The "unofficial" meeting place for intelligent discussions of Divisions I and II Sports of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC). America's #1 blog source for minority sports articles and videos. The MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, SIAC and HBCUAC colleges are building America's leaders, scholars and athletes.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Alabama A&M Elevates Lora to Head Baseball Coach
Alabama A&M announced on Thursday that Manny Lora has been hired as the Bulldogs' new head baseball coach.
"We are really excited to have Manny Lora as our new baseball coach," Alabama A&M Director of Athletics Bryan Hicks said. "Manny is a bright up-and-coming coach in collegiate baseball. He brings a lot of enthusiasm and a high baseball IQ to our program, and he will serve our baseball program and student-athletes well.
"He is an asset to our program."
Lora, a Miami native, spent the past three seasons at Alabama A&M working under former coach Mitch Hill as the team's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.
Before making the transition to coaching, Lora played for Alabama A&M as a relief pitcher from 2010-14, recording 151 strikeouts in 54 appearances.
"I want to thank our president, Dr. Andrew Hugine Jr., and our Athletic Director, Bryan Hicks, for trusting me to lead our program," Lora said. "Being a former player, this program here at A&M is important to me.
"I have always envisioned myself leading young men to achieve and dominate both in the classroom and on the field."
The foundation of Lora's strategic plan for Alabama A&M's future focuses on recruiting and player development. He also plans to continue Alabama A&M's recent trend of playing a strong non-conference schedule to help prepare the Bulldogs for anything they might face during league play.
"There's a lot of potential here," Lora said. "Right now, we're focused on recruiting and bringing in players who can build on the foundation we've established.
"I'm excited about what's ahead — establishing a program with a vision that's ultimate goal is to win championships."
ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Florida A&M Assistant Coach Bryan Henry Named Head Baseball Coach at Tallahassee Community College
Congrats to Bryan Henry. He transitions from his longtime role as pitching coach for @FAMU_Baseball to become the head coach at @TCCeaglesBB. Henry replaces veteran baseball guru Mike McLeod. #FAMU #TCC #collegebaseball pic.twitter.com/cFPBnQPpbO
— Married 2 the Game (@married2game1) July 6, 2022
Baseball Assistant Coach Bryan Henry (@BryanHenry22) Named Head Baseball Coach at Tallahassee Community College.
— Florida A&M Baseball ⚾️ (@FAMU_Baseball) July 6, 2022
📰 https://t.co/vPOPR7OdVQ#FAMU | #FAMUly | #Rattlers | #FangsUp 🐍 pic.twitter.com/1P6dvqI2CS
Bryan Henry – a former player at Florida High and Florida State and the pitching coach at Florida A&M the past eight seasons – has been hired as the head baseball coach at Tallahassee Community College. https://t.co/kX56gusBPC
— Tallahassee Democrat (@TDOnline) July 7, 2022
We are pleased to announce the hiring of Bryan Henry as the new Head Baseball Coach at Tallahassee Community College. Welcome, Coach Henry! pic.twitter.com/EDRm4Gl9gh
— Tallahassee CC Athletics (@TCCeagles) July 7, 2022
Thursday, October 29, 2015
SU Sports Hall of Fame enshrinement set for Friday
The (SUSHOF) will induct 26 members into the 2015 class. The new members will also be recognized during pre-game activities at the Alcorn State game Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
The 2015 Class includes current Southern University assistant athletic director Earl Hill, who is also a member of the Ashland University Sports Hall of Fame as a player. As head coach of the Southern University-New Orleans men's basketball program, Hill led the Knights to the NAIA Division I National Basketball Tournament during 1994-95, 1997-98 and 1999-2000 seasons.
The Knights became the first team to win the GCAC Tournament in 1994-95. Hill earned GCAC coach of the year honors three times and his innovative, no-nonsense coaching style produced the league's player of the year seven times, including Willie Quinn, father of current SU football star wide receiver Willie Quinn.
Former women's basketball head coach Herman Hartman, Sr., men's basketball star Kevin Florent and baseball star Leroy Boyd.
Southern's 1958-59 baseball team that won the NAIA Tournament will also be enshrined during Friday's ceremony.
The Jaguars claimed the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Baseball Championship, finishing 4-1. MLB Hall of Famer Lou C. Brock unloaded a three-run-homer, with the score tied 2-2 to start the Jaguars to a 10-2 victory and the championship over Omaha University.
Southern University Jaguars were the first Negro team to participate in the Annual NAIA Championship Tournament. The tournament was held in Alpine, Texas at Sul Ross State College June 2-5, 1959.
