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Showing posts with label NCAA Division I Athletics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA Division I Athletics. Show all posts
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.”
The Bison's new athletic director, Skip Perkins, wants to turn things around.
Skip Perkins became athletic director at Howard University on Monday—a month earlier than scheduled. Perkins explained that he showed up ahead of schedule because there’s “a lot to do.”
Yup, there is a lot. Howard’s major sports have done a lot of losing for a lot of years. President Obama gave the school its greatest athletic exposure in forever last month by attending the men’s basketball team’s season opener against visiting Oregon State (a team coached by Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s brother). With the spotlight shining, Howard lost by double-digits. The team is now 1-7 under first-year coach Kevin Nickelberry, who replaced Gil Jackson, who somehow lasted five seasons despite losing at least 20 games every year and posting a 37-118 overall record.
Howard hasn’t won a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title or been invited to the NCAA tournament in nearly two decades. For a school located in a city with as great a pool of basketball talent as any in the country, such chronic losing seems impossible and wrong.
Marilynn Stacey-Suggs on Thursday became Savannah State University's first female athletics director. "It's very special. I'm very proud of that fact," she said following a news conference at Tiger Arena in which SSU President Earl Yarbrough announced her promotion.
Suggs, 52, fills the position vacated by Bart Bellairs, who resigned Nov. 23, 2009, to become the athletics director at Southeastern Louisiana University. Bellairs was SSU's first white athletics director.
Suggs, the interim AD since Nov. 24, 2009, was among 52 applicants for the job. She was chosen over two other finalists: Nicole Green, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at the University of Memphis; and William Weidner, previously the Deputy Athletics Director at the University of San Francisco. Suggs will be paid $90,000 and will be...
SAVANNAH, Ga.- Savannah State University (SSU) President Earl G. Yarbrough Sr., Ph.D., today named Marilynn Stacey-Suggs as director of Intercollegiate Athletics effective Jan. 1, 2011.
Suggs, who has served as interim director of Intercollegiate Athletics since Jan. 2010, will be responsible for all matters related to managing Savannah State’s 16 NCAA Division I sport teams for men and women including budgeting; compliance with university, University System of Georgia and NCAA policies and rules; and fundraising for programmatic needs.
After a nationwide search, Savannah State University has settled on a familiar face to guide its athletic program. Interim Athletic Director Marilynn Stacey-Suggs was named to the post permanently today. Suggs has filled the role for nearly a year-- responsible for all matters related to SSU's 16 NCAA Division 1 sports teams.
In making the announcement, SSU President Dr. Earl Yarbrough said the chance to bring stability to the program set Suggs apart from more than 50 other applicants for the job. "I needed someone who was stable-- stability who could grow the program here. Someone who we know is loyal to Savannah State University," said Yarbrough.
Texas Southern's success on the football field reflects a larger feel-good story, and that story includes someone who hasn't made a tackle or called a play this season. Charles McClelland is the school's 38-year-old athletic director, hired by TSU president Dr. John Rudley 21/2 years ago to clean up a program smothered in scandal and red ink.
As TSU tries to win its first Southwestern Athletic Conference football championship in 42 years on Saturday, there are plenty of other reasons for optimism.
"Dr. Rudley laid out a vision and a philosophy," McClelland said. "He wants to use our athletic program to help build the reputation of our entire university."
Texas Southern University, which will play its football games at the new stadium, is expected to contribute $1.5 million toward construction.
The Dynamo have agreed to pay $76 million to build a professional soccer stadium in downtown Houston and then lease it from the city and county for $65,000 a year.
The board of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, a joint city-county agency that acts as a pro sports stadium landlord, unanimously approved the deal Thursday morning. While the Dynamo will pay most of the cost of construction, the city and county will own the stadium.
Thursday's (Dec. 2, 2010) approval sets the stage for construction to begin as early as next month just across U.S. 59 from the George R. Brown Convention Center.
"It's an absolute win situation for not only Harris County but for the residents of Houston that for no expense to them — basically, no cost - we're getting a stadium," board member Tom Sprague said before the vote.
READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.
