TSU's offense starts season in high gear; runs over Southern

Nashville, TN - All those offensive woes that plagued Tennessee State last year were a faint memory for the Tigers, who punished Southern in the John Merritt Classic on Saturday night at LP Field. The running game helped TSU coast to a 33-7 victory before a crowd of 25,209.

It was the most decisive win of second-year Coach Rod Reed’s career. After starting 3-2 last year, TSU (1-0) lost its last six games. Southern (0-1) also lost its last six games in 2010. Once TSU’s rushing attack got in gear early in the first quarter it was unstoppable.

TSU had 223 yards rushing at halftime and finished with 324. The Tigers had 512 yards of total offense.

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Tenn. St. revives ground game


NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Southern’s defense was the elixir for many of the problems that plagued Tennessee State’s offense during the second half of last season. TSU struggled after losing starting running back Preston Brown (torn ACL) at midseason last year and lost its last six games.

The ground game got back into gear Saturday night on the way to a 33-7 victory over the Jaguars.
TSU rushed for a whopping 342 yards and scored two of its first three TDs rushing.

“We just really stuck with our game plan,” said TSU running back Trabis Ward. “That was to come off the ball fast, show some toughness and finish. Everybody on this team knew we had to have toughness and everybody made a promise early in the week to do their job and that’s what it took for the running game to have the kind of success we had.”

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TSU, Southern bank on rushing

Nashville, TN - The unknown factor is usually prominent in the first game of the season. But that’s not the case for Tennessee State and Southern, which meet tonight in the 13th annual John Merritt Classic at LP Field.

Southern’s second-year Coach Stump Mitchell was a running back in the NFL with the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals from 1981-89. TSU’s second-year Coach Rod Reed was a linebacker (1985-88), who became the Tigers’ all-time leading tackler (406). That kind of takes the guesswork out of what to expect.



“I don’t think there’s any question about how this game will play out,” Mitchell said. “I’m a running back, and I’m calling the plays. Rod’s a linebacker, and they’re going to try to stop the run. They play good defense, but we have to find ways to run the ball. We didn’t run the ball last year, but we’re going to this year.”

Mitchell said the personnel he inherited at Southern wasn’t suited to run the ball when he left the Washington Redskins as running-backs coach after the 2009 season.

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TSU RB running by foes

Nashville, TN - Following a summer practice in 2007, TSU’s freshman running back Danté Thomas left an unforgettable first impression with position coach Kevin Mashack.

Thomas, who just transferred from the Naval Academy Prep school, joined the rest of the TSU team for summer camp, but Mashack noticed Thomas looked slow and questioned why the program offered him scholarship to begin with.

It wasn’t until the second week of camp, according to Mashack, until he discovered the main cause for Thomas’ struggles. His cleats.

“I see him on the table taking off his cleats with skin hanging off his feet,” Mashack recalled. “But he didn’t complain. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t want us to think that he just got here and that he was already hurt.”

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Could TSU stadium see new glory days?

Nashville, TN - Tennessee State interim President Portia Holmes Shields admitted her hopes of having some football games at Hale Stadium on campus in 2012 are “pie in the sky” at this point.

Still, she is making an extensive effort to make it happen. She wants the team to return to 10,000-seat Hale Stadium, known as “The Hole,” as part of the Tigers’ 100-year celebration of playing football in 2012.

The Tigers experienced their glory days in the 1960s and early 1970s playing in The Hole.

But TSU also would need to spend around $1 million for repairs to Hale Stadium to be able to play there again.

“The stadium has been sitting there dormant for years,” Shields said. “And so you wouldn’t expect to just go out there and hike the ball. There’s got to be some work done. But it wouldn’t take much money to play in The Hole next year.”

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Tennessee State president pushes on-campus football games

Dr. Portia Holmes Shields

Nashville, TN - Tennessee State interim President Portia Holmes Shields said she hopes the Tigers’ football team will play three games at Hale Stadium on campus in 2012. Holmes Shields said the Tigers would keep the John Merritt Classic and homecoming at LP Field if the plan is approved.

TSU has played all of its home games at LP Field since 1999, moving there instead of repairing the 10,000-seat Hale Stadium, known as “The Hole.” Part of the agreement to build the Titans stadium was contingent on TSU getting to play there.

“There still is a lot of work and a lot of planning that has to take place to make it happen,” TSU Athletics Director Teresa Phillips said. “Our new president has shown a lot leadership by just putting the matter on the table for the university and for our community.”

Holmes Shields could not be reached for comment Saturday. In April, TSU’s students voted to add $25 to their fees per semester to fund renovations to Hale Stadium. TSU’s current enrollment is 8,824.

