NFL Pro Bowl Bound - Antoine Bethea, Colts safety/former Howard Bison

Photo: Former Howard University safety Antoine Bethea(41) intercepting a pass intended for Ravens Heap at the Colts’ 1-yard line.

Colts Safety Antoine Bethea to Make First Pro Bowl Appearance
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts' defense emerged as one of the NFL’s best units this past season, and a big reason was the development of a young secondary. On Friday, yet another member of that secondary earned one of the league’s most-prestigious honors.
Antoine Bethea, a second-year safety who started 13 games for the Colts this past season, has been named as an injury replacement to the 2008 AFC Pro Bowl roster, the league and the Colts announced Friday morning.

It will be Bethea’s first Pro Bowl appearance.

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Amazing story! An undersized walk-on at Howard University will be in the NFL Pro Bowl just 6 short years later. Let us not forget that Bethea won a Super Bowl with the Colts last season.
Bethea is also the 11th NFL draft pick in Bison football program history. He was selected in the 2006 NFL Draft in the 6 round, 207 overall choice by the Indianapolis Colts.

Texas Southern Reid looks to strike it big on, off field

Photo: Former Oklahoma State University quarterback Bobby Reid, 6-3/235 (Houston, Texas) is now a Texas Southern Tiger and is expected to be the starter come Fall.

Bobby Reid feels good about football again, something that not too long ago he didn't believe would happen.

What was supposed to be a breakout 2007 season for the then-Oklahoma State quarterback became a campaign of disappointment and frustration. Reid suffered an injury in the Cowboys' second game against Florida Atlantic, then endured being the focal point of a well-publicizedstory by an Oklahoma City newspaper columnist that led to coach Mike Gundy's rant that became a YouTube staple.

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South team pulls out Under Armour Senior Bowl win

Photo: Hampton University All-American defensive end Kendall Langford played outstanding in the Senior Bowl game. The 6-6/294 Langford is from Petersburg, Virginia, Petersburg H.S.

Despite a Senior Bowl record punt of 69 yards by North Dakota State’s Mike Dragosavich, the South team prevailed. Lead by outstanding play by Tennessee State University cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Hampton University defensive end Kendall Langford the South scored in the waning seconds to win.

Florida wide receiver Andre Caldwell scored on an end-around run on a fourth-down play as time expired to help the South Team clinch a 17-16 win over the North Team in the 2008 Under Armour Senior Bowl.

It was a game that was filled with irony as play progressed at Ladd-Peebles Field in Mobile, Alabama under overcast skies and a temperature hovering around 50 degrees. Caldwell, a receiver, tied the game on a running play called by San Francisco offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who is well-known for his aggressive and potent passing offenses.

Under Armour, the game’s title sponsor, presented Penn State linebacker Dan Connor and Tennessee State cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with the Under Armour New Prototype Award.

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Photo: Tennessee State University All-American Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was awarded the Under Armour New Prototype Award for his play at the Senior Bowl. The 6-2/185 defensive back is from Bradenton, Florida and majored in Psychology.

Highlights:

Hampton defensive end Kendall Langford yanked California running back Justin Forsett down just shy of the first-down marker, setting up the South's game-winning drive led by Ainge.

UD Joe Flacco sent a deep floating down the right sideline, but it hung up a bit and didn't get far enough to the outside to avoid an opportunistic interception by Tennessee State's Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

DSU Coach Al Lavan leads Northeast All-stars to Heritage Bowl Win

Photo: Delaware State University head football coach Al Lavan has won both the Black College National Championship and the American Heritage Bowl in the same season.

Fullerton, CA – Delaware State head football coach Al Lavan guided the Northeast All Star squad to a 24-7 win over the Southwest in the American Heritage Bowl last night. The Southwest squad was coached by Jackson State University head football coach Rick Comegy.

Chris Wallace (UAPB) threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Arkansas-Pine Bluff teammate Jason Jones for one score. Jones also had a 24-yard reception and was honored as the offensive player of the game, which featured seniors from historically black colleges and raised funds for severely injured military personnel.

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Even in new role, Dickens lifts Delaware State

Photo: DSU senior forward Joe Dickens,6-7/205, Baltimore, MD, Western Oklahoma State Comm. College, Laurinburg H.S.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- On most nights during preseason practices for the Delaware State men's basketball team, Joe Dickens was hard at work but all to himself. While the team was running drills on the court at Memorial Hall, Dickens could be seen running the length of the gym or doing specialized exercises. Always out of the way, but never out of the sight of his coaches.

