B-CU wins MEAC title

ORMOND BEACH, FL -- Five years ago, Bethune-Cookman was the darling of college softball. But when the Wildcats' head coach left for greener pastures shortly after they became the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team to reach the NCAA super regionals, they fell off the map. Now they're back.

B-CU defeated North Carolina A&T 7-3 on Saturday at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex to win the MEAC softball championship and qualify for regional play for the first time since its amazing run to the Super Regionals in 2005. "I'm so glad we got this for the program," said B-CU pitcher Allison Garcia, who was named the tournament's outstanding player. Fourth-year coach Chris Cochran was named outstanding coach of the tourney.

"I'm so happy for Chris," B-CU athletics director Lynn Thompson said amid the Wildcats' celebration, noting B-CU was caught off-guard when former coach Laura Watten left the program for the University of Maryland just as the 2005-06 school year was about to begin. After a season under an interim coach, Cochran, a former head coach at Brown University, was hired in August 2006. "She had to come in here and rebuild it," Thompson said. "When we hired her we knew it would be a good fit, and it was. I'm just so proud of what Chris and what these kids have accomplished."

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Braddy to stay on as JSU Tigers' AD

Jackson State athletic director Bob Braddy will stay on for one more year as the university looks for a replacement for outgoing president Ronald Mason. raddy had planned to retire July 1 and a search committee had already been formed, but administration did not want vacancies at both positions concurrently. Chief of staff Evola Bates and Braddy met Monday to discuss the situation.

The search for a new athletic director has been suspended and the new president will conduct the process once hired. "I had planned to play golf 3-4 times a week," Braddy said with a laugh. "A lot of my plans have been put on hold." Braddy will sign a one-year extension, but could step down earlier if the new president is ready to hire a successor before then.

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PVAMU recruit moves to UNC-Wimington

UNCW new head women's basketball coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke has instantly put the Seahawks program on the map for star recruits.

If you don't believe having a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach (class of 2010) of the caliber of Cynthia Cooper-Dyke is worth its weight in gold for your athletic department, think again. Coach Cooper-Dyke left Prairie View A&M University on last Friday, and a less than a week later, highly regarded recruits that were committed to the Lady Panthers basketball program are following Coach Cooper-Dyke to her new job at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, a program with no history of winning.

Virgin Islands 6 foot-4 star center Aesha Peters has backed out of her PVAMU basketball scholarship, signed last month, to follow Coach Cooper-Dyke to UNC-W. Peters averaged 13 points/11 boards and 4 blocks per game, but defensively shuts down the paint area in games.

PVAMU initially won the recruiting battle for Peters services over Florida International, Nova Southeastern, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Radford. Peters, who has been the talk of the V.I. territory since she was in the tenth grade, had tons of schools interested in her services. Some of the schools that had shown serious interest were Howard University, Indiana University, Rutgers, Georgia, UCLA, Jackson State and Nova Southeastern.

PVAMU has made no decision on the replacement of Coach Cooper-Dyke. Top assistant coach Toyelle Wilson may be considered by the school as the interim head coach, appointed the head coach or may decide to following Cooper-Dyke to UNCW.

Now, the rest of the story...

CAHS star to join ex-WNBA standout in UNC-Wilmington‎

ST. THOMAS, VI — Charlotte Amalie High School senior standout Aesha Peters accepted a full scholarship last month to play basketball at Prairie View A&M University and one of the main attractions, she said, was the chance to play under coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke. Cooper-Dyke, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player and one of the most decorated players in the history of women’s basketball, accepted the head coaching position at UNC-Wilmington last week. Peters announced Wednesday she plans to follow Cooper-Dyke to the Colonial Athletic Association school and hopefully become a member of her first Seahawk recruiting class.

“Coach Cooper has been through a lot and she brings that family atmosphere to the program,” said Peters, who tallied 13 points, 11.1 rebounds and four blocks a game during her senior year. “I’m very excited and I’m looking forward to playing for her.” Peters help lead the Lady Chickenhawks to an undefeated league record this past season and a third consecutive St. Thomas-St. John IAA title. She was named to the St. Thomas squad that competed at the 12th annual Sun Stroke All VI Hoop Classic on St. Croix last month. She is the only known player from the league so far to sign with a Division I school.