This year’s inductee’s class includes the following:
BASEBALL
Henry C. Baker, Jr.
Leroy Boyd
Raymond Duplechain
BASKETBALL
Yolanda Y. Brown
Kevin R. Florent
Herman L. Hartman, Sr.
Earl R. Hill
Dervynn F. Johnson
Gwendolyn Wilson-Gene
FOOTBALL
Fredrick Bailey
Ezra J. Landry
GOLF
Paul A. Moore
Brian E. Washington
TENNIS
Charles Ketchum
Melvin C. McCurley
Karen K. Scott
TRACK & FIELD
Renan A. Gilkes
Willie C. Owens
1958-1959 BASEBALL TEAM
1958-1959 SWAC/NAIA CHAMPIONS
Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Paul Lewis, Jr.
Herman Rhodes
Alvin Woods
Southern University took the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Baseball Championship, taking four games while losing only one. Lou C. Brock unloaded a three-run-homer, with the score tied 2-2 to start the Jaguars to a 10-2 victory and the Championship over Omaha University.
Southern University Jaguars were the first Negro team to participate in the Annual NAIA Championship Tournament. The tournament was held in Alpine, Texas at Sul Ross State College June 2-5, 1959.
1959 -1960 SWAC CHAMPIONS
BASEBALL ROSTER
Sanford Isom Harry Levy
Paul Lewis William Stoudeamire
Wiley MacMillan James L. Dickerson
McVea Griffin Charles East
Seargeant Douglas Herman Rhodes
Alvin Woods Charlie Grey
Henry Triplett Earvin Sams
T. Ashery Gerald Kimble
James Maryland Lee Otis Green
Julius Smith Quincy Mason
Kyle Wells William Sautens
Roy MacGriff Herman James!
COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
Friday, March 25, 2011
Stillman faces Albany State in SIAC series
The teams will play a nine-inning game tonight at 7, then wrap up the series with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. The doubleheader will consist of two, seven-inning games.
Stillman (12-13, 6-0 SIAC) will serve as the home team for the three-game series to be played in one of the state’s oldest minor league ballparks.
Ozark stadium to host its first four-year college baseball game
OZARK, AL – Several baseball fans and players from Tuscaloosa and Albany, Ga., are expected to be in Ozark this weekend for the city’s first baseball game with four-year, Division 2 college players.
Baseball teams from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa and Albany State University are playing a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Eagle Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday and will have a double-header at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Department of Leisure Services Director Steve Sherrill said Auburn University in Montgomery will play at the stadium against Thomas University in Thomasville, Ga., on April 12.
The stadium, which seats 800, was built in 1946 for the Ozark Cardinals Class D Minor League Baseball team. Sherrill said renovations to the facility have since drawn several junior college and high school baseball teams to the city for regional and state tournaments.
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Fitzgerald hopes to fit baseball into his schedule
Dominique Fitzgerald chuckled when asked if he might be the best baseball player at Winston-Salem State. Fitzgerald is a rising junior wide receiver on the WSSU football team. But he's also very interested in playing baseball next spring, when the Rams will field a team for the first time since 1973. "I've already talked to Coach (Kevin) Ritsche, so we'll just have to see what happens," Fitzgerald said in a telephone interview.
Ritsche, named the interim coach of the fledging baseball program last week, is trying to find players for a team that will play in the CIAA next spring. He'll have to do that without the benefit of a large recruiting budget, so any talent he can find that's already on campus can only help.
Fitzgerald, who played football and baseball at George Washington High School in Danville, Va., is playing summer baseball with the Virginia Marlins, a traveling team of college players based in Danville. He's plays the outfield, and he also pitched some in high school.
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Fourteen Savannah State Athletes Graduate With Honors
SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Several former Savannah State athletes were awarded their degrees during the university's 180th commencement ceremony in Tiger Arena on May 5.
Michael King (baseball) earned his master of business administration degree.
Receiving undergraduate degrees were Julius Green (baseball), Dexter Kelley (baseball), Rod Mitchell (basketball), Derek Williams (football), Ashley Roper (women's basketball), Cheick Diop (football), Darren Hunter (football), Cordarian Robertson (baseball), AJ DeFilippis (football), Ivy Smith (women's basketball), Courtrevez McTier (baseball), Treasure Monroe (women's basketball), Chris Herans (football), Brittany Lewis (volleyball), Matthew Nowacki (baseball), Channing Welch (football), Courtney Long (women's basketball), Alisha Nelson (women's basketball, track), Thelmore Jackson (football), Amara Jones (women's track), William Edwards (football), Damon McKinney (football), Eric Ransom (baseball), Calvin Leonard (football), Vince Cochran (football), Brandon Miller (football), Angela Palmer (tennis), Patrice Rogers (softball), Jarvis Thomas (football), Rodney McDowell-Turner (track), Shamyra Adama (softball), Craig Huling (football) and Devin Stowers.
