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Showing posts with label Savannah State University Tigers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Savannah State University Tigers. Show all posts
Savannah, Georgia -- Savannah State coach Steve Davenport remembered when times weren’t so good as a player. Davenport, a wide receiver with Georgia Tech, went into the sixth game of the 1988 season against undefeated and eighth-ranked South Carolina with a 1-4 record.
Tech won only three games, but surprised Carolina 34-0 that day in the Yellow Jackets’ only Division I-A victory that season. He relayed that story to his Savannah State players during a recent team meeting.
“I have a picture in my office from the South Carolina game,” Davenport said. “I took that picture into our team meeting. We were struggling; we won only three games (two against I-AA teams). But we made a memory that day.”
Davenport wants his players to look the same way at highly regarded Norfolk State — a team that leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings and ranks seventh in the Sheridan Broadcasting Network Black College football poll.
Savannah, Georgia -- After having five of his first six games on the road, Savannah State football coach Steve Davenport is looking forward to being close to home the rest of the season. Four of the Tigers’ last five games are in SSU’s T.A. Wright Stadium, beginning tonight at 7 against Florida A&M. State’s lone road game during the season-ending stretch is Nov. 12 in Daytona Beach against Bethune-Cookman.
“We spent 12½-13 hours on the bus going to and coming back from Morgan State last week, so we’re looking forward to getting some normalcy around here,” Davenport said.
The Tigers (1-5, 1-2 MEAC) may be at home, but they’ll be playing probably the most difficult part of their conference schedule. Three of SSU’s remaining five opponents — FAMU, Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State — shared the league title last season.
Norfolk State is 5-1 (the only loss at West Virginia) and atop the MEAC with a 3-0 league record this season.
Baltimore, Maryland -- Morgan State (MSU) saved its best performance so far this season for its Homecoming celebration as the Bears crushed Savannah State (SSU), 44-17, on Oct. 8 at a packed Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Md.
The Bears poured on the offensive production against Savannah State, posting a season-high 430 yards on the day, mostly gained in the second half of the game. Morgan State led 17-10 at half time, and outscored their opponents 28-7 in the third and fourth quarters.
“We started moving the ball around and everyone just did their job,” said MSU freshman quarterback Seth Higgins. “And that's what the coaches stressed this week.”
Higgins played outstanding in just the second start of his young collegiate career, completing 14-of-24 passes for 239 yards and four touchdowns.
Savannah, Georgia - Shannon Sharpe led the Tiger Walk to renovated T.A. Wright Stadium on Saturday afternoon before Savannah State met Howard University in the school’s first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference home game.
He attended a luncheon earlier in the day and an induction ceremony for the school’s athletic hall of fame on Friday night. “I would like to become more active in the program,” said Sharpe while meeting with the media during some spare time Saturday.
Those are melodious words for a new administration at Savannah State, trying to start new traditions while embracing some of the old.
Sharpe, 43 and still in football shape, is part of the school’s good, old days — a local kid from nearby Glennville who came to Savannah State College in the ’80s when bigger school wouldn’t touch a Prop 48 player.
All Sharpe did was star for four years with the then-Division II Tigers before becoming an even bigger deal in the National Football League, earning his own induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame about two months ago.
Savannah, GA - Savannah State’s football team doesn’t want to slow down the wave of enthusiasm rushing over the school these days.
The Tigers are looking to make it two wins in a row, in the process showing students and alumni a good time in newly renovated T.A. Wright Stadium, when visiting Howard University comes to town tonight at 7.
“Coach has been telling us, ‘We’re the new Savannah State,’” said SSU sophomore receiver Simon Heyward.
The new Savannah State has a new stadium, a new Hall of Fame class and a new athletic director while playing football in a new conference.
Here’s another new aspect of the Tigers — undefeated in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play after knocking off North Carolina Central, 33-30, in Durham, N.C., a week ago in their first game in the MEAC.
NORFOLK, Va..- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) confirmed today that North Carolina Central University and Savannah State University have met the criteria to become full members of the conference effective September 1, 2011.
"We are elated to have North Carolina Central and Savannah State to become full members of the MEAC family," said Commissioner Dennis Thomas. "I am pleased to announce that both institutions have done a great job at meeting detailed criteria to be confirmed for full membership."
Thomas added, "Their additions sustain our long range and strategic plan of adding up to 14 members. Adding these outstanding academic institutions completes the geographical footprint that bridges our South Carolina and Florida institutions. "
As a full member, North Carolina Central and Savannah State are immediately eligible to participate in all conference championships and earn the conference's automatic berth to NCAA postseason competition in all sponsored sports.
