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Showing posts with label Mississippi Valley State University. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mississippi Valley State University. Show all posts
ITTA BENA, MS - The Mississippi Valley State Department of Athletics has announced its 2011 football schedule. The 2011 slate of contests includes facing non-conference institution South Alabama along with the other nine members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The season opener for the Delta Devils will be on September 3 when MVSU hosts the Hornets of Alabama State. After on open week, MVSU will take on in-state rival Alcorn State (Sept. 17) followed by 2009 conference champion Prairie View A&M (Sept. 24).
The month of October will see MVSU host Southern (Oct. 1), travel to Alabama A&M (Oct. 8), host Jackson State (Oct. 15), travel to Grambling State (Oct. 22) and host 2010 SWAC champion Texas Southern (Oct. 29). The game against the TSU Tigers will be the highlight of Homecoming 2011.
The month of November will see MVSU travel to Mobile, Alabama to face the Jaguars of South Alabama on a Thursday night contest on November 3. The game will be the first time the Jaguars will take on a member of the SWAC in football. The regular season concludes as the Delta Devils host conference rival Arkansas-Pine Bluff on November 12.
Delta Devils 2011 Football Schedule Date Game Location Time
September
3 Alabama State Itta Bena, Miss. Rice-Totten Stadium 5pm
10 OPEN
17 @ Alcorn State Alcorn State, Miss. Jack Spinks Stadium TBA
24 @ Prairie View A&M Prairie View, Texas Blackshear Stadium TBA
October
1 Southern Itta Bena, Miss. Rice-Totten Stadium 2pm
8 @ Alabama A&M Huntsville, Ala. Louis Crews Stadium 1pm
15 Jackson State Itta Bena, Miss. Rice-Totten Stadium 2pm
22 @ Grambling State Grambling, La. Robinson Stadium 2pm
29 Texas Southern (Homecoming 2011) Itta Bena, Miss. Rice-Totten Stadium 2pm
November
3 (Thu.) @ South Alabama Mobile, Ala. Ladd-Peebles Stadium TBA
12 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Itta Bena, Miss. Rice-Totten Stadium 1pm
December
10 SWAC Football Championship 2011 Birmingham, Ala. Legion Field 1pm
Courtesy Mississippi Valley State University Media Relations
The 2011 South Alabama football schedule has undergone some changes, including the addition of a game against Mississippi Valley State and the dropping of two previously scheduled opponents. The schedule, to be released by the school today, will feature 10 games, six of those played at home at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The revisions find the Jaguars, 10-0 last season and 17-0 in the school's two-year history, facing the Delta Devils, the program's first SWAC opponent, on Thurs., Nov. 3, at home. Two previously scheduled games -- an Oct. 1 game against UC-Davis and an Oct. 29 game against Edward Waters -- have been dropped from the schedule that originally featured 11 games.
Coach Sean Woods makes sure you get it correct. The Mississippi Valley State basketball team didn't have the luxury of practicing in a high school gym. "Middle school," he said. "A middle school gym."
Heading into tonight's Southwestern Athletic Conference showdown with Jackson State, the Delta Devils have come quite a ways. Their basketball arena floor is no longer a bubbling, waterlogged mess. They no longer practice in that middle school gym. They don't play "home" games at county civic centers any more. And, they aren't thought of as a middle-of-the-pack team.
Picked to finish seventh in the 10-team conference before the season, Valley (7-13) is 6-1 in the league, tied atop the standings with Jackson State (10-9) and Texas Southern (8-10).
ITTA BENA, Miss. — Terrence Joyner scored 21 points as Mississippi Valley State got off to a sizzling start and held on to beat Texas Southern 89-76 Monday night. The Delta Devils (7-13, 6-1) moved into a tie for the Southwestern Athletic Conference lead with the Tigers (8-10, 6-1) and idle Jackson State.
Mississippi Valley, which averaged 77.5 points in its first six SWAC contests, nearly reached that by intermission, taking a 60-36 halftime lead on 63.9-percent shooting (23 of 36).
Just a few years ago, NFL Pro Bowlers Eric Weems and Nick Collins were recruited to Bethune-Cookman University by former Wildcats head football coach Wyatt.
Wyatt, also known as "Shine," is a B-CU graduate and former All-American defensive back for the Wildcats. As a student-athlete, he was drafted in the NFL 6th Round by the Oakland Raiders in 1970. Coach Wyatt also played for the Buffalo Bills (1971-72) and Houston Oilers (1973).
