Extreme makeover for Savannah State athletics

The horse is catching up to the cart at Savannah State University. When SSU jumped into NCAA Division I - college athletics' highest level - in 2002, the Tigers lacked an extensive feasibility study, adequate facilities and financial resources. These days, the historically black college is a whirlwind of activity. Progress, something SSU athletes and alumni crave, is evident in renovations to T.A. Wright Stadium (football) and Wilcox-Wiley gymnasium (volleyball). The improvements don't end there.



SSU has created the Tiger Club for boosters, an attempt to secure the necessary funds for scholarships to recruit the best student-athletes possible. SSU also has developed licensing and corporate marketing programs. Even the walls are talking inside Tiger Arena (basketball) thanks to the addition of colorful action photographs featuring biographies of former athletes. The athletics upgrades, part of the vision of school president Earl Yarbrough, vice president for administration Claud Flythe and athletics director Bart Bellairs, are long-awaited steps toward fielding teams that can be competitive in all sports.

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