RECRUITMENT: Director, Intercollegiate Athletics

Our Alma Mater needs help... please pass this vacancy announcement on to any "top shelf" qualified candidates that you may know in the profession that is looking for a fresh career start.

Director, Intercollegiate Athletics

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) is one of eleven state-supported universities in Florida. The University is governed by a 13-member Board of Trustees and is a member of the State University System governed by the Florida Board of Governors. FAMU is an 1890 land-grant Comprehensive/Doctoral University, which was established by the Legislature in 1887 in the capital city of Tallahassee. The University currently has an enrollment of approximately 12,000 high achieving students and over 700 faculty members who provide instruction, research, and service through six colleges, seven schools, and an Environmental Science Institute. In addition to 62 outstanding baccalaureate programs, FAMU offers 42 master's level programs, several professional programs, including a College of Law, and 11 Ph.D. programs. The University has been an historic leader in recruiting National Achievement Scholars and has been number one in the production of African American baccalaureate graduates.

The University is seeking applications of individuals with a strong academic, and/or administrative background for the position of Director, Intercollegiate Athletics.

QUALIFICATIONS: A master's degree or professional degree from an accredited university in an appropriate area of specialization and six (6) years of appropriate experience; or a bachelor's degree from an accredited university in an appropriate area of specialization and eight (8) years of appropriate experience. Preference will be given to applicants with evidence of significant senior leadership in athletic administration and/or coaching, preferably at the NCAA Division I collegiate level, a comprehensive understanding and extensive knowledge of NCAA bylaws, rules and regulations, successful fund-raising efforts and absolute commitment to the philosophy of the student athlete including academic excellence and sportsmanship.

The deadline to apply is May 31, 2010. Applicants should submit a completed FAMU employment application to:

Office of Human Resources
Florida A&M University
211 Foote-Hilyer Administration Center
Tallahassee, Florida 32307-3200
Telephone: (850) 599-3611
Fax: (850) 561-2080

Salary: Salary is based on educational requirements, experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities.

NOTE: Successful completion of a background investigation is a condition of employment.

Fundraiser sought as Jackson State Tigers' next Athletic Director

Jackson State joins a growing list-- Florida A&M University, Mississippi Valley State University and Savannah State University-- seeking an experienced athletic director with fundraising, contract negotiations and creative marketing skills to elevate their athletic programs from financial distress.

Jackson State athletic director Bob Braddy will retire from his post on July 1 and one objective will be the primary task of his successor - fundraising. The athletic programs have had tremendous success on the field during the four years with Braddy at the helm, winning 12 SWAC championships and four Commissioner's Cup awards given to the league's top program across all sports. However, Braddy admits increasing revenue has fallen short of his expectations.

Jackson State worked under a $6.5 million budget in 2009-10 and there have been concerns in the last 12 months that some of the 18 individual programs could be cut if the department's financial situation does not improve. The next athletic director must have a skill set in one specific area. "A businessman or someone who understands the business of athletics, would be good," JSU president Ronald Mason said. "The next athletic director will have to be able to bridge the gap between traditional JSU (supporters) and potential JSU (supporters) and try to draw as much as we can from both."

Braddy was working on a $100,000 salary, and Mason hopes to increase that number. "The salary won't be extravagant, but we hope competitive enough," Mason said. "I think we can pay a little more, but not much more. ... We hope we can get some wiggle room there and we'll rely on Tiger Fund to help support that effort if necessary."

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AD search back on for FAMU

President James H. Ammons, Ph.D., Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

The search for an athletics director at Florida A&M is back to square one. FAMU President James Ammons said Thursday he has decided to extend the search by continuing to take applications for a permanent AD. Ammons also shot down reports that interim athletic director Mike Smith will be named the permanent replacement, although he said Smith could apply for the position.

Ammons' announcement during an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat came almost two months to the day in February when he told staff at an athletic department meeting that he'd have a decision within a week. He has since reconsidered but didn't make a statement until Thursday, when he said advertising for the position will resume.
"I want to make certain that we have reached all the talent for this position," Ammons said. "I just want to make sure I have a pool that is broad enough and rich enough to make this important decision."

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SSU not rushing to hire AD, football coach‎

Savannah State University has not begun advertising for an athletics director or football head coach, and SSU Vice President for Administration Claud Flythe said there is no rush to do so. Bart Bellairs, who was paid $110,000 annually, resigned Nov. 23 as athletics director, a position he held for 18 months. Robby Wells, who was paid $90,000 annually, resigned Jan. 28 as football head coach, a position he held for two seasons.

