Turnovers help Alabama State stay atop conference

Montgomery, Alabama -- As a native of Montgomery, Ala., and an Alabama State alumnus, fifth-year coach Reggie Barlow knows full well that times have rarely been higher at his alma mater.

A new field house is up and running. Steel beams are rising on a state-of-the-art on-campus football stadium, which is scheduled to open late next year.

And right now, the Hornets haven’t lost a game in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. Yet as the next game approaches, Barlow is concerned. He usually is. Such is life in the SWAC.

“I don’t think there’s one team in this league to where you can say, ￔOh, they’re so much better than everybody else,’” Barlow said. “So everybody has to play.”




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Alabama State Hornets in football national polls

Montgomery, Alabama -- Alabama State's 43-29 win over Texas Southern propelled the Hornets into The Sports Network's Football Championship Subdivision rankings for the first time in the school's history.

The Hornets (5-1) are ranked 24th after running their record to 5-0 versus FCS schools, with their only loss coming in the second week to Football Bowl Subdivision member Eastern Michigan. Southwestern Athletic Conference members occasionally crack the Top 25 in The Sports Network poll, but it is the first time a SWAC team has been ranked this early in the season since Alabama A&M made the rankings on Sept. 10 and Sept. 17 in 2007.

Hornet placekicker Bobby Wenzig also earned The Sports Network national special teams player of the week honors after scoring 19 points and making all five field goals he attempted at Texas Southern.




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2011 MEAC Preseason Press Luncheon

Savannah State Tigers open Camp

Savannah, GA - The renovated T.A Wright Stadium is not even complete yet, but that didn't stop the Savannah State football team from hitting the field at their new home. Wednesday afternoon, Head Coach Steve Davenport and the Tigers opened up pre-season camp with a two hour practice on the new field turf at T.A Wright stadium.

"It feels good to get to work," said Davenport. "We're all about competition here...no job is taken yet." The Tigers are coming off a 1-10 season in 2010.

"There's a lot of excitement in the air all around campus," said Senior Running Back Justin Babb. "New" is the word around camp. In 2011 the Tigers have a new head coach, new conference in the MEAC, and a new stadium.



A total of ninety-four players have checked into camp under Tigers Coach Steve Davenport.

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PHOTO GALLERY: TED WRIGHT FOOTBALL STADIUM RENOVATIONS
VISIT: SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: SSUTIGERS

Detroit land ex-Jaguars linebacker Justin Durant (Hampton U.)

Justin Durant, Detroit Lions 

Detroit, MI - Their front four is one of the best in the game. Now the Detroit Lions are on their way to upgrading their back seven.

The Lions made their first significant move of the free-agent signing period late Wednesday, agreeing to terms on a two-year contract with linebacker Justin Durant (Hampton University), according to a team source.

Reached by phone shortly before 11 p.m., Durant's agent, Adisa Bakari said, "Not yet. Deal's not done." But Bakari and the Lions were heavy in contract talks late into the night. Durant, who played four seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars, appeared to confirm the signing, first reported by the Chicago Tribune, on Twitter.

Now everybody from the 313, put ya (...) hands up and follow me!!!" he wrote.

Durant, who turns 26 in September, has never played a full 16 games in a season and missed six games last year with a groin injury.

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Former 'bama State Tarvaris Jackson expected to start for Seattle

The newly signed $8 million dollar man,
Tarvaris Jackson is expected to be the
starting QB for the Seattle Seahawks.

RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says he expects Tarvaris Jackson to be the team's starting quarterback when it opens the season. Carroll made the pronouncement Saturday morning during his first media availability of training camp.

Jackson signed a two-year deal with the Seahawks on Friday. He watched Saturday's practice in shorts and a T-shirt, unable to participate in camp until next Thursday due to rules established in the new collective bargaining agreement.

Carroll says Jackson's familiarity with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell gave the newcomer the edge. Jackson and Bevell worked together in Minnesota from 2006-10.

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Confirmed: Seahawks agree to terms with Tarvaris Jackson

The Seahawks have reached an agreement on a contract with quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, according to a league source. Jackson played the past five seasons in Minnesota, which chose him in the second round of the draft.