A total of 14 athletes graduated with honors.
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Wednesday, July 22, 2015
N.C. A&T Aggies Removes Interim Tag, Name Hall Head Coach
“Coach Hall played under (longtime college baseball coach) Jack Leggett like (former A&T baseball coach) Keith Shumate. I see a lot of similarities between coach Hall and coach Shumate in terms of their approaches and philosophies to the game,” said Hilton. “Coach Shumate was a very successful coach for A&T, and I think coach Hall can be as well. I had a chance to observe him throughout the season, and I was impressed with what I saw from him in terms of paying attention to detail, preparation and overall leadership. While our win-loss record was not what we hoped it would be, coach Hall effectively guided the program through a difficult transition period.”
Hall was announced as an assistant coach under then head coach Joel Sanchez on October 1, 2014. Three weeks later Hall was named interim head coach after Sanchez’s dismissal. In Hall’s first season as a head coach, the Aggies finished 10-36 overall and 7-17 in the MEAC. But in the Aggies last 12 games, they went 6-6 including a win over arch-rival N.C. Central in the regular-season finale that prevented the Eagles from qualifying for the MEAC tournament.
Hall discusses the importance of pitching
“I am truly blessed and thankful for the opportunity to lead the North Carolina A&T State University baseball program forward,” Hall said. “First I want to thank Chancellor Harold L. Martin, and athletics director Earl Hilton for this opportunity and the confidence they have displayed in me through this appointment. In addition, I definitely want to thank all of the A&T staff and faculty I have had the pleasure to work with this past year. A&T is an amazing place that displays all the characteristics of a destination for student-athletes to come and chase their dreams.”
Hall’s first season saw three players earn first-team All-MEAC honors including conference rookie of the year Adan Ordonez. Ordonez was also named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American under Hall.
“Our program’s first priority is to lead our student-athletes as they develop into men while striving for success on and off the field. Secondly, our daily work will honor the rich tradition of Aggie baseball, yet push for new heights,” said Hall. “I am excited about the new staff we have in place. Their talent, energy for the game and consistency in their work ethic will directly benefit this program going forward. We are excited for the future of Aggie baseball.”
Before he came to A&T, Hall spent three seasons as assistant with the Winthrop Eagles baseball program. During his time with the Eagles he assisted with infielders, hitters and all aspects of recruiting, which included 2014 first-team All-Big South outfielder TJ Olesczuk who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and 2013 all-conference third baseman Chad Smith.
Before accepting the post at Winthrop, Hall worked at Division II Wingate for four seasons. He started there as a graduate assistant before being promoted to an assistant coach in 2010, where he worked with hitters and infielders. In 2011, the Bulldogs finished in the top-10 in hits, doubles, home runs and slugging percentage nationally. The Bulldogs finished 34-22, won the South Atlantic Conference Tournament and earned a bid to the Southeast Regional. The Bulldogs won the SAC regular-season title in 2010.
As a player, Hall spent one season each at Stetson and Daytona Beach Community College before transferring to Clemson University where he played under Leggett. At Stetson he hit .321 and was named to the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman team. His best season at Clemson came in 2005 when he hit .319 with five doubles and nine RBI.
Hall received his undergraduate degree in sports management from Clemson in 2007 and his master’s degree in business administration from Wingate in 2009.
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
ASU Hornets Release 2014 Baseball Schedule
COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Four HBCUs to compete in the 10th annual Urban Invitational at the New Orleans MLB Youth Academy
Alcorn State University (Alcorn, Mississippi), Grambling State University (Grambling, Louisiana), Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas), and Southern University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) are returning to Major League Baseball's round-robin collegiate baseball tournament designed to highlight HBCUs and their baseball programs. This will be Southern University's 10th Urban Invitational, making them the only school to have participated in every tournament. Grambling State will make its sixth appearance, with both Prairie View A&M and Alcorn State University making their third appearance each.
The four HBCU teams will be joined by teams from the University of New Orleans and the University Illinois at Chicago, which will be making its tournament debut, with additional games throughout the weekend being played at Maestri Field at Privateer Park, the home of the University of New Orleans baseball team.
