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Showing posts with label Grambling State University. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grambling State University. Show all posts
Dallas, Texas - Doug Williams, former Grambling State University quarterback and Grambling’s head football coach from 1998-2003, just had to come back as head football coach to where he considers home.
“What made me come back?” Williams told a press conference audience on Monday. “It’s just one word: Grambling.”
Williams, along with Prairie View A&M University Panthers head coach Heishma Northern, on Monday were part of the Kickoff Press Conference for the State Fair Classic, one of Black College Football’s most prestigious annual games. The two teams square off Saturday, October 1 at 6 p.m. at the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park.
The game regularly attracts between 50,000 and 60,000 fans. Traditionally held on the opening weekend of the State Fair of Texas, officials determined that the event brings in close to $10 million of economic infusion into North Texas each year.
Grambling, LA - Doug Williams practically begged his Grambling State players to step up and show him something Saturday night. What the Tigers showed were flashes of brilliance that, ultimately, were undone by eight turnovers and an inability to finish the job.
When Luther Snipe made a sliding interception of a Frank Rivers pass at the Alabama A&M 10 with 25 seconds left, Grambling’s losing streak officially hit three games and allowed the Bulldogs to hang on for a 20-14 victory at Robinson Stadium.
“Not protecting the football is a big factor in any football game,” Williams said. “We had opportunities. We were in the red zone two or three times and we gave the ball back. Those are things we can’t do. We fumbled at a crucial time where we moving the football and Alabama A&M made the plays when they had to.”
GRAMBLING, LA — The Tigers make their way back home this week — finally, and not at all too soon.
Grambling coach Doug Williams hasn't been particularly pleased with his team's — especially his offense's — performances in its past two games.
He's hoping some home-cooking will be just the remedy to rebound against visiting Alabama A&M (1-2, 0-1) and start moving forward again in SWAC play.
"It's certainly a good time to get back on track, and that's at home," he said. "Alabama A&M had a big win for them to beat Tuskegee who has been like a thorn in the side to some of the schools in the SWAC, but the good part about it, it's home. We get a chance to recoup, and hopefully the guys realize in order to do what we've set out to do we've got to compete every week, every minute, every second. There ain't no time to let up, and it ain't over until it's over."
Montgomery, AL - Nick Andrews caught nine passes for a career-high 148 yards and two touchdowns and Kejuan Riley made two pivotal interceptions as Alabama State defeated Grambling State 31-17 Saturday night in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game at Cramton Bowl.
Andrews' 15-yard touchdown catch from QB Greg Jenkins in the fourth quarter broke a 10-10 tie as the Hornets (2-1 overall, 2-0 SWAC) scored 21 points in a 2:30 span to pull away from Grambling State (1-2, 1-1).
“This was a great win for our team,” head coach Reggie Barlow said. “It was exciting. We knew it would be a pivotal game and we talked to them about it. These guys are buying into the vision and playing hard.”
Andrews' second touchdown of the night continued his ascent up the ASU receiving charts. Andrews now has 22 touchdown receptions, moving him to third all time, as he surpassed William Evans and Damon Hodge (each with 21).
Jenkins came off the bench in the second half, completing seven of 12 passes for 59 yards and one touchdown. Jenkins also rushed for a 16-yard touchdown two plays after the first of Riley's two interceptions.
“This was a great win for us as a program,” Andrews said. “The fans came out strong, they were great. We started off slow in the first half, but kept the ball moving all night. I just think the execution improved in the second half and we were able to come away with the victory.”
Alabama State rolled up 399 yards total offense, limiting Grambling to 177 yards. GSU quarterback D.J. Williams completed nine of 22 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns, both to Mario Louis, who caught four passes for 46 yards.
“It was a huge night for us,” Riley said. “We had a good plan, did what our coaches instructed and played hard. We knew we had to get off the field, make plays for offense and put them in position to make plays and win the ball game.”
Tied at 10-10 early in the third quarter, Barlow inserted Jenkins in at quarterback, who did not start after suffering a hip injury at Eastern Michigan last week.