Note: TSU currently pays $40,000 per game for use of the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium for home games. The Tigers also rent Reliant Stadium at a cost $115,000 (2010 rate) for the Labor Day Classic with Prairie View A&M University. TSU on-campus Delmar stadium seats only 4,500, too small for most SWAC football contests.
The Tigers are expected to sign a 20-year lease as consideration for the $1.5M (prepaid rent) towards stadium construction, and receive in return: -- a private TSU locker room, 100% income from all TSU merchandise sales, 50% income from concession sales on all its games and no per game rent for the entire lease period.
From our view, this is a great deal for a $91 million-state-of-art stadium with luxury boxes in the 10th largest television market in the United States. Texas Southern football should become in short order, one of the premier brands and a hot destination point for the Labor Day Classic within five years. Mr. McClelland and TSU president Dr. John Rudley are clearly on an upward path with an economic engine (Dynamo Stadium) that will generate dollars comparable to other highly successful mid-major Division I FBC programs.
The question is, who's laughing now? Congratulation's TSU....Go Tigers!! (beepbeep)
Carolyn Meyers describes herself as a "researcher," a "collaborative leader" and a "thinker." She plans to put those traits to use when she takes the helm as Jackson State University's first female president in January. "The university's vision is something that will be crafted with all of us working together," she said Wednesday. "This is not Meyers State University; this is Jackson State University."
The state College Board voted unanimously in favor of hiring Meyers, 64, as JSU's 10th president after she spent the day meeting with faculty, alumni, students and others on campus. "It was really enlightening and heartening to hear and see how committed all of the groups are," Meyers said after the interviews. "I think we have something here that's special and unique and appeals to a lot of people."
JACKSON, Miss. - Jackson State University has hired Carolyn Meyers, the former president at Norfolk State University, as the school's president, making her the first woman to hold the top job there. The Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning named Meyers to the position Wednesday.
She replaces interim president Leslie McLemore, a political science professor appointed when Ronald Mason left in June to lead the Southern University System based in Baton Rouge, La. Meyers has more than 30 years of experience in higher education. Before working at Norfolk State, Meyers was provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at North Carolina A&T. She begins her new job in January.
TIME SENSITIVE:FAIRNESS HEARING SCHEDULED DECEMBER 20, 2010 AT 3:00 p.m.
ATTENTION: ALL CURRENT, PROSPECTIVE, AND FUTURE FEMALE STUDENTS OF DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY WHO PARTICIPATE, SEEK TO PARTICIPATE, OR HAVE BEEN DETERRED OR PREVENTED FROM PARTICIPATING IN DELAWARE STATE VARSITY ATHLETICS
PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY AS IT ADDRESSES A LAWSUIT THAT MAY AFFECT YOUR RIGHTS.
I. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this notice is to inform you of a proposed settlement in a pending class action lawsuit brought against Delaware State University (“DSU”) on behalf of all present and future female students of DSU (including currently enrolled female students, female students admitted for the 2010-11 academic year, and prospective female students) who participate, seek to participate, or have been deterred or prevented from participating in, or obtaining the benefits of, intercollegiate athletics at DSU. A class-action settlement, which must be approved by the Court, was reached in this class action, which is captioned or otherwise referred to as Foltz, et al. v. Delaware State University, Civil Action No. 10-149 (LPS) (D. Del.), and which is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (the “Litigation”).
The plaintiff class in the Litigation alleges that DSU violated, and is continuing to violate, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681-88 (“Title IX”) by: (1) failing to provide equitable athletic opportunities for its female students (“Participation Claims”); and (2) failing to provide equal recruitment resources to women’s varsity athletic teams (“Recruitment Claims”).
The proposed settlement (the “Settlement”) resolves these claims.
The DSU Equestrian Team legal action prevails and the parties agree to a Settlement Agreement, whereas, DSU does not admit any fault or wrongdoing. The District Court ratification of the Agreement is expected December 20, 2010, or soon thereafter.
Coach Shirley Gibbs Walker won 493 games at Alcorn State
Birmingham, Ala. - The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) announced its 2010 inductees for the league’s Hall of Fame. The class includes six honorees affiliated with five of the league’s 10 member institutions.