The games played by the four HBCU teams on Saturday, February 18th will air LIVE from the New Orleans MLB Youth Academy on MLB Network and MLB.com, with play-by-play from Scott Braun and analysis from former All-Star Outfielder Cliff Floyd. Southern University will wear Negro League uniforms in commemoration of Black History Month. Below is the tournament schedule:
Date, Time, Teams, Location
Feb. 17, 11:00a.m., UIC vs. Prairie View A&M, New Orleans MLBYA
Feb. 17, 2:00p.m., UIC vs. Prairie View A&M, New Orleans MLBYA
Feb. 17, 5:00p.m., Grambling State vs. Alcorn State, New Orleans MLBYA
Feb. 17, 6:00p.m., Southern vs. UNO, University of New Orleans
Date, Time, Teams, Location
Feb. 18, 1:00p.m., UIC vs. UNO, University of New Orleans
Feb. 18, 2:00p.m.*, Alcorn State vs. Prairie View A&M, New Orleans MLBYA
Feb. 18, 6:00p.m.*, Grambling State vs. Southern, New Orleans MLBYA
Date, Time, Teams, Location
Feb. 19, 12:00p.m., UIC vs. Grambling State, New Orleans MLBYA
Feb. 19, 1:00p.m., Prairie View A&M vs. UNO, University of New Orleans
Feb. 19, 3:00p.m., Alcorn State vs. Southern, New Orleans MLBYA
*These games will air LIVE on MLB Network and MLB.com.
In addition to tournament play, the New Orleans MLBYA will host youth-focused events before games on Saturday, February 18th. A PLAY BALL event will take place at 11:30 a.m., followed by regional trials for the Scotts MLB Pitch, Hit and Run and the Jr. Home Run Derby skills competitions beginning at approximately 3:00 p.m. The PLAY BALL initiative is proudly supported by MLB sponsors Chevrolet and Scotts.
Former Major Leaguers, including pitcher Marvin Freeman, catcher Lenny Webster and manager Jerry Manuel, as well as Seattle Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims, will attend various portions of the Urban Invitational, particularly the youth events throughout Saturday. Freeman (Jackson State) and Webster (Grambling State) are both HBCU alums. Manuel is a Youth Programs Consultant for MLB.
HBCUs have long offered quality educational and athletic programs and have a proud tradition of attracting outstanding baseball players. Baseball Hall of Famers Lou Brock (Southern University) and Andre Dawson (Florida A&M) played in HBCU baseball programs. In 2015, Earl Burl III, who played for Alcorn State University and was the first player to be drafted out of the New Orleans MLB Youth Academy, was selected. During the 2016 Draft, Tyree Thompson, became the second player to be drafted out of the New Orleans Academy.
MLB's youth initiatives will be well-represented at the 2017 Urban Invitational as 12 players on this year's rosters are alumni of MLB Youth Academies, RBI programs or MLB Development Camps, such as the Breakthrough Series. At least one White Sox A.C.E and RBI program alumni will be represented on each HBCU team in the tournament, six of whom have participated in the Breakthrough Series (BTS): Tyler Laux (BTS), Tyler Gordon (BTS), and Andrew Garcia (BTS) from Prairie View A&M; Reggie Johnson (BTS) and Robert Fletcher II (BTS) from Alcorn State; Marshawn Taylor (BTS) and Nick Wheeler from Grambling State; and Justin Freeman, son of Marvin Freeman, from Southern University. Southern University has two other RBI alumni in J'Markus George (Atlanta Metro RBI) and Niko Hayes-Saltare (Miami Marlins RBI). The Breakthrough Series will have eight total alumni, with three coming out of Southern University, three out of Prairie View, one out of Alcorn State and one player out of Grambling State.
MLB PRESS RELEASE
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Legendary MEAC Commissioner Ken Free Sr. inducted into South Atlantic League Hall of Fame (Video)
- Ken Free inducted into the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame
- Began playing semi-professional baseball at age 15
- Played in the Negro Leagues with the Raleigh Tigers
"We were out drawing some of the major league places," he said. "Comiskey Park drew 60,000 people."
The following year he played with Hall of Famer Satchel Paige. The next season, Free would play for Hickory in the Western Carolina league where he took lessons from Paige.
"I learned how to be patient, wait until your time [and] to hustle at all times. I learned how to make sure you didn't get upset with the abuse," he said. "Satchel would teach us that type of stuff."
After his playing career, the North Carolina A&T grad was named the first full-time commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 1978. Free helped expand the MEAC to 12 teams and lead them into Division I.
CONTINUE READING
Kenneth A. “Ken” Free’s professional baseball career began in 1952 when he played for the semi-pro Greensboro Redbirds at the age of 15.