“Jenkins is our guy,” Barlow said. “We love Dominguez; he's a good player for us and it's good to have an option like Dominguez. We're excited that we could have Jenkins go in. We just wanted to make sure he was ok and he could protect himself. Obviously he was able to do that, we decided to go with him and he performed well.”
The win by Alabama State was the first over Grambling since 2006 and the first in Montgomery since 1997.
“Grambling was the team that was picked to win the league. We wanted to see how we measured up. It was the same attitude we had against Eastern Michigan, and the same attitude we had against these guys. We knew it was going to be a fight. We were (7-25) against them, so we haven't had a lot of success against them. Obviously, this does something for these guys' psyche to dominate the way that we did.”
Monroe, LA - Grambling coach Doug Williams said he's not a fan of playing this game. ULM coach Todd Berry said he and his team are excited to play, but acknowleged the pressures that the program and the university are under to put on a good "event."
These are just some of the questions that are surrounding Grambling's and ULM's second meeting in school history.
"We really don't have an advantage going to ULM," Williams said. "Eddie Robinson felt like he never had anything to gain by playing Louisiana Tech, (ULM) or LSU, and that's when we could compete with anybody in the country. ULM is an (FBS) school now with more scholarships."
But with all the hullabaloo of game week now over, it comes down to Saturday's 6 p.m. kickoff in Malone Stadium.
SHREVEPORT, LA — There is a new trend in the Alcorn State-Grambling State rivalry — freshman quarterbacks stealing the show. Last year, it was Alcorn State's Brandon Bridge, who single-handedly kept the Braves in the game. In Saturday's Port City Classic, however, it was Grambling's D.J. Williams who took on the starring role.
Williams tossed a pair of touchdowns in his first collegiate start and GSU held off a late Alcorn rally to give coach Doug Williams a 21-14 victory in his return to Grambling. Even when D.J. Williams did not have a hand in a touchdown, he set them up.
As a first-time starting quarterback, Grambling freshman D.J. Williams refused to make Saturday's Port City Classic matchup with Alcorn State all about him. Instead, he put the onus on the Tigers' defense.
"I've been telling those guys, 'We're putting it on y'all,'" Williams said. "They're the best defense in the SWAC and they showed it (Saturday) night."
The Tigers defense definitely did its job against Alcorn, leading the way in Grambling's 21-14 victory. A year after watching Alcorn quarterback Brandon Bridge torch them for 408 passing yards, the Tigers were ready for the sophomore known as Air Canada.
Grambling, LA - Doug Williams is a firm believer in picking a quarterback and sticking with him.
"I always say the quarterback," the Grambling State coach said. "During the course of a game, anything can happen, but I don't want any quarterback to go in and have to look over his shoulder. I don't think that's fair to any kid or anybody who's played that position to worry about, 'Am I going to get yanked?'"
The youngster who will not have to worry about that pressure when Grambling opens its season Saturday against Alcorn State in the Port City Classic will be Williams' son, D.J., a 6-foot-4, 193-pound freshman.
The younger Williams beat out Frank Rivers for the starting job.
Grambling, LA — Grambling quarterback D.J. Williams may only be a freshman, but he's certainly got the confidence of a fifth-year senior.
"I feel like the guys just rally around me," Williams said. "I'm good friends with all of the guys, on and off the field, and they just rally around me. I feel like I'm the best leader out there."
Williams and sophomore Frank Rivers have been battling throughout camp for the opportunity to be Grambling's starting quarterback when it opens the season against Alcorn State on Sept. 3.
The Grambling coaching staff has yet to make any statements about ...
Grambling, LA - Grambling State offensive coordinator Vyron Brown has been a traveling man.
Since he served as the running backs coach at Alabama State in December's Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game, Brown worked at two other SWAC schools before landing at the place he calls home.
"Shreveport and Grambling are home for me," said Brown, a 1997 Woodlawn High School graduate.
When he returned for his second tenure at the head of the GSU program, head coach Doug Williams quickly called Brown to fill his offensive coordinator opening. Brown was just as quick to accept.