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TSU uses tire drill to test running backs

Nashville, TN - Tennessee State running backs have rolled through preseason camp trying to dodge tires being rolled at them. “We’ve been getting some really good mileage out of it,” running backs Coach Kevin Mashack said, summing up the agility drill.

Former running backs coach Stu Holt started the drill at TSU last year. Holt left at the end of last season to join the staff at Western Kentucky, but the Tigers kept the drill.

“It’s an old-school drill that Stu got from his dad, who is an old high school coach,” TSU Coach Rod Reed said. “It’s a drill I liked and wanted to keep because it’s great to help our running backs with their reaction. You’re running, that tire rolls and you’ve got to make a jump cut one way or the other. Another tire comes from the other way and you’ve got to jump opposite of the way you just jumped.”

An odd number of tires is needed for the drill.

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Defense runs rampant in Tennessee State University scrimmage

Nashville, TN - The one thing Tennessee State did well last season was run the football. But the Tigers couldn’t do it during Saturday night’s scrimmage. The defense prevented the offense from getting into any type of rhythm for the better part of the scrimmage and left Coach Rod Reed with mixed emotions.

“We’ve got to start fast,” Reed said. “Offensively we didn’t wake up until way later in the scrimmage. The defense came out with good intensity and got after them. While I wasn’t happy with the way the offense started, I was pleased with the way the defense stopped the run. Any championship defense has got to be able to stop the run.”

The defense held the offense to 32 yards on the first 12 running plays. The defense also forced three-and-outs on the first three possessions and allowed only a field goal on the first 10 series. The offense didn’t score a touchdown until the 12th series.

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TSU Aristocrat of Bands performs at Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, August 8, 2011. The band had also performed at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton on the preceding Saturday and Sunday in support of TSU alum Richard Dent's enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of FAME.

David Climer: Richard Dent serves as emblem of TSU's past glory

Nashville, TN - Portions of the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies this weekend will morph into an infomercial for historically black college football in general and Tennessee State in particular.

Former TSU and Chicago Bears star Richard Dent is a member of the seven-man Class of 2011. Joe Gilliam Sr., defensive coordinator at TSU during Dent’s college career, will introduce him. TSU’s marching band will participate in the parade that precedes the induction ceremony.

Dent hasn’t forgotten his roots. He said his speech on Saturday will include recollections of his days at TSU and the impact that Big Blue football had on him from 1979-82. The fact that he asked Gilliam to introduce him speaks volumes.

“I wouldn’t be going into the Hall of Fame if it weren’t for Coach Gilliam,” Dent said.



Hard to believe, but Dent is the first TSU product selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame — and it took eight years after he became eligible to make it. Claude Humphrey has been overlooked much too long, as has Ed “Too Tall” Jones. Others merit consideration.

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2011 Pro Football Hall Of Fame Inductee Richard Dent gives thanks for what he became

CANTON, Ohio — During his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech Saturday, Richard Dent said he “wanted to be someone special my mother and father and brothers could look up to.

” Dent accomplished that and so much more during a 15-year career mostly spent with the Bears where he wowed fans on the lakefront and wreaked havoc in opposing backfields.

Dent finished his career with 137½ sacks, third all-time when he retired behind Reggie White and Bruce Smith, and was the MVP of the 1986 Super Bowl. Those Bears epitomized the Monsters of the Midway.


He had 10 or more sacks in eight seasons, and was also a strong defender of the run, which impressed teammates like offensive guard Tom Thayer, who always appreciated the fact that Dent was a three-down player.

“Buddy Ryan challenged Richard Dent,” Thayer said. “Buddy said, ‘Make sure that you can stop the run, or else you’re not going to play in my defense,’ and then Richard Dent lived up to everything that was required of him on the field.”

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RICHARD DENT: His ‘wildest dream’

CANTON, OH — Dreaming big came naturally to Richard Dent.

“I grew up in a town where a man always said, ‘I have a dream,’ and that man was Martin Luther King,” Dent said. “And as a kid growing up at that time, listening to him, all I could do is dream. I wanted to be someone special that my mother and my father and my family looked up to.”

That kid from Atlanta exceeded his dreams.

Saturday night, he stood as a man inside Fawcett Stadium and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“Not in my wildest dream did I think I’d be here,” the 50-year-old Dent said as he looked back on his unlikely path, first to college and then to becoming an NFL superstar with the powerful Chicago Bears of the mid-1980s.

“None of us get anywhere by ourselves,” Dent said, as he thanked dozens of family, friends, teammates and coaches for helping him along his journey. Men such as high school coach, William Lester, and his Tennessee State defensive coordinator, Joe Gilliam, played a huge part in him becoming an NFL player.