Dickens suffered a major foot injury after the 2005-06 season and played just two games last season before red-shirting. Still, he continued to hold the attention of his coaches, who knew that for the Hornets to have any kind of success this season, they'd need the Baltimore-born forward back in the lineup.

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The Hornets,(7-10, 4-1) play at Florida A&M (7-11, 3-3) tonight at 7:30 p.m.

DSU’s senior forward Roy Bright has been named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Week. Bright averaged 22 points and five rebounds while shooting 57% from the floor, leading the Hornets to a 2-0 mark last week. Against Winston Salem State, he scored 24 points, connecting on four of eight from behind the arc, grabbed four rebounds and blocked two shots. He followed that performance with 20 points, six rebounds and two steals against Norfolk State.

Bright also hit for 17 points and 8 rebounds against Bethune Cookman in DSU overtime win at Daytona Beach this past Saturday. Roy Bright is the MEAC's pre-season player of the year and the MEAC leading scorer, averaging 19.1 ppg.
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A pictorial history of the 2007 FAMU Marching 100

2007 FAMU Marching 100 - A pictorial history of innovation and perfection.

MVSU Delta Devils get defensive in win over Texas Southern

Houston, Texas - The Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils held the Southwestern Athletic Conference “Top Gun”, Sollie Norwood to a mere three-points as they ran rampant over the hapless Tigers of Texas Southern University in a 98-66 blow out in the Tigers H&P.E. Arena. The Delta Devils received scoring from 11 different players, including five scoring in double figures as they have now reeled off four consecutive conference wins.

Valley was once again led by Larry Cox, Jr. who had a game high 18 points with seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Stanford Speech turned in another stellar performance posting 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Carl Lucas had 13 points and two rebounds, while Michael Clark and Dwayne Harmason added 12 and 10 points respectively.

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Southern U. women manhandle A&M Bulldogs

Want an indication of the progress the Southern University women’s basketball team is making? The Jaguars had 31 turnovers and yet still easily handled Alabama A&M 50-36, never trailing Saturday at the F.G. Clark Activity Center. Even with all the turnovers, including 10 by guard Deidra Jackson, and with having forward Indi Johnson go scoreless for the first time all season, SU got a balance of efforts — the kind of all-around play that would be teased but wouldn’t flow earlier this season.

Jackson nevertheless contributed 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals....

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Southern rebounds to victory over Alabama A&M

The boxscore on Southern University’s latest win, a 65-49 triumph over Alabama A&M, shows how a lot of players contributed Saturday night at the F.G. Clark Activity Center. That balance spills over to rebounding, with no Jaguar in particular dominant yet the team rallying to edge A&M in that department 36-35.

Guard Chris Davis had 18 points, while Joseph Jack added 13 points and five rebounds and forward Barry Honore 10 points and six rebounds for Southern (7-11, 5-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference). Guard Steffon Wiley also contributed nine points, five steals, five rebounds and four assists, and guard Geri Guillory had a season-best eight assists, six points and three steals.

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Obama routs Hillary in South Carolina

Democrats in South Carolina turned out in unprecedented numbers for their primary Saturday and handed Sen. Barack Obama a 2-to-1 victory over Sen. Hillary Clinton. Obama secured his first win since the Iowa caucuses by claiming 80 percent of the African-American votes.

Six months ago, Clinton was not only leading the polls in South Carolina, she was edging out Senator Barack Obama among African Americans. But in the end, Obama got four black votes out of five and they propelled him to an outright majority of the overall vote: 55 percent to Clinton's 27 percent and Edwards' 18 percent.

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Great turnout South Carolina! If this was a football game, it would be called a rout, but the stakes here are much greater. Stay tune...

Norfok State rout over SCSU satisfies Spartans fans – for the most part

Photo: Forward Michael Deloach led four Spartans in double digit scoring with 18 points. NSU Tony Murphy scored 17, Rashid Cann, had a career-high 14 points and Corey Lyons scored 14 points.

