Edwards joins other coaches leaving FAMU

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. — Just as quickly as Tim Edwards made his decision to leave Florida A&M as defensive line coach, head coach Joe Taylor began to think of ways to restructure his staff.

Edwards spent Friday at a frantic pace, doing his departure paperwork while arranging for his move to Louisiana Lafayette where he begins work today as defensive line coach for the Ragin' Cajuns. His departure from FAMU comes about two weeks after tight end coach Edwin Pata took a similar job at Florida International.

Taylor confirmed the staff changes while attending a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference coaches' meeting in Winston Salem, where the conference's basketball tournament took place.

New DL coach Edwards on field for drills

UL's football players donned full pads for the first time during spring drills Sunday afternoon, and their new defensive line coach, Timothy Edwards, was there to watch all of the action.

Edwards, 42, spent the past three years as Florida A&M's co-defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach and was a teammate of first-year UL head coach Mark Hudspeth at Delta State.

The Philadelphia, Miss., native replaces Mike Pelton, who recently left the Ragin' Cajuns to become the defensive line coach for his alma mater, Auburn. His hiring is pending approval by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.

Rattlers inducted to MEAC Hall of Fame

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Accepting a shiny ring, hugs and kisses as an inductee into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame wasn't something that Natalie White envisioned.

At the time that she got notice that she would be in the HOF, White was busy trying to create ways for other young people to walk the same path she took to become a record-setting guard at Florida A&M more than a decade ago.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH ARTICLES.

FAMU knocked out of tourney with 2OT defeat

The Florida A&M men's basketball team came up short in double-overtime, losing 87-85 to Maryland-Eastern Shore in the first round of the MEAC Tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Tuesday.

Eugene Harris' ballclub finishes the season 12-20. UMES (9-21) will play Hampton in the MEAC quarterfinals tonight at 9:30 p.m.

The Rattlers trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, but closed the gap and went into halftime down by just three points at 30-27.

Maryland-Eastern wins in double overtime

Maryland-Eastern Shore worked through a little fatigue and found the energy to outlast Florida A&M 87-85 in double overtime Tuesday night in a first-round game of the MEAC men's tournament. Playing in front of about 800 at Joel Coliseum, the 10th-seeded Hawks made the right plays and made more free throws when they mattered most.

Point guard Kevin White finished with 22 points and seven assists, and UMES (9-21) advanced to play second-seeded Hampton in a quarterfinal scheduled for 9:30 tonight. White also made three key free throws in the second overtime, and Hillary Haley added 17 points and 10 rebounds. At the end of the game, with most of his post players fouled out, coach Frankie Allen of the Hawks had to improvise.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.


Videographer: Mysterious910; FAMU's Cheerleaders --First Place MEAC Co-Ed Division Champions

Florida A&M's Moore making big impact

Florida A&M freshman guard Avery Moore scored a 3-point transition field goal from near midcourt, while the Bethune-Cookman defense was crashing down around the basket.

On the ensuing Wildcats' possession, C.J. Reed hit a trey of his own. Immediately afterward, Moore and Reed briefly exchanged words. Moore flashed a smile. "He was telling me you're not scoring anymore," said Moore. "I'm the player of the year and this is my gym."

Moore didn't back down. Not on offense or on defense. Down to the final seconds in the Rattlers' overtime loss to B-CU, he made plays on both ends of the floor.

Dynamic duo leads FAMU into postseason

When coach LeDawn Gibson was recruiting Antonia Bennett and Tameka McKelton, she saw two players who had very different roles on their high school basketball teams.

McKelton was the star at West Palm Beach High, while Bennett played in the shadow of two featured players at Lakeland High. But Gibson, who is in her third season as head coach at Florida A&M, figured the diverse roles that they played could be meshed to form a nucleus for her program.


Videographer: FAMUSPORTS

FAMU looks to Bennett once again

DAYTONA — Coach LeDawn Gibson can begin preparing her Florida A&M women's basketball team with a little bit more emphasis on the role that forward Antonia Bennett will play during next week's MEAC tournament.

