SSU football team conducts first scrimmage

Savannah, GA - Savannah State University’s football team held its first scrimmage of preseason camp Saturday morning at T.A. Wright Stadium. As is the case with most teams at this point, the defense was ahead of the offense.

“I saw what I thought I would see,” first-year SSU head coach Steve Davenport said.

The two-hour scrimmage was open to the public, but the 50 or so fans who attended had to stand behind a fence because of stadium construction. SSU did not keep score or statistics. SSU will hold its second scrimmage at 5 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium. This scrimmage also will be open to the public. The Tigers’ scrimmage at 5 p.m. Aug. 25 at T.A. Wright Stadium will be closed to the public.

Senior Justin Babb, the Tigers’ starting tailback, was in uniform but did not play.




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Davenport: I voted SSU No. 1 in the MEAC

Savannah, GA - Watch out, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Steve Davenport has come out swinging.

Savannah State University has not produced a winning football season since 1998, but that did not stop the Tigers’ first-year head coach from picking SSU to win the MEAC during its inaugural season as a conference member.



Davenport revealed Sunday during SSU’s Media Day at Tiger Arena that he voted SSU No. 1 in the MEAC’s preseason poll, which was announced July 29 during the conference’s preseason luncheon in Norfolk, Va.

In a secret ballot, the MEAC’s football coaches and sports information directors picked SSU to finish last among the conference’s 11 schools that play football. The MEAC has 13 schools, but Coppin State and Maryland Eastern Shore do not have football programs.

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Shannon Sharpe's Speech At 2011 Hall Of Fame Enshrinement: Escaping Glennville

Atlanta, GA - The 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame class includes three players of particular local interest: Atlanta Falcons star Deion Sanders (Florida State University), Atlanta native Richard Dent (Tennessee State University) of the Bears and Shannon Sharpe of the Broncos and Ravens, who grew up in south Georgia's Tattnall County and played at Savannah State University, where he was one of the best players in SIAC history.

Sharpe looked ready to cry before even taking the podium, and had already spoken through a cracking voice while being interviewed before the event even began. He made it through his speech without breaking, and it will likely go down as the highlight of the night.



Thank you everyone. The people from the Hall tell me I only have eight to 10 minutes to do this. No chance. First, I'd like to thank the 44 men and women that deemed my play on the field worthy of this honor. Also the city of Canton and the Hall itself. Your efforts are appreciated.

I keep telling myself I'm not going to get emotional. I know that's going to happen. I'm proud and excited where my NFL journey has taken me and my family. 2121 George Halas Drive, Canton, Ohio.

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Sharpe makes trip from Savannah State to Canton

Savannah, GA - The late Bill Davis’ unique recruiting pitch lured Shannon Sharpe to Savannah State back in the mid-1980s, sending him on a football journey that will culminate with his enshrinement Saturday in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Davis envisioned great things for the tall and slender kid from Glennville. But even Sharpe wasn’t absolutely convinced that his would-be coach was telling the truth.

“He said, ‘if I owned an NFL team and if I had the first pick in the draft, you’d be the first player off the board,’” said Sharpe in a telephone interview Tuesday.

With his older brother, Sterling, already shining at South Carolina and headed toward a first-round selection in the NFL draft, Shannon bit on the cheese Davis left for him. He wanted to follow Sterling into the NFL.

“When he told me that, it resonated with me,” Sharpe said. “I thought, obviously, here is a coach that thinks a lot about my ability and thinks I could add a lot to the program. It was the best choice that I could have made.”



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Induction speeches will cap whirlwind weekend for Shannon Sharpe

CANTON, Ohio — It was during lunch when Shannon Sharpe understood that what he was really doing this weekend was rushing a fraternity.

The luncheon here Friday was for Pro Football Hall of Famers only. Gold jacket attire was mandatory. Sharpe didn't wear one, nor did anyone else in his Pro Football Hall class of 2011. That would come later Friday night at the formal gold jacket ceremony.

Deacon Jones, the original sack artist and star of the Fearsome Foursome for the Los Angeles Rams, was a featured speaker. Sharpe, as a newbie, a pledge, was not allowed to speak. But it was while he sat silently at attention that he was struck by the impact of his moment.