The 2010 inductees are: Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd (Jackson State, baseball), Clyde Duncan (Texas Southern, track and field), Charlie Granger (Southern, football / track and field), Aaron James (Grambling, basketball), Willie “Rat” McGowan (Alcorn State, baseball/ football), and Shirley Walker (Alcorn State, basketball).
Coach Rat McGowan won 701 games and four titles at ASU
The class will be honored on Thursday, December 9 at an invitational reception at the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham as a part of the festivities surrounding the 2010 Farmers Insurance SWAC Football Championship Game. The inductees will also be made available to media members at the championship’s press conference at the Birmingham Sheraton on Friday, December 10 at 10:00 a.m.
LORMAN, MS — The vigor of a young man at the top of his game caused both excitement and concern for Braves fans Tuesday. After an all-day listening session to determine the next president of Alcorn State University at its main campus in Lorman, M. Christopher Brown II was officially given the job.
Brown, a Charleston, S.C., native, currently serves as executive vice president and provost at the historic Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn. From 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Brown answered questions from students, faculty, alumni and leaders from the school and community.
The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning announced its unanimous decision to hire Brown as president after receiving feedback from the various groups.
LORMAN, MS — The state College Board has hired Christopher Brown to become the 18th president of Alcorn State University. Brown, 38, currently is vice president and provost at Fisk University in Nashville. He’s expected to start at Alcorn in January.
Brown, a Charleston, S.C.-native, has been fielding questions from campus constituents for most of the day. In meetings with alumni, faculty, students and others, he discussed his vision for Alcorn, touching on athletics, budgets, student activities and fundraising.
“It feels natural,” he said about possibly leading the state’s land grant HBCU. “I’m convinced that this is where I’m supposed to be, and this is where I’m supposed to serve.”
Dr. Meyers was strong advocate for athletics at NSU
Dr. Christopher Brown II
The preferred candidates to lead Alcorn State University and Jackson State University say they are aware of the daunting budget situations they would face as leaders of Mississippi's two largest historically black universities.
The state College Board announced Monday it had selected former Norfolk State University President Carolyn Meyers as JSU's potential new leader and Fisk University Vice President Christopher Brown to take the helm at Alcorn. Each will visit the respective campus next week to meet with alumni, students, faculty and staff before the appointments are finalized.
Reached by phone Monday, Meyers and Brown both said they were "humbled" by the selection.
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Justin Ferrell was headed for his seat in front of the three TV cameras gathered for N.C. A&T's weekly football news conference Monday afternoon. Suddenly a hand shot out and grabbed Ferrell by the shoulder, stopping one of the MEAC's toughest defensive players in his tracks.
Earl Hilton's keen blue eyes noticed the back of Ferrell's necktie poking out from under the collar of his dress shirt. Hilton helped Ferrell fix the fashion faux pas -- something the cameras wouldn't have seen, anyway. It was a small act. But it summed up what N.C. A&T's interim athletics director said he brings to the job. Attention to detail.
THURSDAY, Oct. 28: North Carolina A&T at Bethune-Cookman Wildcats TV: ESPNU - 7:30 p.m. Short week for B-CU
DAYTONA BEACH -- The good news is obvious. It's right there atop the conference standings, where Bethune-Cookman is perched with an unblemished record through seven games.
The stress is in the details. The Wildcats, whose first-year head coach Brian Jenkins is very big on routine, is now out of its comfort zone, forced to do a week of preparation in just four days as they look to a Thursday night home game -- moved from Saturday at the request of ESPN, which will broadcast the game on its ESPNU channel. Getting Jenkins to admit that his routine is ruffled, however, is another matter.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Louis “Skip” Perkins Jr., athletics director at University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (UAPB), has been named Howard University’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics effective Jan. 1, 2011, University President Sidney A. Ribeau announced today.
“At Howard, we are committed to building and bolstering our intercollegiate program to ensure that student-athletes succeed in the classroom and compete at the highest levels in their respective arenas,” Ribeau said. “We sought a leader who is committed to academic and athletic excellence; we found that in Skip Perkins.”
Perkins will assume responsibility for Howard’s 19 varsity athletic programs, including Division 1 football and Division 1 basketball. Other sports programs include soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field for men and women; and four programs – bowling, lacrosse, volleyball and softball – in which only women participate.