The cards played out in such a fashion during Thursday's final regular season games that the Rattlers won't play until the third day after competition begins in Winston-Salem, N.C. When they step on the court against Coppin State, it would be exactly a week after their 68-59 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Thursday at Moore Gymnasium.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

20 facts about B-CU's 20-win season

In college basketball, 20 is a magic number for victories. Reaching 20 guarantees nothing, but it always suggests success. With 20 victories, a major-college team can usually book its postseason plane tickets.

For lower-level Division I teams, 20 victories is a particularly rare feat. The North Carolinas and Kentuckys of the world fill their early schedules with the Savannah States and USC Upstates of the world to pad their records.

Teams like Bethune-Cookman have to play those "guaranteed money" games early to support their programs. But you might as well call those games "guaranteed losses."

In 31 years as a member of Division I, B-CU (20-11, 13-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) had never achieved 20 wins in a season until ...


Videographer: chesmon40; Play: Bethune-Cookman University's Alexander Starling (32) drives to the basket over Florida A&M's Yannick Crowder (42) at Bethune-Cookman  for Wildcats 20th win of season on Thursday.

B-CU goes OT for 20th

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Alexander Starling was getting frustrated sitting on the bench with foul trouble in the second half. He wanted to get back in the game and make a play. At the last possible moment he got his chance.

With the score tied at 71 with 4.9 seconds left in overtime, the 6-foot-6 senior intercepted the in-bounds pass and drove to the bucket to give Bethune-Cookman a 73-71 victory over archrival Florida A&M in the season finale Friday at Moore Gymnasium.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

FAMU Rattlers push B-CU to overtime, but fall 73-71

DAYTONA BEACH — Two, three and four. Those are among the top teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference that fell victim to Florida A&M. The No. 1 team narrowly escaped.

FAMU took Bethune-Cookman University into overtime Thursday night before falling 73-71 in a thriller to end the regular-season for both teams. The win did nothing to help the Rattlers void having to start the postseason with a play-in game at the conference tournament next week, but it ended their best league play in three years with a 12-19 overall record and 7-9 in the conference.

In fact, the gutsy performance at Moore Gymnasium should go down as an epic battle between any two MEAC teams this season. It went right down to the final 2.2 seconds when Alexander Stalling converted a steal and scored the final field goal of the game.

Lady Rattlers Win Battle Against B-CU 68-59 at Historic Moore Gymnasium

The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers (15-14, 9-7 MEAC) fought hard down the stretch to hold off the B-CU Lady Wildcats (13-14, 5-10 MEAC) 68-59 in their final game before the MEAC tournament.

Shekeira Copeland led the Lady Rattlers in scoring with 19 points, mostly in the paint. Copeland also grabbed eight rebounds, three offensive, which contributed to her dominant inside presence. Tameka McKelton and Qiana Donald scored 13 points each, to round out the trio in double figures. Donald also grabbed seven rebounds for the Lady Rattlers.

B-CU’s Cleneice Roberts led all scorers, hitting 12-18 from the field for a total of 26 points. Jasmine Elum scored 15 points and was the only other Wildcat in double figures. Roberts also grabbed 11 rebounds, while Sarah Bolden nabbed eight.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

NaKena Cromartie is Ms. FAMU 2011-2012

NaKena Cromartie was elected Miss FAMU 2011-2012 yesterday in a runoff election. Cromartie won the title with 1,072 votes, besting runner-up Chelsea Earby, who had 734 votes.

Cromartie, 22, a fourth-year accounting student from Tampa, Fla, came up short with votes on election night held on Tuesday with 1042 votes while Earby had a solid 1328, but the close count called for a run-off.

After an additional day of campaigning and voting, Cromartie claimed victory.



READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Hampton women crush FAMU, claim 1st MEAC title in 7 seasons

HAMPTON — Laura Lewis and Quanneisha Perry wrapped their arms around each others' shoulders and showed no sign of wanting to let go. Hampton University's two seniors combined for 25 points and 17 rebounds in an 88-49 victory against Florida A&M on Monday night that clinched HU's first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season title in seven seasons.

"We are so excited," Lewis repeated, clinging to her fellow forward in a post-game interview.

"Every year, we were picked to finish fifth or fourth," said Perry, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds on Monday and now has 1,139 points and 897 rebounds in her four-year HU career. "(This year), hard work paid off."



Hampton falls short against FAMU 58-55

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team lost its third straight game on Monday night, dropping its home finale 58-55 to Florida A&M at the HU Convocation Center.

Junior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but his deep 3-pointer bounced off the right side of the rim.

Pellum led the Pirates (19-7, 9-5 MEAC) with 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting, while junior guard Kwame Morgan (Largo, Md.) added 13 points despite shooting 4-for-13 from the floor. Junior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, and junior center Milade Lola-Charles (Laurel, Md.) blocked a career-high four shots.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

Howard Bison Use Free Throw Shooting To Down Florida A&M Rattlers

Washington, DC — Howard University was able to offset serious foul trouble with some good solid free throw shooting in the second half and pull away to a 59-50 win over Florida A&M University in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's game at Burr Gymnasium.

The Bison (6-20 overall, 4-9 in the MEAC), who have been undermanned all season, came into the game with nine players in uniform, two of which are walk-ons. The starting five, which has been logging an average of 36 minutes per game through most of the season, was put to the test when three of them were saddled with three fouls in the first 20 minutes.

Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry went to his short bench early and often in an attempt to offset the disadvantage. The Bison got 10 points from...

Howard takes down FAMU at line

Howard offset foul trouble with solid free-throw shooting in the second half and pulled out a 59-50 win over the Rattlers in Washington.

The starting lineup for the Bison (6-20, 4-9 in MEAC) was put to the test when three players picked up three fouls in the first 20 minutes.

FAMU (11-16, 6-7) led 30-27 at halftime behind Amin Stevens' 14 points. Stevens finished with a game-high 22.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Videographer: UrbanSportsITG

JSU Baseball Opens 2011 Campaign with Home Tournament

JSU Tournament Schedule

Fri., Feb. 18 Jackson State vs. Florida A&M - 12 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 18 University Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. FAMU - 3 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 18 JSU vs. UAPB 6 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 19 FAMU vs. Prairie View A&M - 12 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 19 UAPB vs. FAMU - 3 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 19 JSU vs. PVAM - 6 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 20 JSU vs. PVAM - 12 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 20 UAPB vs. PVAM - 3 p.m.

Jackson State, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Omar Johnson, will open its 2011 season with its annual JSU Tournament from Friday, Feb. 18-20 at Robert "Bob" Braddy Field.

On Friday the Tigers will play FAMU at noon, followed by a nightcap against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the Tigers will face Prairie View A&M at 6 p.m., followed by a single-game on Sunday to close the weekend at noon against a second game against Prairie View A&M.

Click here to read the 2011 JSU Baseball outlook.

FAMU begins new era of Rattlers' baseball

During the wee hours of Thursday morning, sleep finally began to settle in for David Duncan. The thought of being the pitcher who would start the Brett Richardson era at Florida A&M kept Duncan awake several hours past his normal bedtime. He will be making his first start 23 months after he suffered an injury to his pitching arm that required Tommy John surgery.

"I'm trying to stay cool about it but last night I was just thinking about it for hours," Duncan said. "I probably stayed up until about 2. "It's just exciting. I can't wait and I'm ready to go out there and give it all I've got."

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

Southern, Florida A&M to play in Bank of America Atlanta Classic

The Southern University football team has long played in the Bayou Classic, matching up with rival Grambling every year. Now, the Jaguars will head east to play in the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic.