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Tennessee State University's Richard Dent Joins Pro Football Hall Of Fame In Class Of 2011

Chicago, IL - Back in 1983, defensive end Richard Dent was an eighth-round selection out of Tennessee State by the Chicago Bears. Twenty-eight years later, Dent will find himself in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. A member of the storied mid-1980s Bears defenses, Dent made his reputation in the league by becoming a feared sack artist. His 137-1/2 career sacks have him tied for sixth all-time with 2010 Hall of Fame inductee John Randle. But that doesn't tell the whole story of Dent's dominance.

After playing in all 16 games as a rookie, Dent followed that up in 1984 with 17-1/2 sacks, third best that year. He didn't let up in 1985, leading the league with 17 sacks. He was in midst of recording double-digit sacks in eight of 10 season from 1984-93. In 1993, Dent, 33, had 12-1/2 sacks, his last great season. He would float around the league for the next four seasons to San Francisco, back to Chicago, then in Indianapolis and finally finishing things with Philadelphia.




Dent garnered a number of awards during his 15-year career. He was the 1985 Super Bowl MVP, which saw him record 1-1/2 sacks in the Bears' 46-10 romp over the Patriots. He made four Pro Bowls...

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Tennessee State star Richard Dent enters Pro Football Hall of Fame today

Excerpt:
TSU Took a Chance
The defensive coordinator at Tennessee State, Joe Gilliam happened to be teaching a graduate course in public health. One of his students was William Lester, Dent’s coach at Murphy High in Atlanta. Gilliam was also responsible for recruiting in Georgia, and one spring day, he stopped by the school. Lester put in a tape and asked what he thought.

“I said, ‘I have cornerbacks that are bigger than Richard Dent and he’s an offensive tackle. He just won’t cut it, Coach,’” Gilliam said.  Lester wouldn’t take no for an answer, though, and when fall practices started, Gilliam said he showed up with Dent in tow even though there was no scholarship offer.

“He says, ‘We can’t leave him in Atlanta. He won’t make it, Coach.’ I said, ‘I can understand. He comes from a pretty rough area and all that, but I just don’t have a scholarship for him.’ He says, ‘Coach, I can’t leave him. So I brought him.’ He says, ‘You do what you can for him. I know you'll do that.’ ”

He remembers Lester telling him, “Well, you got him” and then leaving.

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Former WSSU coach lands job at Tennessee State

TSU Assistant Coach Rick Duckett
(Courtesy Tennessee State University Athletics)

Rick Duckett had a record of 73-19 during his three seasons as coach at Winston-Salem State.

Nashville, TN - Rick Duckett, a Winston-Salem native and a former head coach at Winston-Salem State, has been named an assistant basketball coach at Tennessee State. Duckett, who was fired after one season at Grambling State in 2009, spent the past two seasons working for UNC Greensboro as the color analyst for men's basketball games on radio station WZTK-FM (101.1).

He went 6-23 in his one season at Grambling. One of his players died after a conditioning drill in August 2009, and Duckett was fired with three years left on his contract. Henry White, a 21-year-old junior-college transfer, became ill during a preseason workout at which Duckett was not present, and White died 12 days later.

After two seasons out of coaching, Duckett said he's thrilled to be back. Duckett said by telephone Saturday that he hopes his batteries are recharged after being out of coaching for awhile. "If they aren't recharged now, then they never will be," Duckett said. "I'm looking forward to getting back into it, so I'm very appreciative of this opportunity."

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TSU Men's Basketball adds Rick Duckett to staff

Tennessee State University men's basketball head coach John Cooper has announced the hiring of Rick Duckett as an assistant coach. Duckett joins the staff with more than 30 years of coaching experience and after spending the last two seasons as a basketball color analyst for UNC Greensboro on 101.1 WZTK-FM. He has nine years of coaching experience as a head coach with three different programs gathering a career record of 156-98.

"We are extremely excited to have him (Duckett) join our staff with his vast array of experience and success during his coaching career," said Cooper. "He was shaped and molded in one of the great basketball families (North Carolina). We can't wait to benefit from his experience on the bench. He is a first-class person and fierce competitor with an incredible ability to identify with student-athletes."

Cooper and Duckett reunite after working together under two programs. During Cooper's collegiate career as a player at Wichita State, Duckett was an assistant (1987-92) help leading the Shockers to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1988 and 1997 and a N.I.T berth in 1989.

"I'm energized about the opportunity. It gives me clarity and purpose to have a chance to work with young people," Duckett explained. "During my two years away from coaching, I missed the day-to-day interaction with coaches and players. What is also important is the relationship I have with Cooper and I believe in his vision and admire his coaching philosophy."

From 1993-98, Duckett was head coach at Fayetteville State (CIAA) with Cooper serving as an assistant from 1993-95. In his first stint as a head coach, he led the Broncos to a 76-57 record while serving FSU as an assistant athletic director and instructor.