He landed back at B-CU in 1975 as a defensive assistant football coach under legendary NFL Hall of Famer, Larry Little. In 1978, he was asked to re-build the Wildcats women basketball program, along with coaching football.
In 13 seasons, Wyatt became the winningest head coach in B-CU football history with a record of 90-54 (.620). He also wasn't a shabby basketball coach, setting the school record for wins in 18 seasons with a 260-200 (.565) career record, and two MEAC Titles.
Shine holds the distinction of being unceremoniouslydumped (November 23, 2009) by his Alma Mater quicker than you can say, Coach Ralph Friedgen and University of Maryland, after a 5-6, 4-4 MEAC season in 2009. He finished 2008 with an 8-3, 5-3 MEAC record.
One of Coach Wyatt's greatest deficiency was the inability of his "Wyatt-bone offense" to consistently beat in-state rival -- Florida A&M University and its hall of fame coaches, William "Billy" Joe and Joseph "Joe" Taylor. Wyatt was 4-9 during his career with the football Wildcats in the Florida Classic.
Lately, it has become virtually impossible for any Bethune-Cookman football coach and team to defeat the FAMU Rattlers in the 2nd largest attended FCS game. Just ask Wyatt's replacement, Coach Brian Jenkins, who undefeated 10-0 Wildcats were soundly stomped 38-27, by the Rattlers before 61,712 fans and a national ESPN Classic broadcast audience last month.
History repeated itself with FAMU (8-3, 7-1 MEAC) spoiling the Wildcats perfect season and gaining a three-way share of the 2010 MEAC championship with South Carolina State and B-CU.
NFL caliber players Wyatt did produce -- cornerback Ricky Williams (Chicago Bears) and Rashean Mathis (Jacksonville Jaguars), Nick Collins (Green Bay Packers) and Eric Weems (Atlanta Falcons), among other standouts. And Shine ran a "clean program" without any run in with the NCAA.
But, Wyatt's lawsuit against the university for breach of contract, ageism and wrongful termination has not been resolved by the parties nor the Court system. The school basically threw Wyatt under the proverbial bus after getting stampeded 42-6 by a bunch of Rattlers from FAMU, in the 2009 Florida Classic.
Surprisingly, Wyatt name is not even in the conversation for current vacancies at NCAA Division I or Division II programs. What's wrong with this picture -- with current head coaching vacancies at North Carolina A&T, Alcorn State, Savannah State, Delaware State, Howard University, Lincoln (Missouri) and Miles College? What say, Elon, Oklahoma Panhandle State (NAIA D2), Furman, Gardner-Webb, and Texas State. And non-BCS programs like Kent State and Miami-Ohio should all be blowing up Shine's cell phone.
Will Coach Wyatt become another iconic figure in football lore like former Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, Archie "the Gunslinger" Cooley?
Cooley produced the greatest player in NFL history --Wide Receiver, Jerry Lee Rice and a "Satellite" quarterback --Willie Totten, who set numerous (18) NCAA passing and offensive records. In the 1984 season, Totten threw for 5,043 yards and 58 touchdowns and then threw for 39 touchdowns in 1985, without Rice, averaging 51 points per game.
Legend has it that Totten, and the Delta Devils team of hard working country boys once bused 21 hours from IttaBena, Mississippi to Topeka, Kansas (1984) to play Washburn University. It was a no-contest with the Delta Devils demolishing the Ichabods 77-15.
Prior to arriving at MVSU in 1980 as the head coach, believe it or not, the gunslinger had been a defensive assistant at Alcorn State and Tennessee State. Within three years, Valley was the number one team in all of 1-AA Football.
Videographer: bruceeien: "Rare film clips of a 1984 game between Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils at Louisiana Tech."
Few know this true fact -- Coach Cooley was the innovator of the SPREAD offense that is run by every NFL team today, and most of the college and high school football programs in America. Cooley's "Satellite Express" offense broke just about every NCAA 1-AA passing record during the 1980's.
They can call it the West Coast Offense, Gulf Coast Offense, No-huddle offense, Run and Shoot, the Shot Gun, the Spread, the Gun Spread, the Gun Option, the Air Raid, the Zone Read, or the Pistol. But it all comes from the creative offensive coaching genius of Archie "the gunslinger" Cooley and the more than 200 offensive plays he innovated.