He began his venture into athletics management as a community center director at Windsor for the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department. He then moved up to become a regional Parks/Recreation consultant for the state of North Carolina Department of Natural and Economic Resources. Through his professional administrative prowess and deep concern for youth and intercollegiate athletics, Free became the first full-time commissioner of the MEAC in 1978 and reigned until June 1996. He made Greensboro the conference headquarters early in his tenure. Free was instrumental in the drive for MEAC institutions to attain NCAA Division I status, which became a reality in 1980. In 1987, he was named to the powerful NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Selection Committee, becoming the first African-American appointed to that group.
After his MEAC run, Free served as Commissioner of the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (EIAC) from 1996-2006.
In 1986, Free received the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Society prestigious FELLOW AWARD, the highest honor in that association. Also, during his eight years with the state of NC, he received the ORDER OF THE LONG LEAF PINE from the late Governor James Holshouser.
Most recently, he served on the Greensboro Parks and Recreation committee.
Since 2006, Free has served on the board of the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League (MJBL), which started in Richmond, Virginia and provides opportunities for African-American children to participate in America’s pastime. Ken was instrumental in bringing the MJBL’s Annual Inner-City Classic to Greensboro, which will be held from July 17-22.
Ken Free, Sr. was inducted into the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
MEAC MEDIA COMMUNICATION
Sunday, March 10, 2013
2013 SWAC Baseball Tournament Moves to Texas
LaGrave Field, Fort Worth, Texas (Courtesy SWAC.org) |
LaGrave Field opened in 1926. During its existence, LaGrave Field has hosted nearly 50 members of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. That list includes Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Sparky Anderson, Yogi Bera, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Larry Doby, Willie Mayes, Willie McCovey, Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson and Ted Williams, just to name a few.
LaGrave Field is the present-day home of the Fort Worth Cats minor league baseball team. The Cats are members of the United Baseball League.
The Fort Worth area is home to over 758,000 residents. The nation’s 16th-largest city recorded the 12th-largest numeric increase in new residents adding over 16,000 between April 2010 and July 2011 according to new population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.
For more information about the 2013 SWAC Baseball Tournament, visit www.SWAC.org.
2013 SWAC Baseball Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, May 15
Game 1 – 9:00 a.m. – West #3 vs. East #2
Game 2 – 12:00 p.m. – East #3 vs. West #2
Game 3 – 3:00 p.m. – East #4 vs. West #1
Game 4 – 6:00 p.m. – West #4 vs. East #1
Thursday, May 16
Game 5 – 9:00 a.m. – Loser G1 vs. Loser G3
Game 6 – 12:00 p.m. – Loser G2 vs. Loser G4
Game 7 – 3:00 p.m. – Winner G1 vs. Winner G3
Game 8 – 6:00 p.m. – Winner G2 vs. Winner G4
Friday, May 17
Game 9 – 9:00 a.m. – Loser G7 vs. Winner G5
Game 10 – 12:00 p.m. – Winner G6 vs. Loser G8
Game 11 – 3:00 p.m. – Winner G7 vs. Winner G9
Game 12 – 6:00 p.m. – Winner G10 vs. Winner G8
Saturday, May 18
Game 11a (If Necessary) – 12:00 p.m.
Winner G11 vs. Loser G11
Game 12a (If Necessary) – 12:00 p.m. or 3 p.m.
Loser G12 vs. Winner G12
Sunday, May 19
Game 15 – SWAC Championship - 2:00 p.m.
Bracket A Winner vs. Bracket B Winner
Thursday, August 19, 2010
FAMU narrows choice on baseball coach
Florida A&M could make its next athletic department personnel hire out of the state of Mississippi.
On Tuesday, when FAMU signed former University of Mississippi associate athletic director Derek Horne to run its athletic department, President James Ammons said he would interview his final choice for the vacant head baseball coach on Wednesday. Ammons didn't name the finalist, and while it wasn't immediately confirmed that Ammons conducted the interview, sources have said Jackson State's baseball coach Omar Johnson visited the campus Wednesday.
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From the Beep...
Dang! FAMU's President Ammons is knocking the ball out to I-10 with the hiring of new athletic director Derek Horne, former Illinois world-class track and field coach Wayne Angel, and now an attempt to hire the highly successful Jackson State University baseball coach, Omar Johnson.
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FAMU defensive front shines
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Albany State University survives long, long day
The sixth-seeded Rams hung on and are still alive in the SIAC Tournament, but now they have no room for error entering the final two days of the event.
After committing five errors in a 5-3 quarterfinal loss to the No. 2 seed Stillman College Tigers, the Rams avoided bowing out of the double elimination tournament Friday at Paul Eames Sports Complex by knocking off Miles.