"There is no deadline because, I'll be candid with you, I knew at the university I have two good people who can move us along," said Flythe, who oversees athletics. "There is no doubt in my mind." Flythe appointed Marilynn Suggs, SSU's assistant athletics director and senior woman administrator, to interim athletics director the day after Bellairs resigned to become athletics director at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, La. Suggs appointed defensive coordinator, Julius Dixon interim head coach, the day Wells resigned.

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Southern U preps for busy home sports weekend

A big athletic weekend is on tap on the bluff, as the Southern track and field, baseball, softball and tennis teams will all be in action. The 51st Annual Davenport/Milburn Pelican Relays will be held on Friday and Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium on Roscoe Moore Track. Friday events kick off at 4 p.m., and Saturdays events start at 9 a.m. Five collegiate women's and men's teams, along with 10 high school girls and boys track teams are set to participate in this annual event at Southern University. Cost for the event is $5 for adults, and children under 10 are free.

It is Throwback Weekend at Lee-Hines Field, as the Southern Jaguars will battle in-state rival Grambling State in a three-game series. Southern has hosted Grambling for its annual throwback weekend in every year but one, and the weekend has grown to include vendors, exhibits and visits from the likes of the legendary Negro Leaguer Buck O'Neil.

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Savannah State University granted provisional MEAC membership

Commissioner, Dr. Dennis E. Thomas welcomed the 13th member to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference -- the Savannah State University Tigers.

March 10, 2010 - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced today that Savannah State University has been extended provisional membership to the MEAC beginning July 1, 2010, as voted on by the conference's Council of Chief Executive Officers (CCEO's). A press conference is set for 5 p.m. on Friday, March 12, in the post game interview room of the Joel Coliseum. An additional press conference will take place on Wednesday, March 24 in Savannah, Georgia.

"We are pleased to extend membership and welcome Savannah State University to the MEAC family," said MEAC Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas. "The addition of SSU keeps us in compliance with our long range and strategic plan of adding up to 14 members. Adding SSU to the membership completes the geographical footprint that bridges our South Carolina and Florida institutions." Commissioner Thomas added, "I would like to commend Dr. Yarbrough, President, Dr. Flythe, and the entire SSU family for all their hard work as we welcome this outstanding academic institution into the conference."

As a provisional member, SSU must be in compliance with three (3) stipulations by September 1, 2011 before full membership status into the MEAC is granted. The stipulations include (1) student-athlete scholarships, (2) athletic budget, and (3) staffing.

"We are very proud to be admitted to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The MEAC affiliation will enhance our status in terms of athletic competitions while building valuable relationships that will go well beyond the playing fields and courts," said Earl G. Yarbrough Sr., Ph.D., president of Savannah State. "On behalf of the students, faculty, staff, alumni and boosters, we extend appreciation to MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas, MEAC presidents/chancellors and others for this vote of confidence."

"MEAC membership means a lot for our student-athletes because they'll spend less time on the road and more time in class," said Claud Flythe, vice president for Administration, which includes athletics. "This gives our students the opportunity to interact with their peers from other HBCUs, and for the first time in a long time, they can look forward to post-season play.

Savannah State originally applied for membership into the MEAC in 2006 but faced an NCAA probationary period soon after. The membership application was deferred until the completion of the probation in May 2009. Savannah State resubmitted the application again in 2009. The Tigers will become the only MEAC institution to compete from the state of Georgia.

The addition of SSU marks the second expansion for the MEAC this academic year. North Carolina Central University was announced as a new conference member to the conference in September, 2009. Prior to NCCU, Winston-Salem State became the 12th member but will return to Division II following the 2009-10 academic/athletic season. The MEAC expanded in the 90's with the inclusion of Norfolk State in 1997 and Hampton in 1995.

About Savannah State University
Established in 1890, Savannah State University is the oldest public HBCU in Georgia and the oldest institution of higher education in Savannah, Ga. As a senior coeducational unit of the University System of Georgia, Savannah State provides a comprehensive college experience that adds value to the academic, personal, social and cultural growth of its student body. The 196-acre residential campus is located on a picturesque bluff that is minutes away from the renowned historic district of Savannah and the Atlantic Ocean beaches. Approximately 3,800 students are enrolled in 23 undergraduate and degree majors and five graduate programs in three colleges: Business Administration, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and Sciences and Technology.