"It’s a truly humbling and exciting experience for me to have the opportunity to return to the Washington, D.C. area to lead Howard University’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics,” Perkins said. “I believe Howard’s and President Ribeau’s emphasis on academic and athletic excellence will serve as the foundation for returning Bison Athletics to national prominence. "
During Perkins' three-year tenure, Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Department of Athletics steadily improved. The UAPB athletic program won a total of five championships – highlighted by titles in women’s cross country (2007 and 2009); men’s cross country (2009); women’s soccer (2009) and men’s basketball (2010).
Under his leadership, the UAPB athletic facilities were significantly improved. The newly constructed, state-of-the-art, $5 million J. Thomas May Athletic Field House and football practice field currently serves as one of the premier athletic facilities in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and in the Southeast Arkansas Region.
A.D. Skip Perkins marketing the UAPB program (Archive Video: 8/7/2008)
Prior to his appointment at UAPB, he was the assistant director of Athletics at his alma mater North Carolina Central University (NCCU). He was instrumental in the institution’s transition from Division II to Division I ranks. Perkins’ year-long fundraising campaign yielded $1.8 million to benefit student-athletes.
He also served as the executive director of Communications and External Affairs at St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C. He developed and directed communications strategies, which included the development of publications and institutional policies.
Perkins holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a pair of Masters degrees in public administration and instructional media from North Carolina Central University. He was an Academic All-American in both 1994 and 1995 as a member of the NCCU tennis team, where he was a four-year team captain.
Perkins is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, NCAA Division I Recruiting Cabinet and Athletics Personnel Issues Cabinet, United States Tennis Association, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc. and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 10/20/10
CONTACT:
Kerry-Ann Hamilton
Media Relations Manager
k_hamilton@howard.edu
202.238.2332
Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 12 schools and colleges. Founded in 1867, students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Since 1998, the University has produced two Rhodes Scholars, two Truman Scholars, a Marshall Scholar, 21 Fulbright Scholars and 11 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University’s Web site at http://www.howard.edu/
One of Tuesday's editorials will react to the firing of N.C. A&T Athletics Director Wheeler Brown in the wake of a student's death during an "unofficial" track tryout in August.
A&T didn't require a mandatory physical and sickle cell screening that could have averted the tragedy that claimed the life of sophomore Jospin "Andre" Milandu. Wins and losses are definitely not life-and-death matters.
But there is a lot of grumbling in Aggieland about problems on the field as well. Brown may have been in hot water anyway.
This did not have to happen. The N.C. A&T student who died during an “unofficial” tryout for the track team had a potentially life-threatening condition that should have been detected in advance.
Twenty-year-old Jospin “Andre” Milandu collapsed on Aug. 19 during the workout and later died at Moses Cone Hospital. An autopsy revealed that the Knightdale sophomore had suffered from physical exertion and complications from sickle cell trait, a genetic condition that has claimed the lives of other college athletes.
Of all people, A&T athletics officials should have known better. In 2008, an Aggie football player, Chad Wiley, collapsed following a practice and died of complications from heat stroke. He also had carried the sickle cell trait.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — After a two-month search, N.C. A&T football coach Alonzo Lee has found his quarterback. On the baseball team. George Hines, a redshirt senior and three-year starter in center field for the Aggies, will be A&T's quarterback for the final four games, Lee said Monday.
"He's more than just an athlete who wants it," Lee said. "He's a guy who wants to be a student of the game. The other guys see that, and that leadership made the difference. He's our guy going down the stretch. ... We'll do a little rotation with the wildcat (offense), but he's going to be our main guy."
PRINCESS ANNE, MD -- The dream of loyal members of the UMES family has come to fruition with the creation of the Thunderin’ Hawks Pep Band — a credit to a collaborative effort by alumni and campus partners.
“I want to see school spirit increased,” pep band director Simba Leonard said. “I’m envisioning that the pep band members will have fun, which will ... excite the community and create a lot of energy on campus.”
The idea started at the 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball tournament, where UMES was the lone university of 11 participating without a pep band. A steering committee of alumni and representatives of UMES' departments of athletics, student activities and alumni affairs was formed to guide discussions about starting a musical group to boost school spirit.