"When you play high school, you know there's college," Sharpe said. "When you play college, there are the pros. And the pros, you graduate to the Hall of Fame. And when you get to the Hall of Fame, that's it. That's your last stop."

Slideshow: Photos of Sharpe at the Gold Jacket Presentation to the 2011 class of Enshrinees.

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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
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Ex-SSU coach's lawsuit under gag order

Robert "Robby" Wells
Career Record: 7-15

ATLANTA, GA — Not much has been heard lately from lawyers involved in a discrimination lawsuit filed by former Savannah State University football coach Robby Wells because they are under a court order not to leak personnel files before the trial.

Wells alleges the predominantly black school fired him last year because he is white and because he was recruiting white players who might have outshone others on the team. He is seeking personnel records for top administrators and staff in the athletic department.

The school denies it discriminated against him since it hired him in the first place. It charged him with not following directions and sloppy record keeping.

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SSU's T.A. Wright stadium renovations nearing completion

Savannah, GA -- Nearly a year to the date, Savannah State University broke ground on renovations for T.A. Wright stadium. Now, it's almost done.

SSU Vice President of Student affairs Irvin Clark confirmed a grand opening September 29th. The renovated stadium will include a turf playing field, specialized seating, along with an updated concession stand and press box.

"Everyone is absolutely excited about it," said Clark. "Not only for the faculty, staff, and students that are currently here, but for our incoming class of freshman, they're excited, our parents are excited, and we have a community that is very excited about this project."



For first-year head football coach Steve Davenport, the new stadium brings with it raised expectations.

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Savannah State University fires AD, adds title to Broadnax's duties

SSU Interim President Cheryl Dozier

Savannah, GA -- Marilynn Suggs, Savannah State University’s first female athletics director, was fired Wednesday after less than seven months on the job. SSU interim president Cheryl Dozier announced her decision to make a “change in leadership in the athletics department” during an 11:20 a.m. news conference at Tiger Arena. Suggs did not attend.

Dozier appointed SSU men’s basketball head coach Horace Broadnax as interim athletics director.

“As the interim president, I wanted some changes in leadership and this is one of the areas that I wanted to see a change as we move forward in (NCAA) Division I and in the MEAC conference,” Dozier said.

Two people knowledgeable about the situation, who requested anonymity, confirmed that Savannah State has hired former University of Georgia athletics director Damon Evans as a consultant to assess Savannah State’s athletics department.

The UGA Athletic Association committee accepted Evans’ resignation July 5, 2010, four days after the Georgia State Patrol arrested him on a DUI charge in Atlanta. Evans pleaded guilty to...

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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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Yarbrough Era Ends at Savannah State University

By Loretta Haywood, SSU Public Relations

Earl G. Yarbrough Sr., Ph.D 

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Savannah State University President Earl G. Yarbrough Sr. addressed students, faculty, and staff Friday about the Georgia Board of Regents’ decision to not renew his contract, which expires June 30, 2011.

Yarbrough stressed that no misconduct occurred during his time as president.

“It is important for our campus community to know I have not done anything illegal or violated any laws, policies or procedures of the University System of Georgia,” Yarbrough said. “In my opinion, and in this current climate, resigning would have implied misconduct on my part. I chose to stand on my principles of what is right.”

Yarbrough said when he arrived at SSU in 2007, he established four goals: improve recruitment, retention and graduation rates; continue strengthening academic programs; increase community partnerships; and ensure fiscal soundness. “I am happy to report that we achieved great success in all four categories,” he said.

Under Yarbrough’s leadership, SSU experienced unprecedented growth in various sectors, including: significant enrollment increases, major transformation of the campus, stability in the athletics department, new campus-community initiatives and the long-awaited return of teacher education preparation.

• Savannah State’s fall 2010 enrollment reached 4,080 students, up from 3,200 students in fall 2007. The 6.8 percent enrollment increase from fall 2009 to fall 2010 was the highest percentage increase among the 13 state universities — and continued the upward trend that saw enrollment rise 10.6 percent between fall 2008 and fall 2009.

• In February 2011, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved three, new degree programs: Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science with a concentration in Chemistry or Biology; Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in Secondary Education; and Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a concentration in Secondary Education.

• Savannah State University received more than $45.2 million in funds for 44 active research grants, including a $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to strengthen the university’s research capacity and infrastructure to promote minority health and eliminate health disparities. The NIH grant is the largest research grant received in SSU history.