In 1998, Duckett took over the helm at Winston-Salem State (CIAA) until 2001. He posted a remarkable record in his three seasons leading the squad to a combined 73-19 mark while capturing the CIAA championship in 1999 and 2000. Both seasons, he earned the CIAA Tournament Coaches Award and was the 1999 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Coach of the Year.

After WSSU, he served his second term with South Carolina (SEC) Basketball from 2001-08 under head coach Dave Odom. He rejoined the staff after serving in the same capacity for head coach Bill Foster (Rutgers, Utah, Duke, South Carolina, Northwestern) for the 1985-86 season.

From 2008-09, Duckett grabbed the head coaching reins once again when he spent one season at the helm at Grambling State (SWAC) posting a 6-23 record.

In addition, Duckett has spent years as an assistant, coaching for one season at Central Florida (1983-84) and Jacksonville (1983-84). A year prior to the appointments, he spent the first of two stints at R.J. Reynolds High School (Winston Salem, N.C.) returning as a teacher and coach from 1992-93.

Duckett began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, North Carolina (Chapel Hill), from 1979-1980. He received his full-time start as the head coach of the freshman squad at Harvard University from 1980-1982.

Courtesy: Tennessee State Sports Information

TSU loaded for upcoming season, receive early preseason rave

Nashville, TN - Tennessee State University men's basketball head coach John Cooper announced the signing of prep standout Jay Harris to a National Letter of Intent. Harris will join the Tigers this fall for the 2011-2012 academic year.

"We are excited to have Jay join the program," Cooper added. "We are eager to see how he can contribute to our team and are pleased to see that he chose to come play for us here at TSU."

Harris enters TSU after spending last season at Charis Prep (Wilson, N.C.) averaging 14 points, 11 assists and three steals per game. Running the offense from the point guard position at Charis Prep, he helped set a team milestone with a 24-0 home record.

A 5'10 guard and native of Philadelphia, Pa., Harris attended Robeson High School and was an All Public League and All City selection when he averaged 20 ppg as a senior. Harris also played on the Runhouse Team in the 2010 season of the Philadelphia Positive Image League.

Jay was being recruited by Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, Colorado State, Quinnipiac, Youngstown State, Northeastern and Central Michigan.

With the season a distance away, TSU has received great reviews for the upcoming year.

According to OVCball.com's Catlin Bogard "This year, they're (TSU Tigers) more talented and more experienced. At the end of the previews, I'll rank the teams from 1-11, and I can tell you this team will be near the top, if not at the top, of my ranking. Beware the Tigers in March."

OVCball.com Tennessee State Men's Basketball Preview

Harris will provide depth at the guard position with the loss of sixth man, Jacquan Nobles, and first-year player Verkeneo Mann. Both elected to transfer at the conclusion of the season.

Nobles, a sophomore from Ayden, N.C., finished last season averaging 7.5 ppg making the first four starts on the year. In his first year, he started 15-of-32 games played and finished second on the team in scoring with 11.2 ppg.

That season, he led TSU in three-point shooting knocking in 43 percent from behind the arc. He finished his first year as a member of the 2010 All Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer Team.

Mann, a native of Decatur, Ala., started 1-of-20 games played last year averaging 2.0 ppg and shot 80 percent from the free-throw line.

Last year, the Tigers did not have a senior on their roster. For the upcoming season, all five starters return in guards Will Peters (10.5 ppg | 4.2 apg) and Patrick Miller (11.4 ppg) with forwards Kenny Moore (14.5 ppg), Robert Covington (13.4 ppg | 7.5 rpg), and Michael Green (1.7 bpg).

Miller was named OVC Freshman of the Year and joined Moore on the OVC Newcomer Team. Covington was named to the OVC Second Team. He received his second Conference honor after being named to the Newcomer Team in 2010 with Nobles.

Peters finished last year third in the OVC in assists with Green closing out the year second in the league in block shots.

Lastly, three D-I transfers Jordan Cyphers (Utah), Muniru Bawa (Indiana) and Kellen Thornton (Illinois State) and redshirt freshman Malcolm Rhett will add talent, experience and depth after sitting out last season.

TSU released the men's basketball tentative 2011-12 schedule. The Tigers will play Trevecca-Nazarene (11/1) in exhibition play before opening the season on the road at Saint Louis (11/11).

Courtesy: Tennessee State Sports Information

Run defense shines at TSU football scrimmage

Run defense shines at TSU football scrimmage

The scoreboard favored the Offense but Tennessee State University Coach Rod Reed praised the Defense in Saturday's Blue and White Spring Game. The scoring system used to award points to each unit gave the offense a 61-37 victory over the defense, but many of those points were scored late in the contest at Hale Stadium before an estimated crowd of 3,500.