But, its Coach Cooley's offense that he perfected in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) long before Jerry Rice's first NFL coach, Bill Walsh, saw film of MVSU running the "Satellite Express" and decided to incorporate the passing schemes into the 49'ers offense for Rice and Joe Montana.
Award winning author Denny Dressman wrote about how Cooley's offense was stolen by San Francisco 49ers Coach Bill Walsh with the help of legendary coach W.C. Gorden, Jackson State -- in Jerry Rice's Hall of Fame Career a Tale of Stolen Magnolias. The rest is history of how Walsh integrated Cooley's passing innovations into the 49ers offense to win three Super Bowls and a permanent home in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Today, Coach Cooley barely gets mentioned and received no job or economic windfall from the NFL for his innovation of the passing game. Not even one lousy "consulting job" was offered by any major college program to Coach. Because of the same barriers that exist today for black head football coaches, Cooley head coaching career lasted a total of 13 years combined at Mississippi Valley (1980-86), Arkansas - Pine Bluff (1987-90) and Norfolk State (1993), based on records in the College Football Data Warehouse. It's a crying shame that the gunslinger never received the recognition that his talents truly deserved.
The next time a grasshopper or a recruit criticizes the coaching in the MEAC, SWAC, CIAA or SIAC, please send him a link to the Stolen Magnolias article or the few articles on Marino "The Godfather" Casem, Coach Cooley or W.C. Gorden. Maybe it will help him/her realize the ice is not colder on the other side of the tracks or at the PWCs.
Based on the recent 2010 Football Hiring Report Card, at no time in our history have black head football coaches been better prepared to lead major college football programs, with experience as both NFL players, position coaches, and prior head coaching experience at the lower divisions. Just check the biographies of Wyatt and all the current head coaches in the SWAC, MEAC, CIAA and SIAC, who continue to toil in obscurity and for below market compensation.
Then, check the biography of the coaches currently job jumping each season hoping to win off the talent coached and assembled by the previous successful coach, who has moved on or been removed before the 10-2 season comes to fruition the very next season. Sounds familiar, B-CU?
The greater question--Is Coach Wyatt football coaching career over or will Shine be provided the opportunity by a smart athletic director to build another program to championship level? Only time will reveal his fate...
You'll have to forgive former Kentucky point guard Sean Woods if he feels little sympathy for his alma mater's early-season basketball schedule. More than once, UK Coach John Calipari lamented the rigors of a trip to Maui and just two home games in the first six for his freshman-oriented team.
Boo hoo, Woods might say. His Mississippi Valley State team plays its first 14 games on the road. The first home game is still more than three weeks away. This week is especially hellish for the Delta Devils with games at Mississippi on Monday, at Arkansas on Wednesday and at Kentucky on Saturday. "We have the toughest schedule in the country," Woods said in a telephone...
FAYETTEVILLE, AR — You wouldn't know it by the final score, but for a half the Arkansas Razorbacks had a devil of a time subduing the Delta Devils.
The Razorbacks — now 7-1 going into Saturday's ESPN2-televised game with No. 25 ranked Texas A&M in Dallas — only led the Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils, 43-38 at half before breezing, 87-64, Wednesday night at Walton Arena.
The Delta Devils of the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) are only 1-8 but played Arkansas tough for awhile like they had played SEC member Georgia all the way before losing, 72-70 in Athens, Ga.
Going through some of the old footage from 1991 for a story on Sean Woods brought back a lot of memories of a really fun time to cover UK basketball. The road for Sean Woods has had more than it's share of twists and turns. He thought he was going to the NBA. I still think had he stuck with it, he would have been at worst, a back up in the NBA for a long time.
Sean is Sean. He doesn't look any older. The smile and big laugh are still there. "You know it's basketball, it's not work to me," says the head coach of Mississippi Valley State.
Terrence Graves was hard at work Friday night in Itta Bena, Miss., when his cell phone practically fell off the table, ringing with calls and text messages from old friends from Southern University. Graves, the former Southern defensive coordinator, knew that was bad news.
His worst fear about a longtime friend was true: Assistant trainer John Ned, a fixture at Southern University for the better part of four decades, died late Friday night from cancer at 53, leaving behind friends and family who were saddened by the loss and stunned by how quickly his life ended.