The additions give the MEAC a total of 13 conference members with 11 football playing institutions. The conference is in its 42nd year of operation heading into the 2011-12 academic school year. The MEAC sponsors 15 Division I (FCS) sports with automatic qualifying bids for NCAA postseason competition in baseball, bowling, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, softball, and volleyball.
Today's announcement reaffirms the provisional membership status North Carolina Central received in 2009 and Savannah State received in 2010.
North Carolina Central recently received approval from the NCAA to reclassify from Division II to active Division I status. NCCU is one of seven founding member institutions of the MEAC.
Savannah State, which previously competed as a Division I independent, is the only institution in the MEAC from the state of Georgia.
Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of 13 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Savannah State University and South Carolina State University.
Savannah, GA - This is a special season for Savannah State University’s football program because it’s the Tigers’ first as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
“It’s a sense of belonging,” said SSU senior quarterback A.J. DeFilippis, a Benedictine graduate. “We have a home now. We have a group of teams that we can play every year and maybe establish some rivalries, and establish our power and maybe get some respect from these teams.
“Our past records, we’re not really thinking of it that way. We don’t want to look back. We want to look forward and know that we can establish our power in this conference.”
Homecoming 2011: Savannah State vs. Hampton University, 2 p.m.
Savannah, GA - A point of pride for Savannah State University over the past year has been its acceptance into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
When Cheryl Dozier arrived as interim president on May 9, she found that acceptance in jeopardy. Reports had been written but not implemented, and she wasn’t sure where she and the university stood.
So she turned to former University of Georgia athletics director Damon Evans to find answers.
“I knew that I needed to move us forward in the MEAC, and I decided to hire a consultant,” Dozier said. “I knew he had been doing some consulting at institutions. I gave him a call, and he said he would be willing to do that. I can’t think of a more professional and knowledgeable person that I know who would be able to do a better job than Damon Evans.”
Coach Horace Broadnax named
Interim Athletics Director at SSU
Savannah, GA - Savannah State University President Cheryl Dozier is making a change in leadership in the Athletics Department. Today, Dozier announced the appointment of an interim director of athletics and a national search to select the next SSU athletics director.
“I have appointed Horace Broadnax to serve as interim athletics director,” Dozier said.
“Mr. Broadnax is currently our head basketball coach, a position he has held since coming to SSU in 2005. His proven leadership as director of our successful men’s basketball program and his commitment to team building are assets SSU will need as it begins a national search for a director of athletics. Broadnax brings many years’ experience in Division I athletics as an athlete and coach. He has experience in the NCAA and MEAC to which SSU is currently a provisional member. I am grateful that he has agreed to serve in this interim capacity.”
President Dozier stated “We would like to thank Mrs. Stacey-Suggs for her dedicated commitment to SSU over the past 22 years in several different capacities. Mrs. Suggs served in the position of athletic director for six months, after serving in an interim capacity for a year.
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.
Savannah, Georgia - Season tickets for the 2011 Savannah State football season are now on sale through the SSU Ticket Office and on the SSU athletics website ssuathletics. Season tickets will be $75 which includes parking as well as a commemorative season ticket pass.
SSU season tickets can be purchased online through ssuathletics.com, over the telephone (912-358-3429) or by visiting the SSU Ticket Office in Tiger Arena.
The Tigers home games will feature Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponents Howard (Oct. 1), Florida A&M (Oct. 15), Hampton (Oct 29), Norfolk State (Nov. 5) and South Carolina State (Nov. 19).
Under the direction of new head football coach Steve Davenport, Savannah State will kick off the season September 3 in the Macon’s Music City Classic at Henderson Stadium against in-state rival Albany State.
Coach Steve Davenport may be a newcomer on the scene, but he is determined to make Savannah State University's football team the team to watch in 2011.
The married Atlanta native and father of one, has always had a love of sports dating back to his days as a All-American wide receiver at Southwest Dekalb High School and a wide receiver for Georgia Tech.
"I was a little league baseball player and never played football until I got into high school and I've always been a sports guy," Davenport said.
The new head coach started off 2011 by hiring former Georgia Tech football players William Bell, Thomas Balkcom, C. Angelo Wyatt, Greg Lester and former All-Pro wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, Terance Mathis, as his new assistant coaches.
"I have the up most confidence in the gentlemen I hired and have known them for quite some time," Davenport said.