100 Black Men of Atlanta announced Wednesday that Southern and Florida A&M will square off Sept. 24 in the annual game.

First played in 1989, the Atlanta Football Classic matches Historically Black Colleges & Universities in the Georgia Dome. Southern and Florida A&M have both played in the game, but it’s the first time they will face each other in it. The halftime show features a battle of the bands.

FAMU, Southern will renew rivalry

Organizers of the Atlanta Classic ensured the revival of one of the oldest rivalries in college football Wednesday afternoon when they officially announced Southern University as Florida A&M's opponent in the September game.

The games between the two programs go back to the years when Ace Mumford coached at Southern and Jake Gaither at FAMU. When the Jaguars and Rattlers meet on Sept. 24 it will be their first since 2008.

Both teams signed a four-year deal in 2007, but had been able to keep the agreement because of conflicting commitment to their conferences. The 100 Black Men of Atlanta have signed both teams to a two-year deal to play in the annual Classic

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

FAMU women's basketball team celebrates after a big victory

There was a bit of a celebration in the locker room of the Florida A&M women's basketball team at the Lawson Center. And, it had nothing to do with the fact that the Rattlers are now in sole possession of third place in the MEAC.

The postgame merriment Monday night was spurred by the Rattlers reaching a team goal for the first time in a conference game when they defeated Delaware State University 68-46. The 46 points allowed was the cause for celebration.

Holding conference opponents to 55 or fewer points is one of the team's goals set by coach LeDawn Gibson, but FAMU has not been able to do so against a conference opponent until Monday night.

FAMU men win seventh straight game at home

Simply put — there is no place like home for the Florida A&M men's basketball team.

Amin Stevens scored 16 points and the Rattlers fought off a late surge from Delaware State University for a 69-63 victory to complete a four-game home stretch without a loss at the Lawson Center. The Rattlers improved to 10-1 at home and extended their consecutive win streak to seven on their home floor.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

NEXT GAME: FEBRUARY 19, 2:00 P.M. @ HOWARD UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Bennett hits 1,000 in FAMU win over UMES Hawks

Antonia Bennett had an attitude going into Saturday's basketball game against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore as if she wasn't going to let the Hawks build the kind of lead like they did when the two teams met a month ago.

Bennett scored 17 points in the first half for Florida A&M, reaching the 1,000-point plateau along the way, as the Rattlers rolled past UMES 81-58 at the Lawson Center. The win kept FAMU (12-11, 7-4) locked in a third-place tie with North Carolina A&T (11-11, 7-4), which beat Howard University to knock the Bison out of the three-way tie.

As important as the win was for the Rattlers' MEAC standing, the night clearly was....


Rattlers Sweep Hawks

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Antonia Bennett scored 17 first half points and became a member of the Lady Rattler 1,000 point club as the Lady Rattlers handed Maryland Eastern Shore an 81-58 loss, here Saturday afternoon at the Alfred Lawson Center.

FAMU (12-11, 7-4 MEA) had a pair of Lady Rattlers to score 20-plus points as Bennett finished with a game high 25 points to lead all scorers. Tameka McKelton dropped in 21 points followed by Shekeira Copeland with 14 points from off the bench, while Jasmine Grice added 10. Bennett led the Lady Rattlers on the boards with 10 rebounds.

Moore, Rattlers catch fire in win

Just before his men's basketball team returned to the floor to begin the second half, coach Eugene Harris pleaded with his players to be as accurate as they could from the free-throw line.

That was in spite of a first-half effort by former Rickards standout Avery Moore, who already had hit three of five 3-pointers against Maryland Eastern Shore. Moore went on to hit 15 of 17 points from 3-point range, but it was the insistent on free-throw accuracy that turned away the Hawks 63-55 Saturday night at the Lawson Center.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

FAMU Rattlers add depth, replace Ukpai with pair of signings

A week after National Signing Day, Florida A&M added more depth at two positions — quarterback and offensive line — that were on the brink of depletion by the end of last season when the Rattlers ended up sitting sophomore quarterback Martin Ukpai and going on to win a share of the MEAC football championship.