• Construction will be completed by the fall 2011 semester on several key projects, initiated by the Yarbrough administration, including:

• $17 million for the renovation of Wright Stadium and a new student center construction, financed by the Georgia Higher Education Facilities Authority.

• $24 million - freshman housing complex that will add approximately 600 beds; the housing project includes the restoration of three buildings on the historic campus circle — Adams, Morgan and Camilla-Hubert halls — and once completed, all campus buildings will be occupied and operational.

• Yarbrough initiated numerous campus beautification projects that have transformed the 196-acre site, including a soon-to-be open pavilion and lake near the canal and clearing of previously overgrown areas to expose the breathtaking views of the adjacent salt-water marsh.

• In August 2010, Tiger Express diner opened, giving students a unique dining venue on the west end of campus. The $900,000 project was funded primarily by the SSU Real Estate Foundation LLC, Inc.

• A $320,000 brick-and-iron perimeter fence designed to enhance campus safety was also completed in 2010 and paid for through the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Major Renovation and Repair Funds.

• Approximately $3 million has been invested in new technology during the Yarbrough administration. The university’s first chief information officer was hired and technology infrastructure and systems were enhanced.

• Contributions to the Annual Fund increased 467 percent during the Yarbrough administration. The Annual Fund campaign supports the university’s areas of greatest need, including student scholarships, faculty development, community outreach, athletics and student travel.

• Savannah State University was extended provisional membership to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in 2010, positioning the athletic programs for post-season championship opportunities as well as national exposure. In fall 2011, SSU will participate as a full member.

• The SSU Community Futures Corporation (CFC) was established in October 2010 to serve as a catalyst for public and private sector collaborations aimed at improving the educational, social and economic conditions of neighborhoods in the greater Savannah State community.

• In 2008, SSU partnered with Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, local entrepreneurs and philanthropists on the Savannah Education Initiative Scholarship Program.

• During the Yarbrough administration, Savannah State University’s audit rating has continually improved. When he arrived in July 2007, the audit rating was a low of 5. The rating improved to a code of 3 in fiscal year 2007-2008, and to a code of 2 in 2008-2009. The Georgia Board of Regents Internal Audit Office annually rates the state audit reports on a scale from 1 (good) to 5 (bad). A rating for fiscal year 2009-2010 has not yet been released.

Earl Yarbrough: Differences with Regents led to contract non-renewal at SSU

Savannah State University President Earl G. Yarbrough Sr. was swarmed by well-wishers Friday after a meeting to clear the air about his unexpected departure.

It was not mismanagement, or alumni pressure, he said, but administrative differences with the State Board of Regents which resulted in the non-renewal of his contract.

“As president I believe I need to lead the university and plan for its future, and hopefully my administrative team will follow and the University System will support it,” Yarbrough said. “But responsible people often have differences in their approach and it is the system that makes the ultimate decision.

For this reason there has been conflict over the last few years.”

Earl Yarbrough loses Savannah State University presidency

ATLANTA -- Earl G. Yarbrough will not continue as president of Savannah State University even if he isn’t selected as chancellor at Southern University because Tuesday he lost his job.

The Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia voted not to renew Yarbrough’s annual contract to head the 4,000-student institution.

The board didn’t announce its reasons and held its discussion behind closed doors Tuesday along with other personnel matters. It met behind closed doors and then voted in “public session” after all of the members of the public attending the meeting had drifted away.

Earlier this month, the 64-year-old Yarbrough received the highest ranking among candidates for the Southern University post at the school’s Baton Rouge, La., campus. Southern University System President Ronald Mason Jr., is expected to interview Yarbrough this week, along with five other candidates, and to name the new chancellor any day.

Yarbrough holds press conference

Earl G. Yarbrough Sr., former president for Savannah State University, said today at a press conference held in SSU's Torian Auditorium that he conducted himself well as president.

"First, it is important for our campus community to know I have not done anything illegal, violated any laws, policies or procedures of the University System of Georgia," Yarbrough said. "Definitely no misconduct occurred over my four years as president."

Yarbrough says his vision for SSU was for it to expand, but he believes his approach was a source of conflict.