Terms of the deal are not known, and he can't sign a contract until Friday, which is the first day transactions may be filed with the league. Jackson, 28, played in Minnesota under Darrell Bevell, who was hired to be Seattle's new offensive coordinator.

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Tarvaris Jackson To Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks agreed to a deal with Tarvaris Jackson following the news that free-agent quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will not return to Seattle this season, multiple sources told ESPN.  Hasselbeck will turn 36 in September. His prior contract was signed before the start of the 2005 season and was followed by him leading the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl appearance.

According to the sources, Jackson's deal is for $8 million over two years, an indication he was brought in to compete for the starting job. His contract matches that of current Seahawks quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who signed a two-year, $8 million contract after being acquired in a trade before last season.

Jackson, Minnesota's second-round pick in 2006, would appear to have an edge in the competition because he has played for current Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell when they were both a part of the Vikings.

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21 SWAC Games to be Broadcast in 2011

Birmingham, Ala. - The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its football broadcast schedule Thursday, including a 10-game slate on SWAC TV, the league's internet broadcast site.

The schedule has eight games across ESPN networks, plus national and regional television dates with NBC, Versus, and SportSouth. In all, 21 SWAC games are scheduled to be televised during the 2011 football season.

Note: The tape delayed games on ESPNU can all be seen live on ESPN3.com.

Date               Game                                              Time (CT)      Network

Sat., Sept. 3 Alabama State at Mississippi Valley State 5 pm SWAC TV
Sat., Sept. 3 Alcorn State vs. Grambling 9:30 pm (Tape) ESPNU
Sun., Sept. 4 Prairie View A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman 11 am ESPN

Sat., Sept. 10 Alcorn State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Sept. 10 Jackson State vs. Tennessee State 6 pm SportSouth

Sat., Sept. 17 Jackson State at Southern 6 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Sept. 24 Southern vs. Florida A&M 2:30 pm VERSUS

Sat., Sept. 24 Alabama A&M at Grambling 5 pm SWAC TV

Thur., Sept. 29 Texas Southern at Jackson State 5 or 6:30 pm ESPNU
Sat., Oct. 1 Alcorn State at Alabama State 7 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Oct. 8 Mississippi Valley State at Alabama A&M 1 pm SWAC TV

Thur., Oct. 13 Texas Southern at Alabama A&M 6:30 pm ESPNU

Sat., Oct. 15 Southern at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Oct. 15 Prairie View A&M at Alabama State 9:30 pm (Tape) ESPNU

Sat., Oct. 29 Jackson State vs. Prairie View A&M 4 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Oct. 29 Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State 9:30 pm (Tape) ESPNU

Sat., Nov. 5 Grambling at Jackson State 5 pm SWAC TV

Sat., Nov. 12 Texas Southern at Grambling 8 pm SWAC TV

Thur., Nov. 24 Tuskegee at Alabama State 3 pm ESPNU

Sat., Nov. 26 Southern vs. Grambling 1 pm NBC

Sat., Dec. 10 Farmers Insurance SWAC Championship Game 12 pm ESPNU

By SWAC Media Relations

VISIT: SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

New football coaches meet ahead of MEAC Media Day

NORFOLK, Va. — The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will have five new football coaches on the sidelines this season and two of them are already creating a bit of a buzz around the league because of their reputation of winning championships.

Henry Frazier, who spent the last seven seasons at Prairie View, comes into the league as head coach at North Carolina Central. Rod Broadway left Grambling State University to take over the head coaching job at North Carolina A&T.

Frazier is taking the Eagles from Division II to their first season at the Football Championship Subdivision, while Broadway's mission is to turn around an Aggies program that hasn't had a winning season under their last two coaches.

They spent Thursday in meetings with the conference's nine other coaches and commissioner Dennis Thomas. They will meet the media today and they could expect to field plenty of questions about how soon they'll make their programs winners. The same will be asked of the three other new coaches — Kermit Blount of Delaware State University, Garry Harrell of Howard University and Savannah State's Steve Davenport.

