TSU Will Conduct National Search for Next Football Coach

HOUSTON, VA - Texas Southern University will conduct a national search to find its next football coach. However, TSU athletics director Charles McClelland told FOX 26 Sports interim head coach Kevin Ramsey is a candidate to retain the position on a permanent basis.

Ramsey, who had been the Tigers' defensive coordinator, replaced Johnnie Cole as head coach in April after Cole was fired because of allegations of NCAA rules violations on his watch. TSU won the SWAC Conference championship in 2010, the first outright conference title in the history of the program.

In 2011, under Ramsey, the Tigers were 4-7 overall, and finished last in the SWAC's Western division with a 2-7 record.

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Texas Southern launches search for football coach

Houston, Texas - Texas Southern announced Monday that it has opened a national search for a football coach after the team finished the season 4-7.

Athletic director Charles McClelland said he would immediately begin to identify candidates to present to a university committee and hopes to have a coach named within a month. Interim coach Kevin Ramsey will also be a candidate.

Ramsey recently completed his third season with the Tigers, having spent the first two as defensive coordinator. He was promoted April 1 to replace Johnnie Cole, who was fired in advance of an NCAA report that is expected to reveal major violations.

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MSU Spartans Play Texas Southern In Home Opener

Michigan State (0-2) vs. Texas Southern (1-1)
Date	Friday, Nov. 18
Time	6:30 p.m. ET
Location	East Lansing, Mich. | Breslin Center
Internet Streaming	ESPN3.com (Dan Gutowsky, Bob Donewald)
Radio	Spartan Sports Network (Will Tieman, Gus Ganakas, Matt Steigenga)
Tickets	Available at MSUSpartans.com.
Game Notes	Michigan State
Statistics	Michigan State

The Opening Tip
After opening the season with a game vs. North Carolina on the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego and a game vs. Duke in Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Spartans will finally play their home opener as they host Texas Southern Friday night. Michigan State has not lost a home opener since dropping the 1976 opener. MSU's next four games are part of the Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational, a six-team, 13-day, partial round-robin tournament.

MSU vs. Texas Southern Notes
Series History
This is the first ever meeting between Michigan State and Texas Southern.

Coach Harvey
Tony B. Harvey (Cameron University, '88) is 44-55 in his fourth season as a collegiate head coach, all at Texas Southern. Last season, he led Texas Southern to its first SWAC regular-season title since 1998.

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EMU Heads to Houston for Road Game with Texas Southern

YPSILANTI, Michigan - The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team will square off against the Texas Southern Tigers Tuesday, Nov. 15, in the first of four games the Eagles will play in during the Auto Owners Spartan Invitational hosted by Michigan State University. Game time is 7 p.m. in Texas Southern's H & PE Building in Houston, Texas. After Tuesday's outing the Eagles will have three more games as part of the invitational. Eastern will host Arkansas-Little Rock Friday, Nov. 18, before traveling to Indianapolis, Ind. to meet IUPUI Sunday, Nov. 20. Eastern closes out the Auto Owners Spartan Invitational Sunday, Nov. 27, with a home game against the Michigan State University Spartans. Game time for that MSU contest is noon in the Convocation Center.

MURPHY ERA STARTS WITH A WIN: The Rob Murphy Era of Eastern Michigan University men's basketball opened successfully as the Eagles downed the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames, 68-57, Friday, Nov. 11, in the Convocation Center. The Eagles rallied from six-points down in the second half to record the win.

FAMILIAR FACE: When the Eagles travel to Houston, Texas for Wednesday's, Nov. 15, matchup with the Texas Southern University, Nov. 15, there will be a familiar face on the opposition's sideline. TSU Head Coach Tony Harvey, now in his fourth season, was an assistant men's basketball coach at EMU for a three-year period, from 1996-99. He has a 43-55 record at Texas Southern and led his team to the 2010-11 Southwest Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the post-season NIT.