"As president I had a vision for SSU. My vision wasn't much different from that of most university presidents," Yarbrough said. " I believe we needed to grow, build an infrastructure and campus that would attract some of the best students in Georgia, this country, and internationally."

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Bethune-Cookman Wins MEAC Golf Showcase

Bethune-Cookman's men's golf team and B-CU women's player Kimberly Wong both won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Showcase hosted by Savannah State University in Savannah, Ga.

The B-CU men edged Savannah State by one stroke, 909-910, to win the five-team event. B-CU's Emmanuel Petrich finished third with a three-round total 225, followed by Matthew McKnight (fourth, 228); Jamichael Jones (fifth, 231); Rafael Abda (seventh, 232) and Alex Clapp (10th, 235).

Wong posted six birdies in 36 holes as she posted a four-stroke victory over teammate Vanessa Adame, 153-157. Marie Bergelin was eighth (178), Maxine Gardner ninth (182) and Miranda Rose 10th (190) for the WildCats, whom finished nine shots behind Hampton's 661 for the team runner-up spot.

SSU men finish 2nd in MEAC Showcase golf tournament

Savannah State University’s men’s golf team finished second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Showcase on Tuesday, shooting a 58-over-par 910 in the three-round event at Henderson Golf Course. Bethune-Cookman shot a 57-over-par 909 to win the event.

SSU’s Ryan Lassiter shot 218 after rounds of 72-76-70 to finish first. The Tigers’ Andrew Atkins shot 223 after rounds of 72-77-74 to finish second. Bethune-Cookman’s Emanuel Petrich shot 225 after round of 77-75-73 to finish third.

Florida A&M was third at 950, North Carolina Central was fourth at 994 and Hampton was fifth at 1,022.

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SSU sweeps FAMU in baseball

Savannah, GA - Savannah State University swept Florida A&M, 6-5 and 3-2, in a baseball doubleheader Saturday at Tiger Field. SSU (19-15) scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the first game. The Tigers’ Matt Nowacki was 2-for-3, including a home run and two RBIs, and Matt Oglesby was 1-for-5 with two RBIs.

SSU starter Kevin Herlihy earned the win, striking out six, walking one and allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits in nine innings.

In the second game, the Tigers scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to win. Kyle McGowin earned the win for SSU, striking out eight, walking three and allowing two earned runs on seven hits in seven innings.

Savannah State Rallies Past FAMU

SAVANNAH, Ga. (April 9) - Savannah State used a pair of late inning rallies to rally past the Florida A&M University Baseball as they won game one 6-5 and game two 3-2 in a doubleheader here Saturday afternoon at Tiger Field.

In the first game, the Tigers score three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for the come from behind win. FAMU (10-24) finished with nine hits, while SSU (19-15) finished with seven. The Rattlers had three players to finish with two hits each in Tobi Adeyemi, Cory Franklin and David Duncan, while Matthew Nowacki finished with two hits lead the Tigers.

Kevin Herlighy picked the win for SSU as he went the distance giving up nine hits, four earned runs and striking out six in nine innings on the mound.

Stephen Dollar (2-2) received the loss for FAMU as he gave up one hits, three earned runs, and striking out one in two-thirds innings of relief. A two-run homer by Jarryd Reid gave the Rattlers a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.


Videographer: GCubeVision
Tiger Talk Live is Savannah State University's first live television show! Geno & Dferg claw at the issues and trending topics that affects your everyday college students. What makes this show special? You! Not only is it a talk show but it's also an interactive show between Savannah State University students & our host. You can Tweet us @SSUTigerTalk or Facebook us your ideas & comments for the show!

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Savannah State's Davenport conducts first spring football practice

Senior RB Justin Babbs receives medical redshirt from NCAA

With the sounds of constructing a new T.A. Wright Stadium echoing across the street, Savannah State University’s football team on Wednesday conducted its first spring practice under new head coach Steve Davenport.

SSU worked out for two hours on its practice field near Tiger Arena. It was the first of 13 practices the Tigers will conduct in a four-week period, ending with their annual Orange and Blue game April 14. Players wore helmets, jerseys and shorts. Their first practice in full pads will be Saturday at 10 a.m. Their next practice is Friday at 3:30 p.m.

Davenport, who was hired Jan. 7 after four seasons as the running backs coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, said it was a strange but great feeling overseeing his assistants as they instructed players.