"The No. 1 thing you've got to do in any defense is stop the run," Reed said. "Our offense hangs its hat on running the ball, so for us to come out and do a good job against the run really pleases me."

The defense stifled the running game well into the second quarter, holding it to minus-4 yards on 14 carries. By halftime the offense had only 20 yards on 19 carries, and the defense was leading 23-17.  The two quarterbacks — senior starter Jeremy Perry and redshirt freshman Michael German — were not allowed to be hit, so the truest test was the running game against the defense.

TSU receiver embraces change to new position

The decision to change positions in football can be difficult. Tennessee State offensive coordinator Mike Jones made it easy for Jamal Ramsey, a transfer from Middle Tennessee State, who has moved from quarterback to wide receiver during spring practice.

"If he stays at quarterback he probably would never see the field," Jones said. "If he goes to wide receiver he's got a great opportunity to see the field. I asked him which one did he want to play? He said he wanted to play wide receiver and we're happy to have him at that position."

The Tigers need receivers more than quarterbacks as they look to improve their passing game after finishing seventh in the OVC last year (165.6 yards per game).

Blue Team Prevails 61-37 Over White In Spring Game

On a sunny and festive day that saw over 3,500 fans and the "Aristocrat of Bands" come to "The Hole" of Hale Stadium, the Tennessee State University "Blue" team (offense) prevailed 61-37 over the "White" team (defense) in the 2011 Spring game.

Utilizing a point system that rewarded the defense points for such things as interceptions, fumbles and third down stops, the defense took a 25-21 lead into the halftime. The defense gained fifteen points on three interceptions alone as they stymied the offensive attack.

In the second half, however, the offense came alive scoring thirty points on two touchdowns and a field goal along with gaining scoring points on several plays over twenty yards. Key among the 20-plus yard plays were long pass receptions by Brandon Brown (49 yds) and Travis James (30 yds).

Spring Game Stats

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Videographer: MarchingsportHD; Tennessee State University Marching Band (2011)- Honda Battle of the Bands

Tennessee State University Holds Football Pro Day

Nashville, Tenn. - Football players from Tennessee State University and several area universities, looked to impress scouts from the NFL and Canadian Football League during the annual Pro Day event held on TSU's campus, Thursday, March 24.

A large crowd of spectators and supporters were on hand at the Gentry Center, and then Hale Stadium, as scouts took measurables of height, weight, vertical and broad jumps, along with strength and speed.

More than 20 players from the senior class of TSU's football team and players from Austin Peay State, Tennessee Tech, Western Kentucky and Tennessee Martin participated in the event.

Participants looked to impress the pro scouts and gain the title, "diamond in the rough", and receive an invitation to training camp and possible roster spot on a professional football team.

TSU wide receiver Joe Hills turned in the top performances in the broad jump (10'10") and the vertical jump (37 ½ "). WR/DB Marques Wilkins leaped 10' even in the broad jump. DB Marguez Hall awed the crowd with the second best vertical jump of 36 ½ inches. Hall stands 5' 8".

TSU running back Preston Brown, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2010, recorded a time of 4.51 seconds in the 40-yard dash and lifted 225 lbs in the bench press 20 times.

Last year, TSU's DB Anthony Levine impressed scouts in the Pro Day event and was invited to the Green Bay Packers camp. Levine made the team and earned a Super Bowl ring this year after the Packers won the World Championship. Each of the players in this year's event hope their performance will lead to a professional football contract.

Photo Album

Courtesy: Tennessee State Sports Information

The NAIA changed basketball, and Kansas City

Alcorn State was minutes away from tipping off a game at the 1974 NAIA Tournament when Braves coach Davey Whitney received a tap on the shoulder from a Municipal Auditorium official.

“Phone call,” he was told. Now? Whitney shooed away the messenger. A few minutes later came another tap. “I was told it was important and I had to take the call,” Whitney said. “So I left the bench and got on the phone.”

On the line was the school president. A bill had just been signed into Mississippi law to grant Alcorn university status. No longer was it Alcorn Agricultural & Mechanical College but Alcorn State University. The president wanted everybody at the NAIA to know.

“We had ’em change the scoreboard,” Whitney said. “It meant a lot to us to be called Alcorn State University at the NAIA. It was where we were welcomed. To us, it was a special place.”

Basketball's African American Pioneers

A forgotten ballplayer walked into a small reception room last week at the Reagan Building, had the privilege of meeting the famous Earl Monroe -- and promptly told the Pearl a story.

While Monroe was becoming NBA royalty in New York, Perry Wallace played for a pittance in the Eastern League, a basketball minor league, and moonlighted as a math teacher at the Pearl's alma mater, Philadelphia's John Bartram High School.

"And at the same time, Joe Bryant -- Kobe's father -- attended that school," Wallace said. "Isn't that something?"