Press Release: March 10, 2010, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Oregon State University and University of Oregon sports finances in the red

This story has absolutely nothing to do with the MEAC and SWAC -- other than the economy that impacts Oregon and Oregon State sports program is the same economy that impacts Texas Southern and Delaware State athletic programs. Add the recession, which has affected state appropriations and private giving at most colleges and universities, and college sports, especially HBCU sports, faces unprecedented economic challenges. So, if these guys are in the red, where does your favorite university stand on the sports financial radar?

Let's be truthful here--on the financial status of all athletic programs--playing big-time college sports is, on balance, a money-losing enterprise. Based on the October 2009 report, 2004-08 NCAA Revenues and Expenses of Division I Intercollegiate Athletics Programs Report, on the Football Championship Subdivision level (Division I-AA), there was a less visible gap between haves and have-nots, because not a single athletics program had positive net revenues in 2006. The median net loss for the 118 programs at that level was $7.1 million, although programs generated as much as $15.2 million in revenues and spent as much as $34.9 million, far above the medians of $2.3 million and $11.4 million, respectively.

Among the remaining programs in Division I -- those that don't play football at all -- all 94 had expenses that exceeded their generated revenues, and the median net loss was about $5.8 million (See NCAA.Org. Table below).

	Median Total Revenues	Median Generated Revenues	Median Total Expenses	Median Net Revenue (or Deficit)
Football Bowl Subdivision	$35,400,000	$26,342,000	$35,756,000	-$7,265,000
Football Championship Subdivision	$9,642,000	$2,345,000	$9,485,000	-$7,121,000
Division I -- no football	$8,771,000	$1,828,000	$8,918,000	-$6,607,000

In November 2009, a story was published regarding the University of New Orleans. It appears the university has been operating off a borrowed future. After Hurricane Katrina, athletics officials had obtained a waiver from the NCAA to field less than the required 14 teams and operate at the Division I level for five years. Beset by financial woes in the range of -$6 million, reduced funding and budget cuts across the university, and expectant fund raising "did not materialize" the donations expected, the Privateers had to turn to its students to cover the gap in athletic funding.

However, in a campus-wide referendum, the majority undergraduate student population rejected a proposal to increase UNO student fees to cover the $1 million annual subsidy to athletics in the $5 million athletic operating budget. Unless some big donor can be found, it appears the Privateers will be moving to Division III, in order to run a more cost-effective program.

More recently, Mississippi Valley State University could not schedule a money game with Texas Christian University for the 2010 season, because the Delta Devils football program cannot fill the 63 scholarships allotted to Football Championship Subdivision (formerly, 1-AA) teams. The Delta Devils had to settle for a date with defending MEAC champion South Carolina State University Bulldogs, a far cry from cashing into a big pay day in the range of $300,000 to $600,000 for a date with an FBC or 1-A program.

In the four years that Winston Salem State University moved on its path from Division II membership to Division I with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Rams racked up a -$6 million deficit. After careful study in 2009, the Rams further realized that the projected gaps could mount as high as -$15 million by Fiscal Year 2012, if they stayed the course to NCAA Division I membership.

WSSU was basically financing their move to the bright lights of Division I on the backs of their students. At a cost of $579 per student, their athletics fee is among the highest in the University of North Carolina System--but one of the lowest in the MEAC, the Division I league the Rams had joined in 2005.

In February 2009, the State University System's Board of Governors made the right decision and rejected a WSSU proposal to increase the student fees for the athletic program. This effectively killed any hope the Rams had of raising additional revenue by using the easy street method. It was noted that Officials at WSSU had been diverting funds from elsewhere in the university budget to cover the athletic budgetary gaps, which came at the expense of the academic needs of the university.

The Rams have now moved back down to Division II and rejoined their previous conference, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). It remains to be seen if Winston Salem State will drop any of its 14 sports teams to address the deficit from its ill advised move to Division I. WSSU has a new athletic director in William "Bill" Hayes, who proved in the past two years at Florida A&M University, that he is not a fundraiser. He was hired at Winston Salem State on January 1, 2010.

Last month, Hayes unveiled the $1,000 Horns Club, a fund-raising effort he had moderate success with as the A.D. at North Carolina Central University, before the economic recession. He attempted the same program at FAMU and had little -- if any success with this program.

Now, the rest of the story...

Oregon State University Reser Stadium (Corvallis, OR) record capacity is 46,319.