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Hampton Pirates vs. Florida A&M Rattlers Football Game Moved

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University football team’s contest against Florida A&M at Armstrong Stadium will be played on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

The contest, the Pirates’ first MEAC game of the season and Joe Taylor’s second trip to Hampton as coach of the Rattlers, had been originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at http:/// .

Chasing Respect: SWAC schools hopeful its players can again be selected at NFL draft

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Forty years ago, three of the top 15 picks in the National Football League draft - Grambling's Richard Harris and Frank Lewis and Southern's Isaiah Robertson - were products from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Look a little deeper and you will find that eight of the first 46 players selected that year came from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

These days, players from HBCUs and particularly the SWAC are rarely taken in the NFL Draft anymore despite a long history of success.


Videographer: hbcusportsonline

Since 2005, the SWAC has had five players drafted, and none were taken in 2009 and 2010 according to league officials.

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Ties that bind abundant in Southwestern Athletic Conference

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Wearing a purple necktie to go with his dapper gray suit, Prairie View’s Heishma Northern, flanked by two players, strolled into a ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel on Tuesday morning, making his big debut as a head football coach.

Northern, the former Glen Oaks standout and Southern safety, took a seat and took in the scene at the annual Southwestern Athletic Conference media day.

This, he thought to himself, is really something else.

Directly across the room, there sat the one and only Doug Williams, back for his second stint at Grambling. Northern used to work for Williams - first at Morehouse, then at Grambling.

Next to Williams was the man in shades, Melvin Spears, who’s now at Alcorn State. Spears and Northern worked together at Grambling, and Spears was head coach there from 2004-06, after Williams left.

In the far corner was Houma native...

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Germany to join Southern football staff

Baton Rouge, LA - Chadwick Germany said when he took over as head coach at Capitol High Academy, he hoped it would lead to a college job. He got what he wanted.

Germany said Friday he has left Capitol to become quarterbacks coach at Southern University, where he’ll try to improve the Jaguars’ passing attack and strengthen their recruiting efforts in Baton Rouge, where they failed to sign a single recruit this season.

“(Friday) is my first day at Southern. Thursday was my last day at Capitol,” Germany said.

“When I got the job at Capitol, my plan was to stay five years, and I wound up staying six. The goal was to have a chance to coach on the college level, and I’m getting that Southern. I’m excited about it. I’ll also be recruiting the Baton Rouge area, and hopefully I can find a niche there.” That’s what Stump Mitchell has in mind.

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Savannah State says T.A. Wright Stadium will be ready Oct. 1

Savannah, GA - Savannah State University's football team has not played a game on its campus since Nov. 14, 2009. Last season, because of construction to T.A. Wright Stadium, nine of the Tigers' 11 games were on the road. The final two games were played at Memorial Stadium.

That will change Oct. 1, when SSU returns to T.A. Wright Stadium to play its first home game as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Tigers will face Howard University at 7 p.m.

"It's going to be done," SSU Vice President for Student Affairs Irvin Clark said of the stadium's completion. "Folks are going to have a lot to be proud of. I must be honest with you, it's a project that's long overdue."

The game is being billed as the "Coming Home/Hall of Fame Game" by SSU's athletics department. It won't be SSU's "Homecoming Game" - that will be Oct. 29 against Hampton - but it undoubtedly will have a homecoming-like atmosphere.

Savannah State has spent $10.2 million to upgrade its athletics facilities, including $6 million on T.A. Wright Stadium, which opened in 1967. SSU students voted in 2009 to pay an extra $150 per student each semester to fund a $21.95-million construction project that includes:

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Howard University's David Oliver win 110M hurdles national title

EUGENE, Ore. — Four years ago, David Oliver injured a hamstring before he even stepped on the track for the 110-meter hurdles at the world championships in Osaka, Japan, his first appearance at the event. The injury was not serious, but his disappointment was.

“You just never know when you’ll ever get the opportunity again to represent the U.S.A.,” Oliver said Saturday. “Especially in the hurdles.”

Two years later, a strained calf muscle kept him from competing at the world championships in Berlin. That, he said, marked “a down point of my career.”


Former Howard University Bison football player David Oliver is set for the World Championship in Daegu  with this victory. Former Oklahoma (Bethune-Cookman transfer) Ronnie Ash finished 6th.

Oliver did not care to extend his streak of frustration Saturday at the U.S. track and field championships with another world berth on the line. With a carefully executed, workmanlike performance in the 110 final, Oliver bulled his way to a victory in 13.04 seconds, securing a chance to pursue the world medal that has eluded him at the August championships in Daegu, South Korea.

“It feels good to be done, to be on that team,” Oliver said after beating Aries Merritt, who finished second in 13.12, and Jason Richardson, who was third in 13.15. “I just stayed relaxed, focused on not false-starting and doing anything stupid.”

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Despite dismal 2010, Southern University’s Mitchell undeterred

Baton Rouge, LA - Repeating this week what he’d stated several times already, Stump Mitchell said his first season at Southern University didn’t exactly go as planned.

“I wanted to win every game here last year. I thought we could have done that,” said Mitchell, whose first season as the Jaguars football coach ended with a 2-9 record — the worst in school history. “I thought we could’ve been successful. What I didn’t know was the habits of the players. Some habits, they take a long time to break.”

Mitchell enters the second year of his three-year contract with SU, and Tuesday afternoon, even Mitchell conceded he needs a notable turnaround to prove his program is on the right path. Still, Mitchell said he’s undeterred, and very happy to be at Southern.

“We needed to break some bad habits,” he said. “Most of the guys are beyond that. Most of the guys are beyond making excuses for not getting something done. And they’re starting to get things done.”

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Videographer: Bookman

SSU getting closer to finishing major stadium renovations

Savannah, GA - It may be the summer time, but there is a lot of action going on at Savannah State to get ready for their upcoming football season and it's not the football team. If you've driven by Savannah State's campus recently, you've seen a lot happening to T.A. Wright Stadium which has been under construction for almost a year.

Part of a $17 million project that also includes a new student center, the football stadium is getting a much needed facelift; new turf is being laid, a new track put down, expanding the seating on both sides to hold 8,000, new locker rooms for home and away teams, an expanded press box and two new buildings for restrooms and concessions.

Leading the way on the project from construction company RW Allen is a former SSU football player, so a lot of pride is going into the project from all involved.



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Five-a-Side: Texas Southern's Kevin Ramsey

TSU Head Football Coach Kevin Ramsey

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Conference champions aren't supposed to have the type of offseason that Texas Southern has had since it won the Southwestern Athletic Conference football title in December - its first in 42 years.

This spring, head coach Johnnie Cole was shown the door because of the program's poor academic performances and then NCAA sanctions were levied against the Tigers, including the loss of 14.78 of their 63 scholarships and four hours of practice time each week.

The university promoted defensive coordinator Kevin Ramsey to interim head coach and he has tried to settle the program, maintaining the "storm" will pass as the Tigers strengthen their academic requirements stardards.

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Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching Band

A.J. Harmon Transferring To Alabama State, According To A.J. Harmon

Former University of Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle A.J. Harmon tweeted Saturday: "UGA love u all...Thanks for many lessons but another chapter has been written...Now a new one starts at bama state."  The FCS Alabama State Hornets of Montgomery play in the SWAC; Harmon will be eligible to play in 2011.

Harmon left the UGA program in May, citing personal reasons. It had been rumored for days before his exit that both he and Caleb King were on the brink of being declared academically ineligible. Whether that was actually the case, we might never know.

The sophomore's transfer marks the second potential starter the Dawgs have lost to a FCS school this year, following Washaun Ealey's exit to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. Harmon came to Georgia as a four-star prospect, ranked the No. 2 guard in the nation and the No. 4 player in the state.

The (short) release from UGA in late May:

ATHENS, GA -- University of Georgia junior offensive tackle A.J. Harmon will transfer to another institution for personal reasons according to an announcement Tuesday by UGA head coach Mark Richt.  A native of Louisville, Ga., Harmon was redshirted in 2008 and appeared in seven games over the past two seasons in an offensive line backup role.

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North Carolina A&T Aggies has opponent for home opener

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The North Carolina A&T football team has an opponent for Saturday, Sept. 3. The Aggies are scheduled to play Virginia University of Lynchburg at Aggie Stadium. Game time is 4 p.m.

"I want to first thank the Aggie family for its patience while we searched for a new opponent," said Director of Athletics Earl Hilton. "It was important to provide our devoted fans with an exciting five-game home schedule. (VUL) is one of the original members of the CIAA, so we are pleased to be playing an institution with a similar history to ours."

Like N.C. A&T, VUL is a former member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. VUL is returning to collegiate football after nearly seven decades without it. The Dragons are currently a university-sponsored independent who offers students athletic scholarships. VUL is in the process of reapplying to the NCAA as a Division II athletics program with hopes of becoming a CIAA member again. The Dragons' current governing body is the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. VUL also sponsors men's and women's basketball, men's golf and men's and women's track and field.

North Carolina A&T finished 1-10 overall and 1-7 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last season. With the hiring of a proven winner -- Head Coach Rod Broadway, expectations are high in AggiesNation.

Courtesy: NC A&T Sports Information


Videographer: SpeechlessQue; NCA&T Whoa

Southern University: “Remembering a Forgotten First: The Story of Charlie Granger”

The documentary World Premieres at 7 p.m. June 11 in the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union, Southern University and A&M College. This event includes: Meet and greet session (6pm) with filmmaker Cindy Hurst (Southern University alumna) and Charlie Granger and other NFL players with photographer available for pictures; Viewing the film (7pm - 8pm), and SU Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (8pm - 10pm) where former Southern University athletes are honored for their athletic sucesses.

Baton Rough, LA  -  Minutes before the final game of the 1961 NFL preseason, Tom Landry stood before his rookie right tackle from Southern University, prepared to issue one more steep challenge — the toughest yet for young Charlie Granger. The icy, mild-mannered Dallas Cowboys coach liked what he’d seen from Granger, but the regular season loomed, which meant that roster spots were in high demand and short supply.


The Film recounts the life of Charlie Granger, who played professional football during the NFL's reintegration of African-Americans into the league in the early 1960s. Mr. Granger is a 2-Time Southern University Football All-American, 4-Time Track & Field All-American, and a member of Southern University Hall of Fame and the SWAC Hall of Fame.

This last exhibition game, against the mighty Baltimore Colts, was Granger’s biggest test yet. And maybe his last chance. “I’ll never forget (Landry) saying to me: ‘Granger, tonight, I’m going to find out if you can play in the NFL,’” he recalled. Granger’s assignment: block Colts defensive end Gino Marchetti, a future Hall of Famer and seven-time All-Pro. Right. No pressure there.

Granger admits he took a severe beating that night. But he stood firm against Marchetti, and after the game, the Dallas staff gave him a grade of 100 percent. He made the final cut, and, in doing so, became the first black man to start on the Cowboys offensive line.

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Join Producer/Director Cindy Hurst, this Sunday, June 5, 2011 with host Robyn Merrick of "Inside the Southern University System" from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. Central Time on KQXL 106.5 FM CLICK HERE to listen live) as she talks about the WORLD SCREENING PREMIERE of "Remembering a Forgotten First: The Story of Charlie Granger.

Release Date	June 11, 2011
Genre	Documentary
Studio	The Sankofa Project, LLC
About	Biography

Description	This film depicts the life of Charlie Granger, a Former NFL player (Dallas Cowboys and Boston Patriots), SWAC Hall of Fame Inductee, and College All-American in track and football.
Plot Outline	This is the story of how a poor and determined boy from Southern Louisiana beat the odds of making it to the professional football league during the re-integration period of African-Americans into the league in the early 1960's. It recounts his college and professional experiences as an African-American player and how the racial climate of the times impacted his career as a professional player.
Starring	Appearances by: Eugene Daniel (Indianpolis Colts/Baltimore Ravens, Frank Pitts (Played in Superbowls 1 and 4 - Kansas City Chiefs), and Garland Boyette (Houston Oilers)
Directed By	Cindy Hurst
Written By	Cindy Hurst
Produced By	A Sankofa Project Productions