NORFOLK - With their team well on its way to its highest offensive output in a regulation game in eight years, a small but raucous crowd at Norfolk State wanted two things in the closing minutes at Echols Hall Saturday night: The first was for the Spartans to crack the 100-point barrier. The second was for at least two of those points to come from the team’s newest player – 6-foot-7, 320-pound Brian Harman, a recent addition from the football team and instant crowd favorite.

Unfortunately for the 1,232 on hand, neither happened. But after a 97-71 win over South Carolina State, it’s unlikely anyone was complaining.

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Marching bands bring their best moves to Georgia Dome battle

Photo: University of Arkansas Pine Bluff "Musical Marching Machine of the Mid-South Band."

Atlanta, GA - The marching bands with the know-how and the ones with the show-how took the field of the Georgia Dome on Saturday for the sixth annual Honda Battle of the Bands. Ten bands from historically black colleges and universities in the Southeast, left from an original field of 42 competitors, readied their best performances of the year for a roaring audience in the nearly full dome.

Driving beats, intricate marching and troops of dancing girls flashing sass and a little thigh had band members sweating as they left the turf. "It's always a competition when you step on the field," said John Graham, director of the Musical Marching Machine of the Mid-South from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

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Coppin State dumps Hampton Lady Pirates

Photo: 5-6 Senior point guard Shalamar Oakley scored 24 points in the upset win over Hampton. The Camden, NJ star is from Woodrow Wilson H.S. and is majoring in Criminal Justice .

HAMPTON, Va. -- Seniors Shalamar Oakley and Rashida Suber combined for 42 points leading Coppin State to a 64-54 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory over Hampton on Saturday and handing the Pirates their first conference loss of the season.
The Lady Pirates (10-7, 4-1 MEAC), trailing 33-31 at intermission, shot a miserable 15.6 percent in the second half (5-for-32) and were never in it after Coppin State (9-10, 4-2) opened the second half with a 10-3 run. Oakley scored six points during the run.

Oakley was 9-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free throw line to lead the Eagles with 24 points, while Suber added 18 points. Whitney Cunningham added seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Rachel Butler scored 15 points to lead Hampton. Artavia Burns and reserve Roneisha Corbitt added 12 points apiece.

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Hampton Pirates avoid upset by Coppin State

Photo: Michael Freeman led the Pirates in scoring with 19 points and 9 rebounds. The 6-8 sophomore star forward is from Alexandria, Va./Brewster Academy.

HAMPTON - Scoring was at a serious premium, but Hampton University's men's basketball team converted a few more opportunities than Coppin State. The Pirates held off the Eagles late in a close Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contest Saturday night to win 56-54 at HU Convocation Center. Hampton (11-6, 5-0) remained unbeaten in the MEAC, Coppin State (4-16, 0-6) winless.

Mike Freeman's 19 points inside and nine rebounds were the difference-maker for Hampton against an Eagles team that tried to slow down the Pirates' running game. HU coach Kevin Nickelberry had emphasized post play in his pregame preparation.

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The long anticipated clash for MEAC supremacy is scheduled for Monday with Morgan State University visiting the Hampton Pirates.

Morgan State extends to 3-game winning streak, Herd Bison

Photo: #34 (middle) Jamar Smith scored 27 points, 8 rebounds and 1 steal in hearding the Bison. Smith is a 6-2/210 senior guard from Brooklyn Park, MN, San Bernadino Valley College/Patrick Henry HS.

Washington, D.C. -- Morgan State put together a 16-2 run over the first six minutes of the second half to blow the game open and cruise to a 69-51 win over Howard at Burr Gymnasium before 1,980 fans. The win marked the Bears third consecutive victory.

Senior Jamar Smith led all scorers with 26 points and shot 13-for-19 from the floor for the Bears who improved to 10-8 overall and 5-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, while it was the third straight loss for the Bison (4-15 overall, 1-4 MEAC).

The Bears scored 25 points off of 20 Bison turnovers and held a 46-32 advantage in points-in-the paint.

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Morgan State will try to continue its streak when it travels to Virginia to take on the Pirates of Hampton University on Monday at 7:30 pm.

Jones, Wallace connect for TD for Northeast in Heritage Bowl

FULLERTON, Calif. -- Chris Wallace threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Arkansas-Pine Bluff teammate Jason Jones and the Northeast beat the Southwest 24-7 in the American Heritage Bowl on Saturday night.