In addition to the five assistant coaches, Davenport has landed 24 recruits from various parts of the country. Davenport is confident the new recruits will be the boost that SSU needs.
" I think these guys are good football players and good students as well," Davenport said." I think they will be a tremendous asset to the SSU community."
Ezinne Kalu's free throw with 4 seconds to play gave Savannah State University a 75-74 victory over Morris College in a women's basketball game Thursday night at Tiger Arena. A crowd of 610 watched as Kalu scored a game-high 34 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead SSU (12-10). Rikiah Gatlin added 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Morris College (7-17), an NAIA team from Sumter, S.C., was led by Tyneshia Eaddy, who scored 23 points. Staci Holmes and Erica Wilkerson scored 13 points apiece.
Morris led twice in the game. The Hornets took their first lead, 69-67, with 2:53 to play on Shaniqua Campbell's layup. SSU's Kalu made two free throws with 1:52 left to tie the game at 69.
After two years of waiting, TE Shannon Sharpe was one of the seven players chosen to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday evening.
A seventh-round draft choice in 1990, Sharpe went on to be named to the 1990s All-Decade team. He racked up four All-Pro nods and three Super Bowl titles before calling it quits in 2003. At the time of his retirement, he was number one all-time amongst tight ends in both receiving yards and receptions. He's since been passed in both categories by Tony Gonzalez, but is unquestionably one of the greatest to ever play his position.
Videographer: gridironvids; Top Ten Draft Steals: Shannon Sharpe
Position: Tight end
Height: 6-2 Weight: 230
Teams: 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens
• 14 seasons, 204 games
• Selected by Denver in the seventh round (192nd overall) of 1990 draft.
• At time of retirement, his 815 career receptions and 10,060 yards and 62 TDs were all NFL career records for a tight end.
• His 214 receiving yards vs. Kansas City in 2002 is an NFL single-game record for a tight end.
• Tied NFL record with 13 receptions in single postseason game (vs. Raiders, 1993).
• Three times during career amassed over 1,000 yards receiving.
Videographer:wsav.com, SSU's Davenport Preps for Coaching Hires and National Signing Day
SAVANNAH, Ga.- Savannah State head football coach Steve Davenport has hired five assistant coaches to join his coaching staff.
Among those are former Atlanta Falcons All-Pro wide receiver Terance Mathisand former Georgia Tech football players Thomas Balkcom, William Bell and Greg Lester. C. Angelo Wyattround out the staff hires.
Mathis will serve as offensive coordinator/inside receivers coach; Balkcom will be the defensive backs coach; Bell will work with the running backs; Lester will be the assistant head coach/outside receivers coach; and Wyatt will serve as the linebackers coach.
Mathis attended Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., and University of New Mexico, where he played both football and basketball. In 1989, he became New Mexico's first consensus All-American after setting a Division I record for most receiving yards. He also became the first player to have more than 250 receptions, 4,000 receiving yards, and 6,000 yards total. Drafted in 1990 by the New York Jets, he played the majority of his career with the Atlanta Falcons. He last played in the NFL in 2002 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then retired in 2004.
Videographer: capturedliving; 2010 Terance Mathis' Elite 1 Football Camp
Coach Balkcom
Balkcom comes to SSU from University High School in Orlando, Florida where he coached defensive backs and was the special teams coordinator. The Miami, Fla. native was head coach at Pine Ridge HS in Deltona, Fla. and Miami Jackson Senior HS in Miami, Fla. He has also coached at Decatur HS and Southwest Dekalb HS both in Decatur, Ga. He was a defensive assistant at Central Florida and Morehouse and Morris Brown. While attending Georgia Tech, he was defensive co-captain of the 1990 national championship team and was named defensive MVP of the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Bell comes to Savannah State from Edward Waters in Jacksonville, Fla. While at EWC, Bell has served as interim head coach, assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, wide receivers coach, special teams coordinator, recruiting coordinator, running backs coach, video coordinator and football academic specialist. Bell has been at Edward Waters since 2004. He was also a member of the Tech 1990 national championship team and has 2,026 career rushing yards as a Yellow Jacket. Bell played with the Washington Redskins from 1994-96.
Lester comes to SSU from Lakeside High School in Decatur, GA where he was head football coach. He also served as head golf coach and was a business education teacher. In 1990 as a wide receiver at Tech, Lester caught 16 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns and in 1991 he hauled in 35 receptions for 676 yards and five touchdowns.