From the Pearl to Perry, to Jellybean Bryant and on to his son, the entire evening became a game of human H-O-R-S-E. They bonded over coincidences and zero degrees of separation, of events of 30, 40 and 50 years ago, all told by living historians before the screening of "Black Magic."



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Softball kicks off season at Tiny Laster classic

Courtesy: Tennessee State Athletics

Nashville --- The Tennessee State University softball team will officially kick-off the 2011 season at the fourth annual Tiny Laster HBCU classic this weekend in Conyers, Georgia.

The three-day event, named in honor of Hampton University's legendary softball and volleyball coach, will be held February 12 through 14, 2011, at the Earl O'Neal Sports Complex, located at 2709 Old Covington Road, Conyers, Georgia.

Teams from eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) representing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) will participate in an inter-conference round robin tournament.

The Tigers will face four schools from the MEAC : South Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T, Hampton University and Florida A&M.

TSU will face South Carolina State in the opening game of the tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. before the Tigers take on North Carolina A&T at 3 p.m.

South Carolina State was predicted to finish fourth in the Southern Division of the MEAC preseason poll. Last year the Bulldogs finished with an overall record of 9-43, winning one of their last three games.

North Carolina A&T was selected to finish third in the Southern Division of the MEAC after finishing last year with an overall record of 27-26.

On Sunday, TSU will match-up with Hampton University in the morning game at 10 a.m. before competing against Florida A&M in the afternoon game.

Hampton University, the only school from the Northern Division of the MEAC that TSU will face was picked to finish third in a preseason poll. The Lady Pirates are led by preseason selection Kelsei Saunders. HU finished last season with an overall record of 21-38.

Florida A&M was picked to finish second in the Southern Division of the MEAC. The 2009 MEAC Champions are led by preseason selection Jasmine Donaldson. The Rattlers concluded the 2010 season with an overall record of 30-24.

North Carolina A&T State University has dominated this tournament for the past two years posting a perfect 8-0 record. During the life span of this tournament, the MEAC and SWAC have split years in collecting the most wins for the tournament.

Tennessee State was scheduled to participate in the Tiny Laster tournament last year but it was canceled due to the inclement weather in the Georgia area.

Under first year head coach Jeff Dabney, Tennessee State returned nine letterwinners from last year's team that finished 11-34 and added seven newcomers to the squad. Among the key returners include seniors Caitlin Eaton and Brittany Webb.

Eaton and Webb were the offensive leaders for the Tigers for the majority of last season. They led TSU in the categories of batting average, hits, doubles and runs batted in.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Courtesy: Tennessee State Sports Information           Release: 02/11/2011

Tennessee State's Richard Dent voted to Pro Football Hall of Fame

Bears’ Dent finally makes Hall of Fame


Videographer: TheNFLhistory; 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame class Announcement

DALLAS — Former Bears defensive end Richard Dent, a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist in seven of the last eight years, was voted in Saturday as part of the Class of 2011. “It’s very appreciated, and I’m very happy,” Dent said on NFL Network. “Long time coming.”

Dent was the MVP of Super Bowl XX, but he had to be patient to earn election, joining coach Mike Ditka (1988), running back Walter Payton (1993), linebacker Mike Singletary (1998) and defensive tackle Dan Hampton (2002). The Bears have a record 27 enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dent will be inducted Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio, along with running back Marshall Faulk, linebackers Chris Hanburger and Les Richter, contributor Ed Sabol, cornerback Deion Sanders, and tight end Shannon Sharpe.

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Tennessee State Tigers Ink Twenty-Two Football Players

Coach Rod Reed and his staff have signed twenty-two football players to National Letters of Intent on national signing day, February 2, 2011.

The Tigers inked twelve players on defensive, nine players on offense and one player termed an athlete. The 2011 recruiting class consists of five players from Tennessee, five from the state of Florida, three players from Louisiana, two players each from Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. One player each comes from the states of South Carolina, North Carolina and Indiana.

The position breakdown sees the addition of six defensive linemen, four linebackers and two defensive backs. The offensive additions are as follows, three tight ends, two wide receivers, two running back and one each at offensive line and quarterback. The one player listed as an athlete has played as running back, quarterback, receiver and kick returner.

2011 TSU Football Class

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2011 Honda Battle of the Band Performances

Eight HBCU Bands, Bow Wow Perform at 9th Annual Honda Battle of the Bands

Atlanta, Ga. - The ninth annual Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase delivered on its promise to bring the ultimate party with a purpose to the people, offering a little something for everyone – from “Hip-Hop’s very own “Bow Wow” in live performance, to spirited marching band renditions of the latest chart-topping soul, R&B and Hip-Hop hits. Atlanta’s WVEE Radio evening drive-time host, Ryan Cameron, introduced the bands, while “Bow Wow” treated fans to a special performance of “Ain’t Thinkin’ ‘Bout You,” from his new album, Underrated.