“Under the leadership and tenacity of alumni Delphine Lee, Class of ’70, and Jesse Williams, Class of ’62, approximately $75,000 has been raised ... toward the goal of $100,000 to re-establish a first-class pep band at UMES,” said Kimberly Dumpson, J.D., director of Alumni Affairs.
“For all of us, it is music to our ears,” Dumpson said with a smile.
The new 30-piece pep band debuts at the university’s Hawk Hysteria, Friday, Oct. 15. A night of activities begins at 6 p.m. in the Hytche Athletic Center.
For more information, or to contribute to the Thunderin’ Hawks Pep Band, contact Dumpson at 410-651-7686.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — In his most high-profile move since a student collapsed and died in an unofficial track practice, N.C. A&T Chancellor Harold Martin fired athletics director Wheeler Brown on Friday.
“I commit to you that I will take constructive steps to move our athletics program in a different direction,” Martin said during a news conference at the school.
Brown’s dismissal comes nearly two months after sophomore Jospin “Andre” Milandu, 20, of Knightdale, died on Aug. 19 due to complications of sickle cell trait. He was one of several students participating in the tryout without medical paperwork required by the NCAA.
Courtesy: NC A&T Sports Information Release: 10/15/2010
TO: University Community FROM: Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr. DATE: October 15, 2010 RE: Milandu Internal Investigation Closed
On yesterday, the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released the autopsy report for our former student, Jospin "Andre" Milandu, showing that he died as a result of "complications of sickle cell trait." Andre, a sophomore from Knightdale, North Carolina, was described by his peers as a caring and kind-hearted young man. His presence has been and will continue to be missed at North Carolina A&T State University.
This continues to be a sad time for the University family, the Department of Athletics, and one beyond measure for the Milandu family. As a parent, my heart continues to ache for Andre's family and friends.
We deeply regret Andre's loss. Since my arrival at North Carolina A&T, I have consistently stressed the importance of adherence to University policies, practices and procedures with all University administrators. This has been reaffirmed throughout my tenure, and even more so since this tragic incident. I commit to you that I will take constructive steps to move our athletics program in a different direction.
Today, I have discontinued the employment of our Athletics Director, Wheeler Brown. I have asked Dr. Deborah Callaway, Special Assistant to the Chancellor, to assume administrative oversight for the immediate future until an interim Athletics Director is named within the next week. I will immediately launch an aggressive, national search for a new leader of our Athletics program.
This new leadership for Athletics will be expected to bring significant managerial and leadership skills, knowledge of Athletics, the ability to develop a high performing organization and the ability to manage the necessary cultural changes to ensure enhanced services, transparency and individual accountability.
Howard University Bison launched their new website today...the first big project by new assistant director of sports information, JamilahCorbitt. The site is hot and refreshing with connections to the Bison past, present & future athletes. Don't take my word for it, check it out at www.howard-bison.comor click title above. Edward Hill Jr. (Sports Information Director) and JamilahCorbitt are responsible for covering 17 Division I sports for the Bison athletic programs, in addition to keeping this site updated with news articles, photos and other information. So, cut them some slack when you get ready to negatively criticize a hard working two person support staff.
Jamilah is a native Washingtonian and has been on the job less than a month, coming home after serving in the Sports Information department at Alabama A&M University since 2008. Corbitt was assistant SID and the primary media contact for seven Division I sports and secondary contact for eight sports. Go Bison!
Wayne Angel told a group of reporters Tuesday that the sky is the limit for his track team, then made it clear that the potential that his Florida A&M men's track team is showing isn't because of some magic he worked in the short time that he's been at the helm.
He gave a lot of credit to women's coach Darlene Moore. Up until Angel was hired a little more than a month ago, Moore ran both the men's and women's teams simultaneously.
There was a beam in Martin Ukpai's eyes and his mannerism exuded optimism when he heard about coach Joe Taylor's suspicion that the players on South Carolina State's football team might have had a meeting of the minds before coming to Tallahassee last weekend.
Whether or not Taylor's hunch was right, the Florida A&M quarterback believes there might be something to getting the offensive unit together. He figures it might just help them find the answer for producing points.