FOR THE 115th TIME: The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team kicked off its 115th season of competition Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, when the Eagles posted a 68-57 win over the Flames of the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) in a 7 p.m. game in the Convocation Center. Eastern played its first season in 1897-98 and split games with Detroit, losing a 2-0 decision before coming back for a 4-0 victory. The Eagles are are 67-48 in season openers.

38th MAC SEASON: The 2011-12 season will also be the 38th for the Eagles in the Mid-American Conference. The first year of MAC play for EMU was 1974-75 when the then-Hurons went 12-14 overall and 4-9 in league play.

EMU has won three Mid-American Conference titles: 1987-88, 1990-91, and 1995-96, and the Green and White captured MAC Tournament crowns in all three of those years in addition to winning the tournament title in 1997-98.

CHECKING THE SERIES: EMU and Texas Southern are meeting for the first time Tuesday, Nov. 15, when the two teams square off in the H & PE Arena in Hoston, Texas.

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Another comeback for GSU; Tigers beat Texas Southern 29-25

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Wide receiver Mario Louis and linebacker Cliff Exama came up with some of Senior Day's biggest plays in their final home game, but freshman Tyree Hollins provided the coverage on the final play to clinch the victory.

On a fourth down from the 5-yard line, the Carroll alumnus covered Texas Southern senior receiver Joe Anderson tightly in the end zone as time expired to help the home Tigers hang on for the 29-25 victory that took a 15-0 fourth-quarter run just to set up.

"We hadn't made a play all day, so we had to put somebody back there that would make a play," Grambling coach Doug Williams said. "The throw helped him a lot because the throw was close to being out of bounds. I don't know what happened in the end zone, did he get his hands on it or what. I was just hoping the receiver didn't put his hands on it."

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Jason Pugh: Grambling's victory worthy of big 'screen'

GRAMBLING, LA — Mario Louis claims he only went to the Grambling coaching staff "twice or three times" Saturday asking them to let him make a play. Freshman quarterback D.J. Williams was more than happy to allow his senior receiver that opportunity — repeatedly.

Louis, whose big plays are serenaded with calls of "Suuuuuuuper Mario, to the rescue" over the Robinson Stadium speakers, saved perhaps his biggest play of the season for his final catch in the natural bowl Grambling calls home.

The senior from New Orleans took a jailbreak screen 34 yards — covering the final 3 with a headlong dive into the end zone — to keep secure a 29-25 comeback victory over Texas Southern on Saturday, keeping the host Tigers' conference title hopes alive for another week.

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Grambling State edges Texas Southern 29-25

GRAMBLING, LA — D.J. Williams threw his third touchdown pass of the game with 1:45 remaining, capping an 89-yard drive, to lift Grambling State to a 29-25 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday.

Williams, who completed 14 of 19 for 253 yards for Grambling State (6-4, 5-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference), found Mario Louis for a 34-yard score at the end of the eight-play drive. On the play before the touchdown, Williams completed an 11-yarder to Louis on fourth-and-7.

Texas Southern (4-6, 2-6) got the ball back at its 20 after a touchback on the kickoff and drove to the Grambling State four on completions of 11, 25 and 23 yards by Riko Smalls and runs of 12 and 5 yards by the quarterback. Smalls was sacked for 10 yards by Cliff Exama on third down and his fourth-down pass was incomplete.

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Texas Southern opens season at Baylor Bears

Date	Fri., Nov. 11 | 9 p.m. CST
Location	Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284)
Tickets	Purchase Tickets Online
TV	None
Live Video	Watch Online
Radio	ESPN Central TX | Sirius 137 | Listen Online
Live Stats	Gametracker
Game Notes	Baylor

Waco, Texas -- No. 12/12 Baylor opens the 2011-12 regular season with three home games in a five-day stretch beginning Friday against Texas Southern at 9 p.m. Live video (All-Access subscription required) will be available at BaylorBears.com.