2011 Invitational Showcase, themed “Hollywood Lights,” featured a mass band performance medley of music in film, as nearly 60,000 HBCU friends, fans, students and alumni from all parts of the country made their annual pilgrimage to support their favorite bands.


Videographer: MarchingsportHD

This year’s Showcase bands included: Albany State University, Bethune Cookman University, Clark Atlanta University, Jackson State University, South Carolina State University, Tennessee State University, Virginia State University and Winston-Salem State University.


Videographer: Ram2010Pride

The Honda Battle of the Bands not only showcases the pageantry and showmanship of HBCU bands, but also and more importantly, acts as the nation’s only HBCU music scholarship program of its kind. The eight bands selected to participate in the Invitational Showcase were awarded $20,000 each for their music scholarship programs, plus an additional $1,000 grant for their participation in the Celebration Tour, the Honda Battle of the Bands’ pre-qualifying event. In all, a total of $205,000 in scholarship money was given to HBCU music programs this year.













Credits:
1. Bethune-Cookman University, Videographer: MarchingsportsHD
2. Jackson State University, Videographer: MarchingsportsHD
2b.Jackson State University, Videographer; Jarquavius101
3. South Carolina State University, Videographer: MarchingsportsHD
4. Tennessee State University, Videographer: doublea198505
5. Albany State University (Ga.), Videographer: JGASU08
6. Winston Salem State University, Videographer; doublea198505
7. Clark-Atlanta University, Videographer; doublea198505
8. Virginia State University, Videographer; doublea 198505
9. Mass Band Closing, Videographer; SoSouthernTV
10.Intro...Honda Battle Of The Bands 2011 featuring DJ Baby Yu, Ryan Cameron & Bow Wow; Videographer: djbabyyu

RELATED LINK: The 9th Annual Honda Battle of the Bands

Commentary: Plan B, Tennessee State and FAMU has to work out a deal

Tennessee State has the home stadium that provides infinite possibilities.

Florida A&M has one of the Top-5 premier brands in all of the Football Championship Subdivision football.

Tennessee State was once the most feared football rivalry for the Rattlers.

FAMU has the world-renowned "Marching 100," which is worth the price of admission to any venue.

TSU has the Sophisticated Ladies and the Aristocrats of Bands.

Tennessee State Tigers embarrassed FAMU on national television in the Atlanta Football Classic in 2010, which later denied the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Co-Champion Rattlers an FCS playoff spot.

The 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc., has dropped TSU for the next two years, and is working out a contract with Stump Mitchell's Southern University Jaguars, for all the wrong reasons.

Tennessee State University has the Gentry Center which seats 10,500 for collegiate basketball.

FAMU has a new athletic director, Derek Horne, who's on a mission to help FAMU live up to its national legacy as a championship athletic program. Horne, from Southeastern Conference (SEC) University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) is accustomed to big games and large athletic budgets.

TSU athletic director Teresa Lawrence Phillips is in a pickle to replace longtime rival FAMU on its 2011 schedule and find a new revenue source for the $450,508.00 (2008 payout) loss from the Atlanta Football Classic.

What seems like a big problem, is an opportunity for greatness for TSU and FAMU.

Let me say that again...but more slowly, so that it sinks in...

What appears to be a huge problem is an opportunity for greatness and increased athletic income for Tennessee State University and Florida A&M University on a much larger stage.

The Rattlers/Tigers game must go on in 2012.

If a FAMU vs. Bethune-Cookman rivalry (Florida Classic) has earn the Rattlers and Wildcats $1.5 million dollars EACH annually, there is no reason that a "Tennessee Classic" cannot earn a greater payout for FAMU/TSU in the capital city of Tennessee, with a statistical population area estimated at 1.67 million people.

The 2010 Florida Classic had 61,712 fans in attendance.  No reason that a "Tennessee Classic" can't exceed the Florida Classic numbers in a few years as this is a more serious football rivalry for TSU and FAMU.  It's more marketable -- OVC Football vs. MEAC Football.

Florida A&M vs. Tennessee State should be all about the maximum money that can be made off of this game for both institutions, annually. With that being said, forget about home and home for this classic match up.

Let us suggest that the universities' administration book it for the next five years at Nashville's LP Field (or equal), the home stadium for the TSU Tigers and NFL Tennessee Titans. LP Field seats 68,800 in a state of art facility.

Using the same self-governing business model used for the Florida Classic, FAMU/TSU should set-up the same type of  consortium for the proposed "Tennessee Classic" and hire an outside management company (like a Florida Citrus Sports) to manage the game affairs for a reasonable fixed fee.