Despite winning football seasons in recent years, sports finances for Oregon State University and the University of Oregon both fell in the red by the end of the last fiscal year, according to a report the State Board of Higher Education's finance committee will review Friday. Oregon State intercollegiate athletics' ending balance, what the board calls working capital, was $5.9 million in the hole as of June 30, 2009, and the University of Oregon's sports programs posted a $642,000 deficit.

State Board policy requires universities to keep their ending balances positive. The board probably will ask administrators from each university to come up with a plan to bring working capital, current assets minus liabilities, into the black. Athletics finances for the state's five other universities all showed positive ending balances for 2008-09. After making headway in 2008 on a four-year plan to wipe out its athletics deficit, Oregon State University lost ground last year in part because of the recession, donations that flowed 20 percent below expectations and a timing glitch that forced the university to wait until this fiscal year to collect on $1.9 million in pledged contributions, said Mark Spencer, associate athletic director for business operations.

In the 2007-08 school year, nearly 80 percent of major athletic programs reported operating deficits, with programs in the red losing an average of $9.9 million, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

If the university could have collected the $1.9 million last year, it would have had only a slight dip deeper into the red, he said. "We won't have that problem this year," he said. The university also has set a goal of expanding its donor base from 6,000 people to 12,000, said Todd Stansbury, executive associate athletic director. "Fund raising ends up being key in our success in balancing the budget," he said, "but also the one (factor) most affected by the economy.

The University of Oregon Autzen Stadium (Eugene, OR) record capacity is 59,597.

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With Deficits Mounting, Winston-Salem State Steps Back From Division I.

FAMU narrows selection for AD, finally gets off NCAA probation

Florida A&M University President James Ammons, Ph.D. has a very difficult decision to make in the selection of the Rattlers next athletic director from finalist Mary McElroy and Derrick McGee.

A double shot of good news for Florida A&M. University president James Ammons announced that the school had narrowed is search for a permanent athletic director to two candidates. The news came on the heels of another announcement, this one from the NCAA that confirmed that the Rattlers have finished their four-year probation for various infractions and violations. Ammons said that the two finalists for the AD position are Derrick McGee and Mary McElroy.

McGee is currently chief financial officer for the University of Cincinnati Bearkats and is a former Rattler basketball player. McElroy finished a short stint as AD for compliance at SMU. Prior to that, she served three years as athletic director at Georgia State in Atlanta, where she initiated the school's first football program. "I've completed my interview and now I'm working on all of the due diligence that I have to do in order to make the appointment," Ammons said. "I'm hoping that within the week, we will have an announcement to make on the new director of athletics."

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Star jumper making leap from Norfolk State to Florida State

Nothing against Norfolk State, Marlon Woods said, but the six-time MEAC high jump champion feels he's topped out there. So Woods, a Booker T. Washington graduate, is making another jump - transferring to Florida State. "I feel there wasn't a lot more for me to accomplish in the conference or at the school, other than to graduate," he said. Woods, who has a year of eligibility remaining, plans to graduate from Florida State, where he'll enroll in January and compete in the indoor and outdoor seasons. He's taking classes at NSU through this semester and should complete his degree in sociology next December, he said.

The move, he admits, is more about athletics. Woods was disappointed in his 2009 outdoor season. Though he was named Most Outstanding Performer at the MEAC championships, he failed to qualify for the NCAA championships in the high jump, clearing just 6-10-1/4 at the East Regional. He has jumped as high as 7-2-3/4, and qualified for the NCAAs as a sophomore. Woods also failed to qualify in the long jump, after earning All-American honors during the indoor season.

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North Carolina Central University wins admission to MEAC

North Carolina Central University has won admission to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, returning the Durham institution to a league it helped found but then left 30 years ago. The conference said Thursday that its Council of Chief Executive Officers voted to admit NCCU as the MEAC’s 13th member effective July 1, 2010.

The decision gives NCCU a conference home as it continues to make the transition from a NCAA Division II athletics program to one competing in the top-level, and more expensive, Division I. NCCU is entering its third season of competition in Division I. "This is a significant milestone in North Carolina Central University's transition to Division I," said NCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms. "Membership in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a win-win proposition for our student-athletes, alumni and fans – indeed, all our university constituents."

With its return to the MEAC, NCCU will now play in the same conference as its most fierce rival, North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, and another in-state school that recently made the jump to Division I, Winston-Salem State University. WSSU, which became the MEAC’s 12th member in 2007, was a rival of NCCU’s in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, a Division II conference. The highlight of NCCU’s time in the CIAA was winning the Division II national men’s basketball championship in 1989.