Baylor enters the 2011-12 season with its highest preseason rankings in program history. Baylor is ranked No. 12 in both the AP and USA TODAY/ESPN Preseason Top 25 polls released in October.

• Baylor is ranked in both the AP and USA TODAY/ESPN Preseason Top 25 polls for the second consecutive season.
• Baylor is one of only two Big 12 schools to be ranked in each of the last five seasons (Kansas).
• Baylor is 7-1 in season openers ninth-year head coach Scott Drew. Baylor's lone season-opening loss under Drew came when the Bears opened with a 79-61 loss at Texas Tech in 2006 (no non-conference schedule due to NCAA sanctions).
• Baylor is 7-1 in home openers under head Drew, 13-2 in the Big 12 era and 19-4 all-time in Ferrell Center history.
• Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Baylor is 91-47 (22.8 wins per season) and has made three postseason appearances (2008 NCAA, 2009 NIT, 2010 NCAA) and posted three consecutive 20-win seasons.
• Baylor was picked third in the 2011-12 Big 12 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, which is tied for its highest preseason selection (also picked third in 2008-09).
• Baylor has made at least one 3-point field goal in 619 consecutive games -- the second-longest active streak in the Big 12.

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Smalls carries TSU to 29-14 victory over Southern

Houston, Texas -- Riko Smalls threw for a career-high 365 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score to lead Texas Southern to a 29-14 victory over Southern in its home finale Saturday night at Delmar Stadium.

Smalls helped TSU (4-5, 2-5 Southwestern Athletic Conference) take a 15-0 lead in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Richard Samuel and a touchdown run to go along with a two-point conversion rush.

Southern (3-6, 3-4) fought back, reducing the Tigers' advantage to 22-15 on J.P. Douglas' 24-yard touchdown pass to Michael Berry with 11:45 left in the third quarter.

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99-yard drive sinks Southern

HOUSTON, Texas — Moments earlier, they had scored swiftly and easily. They trailed Texas Southern by seven points in the third quarter. They had the Tigers pinned on their own 1-yard line. They had momentum. Then, almost as quickly, everything fell apart for Southern football team.

With a game-changing series that all but clinched a 29-15 victory on a cool, breezy Saturday night, Texas Southern changed everything.

In the finest game of his college career, TSU quarterback Riko Smalls capped a 10-play, 99-yard drive when he fired a 13-yard rope to receiver Joe Anderson, who made a sticky-fingered catch in the north end zone at rickety old Delmar Stadium.

Just like that, the Jaguars’ momentum was gone.

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SU-Texas Southern play final time at Delmar

HOUSTON — Southern’s football team played Texas Southern in rickety Delmar Stadium on Saturday for the second time in three years. In all likelihood, the Jaguars will never play there again.

Saturday’s game marked TSU’s final home game in Delmar, a 12,500-seat high school facility owned and supervised by the Houston Independent School District. Next fall, Texas Southern will move into an $85 million downtown stadium, which it will share with the MLS’ Houston Dynamo.

“This is bittersweet,” TSU Athletic Director Charles McClelland said. “This is a high school stadium, but it has served us well. We have a winning record here, and of course, we won a SWAC championship playing here. ... But we’re extremely excited to be moving into our new home.”

In doing so, Texas Southern leaves behind a high school facility that’s showing his age.

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Jackson twins pit stats from TSU, Tennessee

Southern at Texas Southern
When/where: 6 p.m.; Delmar Stadium, Houston, Texas
TV/radio: KHOU 11.2; 90.9 FM.
Records: Southern 3-5, 3-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference; Texas Southern 3-5, 3-3.
Last meeting: TSU won 54-7 last season at Baton Rouge, La.

Houston, Texas -- Texas Southern defensive end Marquis Jackson made his strongest statement of the season against Central State of Ohio on Oct. 22. He finished with a season-high three sacks to go along 4 ½ tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the Tigers' 42-11 victory.

That gave him plenty of breathing room against one of his main rivals. "Three sacks," Jackson said after the game. "(Let's) see if he can beat me now."

The challenge was directed at Jackson's twin, Malik, a senior defensive tackle at Tennessee. Malik Jackson went up against No. 2 Alabama in a Southeastern Conference showdown later that Saturday. Malik recorded just one sack.



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Texas Southern sets 2012 schedule at new stadium

Houston, Texas -- Texas Southern football will begin play in the new TSU/Dynamo Stadium in 2012 with at least six home games, the SWAC university announced Wednesday.

The 22,000-seat stadium is scheduled to open in May. The Tigers' first home game will be Sept. 15 against Jackson State.

TSU's other SWAC home games will be against Alabama A&M (Sept. 22), Grambling State (Oct. 27), Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Homecoming Day (Nov. 3) and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 17). The Tigers also will host Sam Houston State from the Southland Conference (Sept. 29).

TSU will open the 2012 season against SWAC rival Prairie View A&M on Sept. 1 in the Labor Day Classic. A site has not been determined, but the TSU/Dynamo Stadium is an option.



View: TSU/Dynamo Stadium LIVE Webcam

TEXAS SOUTHERN 2012 TENTATIVE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
Sept 1 * @ Prairie View Prairie View, TX (Labor Day Classic) TBA
Sept 8 @North Texas State Denton, TX TBA
Sept 15 *Jackson State TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Sept 22 *Alabama A&M TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Sept 29 * Sam Houston State TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Oct 6 *@ Alabama State Montgomery, AL TBA
Oct 13 *@ Southern Baton Rouge TBA
Oct 20 OPEN
Oct 27 *Grambling TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Nov 3 *Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Homecoming) TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Nov 10 *@ Alcorn Alcorn, MS TBA
Nov 17 *Mississippi Valley TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Nov 24 OPEN
Dec 8 SWAC Championship Game TBA TBA



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Plenty at stake as Alabama A&M hosts TSU on ESPNU

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- As the calendar winds toward November and the Southwestern Athletic Conference reaches the midway point, the games get bigger and bigger.

For Alabama A&M, none is bigger than tonight's game with defending SWAC champion Texas Southern.

GAME: ALABAMA A&M vs. TEXAS SOUTHERN
DATE: THURSDAY, OCT. 13, 2011
TV: ESPNU
GAME TIME: 6:30 p.m. CT
SITE: Louis Crews Stadium, Huntsville, Alabama

The Bulldogs, who already have one league loss, are trying to stay within striking distance of East Division-leading Alabama State. If A&M wins tonight and Alabama State beats Prairie View on Saturday, first place in the Eastern Division will be on the line when the Bulldogs and Hornets collide in the Magic City Classic on Oct. 29 in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, Texas Southern is trying to keep West Division-leading Prairie View in its sights.


2011 - AAMU Field Show at the Southern Explosion BOTB

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Alabama State improves to 5-1 with 43-29 win over TSU

HOUSTON, Texas -- A 21-point third-quarter keyed by special teams propelled Alabama State to a 43-29 win over Texas Southern in a wild Southwestern Athletic Conference shootout at Delmar Stadium in a rematch of last season's SWAC Championship Game. [Stats]

The Hornets (5-1 overall, 5-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) are off to their best start since the 2005 season and scored 30+ points for the fourth time this season, all victories.

"It's a huge win for us," head coach Reggie Barlow said. "There's so much parity in this league and we have other teams on the East that are winning and having success. It's going to come down to the wire. A team that has no losses or one loss is the team that has the best chance to go to the SWAC Championship."




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Jackson State pummels Texas Southern, 58-13

Jackson, MS - Casey Therriault threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns tonight, leading Jackson State to a 58-13 thrashing of Texas Southern in a rare Thursday night SWAC game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

JSU’s Tigers (4-1, 1-1 SWAC) bounced back from last week’s 21-14 loss to Alabama State — and a six-interception game, the worst Therriault’s career — in a big way, scoring 37 points in the second quarter to take a 37-7 halftime lead. It was the most points scored in a quarter by JSU in at least 30 years, said school officials.

JSU rolled up 401 total yards and scored eight touchdowns. Texas Southern (2-2), was penalized 16 times for 134 yards.

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Notebook: Rebounding well - very well

Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault threw six interceptions last Saturday in a loss at Alabama State. Six - the most of his career. He had eight in the last two games entering Thursday's 58-13 victory over Texas Southern - the first time he's had back-to-back games with multiple interceptions.

On Thursday, he had one. "After you have the worst game in your career," Therriault said, "you want to come back and play sound football." Therriault completed 15 of 27 passes, for 300 yards, three touchdowns and that single pick.

It all came against the No. 1-ranked defense in the Football Championship Subdivision and helps him forget about the last two weeks and that game at Texas Southern a year ago. JSU lost 21-18 in windy Houston last October as Therriault was held to his fewest yards (256) and worst completion percentage (37) in 2010.



VIDEO

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TSU's pass defense ready for Jackson State

Gametime: Thursday, 6:30 p.m.CT/ 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Television: ESPNU
Radio: WHLH-95.5 FM in Jackson

Jackson, MS - Texas Southern freshman cornerback Tray Walker and his secondary mates were prepared for a challenge from Alcorn State quarterback Brandon Bridge on Saturday.

Bridge, nicknamed "Air Canada" by some Alcorn State fans, tried to hit an early home run with three towering passes on the game's opening series. "We were expecting the deep balls, but not consecutively like that," Walker said.

All three bombs fell incomplete, and Bridge completed only five of 21 passes for 56 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Backup Darius Smith wasn't much better, finishing 4-for-12 for 43 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception as TSU held on for a 14-7 victory.

TSU has the Football Championship Subdivision's stingiest ...

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TSU punter helps preserve 14-7 win over Alcorn State

Houston, Texas - Texas Southern punter Francois Ejifor caught the snap on a short hop and had to make a quick decision as Alcorn State's rush bore down on him. The Tigers needed 17 yards for a first down. Ejifor made like a running back and picked up 24.

The sophomore's breathtaking, fourth-down sprint from his own 44-yard line gave TSU a fresh set of snaps with just under 3:30 remaining and helped seal a 14-7 victory before a crowd of 2,735 Saturday afternoon at Delmar Stadium.



Running back Martin Gilbert ultimately clinched the game for TSU (2-1, 1-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) with a crucial 3-yard gain on fourth-and-1 at the Alcorn State 23 that allowed the Tigers to run out the clock with under two minutes left.

Box score

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TSU quarterback Smalls big on answering the bell

Houston, TX - Texas Southern quarterback Riko Smalls had to wait three weeks after the start of summer camp before he could practice with the team. He didn't have to wait nearly as long to see game action.

Smalls, a junior, was pressed into punting duty during the Tigers' Sept. 10 season opener against Prairie View A&M after starter Francois Ejiofor was benched for disciplinary reasons. He saw his first snaps at quarterback last weekend, filling in for injured starter Dantavious Parker against Texas College.

Small (6-2, 185) will make his third career start today against Alcorn State and likely remain the No. 1 quarterback for the near future with Parker expected to miss three to four weeks after undergoing left knee surgery Monday.

It's a remarkable reversal of fortune for Smalls, who missed ...



Alcorn State vs. Texas Southern
When/where: 1 p.m.; Delmar Stadium.
TV/radio: None; 90.9 FM.
Records: Alcorn State 1-2, 1-2 SWAC; Texas Southern 1-1, 0-1 SWAC.

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TSU rolls over Texas College for first win of season

Photos | Texas Southern 49, Texas College 6

Houston, TX - Texas Southern handled Texas College with ease to earn its first win, beating the NAIA program 49-6 Saturday night at Butler Stadium.

The Tigers (1-1) jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half and piled on more from there.

TSU torched Texas College's defense for 503 yards. Quarterback Riko Smalls filled in admirably for injured starter Dantavious Parker, throwing for 290 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for a score.



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TSU enters 2011 season with a lot of uncertainty

Houston, TX - Under typical circumstances, Texas Southern would be entering the 2011 season with heightened expectations after winning last season's Southwestern Athletic Conference championship. But the Tigers' offseason was anything but typical.

Coach Johnnie Cole was terminated in April in advance of an NCAA report that is expected to detail major violations. Defensive coordinator Kevin Ramsey was named interim head coach, and he subsequently fired four assistants. The program also was stripped of roughly 15 scholarships for the 2011-12 academic year after posting a poor performance on the NCAA's Academic Progress Report.

Thus, TSU heads into the season uncertain that it'll be able to keep its SWAC title or build on its breakout 2010. The Tigers are still talented, especially on defense and in the running game, but a lack of depth and experience at key spots could prove to be their undoing.

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TSU Tigers feature new coach, same goal heading into 2011

Houston, TX - The Texas Southern Tigers had a magical season in 2010 when they won the SWAC Football Championship for the first time in over 40 years.

However, an offseason of turmoil which led to a coaching change and NCAA sanctions has the Tigers trying to regroup as they head into this season.

TSU builds offense around workhorse running backs

Houston, TX - Charles Coe had no time to waste when Texas Southern interim football coach Kevin Ramsey hired him as offensive coordinator in early May.

Coe had to devise an offensive plan without the benefit of being able to implement it during spring practice. He and Ramsey had to put their heads together to fill out the remainder of the offensive coaching staff. On top of that, he had roughly three months to get it all done.

Fortunately for Coe, his other marching orders were simple. "From day one, (Ramsey) instructed me that we want to run the football," said Coe, who has more than 30 years of coaching experience at the high school, college and professional levels. "We've got some horses, and we want to run them."

But the Tigers don't have just any horses; they probably have the best running back stable in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. TSU features the SWAC's No. 1 returning rusher in senior Marcus Wright (1,212 yards, eight TDS in 2010). And his backup, Martin Gilbert, finished among the SWAC's top 10 in rushing yards with 482.

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Former Texas Southern University Coach Wins More than $700K in Federal Lawsuit Against School

Houston, TX - Surina Dixon, former women's basketball coach at Texas Southern University, won her federal lawsuit against the school and was awarded more than $700,000 in damages. Dixon's lawsuit concerned Title IX and Title VII claims of gender discrimination and retaliation.

Dixon was hired by TSU in March of 2008 and was fired three months later, having never coached a game at the school.

"The jury found in my client's favor today based on Surina Dixon's complaints of gender discrimination and retaliation for complaining about gender inequities and NCAA compliance issues," said Todd Slobin, Dixon's attorney, in an interview with FOX 26 Sports.

"The jury awarded approximately $730,000 and we'll seek interest and attorney's fees on that money."

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NCAA hitting SWAC hard

Houston, TX - Doug Williams returned to his alma mater, Grambling State, for a second stint as head football coach earlier this year to find the Southwestern Athletic Conference seemingly encountering one problem after another.

"If we keep doing business the way we've done it, we are going to put ourselves right out of business," Williams said last month at SWAC media day in Birmingham, Ala.

Since January, the SWAC has faced a wide range of indiscretions that include a current NCAA investigation into the Texas Southern football and men's basketball programs and postseason bans for three schools because of poor academic performances. In two other embarrassing instances, a former football coach sued — and won — a lawsuit for wrongful termination and an athletic director at another SWAC school (Southern) was arrested for allegedly soliciting a prostitute.



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