There is absolutely no reason that this type of rivalry game cannot gross each school $1.5 million to $2 million annually, after expenses, when marketed properly, and when based on the structured business model of the Florida Classic. All the physical ingredients that makes the Florida Classic and Atlanta Classic successful are present in Nashville.


Videographer: UrbanSportsITG

More importantly, put the dang game out for bid for additional guaranteed money based on a projected economic impact of $30+ million dollars, based on a projected annual attendance of 52,000 fans or greater.  Let Nashville, Jacksonville (Florida), Tampa (Florida), Memphis, and Knoxville all submit bids for the game to be played in their city and stadium for five years.

What we are suggesting is let Nashville and LP Field earn the rights to host the football game and other events by paying for those rights through the highest bid of cash to be paid to FAMU and TSU and/or reduced hotel rooms, stadium fees and the like for each university.

Let Versus, Fox Sports South and ESPN bid for TV rights to broadcast the game from Nashville, the 29th largest television market in the U.S.   And offer others the regional and national Radio rights for fair market value. The two universities will remain the sole owners of the Tennessee Classic football game, basketball tournament and all of its ancillary events, like the Tennessee classic parade, battle of the bands, step shows, etc. and concerts.

FAMU and TSU products are more valuable than the $450,508.00 each paid by the 100 Black Men in Atlanta.  If anyone knows this better, its athletic director Teresa Phillips, who earned a bachelor's degree in economics and business education from Vanderbilt University.


Videographer: hbcusportsonline - Excepts from FAMU 's half-time show at 2010 Florida Classic

It is long overdue that athletic directors Phillips and Derek Horne, recognizes the needs of their strong fan base and the financial needs of their respective athletic departments to maximize the earning power of this rivalry game.

Self-management and oversight of this game is the key to maximizing earnings for each university program.

Yes, it will take a little work from the respective athletic departments, but the gain for our student-athletes will be greater than the payouts from a FBS money game or a home game in Tallahassee (13,000 fans) with a strong Division II program, like a Fort Valley State.

The 100 Black Men did both institutions a major favor by giving TSU the boot.

It now forces TSU and FAMU to look beyond guaranteed losses (money games) with Football Bowl Championship/BCS programs; minimum pay days with third parties like the 100 Black Men; or so-called money games with the Division I basketball powerhouses--that buys guaranteed wins from barnstorming Division I programs like the MEAC, SWAC and OVC.

Our student-athletes deserves a fair opportunity to win every game scheduled and adequate financial support for academic excellency.  Horne understands this from this playing days in SEC basketball and having worked in true Division I athletic administration at Ole Miss.

Phillips needs to avoid the "quick fix" solution used by most Division I HBCU athletic directors to raise cash quickly by scheduling FBC or Division II blowouts.  Either way, the loyal fan base is severely short changed.

FAMU vs. Tennessee State rivalry must continue in 2012.

That's what makes our suggested Plan B so intriguing, and invites further study, discussion and consideration.

Schedule the rivalry game the last week of October or first Saturday in November 2012 and take advantage of hosting a season opening basketball tournament at the TSU Gentry Center.  The tournament could operate under the same brand ("Tennessee Classic") and would invite six men and women programs, i.e., TSU, FAMU, Middle Tennessee State, Jackson State, Alabama A&M, and Southern.  The goal is to earn an additional $600,000 for the two-day basketball events scheduled around the football game, on Friday and Sunday.

Again, thank you 100 Black Men of Atlanta for giving TSU the boot!

Without adversity, TSU/FAMU would continue to schedule the same unprofitable football games with the third party reaping all the benefits.  Now, each institution is forced to go to a Plan B.  Tigers and Rattlers fans must keep the pressure on their respective administrations for a university owned "Tennessee Classic" or some variation of what we are suggesting in this blog.

There will never be a new Bragg Memorial Stadium at FAMU with 45,000 seats, field turf and luxury suites if we continue along the financial pathway created by athletic directors who have long since been fired and forgotten for fund raising and financial management incompetency.

Please, no more scheduled Bowl Championship Series (BCS) blowouts for $450,000 (pay your own expenses) or less. No more home dates with Division II football opponents.  No more 10-12 game basketball tours of the Midwest for only a check and a guaranteed loss for the Rattlers and Tigers men and women basketball programs.

No more painting over the rust in Bragg Memorial Stadium. As we all know,  FAMU is long overdue for a major Stadium upgrade with luxury suites, field turf and 45,000 seats with backs.  It all cost millions of dollars that FAMU has not earned under the past business models.

That's why the TSU/FAMU rivalry is so important and should be developed into a three day event in Nashville. I am reminded of how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., always spoke on the urgency of now.  We all have a responsibility to support the continuation of this historic rivalry and NOW is the time to move forward to make this event a reality.

Author: (beepbeep 1/17/2011)