Thursday, Coach Joe Taylor announced the signing of quarterback Damien Fleming, a 6-foot-3, 175-pounder out of Jacksonville Ribault High School. FAMU also signed Ryan Templeton, a highly touted 6-foot-5, 280 pound offensive lineman from Chicago.

The signings give FAMU 24 of 25 players that it recruited leading up to signing day. Taylor also confirmed that Ukpai, whose inconsistencies cost him the starting job in the last three games last season, has left the program. He's now attending a junior college in South Florida, Taylor said.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.


Videographer: ospreywill;

Damien Fleming is an athletic quarterback with a live arm who can make all the throws. He is an accurate passer who has the ability to throw in the pocket or on the move & get the ball to his man. Damien has verbally committed to Vanderbilt university over offers from West Virgina & Southern. He has also received interest from Southern Miss, Louisville, Wisconsin, Ole Miss & Middle Tennessee St. Fleming is a 3.3 student and is the captain of the basketball team.

T.F. South's Templeton to play football at Florida A&M

T.F. South senior offensive linemen Ryan Templeton said he is glad he chose a school in Florida. With school canceled Wednesday because of the weather, Templeton couldn't fax his letter of intent to play football for Florida A&M, which is located in Tallahassee. He said he will fax it today or Friday, weather permitting.

"I couldn't even get out of my house," Templeton said. "I called the coaches (at Florida A&M) and told them I would fax it over this week. I am still going there. "Next year at this time, I guess I won't have to worry about snow down in Florida. I hope not."

It's all in the footwork for T.F. South football player Templeton

T.F. South High School's Ryan Templeton, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound senior, signed Wednesday with Floria A&M.

LANSING, IL | Ryan Templeton didn't need to take dance lessons to get his steps down. He just simply worked on his footwork. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound tackle knows he has to be agile as Templeton moves from right tackle to left tackle.

"I've got to be quicker, because on passing downs, I am protecting the blind side for (quarterback) Kevin Hallberg. I always tell him I got his blind side."

Hallberg is confident in his senior classmate. "He does tell me that, and I have all the confidence in Ryan, because I know he will make his blocks," Hallberg said. "He has really worked hard, and I know he lost a lot of weight since his freshman year, and he has just put in a lot of effort to getting better."


Videographer: RattlerBoosters; 2011 Rattler Signing Day Bash - Schedule & Team Analysis pt I

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

FAMU guard McKelton scores her 1,000th point in win over Coppin State

With 46.9 left on the clock Monday night, Tameka McKelton walked to the free-throw line. She seemed relaxed. She hit the two shots. They were mere formality as the Florida A&M women's basketball team was about to wrap up a 73-62 victory over Coppin State University.

More importantly, the foul shots were McKelton's 20th and 21st points of the night as she became the first junior in a decade to score 1,000 career points at FAMU. The night's work at the Lawson Center was enough to give McKelton a career total of 1,011 points on a night that she obviously was pressured more by the probability of the milestone than anything that the Eagles did defensively.

FAMU protects home floor vs. Coppin State

Florida A&M might want to put up a sign outside the Lawson Center that lets visiting teams know that they're likely to come out of the place nicknamed the snake pit with a loss. Or so it seems.

Coppin State University became the sixth team to find out that the Rattlers are very protective when it comes to their home court. FAMU used the long ball in the second half to build a 14-point cushion then held off a late surge by the Eagles for a 60-58 victory.

The Eagles became the second consecutive team of the top three in the MEAC standings to stumble...


Videographer: atomicdog1983; FAMU vs. MSU, 2/5/11.

Grandmother should inspire FAMU fans to pack Lawson Center

His men's basketball team had just taken down Morgan State University, the team that the rest of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference had been looking up to for the past two seasons. Florida A&M head basketball coach Eugene Harris couldn't help feeling a little proud Saturday night. FAMU had won its eighth game in the Lawson Center for an 8-1 home record.

