draws in either black college football or Football Championship Subdivision football. Games at Jackson State’s Memorial Stadium traditionally draw 50,000 to 60,000.
“It shows the excitement and passion of SWAC football to the utmost,” Comegy said. “It shows what the SWAC can do. &hellip It should be setting up for an exciting game. I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’ll be great.”
Jackson State University coach Rick Comegy said many of his team’s fans would not be traveling to Southern for the game Saturday because he had heard the atmosphere in and around A.W. Mumford Stadium is “hostile.”
“A lot of people are not taking their families,” Comegy said.
SU (5-1, 3-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) hosts Jackson State (3-2, 3-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.
Comegy, in his second season at Jackson State, has never been to a game at Mumford Stadium.
“My understanding is, it’s always been a hostile situation when we get down there,” said Comegy, who declined to detail any specific incident.
Jackson State has played at Mumford Stadium just once this decade, in 2005. Three other games were at the Superdome in New Orleans.
“I’m quite sure there’s not going to be anything happening,” SU coach Pete Richardson said.
Gunfire marred two previous Jackson State games at Southern.
In the third quarter of the 1996 game, a Southern University police officer fired a shot into the air to break up a brawl outside the stadium between the stadium and the tennis courts. The game was halted in the third quarter, with players, coaches and officials hitting the ground.
During the third quarter of the 1990 game, a 20-year-old man was shot in the West stands after an altercation stemming from a dice game. That sent that side of the stadium into bedlam.
In each of the last two seasons, Southern has had a shooting incident outside the stadium.
In September last season, at a private parking lot across the street from Mumford Stadium, 59-year-old Freddie Jackson was shot and killed. Mississippi Valley State was the visiting team for the season opener.
And in 2005, at the homecoming game with Alabama A&M, shots were fired into a crowd of tailgaters south of the stadium. Bullets struck three, including a female Southern student.
The shooting was the result of two feuding groups crossing paths on campus, Southern University police said.
None of the instances involved one school’s fans acting out against the other school’s fans.
In the wake of last season’s shooting, Southern has taken steps to try to avoid any further problems.
The general area in which both shootings occurred, south of the stadium, has been closed to tailgaters, and blue tarps cover the fencing so that no loitering occurs. Also, game times this season have been moved to 7 p.m. from 6 p.m.
“They’re very welcome,” Southern Athletic Director Greg LaFleur said of Jackson State fans. “We welcome all of our visiting teams.”
LaFleur said perhaps the only problem visiting fans could have is with parking.
“If you’re not familiar with Southern, it can be difficult, because all the parking near the stadium is reserved,” LaFleur said.
Also, there are limited roads into campus, making traffic flow difficult for big games. Saturday’s homecoming game with Alabama A&M was sold out, and cars were still flowing over the Harding Boulevard ramp as late as halftime. That game drew a sellout crowd of 24,600.
“We’re excited about having Jackson State come, because they have a huge following,” Richardson said.
The game has traditionally been one of the biggest draws in either black college football or Football Championship Subdivision football. Games at Jackson State’s Memorial Stadium traditionally draw 50,000 to 60,000.
“It shows the excitement and passion of SWAC football to the utmost,” Comegy said. “It shows what the SWAC can do. &hellip It should be setting up for an exciting game. I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’ll be great.”
Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band
No comments:
Post a Comment