“He and I became like family, so it’s kind of rough right now,” said Graves, now coaching at Mississippi Valley State. “I want to remember Ned like he was — healthy and happy.”
Coast football players fall under the recruiting radar each year. The three in-state SWAC schools -- Alcorn State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State -- all plan to find a few hidden gems. SWAC programs usually don’t start recruiting until the first week of December to better utilize their resources in these tough economic times.
“The SWAC programs are going to really get active now that the seasons are over,” Steve Robertson of Scout.com said. “They don’t have the budgets the bigger schools do, so they don’t have a lot of on campus events like summer camps to evaluate a lot of talent. They have to depend on good old-fashion road work and film study.
LORMAN — Alcorn State’s 2010 season might have ended last on Nov. 20 with a 27-14 loss to Jackson State in the Capital City Classic. But the Braves’ second season is still in full swing. Now that the season is over, Alcorn State coaches are canvassing the state and country trying to find athletes that will keep the Braves’ program heading in the right direction.
In the last three years, Alcorn has improved its record from 2-10 to 3-6 to 5-6. And head coach Earnest Collins said getting quality recruits is critical to continuing the upward trend of the program.
GREENVILLE, Miss. - Alabama A&M won't finish last in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Eastern Division. The Bulldogs can thank Tony Green and Kaderius Lacey for that. The Bulldogs' talented tailback tandem combined for 234 yards rushing and scored a touchdown apiece as A&M beat Mississippi Valley State 21-7 Saturday afternoon at Greenville-Weston High School to snap its five-game losing and avoid finishing in the Eastern Division cellar.
"It was an ugly game, but we came out with the win and that was our goal," said Green, who finished with 118 yards on 22 carries. "You can't be too picky, especially with the way our season is going."
HUNTSVILLE, Al. - Before the season began, Alabama A&M backup quarterback Justin Jones figured he'd be lucky to play in a mop-up role.
Deaunte Mason, who started the final five games last season and led the Bulldogs to the Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division title and to the league championship game, was back and seemed poised to have a breakout year as a sophomore. Jones was content with learning the system. He missed last season after failing to qualify academically after signing with the Bulldogs following a terrific senior year at West Morgan High School in Trinity.
Texas Southern has a message for the rest of the Southwestern Athletic Conference: We’re here to stay. Mississippi Valley State got that message loud and clear Saturday.
The Tigers ran circles around the winless Delta Devils before a homecoming crowd of 7,016 at Delmar Stadium, rolling to a dominant 38-7 victory that keeps them squarely in the thick of the race for the SWAC Western Division title.
TSU (5-3, 5-1) won its fourth straight game with strong contributions on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Arvell Nelson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and running back Marcus Wright rushed for 131 yards and ...
HOUSTON—Texas Southern held Mississippi Valley State to 109 yards of total offense Saturday en route to a 38-7 victory. Arvell Nelson threw two touchdowns and ran for another for the Tigers (5-3, 5-1 Southwestern Athletic), who have won four straight.
MVSU (0-8, 0-7) came up with an interception on Texas Southern’s opening possession, then scored on its first play from scrimmage when Oliver Hughes hit Paul Cox for a 37-yard touchdown pass. But that was it for the Delta Devils, who had only 38 yards rushing in the game. Hughes completed 6 of 22 passes for 71 yards and was sacked four times.
GREENVILLE, Miss. — Grambling State's performance against Mississippi Valley State on Saturday was far from perfect, but it was more than enough to get the job done.
The Tigers were plagued by penalties, turnovers and a general lack of focus, but still notched a comfortable 35-14 victory over the winless Delta Devils and remained perfect in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. "We didn't play like we're capable of playing, and we didn't make the progress I thought we would make, but a win's a win," Grambling head coach Rod Broadway said. "We still beat 'em by 21."
GREENVILLE, MS — Frank Warren rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns, and Grambling State rumbled past Mississippi Valley State 35-14 on Saturday. Warren carried 29 times and sealed the win for the Tigers (6-1, 6-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) with 85- and 39-yard touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. Danny Reyes passed for two TDs and ran for another as Grambling piled up 516 yards of total offense.
Oliver Hughes completed eight of 22 passes for 194 yards and two TDs for the Delta Devils (0-7, 0-5).