So you're feeling real good about this, eh coach? "Our motto is we're going to defend to the end," seems a good enough response. It was a beauty to watch. Just like Harris said, every player on the floor brought some hustle. Larry Jackson matched up tough against the Bears' two big men. Yannick Crowder was swatting rejections all over the place.

Let Harris tell it for those who weren't there.

PHOTO GALLERY: FAMU vs. Coppin State


Videographer: cvc318; SCSU VS. FAMU-- HALFTIME

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Taylor calls class best since he has arrived at FAMU

One of the promises Joe Taylor made when he took over as head football coach at Florida A&M was to have his recruiting staff cast a wide net. Call it a promise kept if the class of signees announced Wednesday is an indication.

Taylor reached as far as Hawaii for help to shore up the Rattlers' offensive line, signing offensive guard Pieper Kawika. FAMU beat out nine other schools, including Duke from the ACC and Marshall of Conference USA, for the services of the 6-foot-3, 320-pound two-time all-state lineman from Moanalua High School.

In all, FAMU signed 22 of the 25 prospects it pursued during the recruiting period. Taylor hailed the class, which includes three Division I transfers and one from a junior college, as the best he's recruited since taking over the FAMU program.


Videographer: FAMUSPORTS

2011 FAMU Rattlers Signees

Aiken, Patrick, 5-10/170, CB, Pembroke Pines, Fla./Flanagan H.S.

Bass, Tyler, 6-4/210,QB, r-Jr. Atlanta, Ga./Memphis

Broaddus, James, 6-5/245, DE Choctawhatchee, Fla./Choctawhatchee H.S.

Brinson, Sherrod, 6-1/270 OC Madison, Fla./Madison HS

Carroll, Jeremiah, 6-4/290 OL Dothan, Ala./Northview HS

Carter, Ravonne, 5-11/190 DB Fr. Miami, Fla./New Mexico

Gibson, LaDontae, 6-4/280 OL/DL Madison, Fla./Madison HS

Harrison, Delmus, 5-11/185 RB Tallahassee, Fla./FAMU DRS

Harvey, DeWayne, 6-3/200 Ath Tallahassee, Fla./Florida HS

Hypollite, Ellie 6-4/275 DL Jr. Bartow, Fla./Eerie JC

Liford, Gene 6-9/280 OL Monticello, Fla./Aucilla HS

James, Dane 6-1/180 QB Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson

McGhee, Rickey 6-2/190 WR Crawfordville, Fla./Rickards HS

Morris, Michael 6-5/230 TE Jacksonville, Fla./Andrew Jackson H.S.

Nettles, Michael 6-5/290 OL Miami, Fla./Miami Palmetto

Newton, Brenton 6-3/255 TE/FB Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson

Pieper, Kawika 6-3/320 OG/C Fr. Honolulu, Hawaii/Moanalua HS

Powell, Darius 6-0/206 Ath Gainesville, Fla./East Side

Turner, Casey 5-11/190 RB r-Fr. Jacksonville, Fla./Rutgers University/Ed White H.S.

Ward, Kevin 6-4/285 OG Raleigh, N.C./Broughton HS

Williams, Anthony 6-0/175 WR Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson

FAMU signee ready to shine in classroom

Crista Wright, a math teacher at Gainesville Eastside High School, wasn't sure what to think of Darius Powell the first couple of days he was in her classroom. He appeared a little too shy, although as a sophomore he had already demonstrated that he was a star on the school's football team. That threw Wright for a loop.

"He wasn't that typical, 'Oh, I'm playing football. I'm the star; look at me,' " she said. "He was very driven by his academics. He became a leader in the classroom. He would take other athletes under his wings and encourage them to make sure they were doing their homework."

Florida A&M Rattlers – Meet the Class

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School

Aiken, Patrick CB 5-10 170 Pembroke Pines/Flanagan
Snake Bites: All-Broward County Team selection … Recorded 54 tackles, 12 pass break-ups, two interceptions, eight tackles for loss, five sacks, three forced fumbles, 326 yards in kick returns with two TDs his senior year of play.

Bass, Tyler QB 6-4 210 Atlanta, Ga./Memphis
Snake Bites: In 2009 at Memphis, Bass played in four of the 12 games at quarterback, making three starts as the Tiger signal caller … Averaged 213.2 yards of total offense per game (45.0 rushing, 168.3 passing) … Ranked No. 73 nationally among quarterbacks by Scout.com … Tabbed No. 57 nationally among athletes by Scouts Inc. … Also rushed for 606 yards and 11 TDs on 81 carries.

Florida A&M fans cheer recruits

Right after winning one of the give-away prizes that were handed out during the celebration of Florida A&M catches on National Signing Day, Cicero Hartsfield dashed to find a Sharpie. He had to have coach Joe Taylor's signature on the football that he'd won.

It was a little more than Hartsfield came for when he showed up at The Moon on Wednesday night. He and about 200 other FAMU boosters and fans were there for their first look at the new Rattlers.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

Brinson, Gibson will stay together at FAMU

Their visits to Florida A&M on consecutive weekends were just a formality. Offensive linemen Sherrod "Jumbo" Brinson and LaDonte Gibson had made their decisions to play at FAMU after helping Madison County High School reach the 2A state semifinals.

Gibson said Sunday he committed during the weekend, and his teammate Brinson committed a week earlier. Both linemen have made such a reputation of keeping their quarterback upright that they were called the Cowboys' "Big Bang Twins." Brinson (6-foot, 285 pounds) played right guard at Madison County and Gibson (6-4, 279) held down right tackle.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

Note: LaDonte Gibson has scholarships offers from FAMU, Southern Mississippi, Bethune-Cookman and Western Kentucky. Jumbo Brinson received scholarship offers from FAMU, Tennessee State and Webber International.

NCCU Eagles notch win No. 10 at expense of FAMU

DURHAM -- N.C. Central has figured out how to win close games, but the Eagles have had to build huge leads in two of their three most recent victories to do it. On Saturday, NCCU built a 15-point halftime lead before holding on for a 61-59 win over Florida A&M at McDougald-McLendon Gym that wasn't secured until the Rattlers missed a shot at the buzzer.

The victory gives the Eagles their first 10-win season since moving up to the Division I level. C.J. Wilkerson finished with 18 points, including a pair of free throws that gave the Eagles a five-point lead with under a minute to play.


Videographer: NCCUEagles; Hear Postgame comments from junior forward Nick Chasten (Raleigh, N.C.) and Head Coach LeVelle Moton following NCCU's 61-59 victory over conference foe Florida A&M. NCCU has won three-in-a-row and will take on league leading Bethune-Cookman on Monday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. from McDougald-McLendon Gym.

LAST-SECOND SHOT LIFTS FLORIDA A&M PAST NCCU LADY EAGLES, 63-62

DURHAM, N.C. - After fighting back from a nine-point second-half deficit, the Lady Eagles of North Carolina Central University led by one point at the 49 second mark until Florida A&M scoring leader Antonia Bennett hit a last-second layup to seal a Lady Rattlers 63-62 victory on Saturday, Jan. 29 in McDougald-McLendon Gym.

NCCU began the second half with a score of 26-32, Bennett, who finished with 31 points, quickly paced FAMU to a nine-point deficit. Senior Jori Nwachukwu, who netted 16 points in the last 20 minutes of play, quickly led NCCU on an 8-1 run for the first tie of the half.

From the 14:30 mark until to the 8:17 point, FAMU would regain the lead, pulling away by as many as six points. With sophomore J’Mia Pollock on the line sinking one of her two free throws, the contest became a point-for-point battle.


Videographer: NCCUEagles; Hear Comments from NCCU Head Coach Joli Robinson as the Lady Eagles fell 63-62 to Florida A&M in heartbreaking fashion.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

Hunt on the rise for FAMU track

FAMU Coach Wayne Angel

Florida A&M men's track coach Wayne Angel made a bold statement Thursday afternoon about long jumper Leon Hunt. "I think the sky is the limit for him" Angel said. Specifically, Angel was referring to Hunt becoming the Rattlers' first track and field All-American since 2005, winning a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title and possibly qualifying for next year's Olympics.

That's lofty, but Hunt gave the first-year FAMU coach reason last weekend to be that optimistic. Hunt jumped 25.5 feet last weekend at the Blue Raider Invitational in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The jump landed Hunt in the NCAA's national top 15 rankings at No. 11. It was his career best and now Hunt is aiming to clear another foot, which will put him within range of achieving 26 feet and joining the national elites.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

FAMU near top of list for Eastside's Powell

Offers are on the table from Bowling Green, Towson State, North Carolina A&T, and Marshall in addition to one from FAMU.

On the drive to Tallahassee for a visit at Florida A&M, the potential of becoming a Rattler football player wasn't in Eastside linebacker Darius Powell's plans. The trip was just part of what recruits do during the weeks leading up to National Signing Day.

While driving back home to Gainesville, Mike Powell realized that his son had added FAMU to the list of schools that he's seriously considering.

“Everybody knows that he is really, really interested,” Mike Powell said Wednesday, stopping short of officially disclosing his son's intentions to play football at FAMU. “Now FAMU is as strong as anyone that he is considering.”


Videographer: kissimmee352

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

FAMU shocks Hampton

Florida A&M basketball coach Eugene Harris doesn't take off his jacket except on a rare occasion.

Monday night was one of them. With 37.2 seconds on the clock and the Rattlers holding a three-possession lead on the top team in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Harris was down to his white shirt and tie. On the other end, Hampton University's head coach Edward Joyner constantly wiped the sweat that had beaded up on his face, as if he knew his team's second conference loss was inevitable.

It reached the boiling point in the Lawson Center when the final buzzer went off with FAMU on top of the Pirates 62-58. Beating Hampton (15-5, 5-2 MEAC) is the biggest upset in the program's history since the team made it to the NCAA Tournament four years ago.



Rattlers Women come up short against Hampton

For 14 minutes, the Florida A&M women's basketball team executed the game plan to perfection Monday night at the Lawson Center. Then, the Rattlers stopped getting rebounds and Hampton University began to find gaping holes in their man-defense.

By the time FAMU gathered itself it didn't have enough time to avoid a 59-47 loss on a night when a win would have made the difference between being in a first-place tie with the Pirates (13-6, 6-1) or where they have fallen to fourth place in the MEAC.

Pirates with a tough road loss at FAMU

TALLAHASSEE, FLA – The Hampton University men’s basketball team had its three-game winning streak snapped on Monday night, as the Pirates fell 62-58 to Florida A&M at the Lawson Center.

Junior guard Kwame Morgan II hit a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left to pull Hampton within three, 58-55, before hitting a free throw with 15 seconds left to cut the score to 60-58. Yannick Crowder and Amin Stevens each hit a free throw down the stretch, and junior guard Christopher Tolson missed what would’ve been a game-tying 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining.

Florida A&M upsets Hampton; Pirates' three-game win streak snapped

Florida A&M (7-12, 2-5 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) snapped a three-game Hampton (15-5, 5-2) winning streak with a 62-58 win and knocked the Pirates out of a first-place tie with Bethune-Cookman.

The Pirates' Kwame Morgan hit a 3 with 36 seconds left and a free throw with 15 left to bring the game to 60-58. The Rattlers' Yannick Crowder and Amin Stevens hit one free throw apiece, and the Pirates’ Christopher Tolson missed a game-tying 3 with nine seconds left.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.