FAMU backups work for some playing time » Linebacker Justin Davis would like to get a scholarship one day as a member of the Florida A&M football team. But for now, he has to prove he's deserving.
Davis, a redshirt freshman out of Florida High, is making a pretty good case as a walk-on. During Saturday's game against South Carolina State, he was on the field not only making plays on special teams, but trying to generate energy among his teammates — just like he has done in every other game.
After watching the film of Saturday's shutout loss to South Carolina State, coach Joe Taylor has decided that he's going back to basics with the Florida A&M football team in hopes of ending its two-game losing streak.
"We're going to play smash-mouth football," Taylor said Sunday. "That's what got me to where I am."
The corporate world would throw around terms like "re-branding" or a "re-assessment of core values" or some other "strategic initiative." Within the Florida A&M athletic department, it's much easier to explain. This place has changed, and it's continuing to change.
Those paying attention Saturday evening as nearly 23,000 fans packed into Bragg Memorial Stadium — most of them wearing the same black T-shirts — understand exactly what is happening on the highest of Tallahassee's seven hills.
Andre Dawson, who is a Major League Baseball Hall of fame inductee and self proclaimed 'rattler forever' returned to his stopping grounds to give those being inducted to the FAMU Sports Hall of fame a pat on the back. Dawson, a Rattler baseball great in the 70s, was a member of the 81 FAMU sports hall of fame.
After a knee injury out of high school-- He says his time on the Rattler Diamond is what made his child hood dream work itself out. Andre Dawson says, "I got a full scholarship because ...
Greensboro, NC -- It was all about Aggie pride at North Carolina A&T State University Saturday. The Aggie women's volleyball team performed karaoke at the Aggie Fun Fest. There was a lot of excitement building on campus as student athletes prepare for the new season.
The cell phone ringtone interrupted the speaker's voice Tuesday afternoon just as the words "Mr. Derek Horne" were spoken. The theme song to the old "Superman" television series blared loud enough for everyone in the banquet room at the Al Lawson Center to hear. "That was planned," someone yelled from across the room. Maybe," came the response. Though Florida A&M President Dr. James Ammons may not have hired Superman to run the university's athletics department, he certainly found a man many people believe has the strength, wisdom and instincts to help reshape the future of the Rattlers' sports programs.
Derek Horne, formally introduced Tuesday as the new director of athletics, wasted little time endearing himself to a crowd of nearly 100 FAMU employees, trustees, alumni, friends and media representatives. "I'm humbled and honored to stand before you today as the next director of athletics at Florida A&M University," Horne said. "Of all the places in the world this day, I can't think of another place I'd rather be."
Prairie View A&M University Athletic Director Fred Washington is proud to announce his first-ever Athletic Director’s Challenge. This open challenge to everyone across the nation and state or who is a part of the Panther Family is an effort to share our story and generate support for the proposed Sports Complex.
To participate in the challenge, log on to www.helppvbuild.org and click on the donate link at the bottom of the complex rendering. The second step of the challenge requires that after submitting a gift you contact five additional prospective supporters and invite them to accept the challenge. Once you and five others contacted by you have made a contribution, e-mail your name along with the names of your five contacts to athletics@pvamu.edu become a Challenge Champion.
A picture of the proposed complex, which will be developed in three phases and include amenities such as a 15,000-seat football stadium and adjoining athletic facility, is above while step-by-step directions on how to participate in the challenge are listed below.
"We’re proud to have a presence and support in Houston and the surrounding communities," said Washington. "This is not a simple task and to accomplish it, we’ll need as much assistance sharing the message and raising financial support as we can get". Panther Athletics looks for you to become a Champion today.
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S CHALLENGE
1. Log on to www.helppvbuild.org.
2. Click on the donate link at the bottom of the complex rendering.
3. In the other amount field under Your Gift, pledge $30
4. Fill out the required fields below (designated with a gold asterisk)
5. Under the Additional Information section, type Athletic Director’s Challenge in the message block and then proceed to submit your gift using the button at the bottom.
6. Contact and encourage 5 prospective donors to participate in the challenge
7. Once they complete the challenge, e-mail your name along with the names of the five donors to athletics@pvamu.edu to become a Challenge Champion.
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.