Was this really about to happen? In the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game between Southern and Mississippi Valley State, before they pulled away for a 38-20 victory in front of a nervous but happy homecoming crowd of 19,762 inside A.W. Mumford Stadium, the Jaguars had bungled a chance at collecting their first blowout win of the Stump Mitchell era.
Worse yet, the winless Delta Devils had scored back-to-back touchdowns; their sideline was full of life, and they were primed to get the ball back with plenty of time to take their first lead of the season. Was this really about to happen? This was Mississippi Valley. This was winless Mississippi Valley.
The fourth quarter of Saturday’s game between Southern University and Mississippi Valley State proved to be gut-check time for a Jaguars defensive unit that has struggled at times this season. This time, the defense was up to the task shutting out the Delta Devils in the final quarter while Southern tacked on two insurance scores to salt away a 38-20 win at Mumford Stadium.
Southern’s William Griswold kicked a 37-yard field goal to extend the Jaguars’ lead to 24-7 midway through the third quarter, but Valley scored twice to cut the margin to 24-20 entering the fourth. From there, the Southern defense made sure its offense would have plenty of breathing room.
Five games into this first season under Stump Mitchell, Southern is still waiting for a clean, sound performance on special teams. The new coach has certainly noticed.
Saturday night, during the Jaguars’ 38-20 victory over Mississippi Valley State, the Delta Devils’ first touchdown came on another special-teams gaffe, when SU kicker William Griswold tried a 43-yard field goal and drove it low, into the line of scrimmage. Markkus Davis returned it for a 62-yard touchdown. Instead of leading 10-0, the Jaguars found themselves in a 7-7 tie.
Braves set tone for 27-9 victory over Mississippi Valley State on special teams.
Chicago, IL - Alcorn State has proved in its first two games that while it's nice to have offense, it's really not necessary for getting in the end zone. The Braves used two early special teams touchdowns to set the pace in their 27-9 victory over Mississippi Valley State (0-3) in the Chicago Football Classic on Saturday at a musically boisterous Soldier Field.
"We saw some flaws in their punt protection and we tried to exploit it, and it ended up working out for us," Alcorn State coach Earnest Collins Jr. said. Saturday's performance came two weeks after Alcorn State (2-0) returned three turnovers for touchdowns in its season-opening victory over Langston. Mississippi Valley State punted on its first possession to Alcorn State receiver Edward Johnson, who returned it for a 70-yard touchdown. Johnson, who scored twice, was named the game's offensive MVP.
Alcorn State gets easy win over MVSU CHICAGO — The Alcorn State defense had all the fun two weeks ago against Langston, scoring three touchdowns. So Saturday against Mississippi Valley State in the Chicago Football Classic, the Braves special teams decided they would get in on the action. Alcorn scored two special teams touchdowns in the first quarter to jump out to an early 14-0 lead and never looked back in a 27-9 victory over the Delta Devils. Alcorn true freshman quarterback Brandon Bridge also had a great game, coming off the bench to throw for 127 yards and a touchdown and rush for another 67 yards.
Edward Johnson scored two touchdowns, including one on a 70-yard punt return, and Alcorn State defeated Mississippi Valley State 27-9. Gabriel Nash added 81 rushing yards and a TD, and the Braves (2-0, 1-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) also scored on a blocked punt. The game was played at Soldier Field as part of the annual Chicago Football Classic.
ITTA BENA, Miss. - Karl Morgan knows the feeling of leaving Oliver C. Dawson Stadium a victor.
In 2004, the Mississippi Valley State head coach was in his second season as defensive coordinator for Hampton University when Hampton defeated South Carolina State 52-36. At the time, the Pirates were about to start a three-year run of winning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships.
Things have drastically changed six years later as it's now S.C. State looking to claim a third straight conference title and extend its MEAC record winning streak of 19 games previously held by Hampton. What's also different for Morgan is the fact he's returning to Orangeburg to face a Bulldogs' team that bears little resemblance to the one he faced in 2004.
Watching Jerry Rice's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame reminded me of a story about the fabled passing attack that enabled him to catch more passes, for more yards and more touchdowns, than any pass receiver in the history of the National Football League.
I heard it from W.C. Gorden, the retired Jackson State football coach who is, himself, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, while sitting in his kitchen in Jackson, Mississippi, late one afternoon in November, 2008.