Spike Lee tells SSU students to seek education and passion

It wasn’t Spike Lee’s first time talking to college students in Savannah — he spoke to Savannah College of Art and Design students in 2005. But the opportunity to speak at Savannah State University — the city’s historically black university — he said, was one he could not pass up. Especially considering that Lee is a product of a historically black school, Atlanta’s Morehouse College.

“There was a time when (blacks) couldn’t go to any other school,” Lee said to applause. “We couldn’t go to the University of Georgia.”

For well over an hour Tuesday night the acclaimed filmmaker told SSU students to fight ignorance with education and find their passions. Using anecdotes from his own experiences, the bespectacled Lee told the hundreds gathered in Tiger Arena what he believes is the key to a positive, happy life.

Click here to view Spotted® photos of his lecture at SSU

SSU football begins spring practice today

Savannah State University football coach Steve Davenport will pay close attention to running back Justin Babb and offensive lineman Demetrius Edwards when the Tigers begin spring practice today.

The NCAA granted Babb and Edwards medical hardships, also called medical redshirts, giving the seniors an extra year of athletic eligibility. A medical hardship may be obtained from the NCAA to replace a season lost to injury if an athlete plays in 30 percent or less of his or her team’s games.

Babb, SSU’s leading rusher in 2009 and 2008, suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in the Tigers’ third game last season against Bethune-Cookman. Edwards suffered a season-ending knee injury against Bethune-Cookman.

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NCCU Eagles Fall To Savannah State In MEAC Bonus Game

Savannah State University Head Coach Horace Broadnax

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.- (NCCUEaglePride.com) - The North Carolina Central University men’s basketball team committed 20 turnovers, shot just 3-for-12 from the three-point range, and played without its leading scorer, C.J. Wilkerson, who sat out Saturday’s MEAC Bonus Game at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum due to a fractured foot suffered two days ago as the Savannah State University Tigers outlasted the Eagles 64-50.

The resilient Eagles never once used Wilkerson’s injury as an excuse and in the first despite falling behind 15-7 with 14:57 to go, the resilient Eagles went on a 14-2 run to take a 21-17 lead forcing SSU head coach Horace Broadnax to call a timeout with 6:45 to go in the first frame.

During that span, five different Eagles scored baskets that began with freshman Jeremy Ingram’s layup. Following the timeout the Tigers quickly scored the next four points to tie it up and the game went back-and-forth the final five minutes until SSU’s Cedric Smith’s three-pointer with 31 seconds left gave the Tigers the 30-27 halftime lead.

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SSU to play season finale at MEAC tourney

The men’s basketball program at Savannah State gets a glimpse of the future today.

The Tigers will play North Carolina Central at 11 a.m. at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C. Currently as an Independent, SSU (11-18) isn’t exactly part of March Madness’ conference tournament hoopla. The Tigers will begin play in the MEAC next season.

“The guys are getting the chance to see what we’ll be part of next season,” SSU coach Horace Broadnax said. “Obviously, we’re not advancing but I think the guys will have a chance to see how (tournament) games become more intense in a one-and-done setting.”

Broadnax and the Tigers left campus Thursday and viewed part of the tournament quarterfinals Thursday night and the semifinals Friday.

EAGLES, TIGERS TO MEET IN MEAC TOURNAMENT BONUS GAME

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

The NCCU Sports Network will broadcast the MEAC Tournament Bonus Game only on the internet on Saturday due to a scheduling conflict, but fans are encouraged to tune in beginning at a 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 12 for a special edition of Eagle Gameday presented by the Hilton RTP. Play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network Chris Hooks and color analyst Joe SImmons will bring all the live action from the Lawrence Joel Colisuem.

CLICK HERE FOR NCCU vs. SSU at Saturday, 10: 30 a.m.

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Savannah State Releases 2011 Football Schedule

SSU 2011 Football Schedule (click here)

SAVANNAH, Ga.- A new stadium, a new conference, a new coach and five home games highlight the 2011 Savannah State football schedule.

The Tigers will play in a brand new Theodore A. Wright Stadium as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) under the direction of new head football coach Steve Davenport. After playing just two home games last year, SSU will play five games at home in 2011, all against MEAC opponents.