Jones also had a 24-yard reception and was honored as the offensive player of the game, which featured seniors from historically black colleges and raised funds for severely injured military personnel.

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Jackson State receive commitment from Hinds CC 3 star player

The Jackson State football program is still pulling in verbal commitments despite losing a recruiting weekend to coach in the American Heritage Bowl on Saturday. Hinds Community College wide receiver Carlos Everett is one of the latest. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Webster, Florida native is rated a three-star junior college prospect with a 4.56 40-meter dash by Rivals.com.

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Copeland, Clarion Ledger, has indicated that Everett was being recruited by Florida State, but wasn't offered a scholarship.

Lady Aggies blast Winston Salem State before record crowd

Photo: Guard Ta'Wuana Cook had an outstanding game with 27 points, 8 steals, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. The 5-8 sophomore known as "Tweet" is from Seventy-First H.S., Fayetteville, N.C.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – If the North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team was the stock market all indicators would be positive. On Saturday, the Aggies defeated their arch-rival Winston-Salem State 71-51 at Irvin Corbett Court.

Hampton’s loss to Coppin State on Saturday left the Aggies as the only team with an undefeated record in the MEAC, while giving them a full-game lead at the top of the MEAC standings at 5-0. Their five-game winning streak is their longest in 12 seasons, and their Pack the House night drew a record crowd of 3,813 fans.

But like the stock market, a basketball season fluctuates from time to time so head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs doesn’t want to see her team get complacent with its early-season success.

“We had a lot of turnovers, but that is about the average,’’ said Bibbs. “We can not keep playing like this. We played against a team tonight that is very, very young, but that team hustled. They really did. I really was not satisfied with the way we played. We won the game but I was not satisfied with the way we played. We play in a tough conference, so we can’t afford to let up.”

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The Hampton University vs. North Carolina A&T games should be a classic barn burner. However, the Lady Aggies must face South Carolina State and Howard University at home on Monday and Saturday, respectively, before they can look ahead to the Feb. 4 showdown with the Hampton Pirates.

N.C. A&T cruises past WSSU 75-56

Photo: 5-11/170 senior guard Steven Rush was unstoppable hitting for 23 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist over rival WSSU Rams.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The renewed rivalry between Winston-Salem State and N.C. A&T was a “Rush” yesterday. Guard Steven Rush grabbed the game by the throat early, scoring 23 points as the Aggies raced to a rather easy 75-56 victory.

After a wait of 10 years since the schools last played, officials had to turn people away at the door, but nearly 5,900 still squeezed into jam-packed Corbett Center, which holds about 5,700. “I was ready for this,” said Rush, who hit five of his first seven shots, all 3-pointers, to get the Aggies going in the right direction. Coach Bobby Collins of the WSSU Rams (7-10) tried four different players to slow down Rush, a chemistry major with a 3.6 grade-point average.

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For a sellout of Corbett Center of 5,900, we wouldn't hesitate to schedule WSSU for NBA format best of five games series in 2008/09 between the two schools. Just give the fans the games they want to see. This is the game we like to see--where you turn away folks at the gate with a full house.

Game Attendance Men: 5,834 at Irvin-Corbett Court.
Game Attendance Women: Record crowd of 3,813 at Irvin-Corbett Court.

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UMES Rally falls short in 72-62 loss to FAMU Rattlers

Photo: Junior guard Ed Tyson, 6-2/200 (Baltimore, MD, Walbrook H.S.) led the Hawks with 18 points and 4 rebounds against FAMU.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) men's basketball team held a brief second half lead on the road against Florida A&M University (FAMU), but came up short, 72-62 on Saturday in the Gaither Athletic Center.

"Our guys definitely fought hard." Interim Head Coach Meredith Smith said. "At the end of the day though, this game was still more about the shots that we didn't make, as opposed to those that we made."

FAMU (7-11, 3-3 MEAC) would score five points within the opening minute of the second half, pushing their lead to 43-36. The Hawks, playing in front of a rowdy homecoming crowd, would show composure, tying the game at 45-45, and then again at 47-47. Gary Lee (Flint, Mich./Northwestern University) would then hit a three-pointer to give UMES a brief three point lead, 50-47. Lee would finish with a season-high 14 points.