I had driven from Ruston, Louisiana, arriving in a heavy thunderstorm as night descended on the evening rush hour. My purpose: to ask him about a comment he had made upon learning that Grambling legend Eddie Robinson, the most famous black football coach of all time, had died.
As the countdown to practice draws near, Mississippi Valley State University’s Sean Woods is a Division I basketball coach with no court to practice on.
The floor in MVSU’s basketball gym, the Harrison HPER Complex, was seriously damaged because of a leak in the roof, so the playing surface must be replaced, Woods said. The school will have to fix the roof before a new surface goes down, and that apparently won’t happen before the Delta Devils begin practice Oct. 15.
Ricky Carson, a former teammate of Jerry Rice at Mississippi Valley State, is now the head football coach and athletic director of NAIA Texas College.
NATCHEZ, MS — When Alcorn State University hired Rickey Carson as its first ever golf coach, there was one teeny-weeny problem. Carson had never played golf. When The Dart landed at Duncan Park Golf Course Friday afternoon, Carson was practicing his swing while wife Victoria and daughter Courtney looked on. “I had to find out about the rules. What’s a par? What’s a birdie? I didn’t even know what that was,” Carson said.
But Carson is well versed in the game now. But Carson is well versed in the game now. An assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the ASU football team from 1998 to 2000, Carson studied the rules of golf at the library, and eventually applied his newfound knowledge at Duncan Park.
“I did bad my first time out. I tore up the golf course real bad,” Carson said. “I’m sure everyone was glad when I left that day.” Carson didn’t let his less than stellar debut deter him from the game. He continued to practice, and even gained pointers from his team, which finished sixth overall in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.
Here is the official transcript of Jerry Rice's speech Saturday night as he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on 8/7/2010.
"Thank you. Thank you, guys.
"I have something I have to admit to today. My uniform, the way I dress, is everything. I'm a very honest guy. I made a mistake today. I have a blue and a black sock on today (smiling).
"Now, for me to do this speech, I need to borrow a black sock from someone (laughter). Just joking, guys.
"Hey, look, thank you, Eddie DeBartolo, for that introduction. Thank you, thank you.
"I love you fans, especially the greatest fans in pro football, the 49er fans. Thank you, God, for allowing us to travel here safely. This has been such an unbelievable week. To the city of Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, thank you for your hospitality. It has been incredible. To the selection committee, thank you for bestowing this great honor to me.
"I had never been on an airplane until I was drafted by the 49ers. And I left Crawford, Mississippi, for a long, stomach-churning flight to San Francisco. I was scared to death, but excited at the same time. Scared about surviving the flight, excited like I am now because I knew I was joining a great team that had already won two Super Bowls. And, of course, we went on to win three more.
"I was also part of the Oakland Raiders, a team I admired that also went to the Super Bowl.
"But standing here today as the newest member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, feeling like a rookie all over again, I can honestly say this is the greatest team I have ever belonged to. I'm truly honored and humbled.
"I also feel very fortunate to be part of the 2010 Hall of Fame class. Russ Grimm, Dick LeBeau, Floyd Little, John Randle, another 49er Rickey Jackson, and, of course, the NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith. If not for you, Emmitt, and the Dallas Cowboys, there would be three more Super Bowl rings on my fingers (laughter).
"Rivalries are great for the NFL, and it's fitting that the 49ers and Cowboys are represented here today. We definitely made each other better. When I was a kid, I had these embarrassing huge hands that I would hide in my pockets. I was always running, even before I played sports. I ran everywhere. I didn't even know why. But I guess I was preparing myself for something, destined for something, but I didn't know what.
"In the summertime, holidays, I would work with my father laying bricks for homes and businesses. We started at 5 a.m. and finished after dark. It was hot, hard work. My brothers and I would be the supply chain for bricks, and many times I would be the last link between the bricks and my father. Sometimes I would balance myself on the scaffolding two stories up and catch bricks thrown to me from the ground.
"There was a certain standard. Even though my job was to make sure that my dad had bricks and everything worked out smoothly, I took pride in it. There were no shortcuts. The concrete had to be laid a certain way. The bricks had to be stacked because any slowdown was money lost. It was a lot of pressure. I didn't want to let my father down. I was afraid to fail.