Coach Wyatt
Wyatt worked at Bethune-Cookman for 13 years where he was assistant head coach and outside linebackers coach. Wyatt brings more than 20 years of knowledge to SSU as he has coached on both the college and high school levels of athletics. Prior to arriving at Bethune-Cookman, Wyatt established the Urban League for Disadvantaged Children (ULDAC) in his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla.
Davenport plans to add two additional full-time coaches to the staff.
Savannah State women's basketball coach Cedric Baker admitted some things could be better, some a little worse, while summing up the Tigers' .500 season pretty accurately.
The positive shined brightly at Tiger Arena on Wednesday night. SSU received key contributions from its bench and used a solid defensive effort in the second half to pull away from Maryland Eastern Shore, 71-50.
The Tigers raised their record to 7-1 at home while evening their overall mark at 8-8. A year ago, SSU finished 9-21 overall, so .500 has a nice ring right now. "This was an important win for the program," Baker said. "The kids have bought into what we've been telling them."
PRINCESS ANNE, Md.- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore today announced its annual NCAA® Men's and Women's Basketball Take A Kid to the Game® day will be held on Saturday, January 15 when the Hawks take on the Florida A&M Rattlers at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center. The Lady Hawks take on the Lady Rattlers at 2 p.m. with the men's teams following at approximately 4 p.m.
Area youth ages 12 and younger are invited to experience the college game day atmosphere and action with a free ticket when accompanied by an adult with paid admission.
"We are excited to once again host a youth-focused game day at the Hytche this season," said G. Stan Bradley, Assistant Athletic Director for External Affairs. "We hope the community will embrace this event and bring children out to experience a college athletic event at the UMES campus, while cheering on the Hawks."
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Savannah State shot 53.8 percent in the second half, breaking open a tie game at halftime on its way to a 71-50 win over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball team at Tiger Arena Wednesday.
Ezinne Kalu scored 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting to help the Lady Tigers even their record to 8-8 while Amber Cook (Greensboro, N.C.) paced UMES with a career-high-tying 16 points and eight rebounds in its sixth consecutive defeat. Casey Morton (Mardela Springs, Md.) became the fourth player in UMES women's basketball history to eclipse the 1,000-point barrier with a 3-pointer in the first half and finished with 10 points.
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Preston Blackmon scored a career-high 26 points and Joshua Montgomery scored 22 points to lead Savannah State University past Southeastern Louisiana, 74-65, on Wednesday, snapping the Tigers' 13-game losing streak.
After the Lions scored the first basket in the Hardwood Club Holiday Tournament, SSU (2-13) grabbed the lead with an 18-4 run and never relinquished it despite a late threat from Southeastern Louisiana.
With the Tigers leading by 16 in the second half, the Lions (5-5) used a 12-0 run to close to 51-47. Blackmon hit a 3-pointer and a jumper to end that spurt, but with 5:36 to go, David Ndoumba scored eight straight points to get Southeastern Louisiana within 68-65 with 1:30 left.
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Preston Blackmon scored a career-high 26 points, including a 5-for-5 performance from behind the 3-point line, and Savannah State snapped a 13-game losing streak as it built a 16-point lead and held off Southeastern Louisiana, 74-65, on Wednesday in the USM Hardwood Club Holiday Classic at Reed Green Coliseum.
Joshua Montgomery added 22 points, including 3-for-6 from behind the arc, as SSU (2-13) shot a season-high 55 percent (23-for-42) from the floor and 64 percent (9-for-14) from behind the 3-point line. Southeastern, which fell to 5-5 overall will face the loser of the Southern Miss-Mississippi Valley contest in the consolation game.
Courtney Long scored a game-high 18 points, Darice Fountaine added 11 points and Brittany Cade chipped in 10 points as Savannah State cruised past Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 69-52, in a women's basketball game Tuesday night.
A Tiger Arena crowd of 230 watched as SSU (6-7) jumped out to a 37-18 halftime lead. IUPUI (3-8) was led by Jasmine Horne and Shea Collins, who...
SAVANNAH, Ga. – Playing its first game in 15 days, IUPUI showed signs of rust and fell in an early double-digit hole that it could not crawl out of as it dropped a 69-52 decision to Savannah State Tuesday evening at Tiger Arena.
The Jaguars came into the game averaging a shade over 40 points per game in the paint over the last four contests, but the size of Savannah State limited IUPUI to half that total and the 36-20 scoring advantage inside proved to be the difference for the Tigers.