Included in the schedule are first ever matchups with Southeastern Louisiana and Appalachian State as well as eight MEAC games. SSU will start the season with four road games.

Savannah State will play former Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Albany State on September 3 at a yet to be determined location.

After road trips to Southeastern Louisiana (Sept. 10) and Appalachian State (Sept. 17), the Tigers will play their first official MEAC game on the road against North Carolina Central on Sept. 24.

SSU will play Howard on October 1 at 7:00 p.m. for their first home contest of the season in the “Coming Home/Hall of Fame Game”.

Following a road trip to Morgan State (Oct. 8), the Tigers return home for a three-game home stand.

Savannah State will play host to Florida A&M (Oct. 15) for “Church & Community Day” at 7 p.m.

After an OPEN date on Oct. 22, SSU will celebrate HOMECOMING on Oct. 29 against Hampton at 2:00 p.m.

Norfolk State visits the Port City on November 5 for “Band Weekend/High School Day” and SSU travels to Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 12.

The Tigers close out the 2011 campaign on Nov 19 with South Carolina State on “Senior Day/Military Appreciation Day”.

MEAC games on the schedule include NCCU, Howard, Morgan, FAMU, Hampton, Norfolk State, Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State.

Albany State, Appalachian State, Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State all made the playoffs in 2010. Albany State made the Division II playoffs while the remaining schools participated in the FCS playoffs.

SSU 2011 Football Schedule (click here)

by SSU Sports Information

SSU's Davenport signs 20 players

Two days after announcing the hiring of five assistants, first-year Savannah State University football coach Steve Davenport on Wednesday announced the signing of 20 players to national letters of intent.

Davenport, who was hired Jan. 7 after four seasons as the running backs coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, signed 13 players from Georgia high schools. None of the signees are from the Coastal Empire.

"I don't have a lot of relationships that were built in Savannah, but I will," said Davenport, a 43-year-old Decatur native. "We're going to extend ourselves to the coaches in the community, and to the community as a whole. But this wasn't an opportunity to do that. I got the job so late I hit the ground running, and ran to where I knew I would be accepted. We'll get to the people of Savannah."



Tigers Ink 20 Football Recruits

SAVANNAH, Ga.- Savannah State head football coach Steve Davenport announced the signing of 20 young men who have decided to continue their educational career at SSU. “We wanted to bring in quality student-athletes and good football players,” said Davenport.

Of the 20 signees, 13 hail from the state of Georgia in the Atlanta metro area. Davenport thinks that linebacker Jordan Mincy, wide receiver Vaughn Cornelia, defensive lineman Evince Dossous, wide receiver Kristopher Drummond and defensive end Brandon Rhodes could come in a possibly get some playing time early.

Full Signee List (Click Here)

Savannah State and North Carolina A&T Football to play at Appalachian State

Boone, N.C.  - Six home games, including three in September, and a season-opening contest versus one of college football’s most powerful programs highlights Appalachian State University’s 2011 football schedule, which was announced by ASU director of athletics Charlie Cobb on Monday.

Appalachian opens the 2011 campaign at Virginia Tech. The season-opening matchup pits two of only three NCAA Division I programs that have won at least 10 games each of the last six years (Ohio State is the third). Despite being separated by less than 150 miles, the Mountaineers and Hokies are squaring off for only the fourth time ever and the first time since 1982.

Virginia Tech won each of the three previous meetings between the programs, all of which took place at VT’s Lane Stadium in a four-year span from 1979-82 (the teams did not meet in 1980). The Mountaineers are 7-27-1 all-time against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Following the opener at Virginia Tech, ASU settles in for a very rare string of three-consecutive home games, beginning with the home opener on Sept. 10 versus North Carolina A&T, followed by a Sept. 17 date against another Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe in Savannah State and the Sept. 24 Southern Conference opener versus Chattanooga.

The three-consecutive games at Kidd Brewer Stadium, where ASU has led FCS in regular-season attendance for each of the past four years, mark only the third time in Appalachian’s 82-year football history that the Mountaineers will play regular-season home games on three-straight Saturdays (the Apps also played at home on three-consecutive weekends in Sept. 1957 and Sept. 1981).