"I'm here to tell you that the fear of failure is the engine that has driven me throughout my entire life. It flies in the faces of all these sports psychologists who say you have to let go of your fears to be successful and that negative thoughts will diminish performance. But not wanting to disappoint my parents, and later my coaches, teammates and fans, is what pushed me to be successful.
"My dad was a hard man. I never saw him cry, and he didn't say, I love you. But like men of his generation, he expressed it in other ways. He taught us about responsibility at an early age. I miss him and I know he would be very proud of me today. I wish you were here, dad. I love you.
"Despite the fear of knowing my mom and dad would whip me good, one day my sophomore year at B.L. Moor High School, I decided to play hooky with a friend. We got caught by the school principal, Mr. Ezell Wickes. He saw how fast I sprinted away from him and realized I could put my speed to better use. So after whacks with a leather strap, he forced me to meet with Charles Davis, our head football coach, who convinced me to come out for the team.
"Coach Davis made us run hills after practice, 40 yards up, 40 yards down, a training regimen I kept doing 20 seasons in the NFL. I received a lot of letters from recruiters at big schools like USC, LSU, Mississippi State. But I chose Mississippi Valley State for two reasons: Coach Archie Cooley loved his team to throw the football, and they were the only ones who sent someone to see me play. Coach Cooley is here today. Thank you.
"Before Joe Montana or Steve Young, there was Willie Totten, my quarterback at Mississippi State Valley University. We earned the nickname satellite express because the ball was seemingly in orbit. Willie is here today. Thank you.
"It was a dream come true to be drafted by the 49ers, and I'm so proud to be part of such a classy organization, with the greatest owner ever, Eddie DeBartolo. The greatest coach of all time, Bill Walsh, and the greatest fans. There will never be another organization like that in the history of sports. To have two guys like that, who were all about winning.
"Eddie would say, I'll give you guys everything you want. You're going to have the best hotels, the best planes to travel on. You're going to go a day early to the East Coast. All I want is for you to do is win championships. Eddie was like that 12th man. He loved football, loved his players even more, and he wanted to win. And, man, did the 49ers win under Eddie DeBartolo. Five Super Bowls in 12 years.
"Every player knew nothing was finer than to be a 49er, and some was willing to take pay cuts to play there. We were the envy of the NFL, the guys they said wore wing tips and carried briefcases because we were a first-class operation and meant business.
"Just like he did after every game, Eddie has greeted players like Joe Montana, Steve Young, Fred Dean and me in Canton, Ohio. He deserves to be standing with us as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Thank you, Eddie. I love you and your family, your wife Candy, and your daughters.
"I miss Bill Walsh every day of my life. I know he's up there looking down from heaven today smiling. What can I say about the genius, the legend? He was like magic. He would cast a spell on you just being in his presence. You wanted to win for this guy. There was just something about him, and he knew how to get the best out of his football players.
"Bill is the reason I played in the NFL. He was like a father to me, someone I could talk to about relationships and business or professional football. I never wanted to let my father down, and I was afraid to let Bill Walsh down. He taught us to be perfect. If you failed to be perfect, then excellence would be within your grasp. He had every gift but length of years.
"I love you, Bill, your wife Geri and your family. Geri Lynn, thank you for joining us here today. I love my teammates and coaches. There are too many of them to mention. I was blessed to play for not one but two Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Joe Montana and Steve Young. Joe was the ultimate prankster, put in Tiger balm in jocks and Steve would roll out of bed and come to work with his hair all messed up.
Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon, they were true professionals and took me under their wing. Even though they knew I was there eventually to replace them. To Roger Craig and Raymond Ferris, thank you for helping me take my training regimen to the highest level possible. I wasn't the most physical or the fastest receiver in the NFL, but they never clocked me on the way to the end zone. The reason nobody caught me from behind is because I ran scared. That old fear of failure again. It's hard to go into every game with a red X on your chest, and I could feel the hair rise on the back of my neck when people chased me.
"People are always surprised how insecure I was. I love it when some commentary would refer to an upstart receiver as the next Jerry Rice. That made me work even harder. It was as if I was saying, You're going to have to work so hard to get to where I am, and if you can pay that price, you deserve it.
"But I was always in search of that perfect game, and I never got it. Even if I caught 10 of 12 passes, or two of three touchdowns in the Super Bowl, I would dwell on the one pass I dropped.