'Bama athletes think about home
ALBANY, GA - Some people who survived those storms in Alabama are in Albany this week at the SIAC Baseball Tournament. While they're playing ball or rooting for their teams, all of them said their hearts are back home.
The Stillman College baseball Tigers from Tuscaloosa had a former teammate killed in the tornadoes that flattened their town. Three members of the Miles College baseball Bears from Birmingham lost their rental homes at school, while two players' families lost their homes.
Many of the fans at today's games lived through the killer storms. Katie Watkins' fiance is one of the coaches for Stillman College's baseball team. She was in her apartment in Northport during the tornadoes. "He had gone to be with a girl, to protect her...
Defending champion Rams open 2011 SIAC tourney today at home
ALBANY, GA — When Albany State junior shortstop William Smalls talks, interim baseball coach Kenyon Conner said his team listens. That was clear during Wednesday afternoon’s practice when Smalls spoke about preparing for this week’s SIAC baseball tournament, which starts today at Paul Eames Park.
“We are ready to play, man,” the SIAC Player of the Year candidate said. “Just like in the military, get your soldiers up and get ready to go to war.” “War” starts today at 10 a.m. when the No. 6 Rams (25-23 overall, 10-5 SIAC) host No. 3 Tuskegee (16-15, 11-4) in the opener of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament.
The Rams, who have won 11 of their last 18 games, hosted and won last year’s SIAC Tournament. Conner said pressure to repeat lingers in the back of his players’ minds.
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READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Stillman College student killed by tornado
The Crimson White confirms 8 student deaths
VISIT: ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: ASURAMS
VISIT: MILES COLLEGE
VISIT: MILESGOLDENBEARS
Friday, September 7, 2018
SU's Roger Cador Elected to Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Family Ties: Grambling draws past players home
Much like the previous two classes, the inductees always come back to the same subject: the family atmosphere at GSU.
"My ties to Grambling are so very, very deep," said inductee Douglas Porter, who was an assistant coach under Eddie Robinson and has been a close adviser for the coaches who succeeded Robinson. "The people who I come in contact with, they say, 'Why did you come back to Grambling?' I say, 'It's because I'm a Gramblingite. It's because I've got friends here that are the greatest friends you could ever have, and when you've got friends it's priceless."
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MEET THE NEW HALL OF FAMERS (From http://www.gramblinglegends.net/)
More on this year's Grambling Sports Legends Hall of Fame class of inductees ...
FRANK GARNETT (baseball) – A New Orleans native, Garnett was a three-sport letterman and a state champion in both baseball and basketball at St. Augustine High. He then served as a team captain on the 1962-63 Grambling baseball teams, as the Tigers advanced to the national NAIA baseball tournament for the third of what would be four times between 1961-67. He was named all-conference in each of his four years on campus – once at first base, twice at third base and once a shortstop – and earned first-team All-America honors in 1963. Garnett, later a longtime Los Angeles area educator, then signed a baseball contract with the Washington Senators, and played seven seasons of minor league baseball.
JAMES “SHACK” HARRIS (football) – A senior personnel executive for the NFL’s Detroit Lions, the Monroe, Louisiana, native led Grambling to SWAC championships in each of his four years as quarterback and was named MVP of the 1967 Orange Blossom Classic. Drafted by the AFL’s Buffalo Bills, he would become the first black player to start a season at quarterback, the first to start a conference championship game and the first to be named MVP of the Pro Bowl over the course of a career that also included stops with the Rams and Chargers.
TASHA HOLLIS (women’s basketball) – A standout at Grambling from 1988-91, the Mobile, Alabama, native scored a total of 2,058 points. She boasted a career shot percentage of 58 percent, and a free-throw average of 64 percent. That included scoring in double figures 75 times in 85 games played. The Lady Tigers, under fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach Pat Bibbs, claimed the SWAC regular-season and tournament titles in 1988-89. Hollis also notched double figures in rebounds in 69 career games, and had 140 blocked shots and 142 steals.
DELLES HOWELL (football) – Famously started at Grambling as a freshman cornerback, then in the NFL as a rookie. The Monroe, Louisiana, native starred on a trio of Southwestern Athletic Conference title teams for fellow Grambling Legends Hall of Fame coach Eddie Robinson, then for the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets in a six-season NFL career – collecting 17 career interceptions. He has found a second calling in the ministry, serving as pastor of New Light Baptist Church in northeastern Louisiana.