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Second half three point shooting lifts UMES over Florida A&M

UMES Lady Hawks and fans are all smiles after defeating the Lady Rattlers earlier.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Lady Hawks used an impressive second half shooting display to knock off Florida A&M University (FAMU) 60-50 on Saturday afternoon in the Gaither Athletic Center.

UMES (9-8, 2-2 MEAC) spoiled the Rattlers homecoming by converting seven-of-11 (63.6 percent) from downtown and 14-of-22 (63.6) from the field in the second half.

"I thought both the effort and the energy were better in the second half," said Head Coach Fred Batchelor. "We were able to knock down some shots, which I thought gave us a lot of confidence and swung the momentum in our favor."

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Tennessee State Lady Tigers holds off Tennessee Tech

Photo: Oby Okafor recorded her 20th career double-double in Tennessee State’s win over TTU. The 5-9 junior forward is from Rolla, Missouri (Rolla High School).

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech fought an uphill battle the entire second half, and although the Golden Eagles got one step from the top several times, they never got over the hump as visiting Tennessee State held on for a 69-56 Ohio Valley Conference victory in Eblen Center.

A national TV audience was tuned in on ESPNU as Tech pulled to within one point with less than six minutes to play, and got to within two points twice after that. In the end, however, the Tigers (9-11/6-5 OVC) made nine out of 10 free throws in the final minute to pull away to the final 13-point margin.

Tech (3-18/2-9 OVC) made it 58-56 when Kristina Tyler hit both free throws with 1:53 remaining, but that was the last time the Golden Eagles scored.

Oby Okafor recorded her 20th career double-double in Tennessee State and led all scores with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals. Tiffany Jackson also posted double-digits with 11 points and 4 blocked shots.

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Tennessee State gets last-second win over Tennessee Tech

Photo: Bruce Price, 6-3/205 guard scored 13 points to help the Tigers in win. Price is a junior from South H.S., Minneapolis, MN.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - LaDarious Weaver'ss 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded lifted Tennessee State to a thrilling 73-72 victory over Tennessee Tech Saturday afternoon in Eblen Center. With the win, TSU (10-12/6-5 OVC) played leapfrog and jumped ahead of Tech (9-13/6-6 OVC) in the Ohio Valley Conference standings.

Tech, which came into the contest in a tie for fourth place, could find themselves anywhere from fifth to ninth place when the dusts settles later Saturday night in what's shaping up as one of the closest races in conference history.

Gerald Robinson was the game-high scorer with 27 points. Bruce Price added 13 points and Reiley Ervin canned 10 points for the Tigers. Darius Cox scored 8 points for the Tigers, while collecting 8 rebounds.

Tennessee Tech’s top scorers were Amadi McKenzie (19), Anthony Fisher (15) and Will Barnes. Northern Daniel was the game’s top rebounder, pulling down 12 rebounds.

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DSU Lady Hornets cruise past Bethune Cookman

Photo: #3 Keyhana Wakefield scored 16 points, 7 rebounds against the Wildcats.

Daytona Beach, FL - DSU women's coach Ed Davis, who can shout with the best of them, kept no secrets Saturday. "Come on, get inside!" he said to his Hornets as they trailed early on. Heeding his call, Delaware State got the ball inside. That's all the Hornets needed to do to turn around their fortunes and secure a 71-51 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win.

"I wanted to see them get productive in the post," Davis said. And so they did. In the end, the Hornets out-scored Bethune-Cookman 40-24 in the paint. DSU's Raquel Collier had a game-high 20 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Keyhana Wakefield added 16 points as four DSU players scored in double digits.

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Delaware State erase 16-point deficit for OT win at Bethune Cookman

Photo: Roy Bright led the Hornets in scoring with 17 points and 8 rebounds.

Daytona Beach, FL - Trailing by 16 points, only the Hornets knew what they had inside. "We always think we can come back," DSU senior Roy Bright said. "It's never over." For the second game in a row, they found resolve and, this time, the ability to finish, in a gritty comeback victory in overtime, 69-66 over Bethune-Cookman in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.

"That's Delaware State, they have the understanding of what it takes to win. They keep pulling up their pants," Bethune Cookman University's Coach Reed said.

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The Hornets are 7-10, 4-1 MEAC and are scheduled to face the Florida A&M Rattlers on Monday evening. The attendance at the BCU men game was 2,002.