"I played for 20 years and I still believe in my heart I could play today. I played that long because I love this game of football. I loved everything about it, especially the fans. The stadium was my stage, and I was there every Sunday to put on a performance for the fans. I hope the players today respect the game, respect the men whose shoulders they are standing on. But most importantly, don't play for what the game can give them rather than what they can give to the game.
"I felt proud every time I put on that uniform. That's why I'm still humbled to pose for pictures and to sign autographs. I'm a lot like my mom in that respect. If she just met you, she would invite you into her home and cook you dinner. She is the most caring and passionate person I know. I love you, mom.
"Thank you to my brothers and my sisters for sharing this moment with me today. To my children, I am so proud of you. You are my life, and I love you with all my heart. I'm so looking forward to seeing you make your mark in this world.
"To Jackie, thank you for being the anchor for our family and for supporting me for all these years. In addition, thank you to your family for their support.
"To my management team, thank you for all those hats you wear and keeping me together all these years. To the York family and the 49ers organization, thank you for your continued support.
"When you play as long as I have, there are a lot of people that have contributed to my journey. I regret that I cannot mention all of you today, but I hope you all know how important you are to me.
"To my 'Dancing With the Stars' family, you provided me with a whole new audience to thrill and a new challenge, another venue where I could be judged and triumph over my fear. All I had to do was wear sequins, an afro wig and heels.
"Today I feel as if this honor of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was made not just to me but mostly to my work, to my sweat and sacrifice of all those who carried me to the steps of this hallowed ground.
"But if I have a single regret about my career standing here today, it's that I never took the time to enjoy it. I swear to God, this is true because I was always working. Right after the season, whether we won the Super Bowl or not, I would take two weeks off and go right back to training. The doubts, the struggles is who I am, and I wonder if I would have been as successful without them.
"A lot of emotion that I kept submerged bubbled to the surface last February when my name was finally called for selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You see all the faces of the people that helped you reach your goal: My mom and dad, brothers and sisters, my family, my coaches, my teammates, the fans. But you also realize that it signals the end of your career.
But I am excited about tomorrow. I'm like the guy who jumps out of a high-rise building and every floor he passes on the way down, he says, So far so good. But this is finally it. There are no more routes to run, no more touchdowns to score, no more records to set. That young boy from Mississippi has finally stopped running.
"Let me stand here and catch my breath. Let me inhale it all in one more time. (Goes to front of stage.)
"Thank you. Thank you. You know what, guys, I feel like dancing!"
Jerry Rice and San Francisco 49ers former owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., unveils Bust of Mr. Rice, the legendary player from tiny Crawford, Mississippi and Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils.
CANTON, Ohio -- This should surprise no one. But when it was Jerry Rice's turn to talk here Saturday, the man was prepared. Know why? He was scared. He has been scared all along, as he acknowledged in his meticulous yet powerful acceptance speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
"I'm here to tell you that the fear of failure is the engine that has driven me throughout my entire life," Rice said. "It flies in the faces of all these sports psychologists who say you have to let go of your fears to be successful. But not wanting to disappoint my parents, and later my coaches, teammates and fans, is what pushed me to be successful."
Rice then added: "When I was a kid "... I was always running, even before I played sports. I ran everywhere. I didn't even know why. But I guess I was preparing myself for something, destined for something, but I didn't know what." Saturday, of course, was the "what." It was the ultimate "what," really. Rice could finally stop running. He officially joined the most elite club in his sport. In doing so, he looked and sounded like a million bucks. It was no upset for a football player who always paid painstaking attention to detail.
Karl Morgan won't say it, but I will. Morgan, the first-year head football coach at Mississippi Valley State, has the most difficult job in football. Believe this: If anybody has a tougher job, you don't want anywhere near it. Neither does Knute Rockne or Bear Bryant. Why is Morgan's job so hard? Let us count the ways:
•He replaces the legendary Willie Totten, whose name is on the Valley stadium, but who won only 31 games in eight seasons at the Valley.
•Oh, that stadium? Morgan's first team can't play in it. It's condemned and will have to be repaired. Valley will play its "home" games 45 miles away at Greenville High School.
•Totten's last team finished 3-8 overall and won just one SWAC game. Obviously, better talent is needed, but Morgan got the job two weeks before signing day. In other words, pickings were slim.
•Division I-AA teams are allowed 63 football scholarships, and most of Valley's opponents award that many. Valley is limited to just above 50.