"I was at Alcorn for about a month when coach Williams got the job," Brown said. "He told coach (Melvin) Spears, I'm going to call and ask him if he wants to come home. That was a no-brainer for myself."
Williams likes to say Grambling is family and Brown fits...
GRAMBLING, La. — If Doug Williams’ second time around as head coach at Grambling State is as successful as his first stint, the Tigers should be in good shape.
As the successor to Eddie Robinson, the Tigers’ All-America quarterback and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player helped his alma mater dominate the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with three league titles during that period.
After serving as a front office executive in the NFL with Tampa Bay, Williams is back at Grambling.
“There’s nothing like Grambling and I’m thrilled about being back home,” he said. “I enjoyed being in the NFL and working with some great people, but this is family. Hopefully, I can keep the family happy by winning.” If the Tigers fulfill preseason predictions of winning a Western Division title in the SWAC, they’ll have to do so without the team’s top two rushers of the past four years.
WILD MOGUL$ was hanging with the world famous Grambling State Marching Band for a weekend in Louisiana while they recorded an original song for a PitBull Energy Drink commercial in which Grambling State Marching Band starred in.
Philadelphia, PA - Doug Williams laughs that a lot of his football players at Grambling State didn't know much about him when he returned to his alma mater for a second stint as head coach.
Dezmond Spivey knew him well. He just laughs at Williams' style.
"He's a character, he's a comedian," Spivey said. "When he imitates Coach Rob, he goes 'only in America' and certain things. And I can say this, when there's a scenario to be given, he has one for every single thing."
Spivey's father played with Williams for one season at Grambling State under Coach Rob - the legendary Eddie Robinson - so Dezmond has a history with the Tigers' new coach that includes attending...
Grambling, LA - The Grambling State offense will spend the remaining three-plus weeks of fall camp sorting out who will be the starting quarterback when the Tigers open the season Sept. 3 against Alcorn State in Shreveport.
Defensive coordinator Clifford Yoshida, however, already knows who will handle the leadership role on his defense — senior middle linebacker Cliff Exama. Once a man without a real home on defense, Exama has evolved into a tackling machine and a trusted Yoshida aide.
"I recruited Cliff out of (North Miami Beach) Florida and we always thought he'd be a good football player," Yoshida said. "It's come to fruition."
After bouncing from a standup defensive end to weak side linebacker, Exama, who was lightly recruited out of high school, settled in at middle linebacker and the numbers quickly added up.
Baton Rouge, LA - LSU completed its 2012 non-conference football schedule this week with the addition of Towson University. Towson University? Really?
Southeastern Conference schools have historically lined up punching bags for games outside of the conference. The thought process being the eight SEC games are difficult enough. SEC schools have little desire to add four more tough ones.
That thought process is debatable. What shouldn't be debatable is that Towson has no business taking one of LSU's four out-of-conference dates in 2012.
In the past, LSU has done an admirable job of playing in-state competition. After years of only playing Tulane in state, LSU has opened up its stadium and coffers to Louisiana Tech, UL-Lafayette and UL-Monroe. Last year, LSU dropped down to play Football Championship Subdivision member McNeese State. The Tigers will play FCS member Northwestern State this year.
NOTE: We agree with Scott Ferrell... We have nothing against Towson University, which was 1-10 last season, but why pay $510,000 to an out-of-state program when you can create a great payday for FCS programs Grambling State or Southern University that the Tigers have never played in football? Why should Southern have to travel to New Mexico or Georgia to get a "money game" when LSU sits right across Baton Rouge with a fat checkbook ready to pay other perennial doormats a half-million dollars for a guaranteed blowout? From any angle, Grambling State vs. LSU or Southern vs. LSU is much more entertaining than a Towson vs. LSU game.
Grambling, LA - Finally, football is here again. Grambling State's players report for training camp Wednesday, then have two workouts Thursday: a 6 a.m. conditioning test, then the first official practice at 7 p.m. After a long summer of keeping tabs on his players from a distance, head coach Doug Williams is eager to get back on the field.
"I really am," Williams said. "You go through the spring, and you go through some things from an evaluation standpoint, and then you spend the next few months with the kids away from you. You're just with the coaches, trying to figure out who is going to go where. You're trying to put the puzzle together."