JAMES “HOUND” HUNTER (football) – Drafted 10th overall out of Grambling, where the two-time All-SWAC corner claimed a league championship in 1974, Hunter led the NFL’s Detroit Lions in interceptions in 1976-77 and in 1980, eventually logging 27 career picks. Hunter was runner-up for NFL defensive rookie of the year before a neck injury in the early 1980s shortened a promising pro career. He died of an apparent heart attack in 2010; Hunter was just 56.
Grambling State (QB Kendrick Nord) vs. Alcorn State (QB Steve McNair) Sept. 3,1994; This was the largest attended game in Robinson Stadium history at 25,347. The two teams combined for 1,318 yards total offense, as Grambling rolled up 612 and Alcorn gained 706. Grambling wingback Tyrone Jones caught six passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns, and Curtis"Hail" Ceasar had five catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns.
GARY “BIG HANDS” JOHNSON (football) – A three-time All-SWAC defensive tackle, the Shreveport, Louisiana, native helped Grambling to a trio of conference titles before becoming the first pick of the 1975 draft for San Diego, playing for the Chargers until a 1984 trade to San Francisco – where he won a Super Bowl. Johnson made the Pro Bowl in each of the 1980-83 campaign, setting a 17 ½ sack season record for San Diego that still stands. Johnson died in August 2010 at age 57, having never recovered from a stroke he suffered the previous July.
JAMES JONES (basketball) – Averaged 20 points and 8 rebounds a night over 104 career games, as fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach Fred Hobdy led the Tigers to three SWAC championships, then was selected 13th overall by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1967 NBA Draft. He finished as one of the old ABA’s all-time leaders in every category, becoming just the second in league history to score more than 2,000 points in one season. Jones played seven years in the ABA and then three with the NBA’s Washington Bullets.
FRANK LEWIS (football) – Part of the Pittsburgh Steelers first two Super Bowl-winning squads, Lewis helped Grambling to a SWAC crown and then led the league in scoring over his final two seasons. A two-time all-conference wingback, he finished with 42 career touchdowns at Grambling, then had nearly 400 receptions and 40 touchdowns in the NFL. Later an all-pro with the Buffalo Bills, Lewis was the first player in league history to gain 100 yards in receiving in postseason games for two different clubs. He is employed in workforce development in south Louisiana.
ALEX PERO (baseball) – In 1962-63, Pero had a staggering 0.00 ERA to help Grambling to the national NAIA baseball tournament. Grambling led the nation in ERA that season, and the team would earn NAIA berths four times between 1961-67 under fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach R.W.E. Jones. In 1965, Pero set a Division II mark for strikeouts per nine innings amongst 50-game starters that to this day remains second all time. He played for three seasons in the minor leagues. Pero passed in 2009 at age 65.
EVERSON WALLS (football) – An all-conference selection for the SWAC champion Tigers, Walls led the nation in interceptions in 1980 – setting a school record that still stands. He then played 14 NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, leading the league in picks in both 1982 and 1985, earning All-Pro honors three times and a Super Bowl after the 1990 season with the Giants. The Texas native works as a businessman in Dallas.
ROBERT WOODS (track and field; football) – A two-sport star, Woods left Grambling in 1978 with a SWAC championship and all-conference honors as an undersized but unstoppable wingback for fellow Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame coach Eddie Robinson. He was the Bayou Classic MVP of 1977, then was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in ’78. Woods played two seasons in the NFL. Now executive director of a residential treatment center for adolescents in Houston, Texas, he has worked in the mental health field for more than 20 years.
LARRY WRIGHT (basketball) – Wright, of Richwood, Louisiana, helped Grambling to the 1976 league tournament championship and then led the Washington Bullets to an NBA title in 1978. A former head basketball coach for the Tigers, Wright was a two-time all-conference selection, a two time NCAA small college All-American and the SWAC player of the year in 1975-76. Later, Wright was a celebrated player overseas, earning MVP honors as Roma claimed its first-ever European title. He currently serves as an associate high school principal in northeastern Louisiana.
AL DENNIS JR. (pre-1960 honoree) – A New Orleans native and World War II veteran, the late Dennis was one of Grambling’s most celebrated early football captains. Playing from 1946-49, he was a two-time All-America blocker for future College Hall of Famer Paul “Tank” Younger. In 1968, he would become the first African-American to receive a master’s degree in health and physical education from Northwestern State University in Louisiana. He coached and taught for more than 45 years, notably at Brown High in Springhill, Louisiana.