2011 APPALACHIAN STATE FOOTBALL REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Site All-Time Series Last Meeting
Sept. 3 at Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Va.VT leads, 3-0 VT 34, ASU 0 (Oct. 23, 1982)
Sept. 10 North Carolina A&T Boone, N.C. ASU leads, 4-1 ASU 38, A&T 31 (Sept. 16, 1995)
Sept. 17 Savannah State Boone, N.C. First Meeting

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SSU’s Davenport remains a one-man coaching staff

SSU’s Davenport remains a one-man coaching staff

With National Signing Day eight days away (Feb. 2), Savannah State University’s football program remains a one-man coaching staff. Steve Davenport, formerly the running backs coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, was hired Jan. 7 to replace Julius Dixon, the Tigers’ interim head coach since Jan. 28, 2010.

Davenport has not hired any assistant coaches, SSU sports information director Opio Mashariki said in an e-mail Sunday in response to an inquiry from the Savannah Morning News.

SSU gets verbal from Duluth LB

Justin Dixon, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound linebacker at Duluth High School, has verbally committed to play football at Savannah State University, the Gwinnett Daily Post reported.

Dixon, Duluth’s leading tackler the past two seasons, was named to the All-Region 7-AAAAA second team last season as a linebacker. He made 98 tackles, including two sacks, last season. As a junior, Dixon made 120 tackles, including two sacks.

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Savannah State University Hires Davenport To Lead Football Program

Davenport said the SSU job appealed to him because of the MEAC

SSU hires Davenport as new football coach

Excerpt:
Davenport was chosen from more than 200 applicants, SSU athletics director Marilynn Suggs said. He will be paid $125,000 annually - more than Wells ($90,000), Theo Lemon ($65,000), Richard Basil ($61,164) and Ken Pettiford ($61,000), the Tigers' coaches since moving up to the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) in 2002.

Suggs said a search committee, chaired by prominent booster Henry Nash, submitted a list of three finalists: Davenport, Jackson (Miss.) State University offensive coordinator Earnest Wilson and The Citadel running backs coach Everette Sands. They interviewed at SSU on Tuesday.

"And after meeting with them, the choice was clear," Suggs said. "After making my recommendation to the university president (Earl Yarbrough), who concurred, I contacted and offered this man."

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SSU OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE 

SAVANNAH, Ga.- Savannah State University has hired Steve Davenport as the Tigers’ new head football coach, Athletics Director Marilynn Stacey-Suggs announced today.

Davenport’s appointment is effective immediately. He replaces Julius Dixon, who served as the interim coach for the 2010 season.

The Decatur, Ga., native comes to SSU from the University of Alabama-Birmingham where he served as the Blazers running back coach since December 2006.

While at UAB he also served as the Director of Community Relations, where he organized and facilitated all community service programs.

Davenport, 43, spent two years (2005-06) as the offensive coordinator at Rockdale County High School in Conyers, Ga. At Rockdale County, he joined a staff that previously went 1-9 in 2004 and finished runner-up in Region 8-AAAA, and advanced into the second round of the state playoffs.

He was the head coach at Decatur High School for two seasons (2003-04) and in 2003 was named the Georgia Class AA State Coach-of-the-Year as his team finished 13-1, losing in the state semifinals.


Videographer: KEN SLATS, WSAV 3

Davenport also spent four seasons (1997-2001) as the head coach at Redan High School in Lithonia, Ga., and served as the offensive coordinator at Southwest DeKalb High School in Atlanta from 1994-96, when the school won the 1995 Georgia State AAAAA state championship. He also worked as a defensive backs coach at Southwest DeKalb (1990-91) and helped the team reach the 1990 AAAA State Championship game.

Davenport was a graduate assistant coach at Georgia Tech during the1992 and 1993 seasons. Under head coach Bill Lewis, he assisted in coaching the wide receivers; served as assistant recruiting coordinator; aided in coordinating recruiting weekends, breaking down film and assisting in game plan preparations; and was responsible for the defensive scout team during practices.

Davenport was a four-year letterwinner as a player at Georgia Tech from 1985-88. He was a member of the Yellow Jacket team that defeated Michigan State in the 1985 All-American Bowl played at Legion Field.

A three-year starter at wide receiver, Davenport earned his undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech in 1990 and his master’s degree from Tech in 1994.

He is married to the former Stephanie Gilstrap.

From: SSU Press Release 1/7/2011