Wednesday is mostly an administrative day. Players will be checking in, getting their equipment, getting room assignments, going through admission, registration and financial aid paperwork, sitting through meetings with trainers and campus security, and spending a little time hobnobbing with each other.
New York, NY - NBC Sports announced Tuesday it will continue to televise the annual Bayou Classic through 2012. The Southern-Grambling football rivalry in the Louisiana Superdome has been televised by NBC on Thanksgiving weekend since 1991. As part of the agreement, State Farm is continuing its title sponsorship.
“The Bayou Classic is a slice of Americana, and at the end of this agreement we will have broadcast this iconic event for 23 straight years,” said Jon Miller, president of programming for NBC Sports and VERSUS in the announcement. This year’s Bayou Classic is scheduled for Nov. 26.
“The NBC Sports broadcast and the title sponsorship helps us spread our Jaguar pride into millions of households nationwide,” Southern University System President Ronald Mason Jr. said in the release. “(The) Bayou Classic is more than a football game; it’s a tradition of family fun and camaraderie that we look forward to every Thanksgiving weekend.”
Baton Rouge, LA - Southern fans have already penciled in the Nov. 26 football game on the Jaguars’ schedule as an automatic victory. The problem is that Grambling State fans have done the same thing.
It’s not because they view each other as a slouch. Rather, it reflects the deep level of passion and pride behind the State Farm Bayou Classic, now in its 38th year. There are certainly no shortage of story lines for this year’s game. Second-year Southern coach Stump Mitchell’s team is seeking to rebound from a 2-9 season that included a 38-17 loss to Grambling.
Grambling interim athletic director Aaron James is no stranger to the New Orleans area, having played in high school at Cohen, then collegiately with the Tigers, and in the NBA with the New Orleans Jazz.
“This is a great rivalry and a family affair,” James said. “It’s the Black College Super Bowl. The reason why we are out here this early is that, since Hurricane Katrina, the attendance has dropped, and we want to build it back up to where it use to be. We’ve got to get the 65,000-75,000 people back in the Superdome.”
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Asked why he returned to coach football at his alma mater, Alabama’s Bear Bryant is famously supposed to have replied: “Mama called.” For Doug Williams, his whirlwind return to Grambling was for similar reasons.
“I always feel responsible for Grambling because Grambling was good to me,” Williams said as he faced a barrage of interviews Tuesday at SWAC football media day. “I hope that by coming back I’m giving back.”
The Zachary native was set to take a front office job with the Washington Redskins - the franchise he led to victory in Super Bowl XXII with a virtuoso MVP performance - when former Grambling coach Rod Broadway abruptly resigned on Feb. 3 to become head coach at North Carolina A&T.
Almost immediately, Williams said, his phone started ringing. At the other end of the line were ... READ MORE
Houma, LA - Frank Lewis started his journey to Grambling State University with a hopeful phone call. Now, 45 years later, Grambling has called Lewis back to be a part of its Legends Sports Hall of Fame.
After a standout football career with the Tigers from 1967-70 and a highly successful NFL career that followed, the Houma native was inducted into the Grambling Hall of Fame on Saturday. He said he cherishes the honor and shares it with his family and legendary Grambling coach Eddie Robinson for whom Lewis played.
"I am truly blessed to a part of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Southwest Athletic Conference Hall of Fame, but my heart is Grambling," Lewis, 64, said. "This is my greatest honor because I know so many of the guys who played with me and before me were so great. It's a great honor for myself, my family and for Coach Rob. This is the pinnacle. It's Grambling's Hall of Fame, so it's the greatest honor I can receive."
Grambling, La. - Grambling's rich history once again will be on display when the Grambling Legends Hall of Fame inducts its third class of stellar athletes, coaches and contributors at a 6 p.m. Saturday ceremony at the Fred C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
Much like the previous two classes, the inductees always come back to the same subject: the family atmosphere at GSU.