DOUGLAS PORTER (contributor) – A former assistant at Grambling under Eddie Robinson, Porter was a head coach at FCS programs Mississippi Valley State (1961-65) and Howard (1974-78) and finally at Division II Fort Valley State (1979-94), earning induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. He has remained a trusted advisor for every coach to have succeeded Robinson, and was instrumental in the efforts to construct a museum in Robinson’s honor on the Grambling campus.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Florida A&M Baseball Continues Fall Practice and Announces 2016 Schedule
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Fifty-Eight Student-Athletes Graduate From St. Augustine's
Twenty-five percent (25%) of the graduating class were student-athletes and cheerleaders. The total number of graduates was 228. The percentage surpasses last year's percent number (22%).
Among the graduates were All-American football player Tyron Laughinghouse (Greenville, N.C.), who received numerous national, regional and conference awards including Beyond Sports Network Division II Special Teams Football Player of the Year and CIAA Special Teams Football Player of the Year. CIAA Baseball Player of the Year Ariel Polanco (Harlem, N.Y.) and football player Franklin James (Hampton, Va.) also were in the graduating class. James received The Fannie Glovenia Carter Baker Scholarship, given each year in honor of President Dianne Boardley Suber's grandmother, Mrs. Glovenia Carter Baker, to a graduating senior.
Cynthia Marshall, the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for AT&T Services, Inc., delivered the commencement address at the event on Sunday, May 5, 2013. The class of 2013 made history as the first graduating class of Saint Augustine's University. On Aug. 1, 2012, the school changed its name from Saint Augustine's College to Saint Augustine's University.
The ceremony capped another successful academic year for the school's athletic program. St. Aug won CIAA championships in five sports this season including men's cross country, women's cross country, men's indoor track and field, women's indoor track and field and men's outdoor track and field. The men's track & field team won the NCAA Division II indoor championship, and the women's basketball team won the CIAA team highest grade point average award in its sport.
Below is a list of the 2013 student-athletes who graduated from St. Aug and their respective sports:
Bachelor of Science (School of Applied Health and Medical Sciences)
Cum Laude (3.40-3.59 GPA)
Abeje Carrington – Volleyball, Softball
Romeo Deloatch – Football
Franklin James – Football
Ja'Nia Jones – Bowling, Softball
Katelyn Parson – Cheerleading
Gerkenz Senesca – Men's Track & Field
Najah Watson – Bowling
Julius West – Men's Track & Field
Jeremy Wilkins – Baseball
Bachelor of Science (School of Business, Technology and Sport Management)
Summa Cum Laude (3.80-4.00 GPA)
Keisha Parris – Volleyball
Magna Cum Laude (3.60-3.79 GPA)
Rory Nixon – Football, Men's Track & Field
Cum Laude (3.40-3.59 GPA)
Theodore Bacote – Football
Mallory Felder – Men's Tennis
Scharlawn Hubbard – Women's Basketball
Hilberto Ayala – Football
Anthony Boone – Track & Field
Nicholas Chamblee – Basketball
Stedman Gardner – Football
Anthony Holloway – Baseball
Derek Johnson – Golf
Jonathan Kindred – Men's Basketball
Tyron Laughinghouse – Football, Basketball
Ariel Polanco – Baseball
Christopher Rogers – Baseball
Amber Thomas –Cheerleader
Gerald Marshall – Football
Steven Woods – Men's Basketball
Bachelor of Arts (School of Liberal Arts and Education)
Cum Laude (3.40-3.59 GPA)
Daniel Pittman – Golf
Aisha Taylor – Cheerleading
Charles Clark – Cheerleading
Lakesha Fowler – Women's Tennis
Christopher Grant – Men's Basketball
Brandon Houston – Football
Tawanna Lynn – Bowling
Tiana Morris – Women's Basketball, Volleyball, Women's Tennis
Christian Pride – Football
ShRhonda Ross – Cheerleading
Keaven Russell – Football
Claude Simeus – Men's Track & Field
Bachelor of Science (School of Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering)
Jermaine Browne – Football
Jone' Harris – Football
Kharea Roseboro – Football
Deonte Toliver – Football
Alejandro Crisostomo – Baseball
Bachelor of Arts and Science (School of Social and Behavior Sciences)
Cum Laude (3.40-3.59 GPA)
Ramadana Simmons – Softball
Nicketa Bernard – Women's Track & Field
Che Brown – Football
Jasmine Cobbs – Women's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country
Christopher Dalton – Football, Men's Track & Field
Keianna Evans – Women's Basketball
Brittany Hicks – Volleyball
Christopher Johnson – Men's Basketball
Cory Landrum-Smith – Golf
William Martin – Golf
Chantel Floyd – Softball
Vaniecia Reaves – Cheerleading
Shane Russell – Football
Darnea Sayles – Cheerleading
COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION