Hill takes windy path to FAMU tight ends coach

Tallahassee, FL - The road that former Troy State wide receiver David Hill Jr. took to becoming tight ends coach at FAMU has had a few twists and turns along the way that would make some folks wish they hadn't taken the journey. Not Hill, though.

He wouldn't trade the experience of having gone from college to high hopes of playing in the NFL only to end up with five years of arena football experience with five different teams instead. What he gained through it all is too valuable.

"I had the opportunity to play at the highest level, even though it was a little time," said Hill, who was the defensive coordinator at Jefferson County High School last season. "Throughout my years I've gained a lot of knowledge from different coaches. I learned a whole ton about the game of football."

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FAMU's Defensive Coordinator Earl Holmes talks with Franchise Sports

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FAMU's Ammons stands firm on his stance for MEAC-SWAC game

Ammons refuses to sell the Rattlers brand for cheap

Tallahassee, FL - For the right price, Florida A&M would consider accepting an invitation to play in the nationally televised MEAC-SWAC Challenge football game — even if it remains in Orlando.

"What FAMU could do for that MEAC-SWAC game is something that no other team in the MEAC or the SWAC can do," FAMU president James Ammons told the Democrat in an exclusive interview recently. "We feel that we should have a fair market value for us to be in that game."




He didn't say what the payout is, but said it's more than $100,000 and not close to the gate receipts of a home football game. Other sources have said the Challenge payout is less than $175,000.

That is small compared to what the football team brings in when it plays in guaranteed games and its annual classics in Orlando and Atlanta. Each of those showcase games is worth more than $600,000.

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FAMU Rattlers feeling good about replacements at cornerback

Tallahassee, FL - When All-American cornerbacks Curtis Holcomb and Qier Hall completed their eligibility at Florida A&M last season, they left a glaring hole in the secondary.

Rattlers coach Joe Taylor wasn't too concerned, though. After all, he had three qualified replacements, led by Marvin Ross who has the most experience of the trio. While Ross has clearly established himself as a starter, Jerral Stewart and Terry Johnson also are contending for one of the two positions at corner.

The competition isn't over, though, and Ross knows it. "Coming into the starting role, I've got to play hard, use the techniques," he said. "We had Holcomb and Hall and they gave me a lot of help and study. "I took advantage of it because there was no reason to sit back. They were experienced guys. Qier and Curtis gave us a lot of encouragement."

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Ammons intends to improve FAMU facilities

Dr. James Ammons, FAMU President

Tallahassee, FL - Smack-dab in the middle of a drive down Wahnish Way, through the Florida A&M campus sits the attractive Lawson Center, home of the Rattlers' basketball and volleyball teams.

From inside the glass-laden building, one view is of a section of athletic facilities that includes softball, tennis and a drawn-down Olympic-size swimming pool. A short walk through the state-of-the art Lawson Center brings into view Bragg Stadium, which hasn't had a major renovation in more than 30 years.

Three short blocks south of the Lawson Center sits FAMU's baseball field, which also is in need of upgrades. Just about every one of the venues where the Rattlers play is high on the must-do list of FAMU president James Ammons.

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FAMU's Taylor left wanting more

Tallahassee, FL - There was a little bit more pushing and shoving Monday afternoon — the first day in pads for the Florida A&M football team — but it didn't stop Rattlers coach Joe Taylor from wishing he'd seen a little bit more from his younger players.

"I don't think the effort was bad but there were too many questions, mainly with the second and third team," he said. "I guess that's that youth, but I think we're still on a good pace."

Monday was the start of what Taylor called "separation week," when he'd find out more about the personality of his team and which players will emerge as the ones who make the travel squad. They'll have the first of two two-a-days workouts scheduled this week, culminating with a scrimmage Saturday at 9 a.m.

The scrimmage will carry most of the weight for grading his players, Taylor said.

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FAMU football team pleased with depth at quarterback

Tallahassee, FL - Tyler Bass knows the wacky things that could happen in a football game, especially to quarterbacks. He saw a lot of it in his freshman year at the University of Memphis.

As best Bass, now a backup quarterback at Florida A&M, could recollect, three upper-class quarterbacks ahead of him went down in one game. He got the call to finish the fourth quarter of the game with East Carolina holding an insurmountable lead.

Such a scenario might not play out at FAMU with Austin Trainor as starter, but if Rattlers coach Joe Taylor should ever have to realize a coach's worst fear about his quarterback, he just might not have much to worry about.

For the first time in more than seven seasons, FAMU has a talented trio of backup quarterbacks. Taylor had been living on the edge with...

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Florida A&M University Launches New Website To Celebrate FAMU's 125th Anniversary

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida A&M University was originally founded in 1887 as the State Normal College for Colored Students that served the underrepresented and underprivileged.

Today, Florida A&M University boasts an extraordinarily diverse student body including citizens from across the State of Florida and the globe. For nearly 125 years, Florida A&M University has served as a beacon of hope for thousands of talented young men and women seeking to improve their lives through the pursuit of a college education.

To celebrate its rich history, Florida A&M University will kick off its 125th anniversary on October 3, 2011. The University is proud of its history and is dedicated and committed to providing “Excellence with Caring” to a new generation of scholars.

A year-long series of special events are planned to celebrate the aspirations and accomplishments achieved over the past 125 years as well as illuminate the university’s vision for its future.

FAMU Yesterday. FAMU Today. FAMU Forever.

President's 2011 Gala Honoring the Marching "100"
Florida A&M University will kick off its year long 125-year Anniversary Celebration during the President’s Gala on Friday, October 7, 2011. This year’s gala theme is “Marching for Excellence” and will pay tribute to the life of William P. Foster, the “Dean of America’s Band Directors,” and the incomparable Marching “100.”




In video #2, the late Dr. William P. Foster, conducting "Knocks Me Off My Feet" with the 1996 edition of the Florida A&M University "Marching 100". The arranger was Mr. Lindsey B. Sarjeant, Assistant Director of Bands and University Arranger, Florida A&M University.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS TO THE 125TH CELEBRATION EVENTS -- VISIT: FAMU125.COM.

FAMU football team bonds with its fans

Tallahassee, FL -- Freshman offensive lineman Austin Edwards beamed with every stroke of the Sharpie he used to sign autographs for fans. The crowd around his table had thinned out a bit when his mother walked up. They both flashed huge smiles.

Shonnice Booker could hardly contain the pride she felt to see her son among the Florida A&M football players who met about 700 of their fans at the Lawson Center on Saturday.



"I'm very proud and I'm excited for him … seeing the community come out and support them," said Booker, who walked the complete circle inside the huge center to visit and mingle with her son's teammates. "To hear the guys saying how they plan on bringing back home a championship ring and to hear my son really, really want to be a part of that is really great."

Fans began to trickle into the building about 20 minutes before the event officially started. Some took individual photos with the players, and almost every fan made the rounds to get autographs and pick up team trinkets.

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Steven Robinson back at it for Florida A&M

Steven Robinson

Tallahassee, FL - For a while after Steven Robinson put down the crutches that he'd walked on for three months, things seemed surreal. His entire football career flashed before his eyes and he didn't like what he saw at first.

"I felt like I wouldn't be able to play football again," said Robinson.

But with every attempt he made to walk without the crutches, each step brought hope that he'd be back on the field with the Florida A&M football team. "It was stiff, but after a couple of months of walking on it getting those muscles back to working it started to feel like normal," he said.

Robinson, a 2008 Lincoln High School graduate who started his college career at Central Florida, began to feel an even greater sense of normalcy this week. He is back on the football field after months of rehab and a summer of grueling workouts that signaled his comeback would be on track.

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Transfers making impression at FAMU

Tallahassee, FL - From a distance, it was clear linebacker Kevin Nelson hasn't been in the Florida A&M system longer than the two days the team has been practicing. But Nelson demonstrated an eye for the ball Wednesday afternoon. It moved right, he headed in that direction. Left or up the middle, he was right there too.

"Be patient," FAMU defensive coordinator Earl Holmes pleaded. Nelson obliged.



On the opposite side of the field where the offense worked out, slot receiver Al-Terek McBurse was also trying to make plays. McBurse and Nelson are the latest transfers from Division I programs — Nelson from Miami and McBurse from Purdue. They don't have to sit out a year because they've transferred down a classification.

Both worked out with the second team, but FAMU coach Joe Taylor said they can expect plenty of playing time. They will fill voids that were created with linebacker Willie Ferrell and receiver T.J. Lawrence being academically ineligible to play this season.

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FAMU names Willie Brown new baseball head coach

Tallahassee, FL - Former minor league outfielder Willie Brown will become the next head baseball coach at Florida A&M, the Tallahassee Democrat learned late Tuesday night.

Efforts to reach FAMU athletic director Derek Horne were unsuccessful and calls to Brown's cell phone went directly to a voicemail. However, multiple sources said they've had knowledge of Brown's hiring as early as Monday.

He is expected to bring on Tonayne Brown, a former Godby (High School, Tallahassee) standout who also played professional ball, as his assistant.

Brown, who resigned as Maclay High School's (Tallahassee) baseball coach at the end of this past season, becomes the second consecutive FAMU alum hired as a head coach. Former Rattler Clemon Johnson was recently hired as men's basketball coach.

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NOTE:  The list of candidates included: former Florida A&M and minor league outfielder Willie Brown (who recently resigned as head coach at Maclay High School), Santa Fe Community College assistant Bruce Larkins, former Bethune-Cookman University assistant Joel Sanchez, Keith Shumate (who recently resigned as head coach at North Carolina A&T) and Brett Richardson, current FAMU interim baseball head coach.

FAMU's Gibson gets a contract extension

Tallahassee, FL - LeDawn Gibson will have two more years to complete her turnaround of the Florida A&M women's basketball team.

A day after the school's Board of Trustees approved a two-year contract extension for Gibson, FAMU president James Ammons said Friday it was a "huge vote of confidence." He also said he is optimistic that Gibson could take the team farther than it has gone in the past three seasons when it reached the semifinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament.

"As we take a look at where the program was before she came and the progress over these last three years," he said, "we think we are a short time away from hitting pay dirt."

Gibson was unavailable Friday for comment...

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NOTE:  We now love this hire!

Coach LeDawn Gibson has successfully made the transition from Winter Haven High School to become a successful Division I level coach.  Just ask East Carolina University that was defeated by the Lady Rattlers 89-85 at the Iowa State Cyclone Challenge last December. Gibson knocked off both South Florida and Florida in an 18-11 season in 2009.  She has made some superb moves in the hiring of assistant coaches Stephen Joyner, who was promoted to the head women's basketball coaching position at Winston Salem State and veteran assistant Freddie Murray from North Carolina A&T.  Coach Murray was a top assistant under legendary coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs and is noted for being a great recruiter and position coach.

It appears the combine skills of Gibson and Murray have already paid the gas bill--with the signing of four junior college transfers and seven high school recruits with most in the Rivals 3-4 star category.  This is going to be a very exciting team to watch over the next several years, as we expect Coach Gibson to earn her first MEAC championship and NCAA Championship berth.

We now love this hire!

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Tallahassee's boxing champ gives FAMU Rattlers a pep talk

Tallahassee, FL - Tavoris Cloud walked to the podium inside the Gallimore Field House and announced to the Florida A&M football team that he'd left his notes home, then proceeded to freestyle his way through a speech that was humorous as much as it was motivational.

Coach Joe Taylor said he invited the undefeated Tallahassee boxer to give the Rattlers some insight Monday night on what it takes to be a champion, as a prelude to the start of practice Wednesday. Cloud holds the IBF version of the world light heavyweight title and FAMU is co-defending MEAC champion.

Cloud talked about his commitment to training, his struggle to become a world champion and how to cope with distractions. He didn't come off as...

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FAMU eager to begin practice, ready to prove naysayers wrong

Coach Joe Taylor

Tallahassee, FL - Some players are so vexed by the preseason prediction that Florida A&M will finish third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference that they could hardly wait to get onto the practice field. They will have to hold their anxiety a few more days, though.

"We have been working for about 12 weeks and we are ready to play," said senior safety Anthony Shutt. "We are tired of seeing each other."

Well, it will be like that for another four weeks. But at least the Rattlers will get a chance to do a little hitting in a few days after they spend the next two days going through orientation and other formalities. They'll also spend their afternoons participating walk-through drills all of this week.

The team will begin to get a little more physical on Aug. 15. Two-a-days will be held...

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Milan Clayton commits to FAMU basketball

Tallahassee, FL - Point guard Milan Clayton's decision about her college basketball career was pretty straightforward – go where she wanted and not where her talent was wanted. With that, she verbally committed to Florida A&M as the school where she will takes the next step in her basketball career.

"I always liked FAMU," Clayton said. "I mean, it's in the family and I like the coach (LeDawn Gibson). I like the way she runs things and I think I will be a good addition to her program. I like the whole system and the style of play."

Clayton's father, Mickey, said she's also decided to transfer from North Florida Christian to FAMU High for her senior year. The move will put her closer to advanced classes that she plans to take at the university, he said.



"I really didn't really want to go through my whole (senior) year wonder where I'm going to go," she said. "I knew I wanted to go to FAMU and since I knew that, I felt I should make that decision now and just enjoy my senior year and not have that on my mind."

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Florida A&M players endure the heat during tests

 LaVante Page

Tallahassee, FL - Running back LaVante Page could have been speaking for any of the other Florida A&M football players who endured Thursday's scorching heat to prove their physical condition by running a 300-meter shuttle drill.

"It's burning," said Page, the last player to complete the test that was supervised by strength and conditioning coach Russell Barbarino on the team's practice field. It culminated a series of physical testing for the Rattlers that included power clean, bench press, 225-pound rep test and the vertical and agility jumps.

A handful of players who succumbed to the 90-plus degree heat will have to give the 300-yard run between cones another shot to earn a passing score. The team begins preseason practice on Wednesday, following another round of physical drills, Barbarino said.

"This kind of test not only determines if a person is in shape, but it tests...

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2011 Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida Classic Tickets on Sale

ORLANDO, FL – Tickets for the 32nd Annual Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Classic, the traditional showdown between historically black institutions Bethune-Cookman University and Florida A&M University, are now on sale to the general public.

Tickets to America’s preeminent HBCU football game may be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, at the Amway Center box office, by phone (407.839.3900) or any Ticketmaster outlet. This year’s game will be played on Saturday, November 19 at 2:30 p.m. in Orlando’s Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium while being televised nationally on ESPN Classic.

Tickets are available for as low as $10.75 (3rd level, corner), while other seats are available at great price levels ($27 end zone, $37 goal line or lower-deck corner). Priority seating for the game is available with season ticket packages purchased through either B-CU or FAMU. For Wildcat ticket information, call 386.481.2202; for FAMU, call 850.599.3141.

Student tickets are available for $27 and may be purchased through the student’s respective school.

Group tickets (20 or more) may be purchased through Florida Citrus Sports (407.423.2476) or at the FCSports Box Office, located in the South end of the stadium (open Mon. and Wed., Noon – 4:00 p.m.; Fri., 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.).



Parking is on sale and available by visiting www.ClickandPark.com.

Fans should purchase their tickets at one of the approved locations listed above. Buying from any alternative source increases the risk of receiving a counterfeit ticket.

Proceeds from the BCBS of Florida Classic and all official ancillary events support the participating institution’s mission of providing educational opportunities through scholarships for all students.

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49ers lose rookie (from FAMU) for season with torn Achilles

Curtis Holcomb
(Photo courtesy FAMU Athletics)

Santa Clara, CA - The hits keep coming for the 49ers.
Seventh-round draft pick Curtis Holcomb is likely out for the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon during a conditioning test on Thursday. His agent said that Holcomb, who played at Florida A&M, will have surgery to repair the tendon.

Holcomb was the last of the team's draft picks. He had been training in the Tampa area before flying to California early this week and signing his contract Thursday morning. Another seventh-round pick, fullback Bruce Miller, was placed on the physically unable to perform list with a shoulder injury, although he is expected to be activated in a matter of days.

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49ers Training Camp 2011: Curtis Holcomb Ruptures Achilles, Likely Done For Season

9ers 7th round draft pick Curtis Holcomb ruptured his achilles tendon in practice today, and is likely to miss the rest of the season, per Matt Barrows twitter account. Holcomb will have surgery on Thursday and will face a long recovery from what is one of the more painful and difficult injuries in sports.

Holcomb, at 5'10, 190 lbs was selected with the Niners last pick in this year's Draft, out of Florida A&M, and was looking to secure himself a roster spot. He doesn't lack confidence, and on a recent 49ers conference call, he had this to say about his best skill as a cornerback:

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Former FAMU Rattlers Sylvester signs with Atlanta Falcons

Marianna, FL - Former Marianna Bulldogs football star Philip Sylvester has signed a contract with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, and will participate in the team’s training camp in hopes of making the final 53-man roster.

Sylvester, who spent the last four seasons playing for the FAMU Rattlers, wasn’t selected in the April NFL Draft, but was offered a free agent contract by the Falcons on Monday, and then left for Atlanta on Tuesday.

Efforts to contact Sylvester were unsuccessful, but the speedy running back’s former high school coach Don Dowling said he couldn’t be happier to see the mild-mannered former Bulldog get his shot.

“It’s a big deal. Someone mentioned to me that he was my first former player to sign an NFL contract, which I thought was pretty cool,” said Dowling, now the head coach at Sneads. “He’s one of those kids who deserve it. He has worked hard his entire career, and he’s a great kid. Back at Marianna, you wouldn’t have even known he was some big-time running back in the hallways. He’s just a regular kid.

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Florida A&M Rattlers swim team closer to getting own pool

Tallahassee, FL - A portion of one side of its walls is ripped out with steel rods dangling all around as a demolition has its way with the 25-meter pool that for years sat abandoned behind Gaither Gymnasium.

Within three to four months the face-lift is expected to be completed, marking a high-water mark for the Florida A&M swim teams. For the first time in more than five years the Rattlers will have a home pool. Meanwhile, they've been working out at Florida State's pool.

They've been waiting for work to begin on the pool, too.  For more than a year, there have been...

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