"My ties to Grambling are so very, very deep," said inductee Douglas Porter, who was an assistant coach under Eddie Robinson and has been a close adviser for the coaches who succeeded Robinson. "The people who I come in contact with, they say, 'Why did you come back to Grambling?' I say, 'It's because I'm a Gramblingite. It's because I've got friends here that are the greatest friends you could ever have, and when you've got friends it's priceless."
More on this year's Grambling Sports Legends Hall of Fame class of inductees ...
FRANK GARNETT (baseball) – A New Orleans native, Garnett was a three-sport letterman and a state champion in both baseball and basketball at St. Augustine High. He then served as a team captain on the 1962-63 Grambling baseball teams, as the Tigers advanced to the national NAIA baseball tournament for the third of what would be four times between 1961-67. He was named all-conference in each of his four years on campus – once at first base, twice at third base and once a shortstop – and earned first-team All-America honors in 1963. Garnett, later a longtime Los Angeles area educator, then signed a baseball contract with the Washington Senators, and played seven seasons of minor league baseball.
JAMES “SHACK” HARRIS (football) – A senior personnel executive for the NFL’s Detroit Lions, the Monroe, Louisiana, native led Grambling to SWAC championships in each of his four years as quarterback and was named MVP of the 1967 Orange Blossom Classic. Drafted by the AFL’s Buffalo Bills, he would become the first black player to start a season at quarterback, the first to start a conference championship game and the first to be named MVP of the Pro Bowl over the course of a career that also included stops with the Rams and Chargers.
TASHA HOLLIS (women’s basketball) – A standout at Grambling from 1988-91, the Mobile, Alabama, native scored a total of 2,058 points. She boasted a career shot percentage of 58 percent, and a free-throw average of 64 percent. That included scoring in double figures 75 times in 85 games played. The Lady Tigers, under fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach Pat Bibbs, claimed the SWAC regular-season and tournament titles in 1988-89. Hollis also notched double figures in rebounds in 69 career games, and had 140 blocked shots and 142 steals.
DELLES HOWELL (football) – Famously started at Grambling as a freshman cornerback, then in the NFL as a rookie. The Monroe, Louisiana, native starred on a trio of Southwestern Athletic Conference title teams for fellow Grambling Legends Hall of Fame coach Eddie Robinson, then for the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets in a six-season NFL career – collecting 17 career interceptions. He has found a second calling in the ministry, serving as pastor of New Light Baptist Church in northeastern Louisiana.
JAMES “HOUND” HUNTER (football) – Drafted 10th overall out of Grambling, where the two-time All-SWAC corner claimed a league championship in 1974, Hunter led the NFL’s Detroit Lions in interceptions in 1976-77 and in 1980, eventually logging 27 career picks. Hunter was runner-up for NFL defensive rookie of the year before a neck injury in the early 1980s shortened a promising pro career. He died of an apparent heart attack in 2010; Hunter was just 56.
Grambling State (QB Kendrick Nord) vs. Alcorn State (QB Steve McNair) Sept. 3,1994; This was the largest attended game in Robinson Stadium history at 25,347. The two teams combined for 1,318 yards total offense, as Grambling rolled up 612 and Alcorn gained 706. Grambling wingback Tyrone Jones caught six passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns, and Curtis"Hail" Ceasar had five catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns.
GARY “BIG HANDS” JOHNSON (football) – A three-time All-SWAC defensive tackle, the Shreveport, Louisiana, native helped Grambling to a trio of conference titles before becoming the first pick of the 1975 draft for San Diego, playing for the Chargers until a 1984 trade to San Francisco – where he won a Super Bowl. Johnson made the Pro Bowl in each of the 1980-83 campaign, setting a 17 ½ sack season record for San Diego that still stands. Johnson died in August 2010 at age 57, having never recovered from a stroke he suffered the previous July.
JAMES JONES (basketball) – Averaged 20 points and 8 rebounds a night over 104 career games, as fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach Fred Hobdy led the Tigers to three SWAC championships, then was selected 13th overall by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1967 NBA Draft. He finished as one of the old ABA’s all-time leaders in every category, becoming just the second in league history to score more than 2,000 points in one season. Jones played seven years in the ABA and then three with the NBA’s Washington Bullets.
FRANK LEWIS(football) – Part of the Pittsburgh Steelers first two Super Bowl-winning squads, Lewis helped Grambling to a SWAC crown and then led the league in scoring over his final two seasons. A two-time all-conference wingback, he finished with 42 career touchdowns at Grambling, then had nearly 400 receptions and 40 touchdowns in the NFL. Later an all-pro with the Buffalo Bills, Lewis was the first player in league history to gain 100 yards in receiving in postseason games for two different clubs. He is employed in workforce development in south Louisiana.
ALEX PERO (baseball) – In 1962-63, Pero had a staggering 0.00 ERA to help Grambling to the national NAIA baseball tournament. Grambling led the nation in ERA that season, and the team would earn NAIA berths four times between 1961-67 under fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach R.W.E. Jones. In 1965, Pero set a Division II mark for strikeouts per nine innings amongst 50-game starters that to this day remains second all time. He played for three seasons in the minor leagues. Pero passed in 2009 at age 65.
EVERSON WALLS(football) – An all-conference selection for the SWAC champion Tigers, Walls led the nation in interceptions in 1980 – setting a school record that still stands. He then played 14 NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, leading the league in picks in both 1982 and 1985, earning All-Pro honors three times and a Super Bowl after the 1990 season with the Giants. The Texas native works as a businessman in Dallas.
ROBERT WOODS (track and field; football) – A two-sport star, Woods left Grambling in 1978 with a SWAC championship and all-conference honors as an undersized but unstoppable wingback for fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach Eddie Robinson. He was the Bayou Classic MVP of 1977, then was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in ’78. Woods played two seasons in the NFL. Now executive director of a residential treatment center for adolescents in Houston, Texas, he has worked in the mental health field for more than 20 years.
LARRY WRIGHT (basketball) – Wright, of Richwood, Louisiana, helped Grambling to the 1976 league tournament championship and then led the Washington Bullets to an NBA title in 1978. A former head basketball coach for the Tigers, Wright was a two-time all-conference selection, a two time NCAA small college All-American and the SWAC player of the year in 1975-76. Later, Wright was a celebrated player overseas, earning MVP honors as Roma claimed its first-ever European title. He currently serves as an associate high school principal in northeastern Louisiana.
AL DENNIS JR. (pre-1960 honoree) – A New Orleans native and World War II veteran, the late Dennis was one of Grambling’s most celebrated early football captains. Playing from 1946-49, he was a two-time All-America blocker for future College Hall of Famer Paul “Tank” Younger. In 1968, he would become the first African-American to receive a master’s degree in health and physical education from Northwestern State University in Louisiana. He coached and taught for more than 45 years, notably at Brown High in Springhill, Louisiana.
DOUGLAS PORTER (contributor) – A former assistant at Grambling under Eddie Robinson, Porter was a head coach at FCS programs Mississippi Valley State (1961-65) and Howard (1974-78) and finally at Division II Fort Valley State (1979-94), earning induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. He has remained a trusted advisor for every coach to have succeeded Robinson, and was instrumental in the efforts to construct a museum in Robinson’s honor on the Grambling campus.
Grambling, LA - There wasn't much of an attempt to hide the consensus opinion regarding Lin Dawson's resignation from his duties as Grambling State's athletics director. GSU alumni and fans are glad he's gone, and they've made the message loud and clear.
Usually when a coach or administrator leaves an athletic department, his departure is met with some boring comments about the hard work he put in for the betterment of the university.
Dawson's departure was met with brutal honesty. Head football coach Doug Williams — arguably the most important living figure in the Grambling family — said Dawson's departure was "in the best interest of the university." It seemed that Williams wanted to say more, but he chose to hold his tongue.
Jackie Hamilton, a GSU alum and the head football coach at Carroll, said, "I know ain't nobody gonna cry about it."
Dallas, Texas - Doug Williams, former Grambling State University quarterback and Grambling’s head football coach from 1998-2003, just had to come back as head football coach to where he considers home.