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It’ll take more than coaching to keep S.C. State ahead

Florida A&M’s new $26 million Teaching Gymnasium, which will hold 9,639 fans: "There’s been plenty of talk in recruiting circles that FAMU’s new building helped dissuade potential Bulldog men’s basketball recruits from coming to Orangeburg."

There’s one common belief among all college head coaches, regardless of the sport.

When trying to recruit a high school prospect, a winning tradition and geography are high selling points. However, the quality of the facilities is more than often the deal maker or deal breaker. Take a look at the most successful Division I college football programs this decade (Florida, Southern Cal, Ohio State). In almost all cases, the facilities are second to none. The same is true even in the lower divisions in which former three-time defending Football Championship Subdivision champion Appalachian State can raise $32 million toward an athletic-enhancement campaign that already has produced three facilities.

Truly, the adage “if you build it, (they) will come” is as true in college sports as it was in the movie “Field of Dreams.” In the case of South Carolina State head coaches like Oliver “Buddy” Pough (football) and Hardeep Judge (tennis), renovations to their facilities have only further bolstered their proven ability to produce winning teams without the advantages of state-of-the-art athletics facilities.

FAMU's Teaching Gym Basketball Court

It’s no secret that S.C. State has managed to overcome a distinct disadvantage among its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference brethren when it comes to location and facilities. Out of the nine conference schools competing in football (not including Winston-Salem State, which remains non-eligible for MEAC title play), S.C. State has the smallest population and most rural setting:

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MEAC representatives to visit Savannah State

NCAA: SSU's three-year probation 'is now over."

Savannah State University's bid to be admitted to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is moving forward following a three-year delay. MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas told the Savannah Morning News on Tuesday that he and other MEAC representatives will be at SSU June 29-30 for an official site visit - one of the final steps before joining a conference.

SSU has competed as an NCAA Division I Independent since leaving the Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2002. The Tigers paid a $10,000 non-refundable application fee to the MEAC in 2005.

"We will be visiting Savannah State University at the end of June," Thomas said during a telephone interview from MEAC headquarters in Virginia Beach, Va. "That's virtually all I can say about it. We will be visiting. It's a site visit for the membership committee. We won't be in town for more than two days." Thomas and other MEAC representatives made an official site visit to SSU on May 8, 2006. MEAC school presidents were set to vote on the school's admittance, but the NCAA placed SSU's football program on a three-year probation the week before the scheduled decision.

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MEAC Sports Shorts: Get out of Town!

Atlanta Football Classic paid FAMU only $255,081 in 2007 is nothing to dance about for Rattlers. TSU earned $287,867.

• McQuay released from FAMU scholarship, eyeing Florida State: Suncoast sprinter Tony McQuay received word today that FAMU track coach Rey Robinson had been fired and was granted a release from his scholarship. McQuay won a gold medal in the 400-meter dash, a silver in the 200, and a bronze in the 100 at the Class 2A state meet earlier this month. He had signed a track scholarship with FAMU, where his parents attended and his sister is now, the week of the state meet. He turned down offers from Clemson, Georgia and Georgia Tech, among others to sign with FAMU. After his performance, McQuay attracted the attention of Florida and Florida State and he said that made him rethink his decision to sign with FAMU but it was too late. All that changed when Robinson was fired late Tuesday.
  
• McELVEEN SEEKS FAMU RELEASE: Blake senior Marissa McElveen, the 3A state champion in the triple jump, is seeking a release from her national letter of intent signed with Florida A&M University after the Rattlers fired women's head coach Maicel Malone, Yellow Jackets coach Shirley Parker said Friday.
  
• Bank of America may punt Atlanta Football Classic title sponsorship: Bank of America Corp. may pull its title sponsorship of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta Football Classic. The Charlotte-based bank three-year contract as title sponsor of the college game in Atlanta ends after this year event on Sept. 26. While the bank will maintain some level of sponsorship, it likely will not continue as title sponsor. BofA has been the title sponsor since 2004. The decision comes at a time when financial institutions that have received assistance from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) are coming under increased scrutiny for sports marketing, especially from the U.S. Congress. BofA has received $45 billion in TARP funding.
  
• 100 Black Men of Atlanta Football Classic: According to 100 Black Men of Atlanta 2007 tax returns, it paid $287,867 to Tennessee State University, which plays in the game, and $255,081 to Florida A&M University, Tennessee State annual opponent for their participation in the 2007 Bank of America - Atlanta Football Classic.
  
• Athletes receive scholarship offers from Rattlers: Matt Thompson, 6-0, 175 senior QB from Seabreeze Senior High School (Daytona Beach, FL) has receive scholarship offers from FAMU, Bethune Cookman and Tennessee State. The talented quarterback prospect missed the majority of his junior season with a broken leg. Northern Illinois has expressed interest, but has not offered a scholarship to Thompson.
  
• RELOADING: North Marion High hasn’t missed the regional playoffs since 1999 and with a talented group of rising seniors is a good bet to make it again. According to Colts coach Craig Damon, Florida A&M has offered current NMHS standouts Courtland Thomas (DL), Brandon Carr (S) and Terraine McCullough (WR/DB). Damon said Iowa State has also offered McCullough, who he expects more offers to come in for over the next week.
  
• Player on Radar: Alex DeLeon (6-3, 190), a three-year starter at outside linebacker and tight end, is getting looks from FAMU, Florida Atlantic, The Citadel, Marshall and Duke. DeLeon plays for Belleview (FL) Rattlers Coach Mike Bowe, which returns six starters on offense and five on defense.
  
• Get Out of Town: The Orange & Green received a big shock this week as the University has decided not to renew the contracts of two Head Rattlers. Men's track coach Rey Robinson and women's track coach Maicel Malone were informed Tuesday that their services were no longer needed. Robinson, a former Olympian, has been the men's track coach since 2000. Malone, a former coach at FSU, took over the women’s program at FAMU in 2005. Athletic director Bill Hayes said the changes were necessary as part of his effort to turn around FAMU's athletic program. Both head coach Rey Robinson and Maicel Malone were preparing five athletes -- thee men and two women -- for the NCAA East Regional championships next weekend in Greensboro, N.C. when they were notified.
  
• Joe Taylor impact goes beyond gridiron: Over 30 FAMU Rattlers earned grade point averages in the classroom at 3.0 or better this past semester. The B average of these players represent an important academic accomplishment. Starting quarterback Curtis Pulley's father reported that his son earned a 3.2 gpa for the Spring Semester. The 2004 Kentucky Mr. Football, Curtis Pulley is spending the summer in North Carolina with his uncle Lonnie Pulley, a former player at Winston Salem State who's a high school coach in the area. Pulley will be working out at Wake Forest University with Demon Deacons quarterback Riley Skinner and NFL receiver Anquan Boldin, whose brother D.J. played at Wake Forest. Pulley completed 55.1 percent of his passes for 1,382 yards and 17 touchdowns for Florida A&M last season. He also ran for 887 yards and seven touchdowns.
  
• 2009 Commisioner's All-Academic Team: The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announces the 2009 Commissioner’s All-Academic Team, recognizing 593 student-athletes from the conference’s 12 member institutions who achieved academic success during the 2008-09 academic school year. The team honors student-athletes, including sophomores to seniors, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. “I congratulate and commend the student-athletes who have achieved academic success by maintaining a 3.0 or better grade point average during the 2008-09 school year,” said Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas. “I would further like to congratulate the coaches, institutions, and parents of these academic achievers for their contributions to the student athletes success.” 2009 Commissioner’s All-Academic Award Winners (by institutions):
  
• FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY (30)
  Women (14): Samara Ferraz (VB, Public Relations), Rhianna Green (SB, Health Science), Brittany Wade (W. Swim, Business), Danielle Riley (WT, Graphic Design), Stephanie Foster (WB, Journalism), Gina Davis (BO, Chemistry), Ashley Melson (BO, Criminal Justice), Trishay Bryant (WT, Journalism), Jesseka Forbes (WT, Pharmacy), Kiera Holiday (WT, Criminal Justice), Tifany Morrow (WT, Nursing), Suelyn Pillner (WT, Criminal Justice), Kelle Ransom (WT, Public Relations), Whitney Young (WT, Business)…. Men (16): Eddie Battle (FB, Accounting), Cameron Houston (FB, Criminal Justice), Kenneth Lanier (FB, Pharmacy), Gregory Lee (FB, Undeclared), Phillip Sylvester (FB, Engineering), Jack Dash (M. Swim, Engineering), Gregory Lowe (M. Swim, Spanish), Simbarashe Happy (MT, Business), Forest Jenkins (MT, Business), Paul Paige (MT, Business), Artiom Podgainii (MT, Physical Ed.), Bryant Carlin (GF, Business), Gallop Franklin (GF, Pharmacy), Elijah Jackson (GF, Pre-Med.), Byron Taylor (MB, Economics), Stanley Suber (MT, Graphic Design)

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