“We had a lot of first-half turnovers that put us behind the eight ball,” said head coach Austin Parkinson. “When you can’t score points in the paint and you turn the ball over on the road, it’s going to be a tough night.”
Savannah State University's men's basketball team played Indiana University, one of the country's best known college basketball programs, live on ESPNU on Dec. 4. The Tigers lost, 79-57, but it marked the first prime-time televised game for Savannah State against a big-name opponent.
The loss dropped SSU's record to 1-9 on the season, but under the leadership of head coach Horace Broadnax, a former basketball star at Plant City High, the program is reaching new heights.
Following its longest layoff of the season, the Marshall University men’s basketball team will take on Savannah State Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. in the Tiger Arena.
Marshall enters the game riding a three-game win streak following a 67-63 victory over James Madison last week in Huntington. Senior Tirrell Baines led the way for the Herd against the Dukes, scoring 17 points. He has also been a threat on the boards, hauling in 7.4 per game, top on the Herd. His average of 3.4 offensive rebounds per game puts him third in Conference USA.
Nigel Spikes had one of the top outings of his career, hauling in 13 rebounds, a career-high for the sophomore and the highest total for a Marshall player this season. Since the game against Chattanooga, Spikes has averaged 7.2 boards per game.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Dino Presley knows all about Savannah State, Marshall's non-conference opponent tonight at 7 in the coastal Georgia city. Without pause, Presley, the Herd assistant basketball coach, can tell you about the Tigers' 1-2-2 zone defense, how leading scorer Jovanni Shuler "likes to put it on the floor," or even minutiae like the fact that third-leading scorer Joshua Montgomery is a lefty.
Presley, who is known for his recruiting acumen and lauded by Herd Coach Tom Herrion for his rapport with players, has been on scouting duties as Marshall (6-2) prepared for Savannah State (1-10).
NORFOLK, Va. - Savannah State's stumbling, bumbling, fumbling ways continued Saturday afternoon as the Tigers lost their 11th straight, falling 57-9, this time to Old Dominion on a crisp Saturday afternoon at Foreman Field.
Doom found the Tigers (0-9) immediately when the Monarchs converted a pooch kickoff recovery and were in the end zone four plays later. The afternoon just seemed to worsen as the sun went down.
NORFOLK, VA - It was a day of firsts for Old Dominion's football team. First kickoff returned for a touchdown. First interception returned for a touchdown. First ridiculous, one-sided blowout.
The Monarchs, in the last stages of prepping for entry into the Colonial Athletic Association, dismantled struggling Savannah State 57-9 on a brisk Saturday afternoon at Foreman Field. ODU's 57 points were the most scored by the Monarchs in a game, surpassing a 49-point output last season against Division II Virginia Union. The school record for points against a Division I program is 44, set earlier this year against Campbell.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Eight games, all on the road. The Savannah State Tigers are just looking for a break. "We haven't won a game, so we've got it in our mind that we have to play as hard as we can to try and win a football game," said senior linebacker J. Vince Cochran, the team's leading tackler. "Just give more effort than we usually do to try and pull one out."
The Tigers put together an inspired defensive effort against Alabama State on Saturday, but the end result was the same. Savannah State wore down in the second half and allowed the Hornets to pull away for a 24-0 win in front of 5,237 fans at Cramton Bowl.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Devin Dominguez completed 18 of 27 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns as Alabama State beat Savannah State 24-0 on Saturday.
The Hornets (4-3) took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter after an 8-yard touchdown pass from Dominguez to Nick Andrews. Dominguez hooked up with Landon Jones on a 12-yard scoring pass in the third quarter as Alabama State entered the fourth with a 14-0 lead.
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Based on the talent that Savannah State has recruited in their first year in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for football, basketball, baseball and the band, the Tigers are going to become a competitive force in short order. I like the enthusiasm of the kids and how they are not letting this growth period negatively impact their long term goals toward creditability and high achievement in the conference.
Keep plugging away SSU as you continue laying the foundation for a solid Division I program. In a few years as you become competitive, Alabama State, Georgia State and Georgia Southern won't even take your athletic director's telephone calls to schedule a game with the Tigers.
Already, the Georgia State Band wants no parts of a 5th quarter in the Dome with the Tigers. Go SSU!
Savannah, Georgia -- Savannah State coach Steve Davenport remembered when times weren’t so good as a player. Davenport, a wide receiver with Georgia Tech, went into the sixth game of the 1988 season against undefeated and eighth-ranked South Carolina with a 1-4 record.