St. Croix Girls All-Stars' Veronique Llamos (L) has her shot stuffed by St. Thomas All-Stars' Aesha Peters, #2 blue. Peters is backing out of her national letter commitment to PVAMU to follow Cooper-Dyke to UNCW.

Cooper-Dyke, 47, turned around the program at Prairie View A&M in just five short years. She compiled an 85-72 overall record (64-26 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference) during her tenure and led the Panthers to the NCAA tournament in 2007 and 2009. At UNCW, Cooper-Dyke and Peters will face a similar challenge. The Seahawks have not earned an NCAA Tournament bid in the 24 years since competing in Division I. Meanwhile, CAA juggernauts Old Dominion and James Madison have stood atop the league standings in recent years.

“I’m excited to get out in the community, to create, to mentor, to mother, to lead these young women down the academic path to their degrees and, of course, down the path to a winning season, not only in the Colonial Athletic Association, but also nationally,” Cooper-Dyke said during a press conference Monday introducing her as the program’s ninth head coach.

It’s not known how many players from Cooper-Dyke’s initial recruiting class at Prairie View will follow her to UNCW. “The reality is that kids go to schools to play for certain coaches,” said CAHS coach Myron Corbett, who has assisted Peters throughout the recruitment process. “At the moment, Aesha has to do some paperwork with the NCAA. But she has been offered a full scholarship from Wilmington and is looking forward to playing in a more competitive league.” Corbett said Peters was aware of the possibility that Cooper-Dyke may land another job when she signed with Prairie View on April 15.

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NCCU Student-Athlete Plays Piano Too

DURHAM, N.C. -- Stephen Allsop, just having completed a match for the N.C. Central University tennis team, made a quick stop at the James E. Shepard Library on campus before racing off to study for his final in epistemology. Allsop, who will graduate summa cum laude from the university this week, is almost always busy, racing off somewhere. But he's comfortable handling multiple responsibilities. "The key is being able to prioritize," he said. "You have to determine what needs to be done and what needs to be done first."

Senior tennis athlete Stephen Allsop, from Beltsville, Maryland's High Point H.S. is the first student-athlete in the history of North Carolina Central University to be accepted into Harvard Medical School's M.D./Ph.D program. The undergraduate turned down offers from the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University to attend NCCU.

Doing that has made Allsop the first student-athlete in the history of NCCU to be accepted into Harvard Medical School's M.D./Ph.D program. A biology major who has minored in jazz piano and chemistry, Allsop already has a resume of awards and honors that would be the envy of those three times his age. A year ago he was one of just 278 college students across the nation to win the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. He has been a Chancellor's scholar and a National Achievement Scholar, an undergraduate research fellow and the president of the NCCU chapter of the Golden Key Honor Society.

"His thirst for knowledge separates him from many students I've come across," said Antonio Baines, a biology professor at NCCU in whose lab Allsop has worked. "His curiosity and inquisitiveness are very impressive. He's just genuinely curious. He wants to know the answer." And in addition to being very bright, Baines said, "Allsop works hard as well."

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A Legacy of Excellence: UMES Emerson Boozer to College Football Hall of Fame

Emerson Boozer, a University of Maryland Eastern Shore star half-back will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in July. Boozer was a star in Super Bowl III with the World Champions New York Jets (1968).

Video:

America's Game - 1968 New York Jets - Boozer ...

Long before there was a University of Maryland Eastern Shore, there was a black college football powerhouse in Princess Anne playing under the banner of "Maryland State College" coached by a nearly forgotten legendary coach, Vernon "Skip" McCain.

On Tuesday, the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame announced the induction of "Maryland State College" half-back Emerson Boozer, who will join two other Hawks presently in the Hall--Detroit Lions/Los Angeles Rams "Fearsome Foursome" massive tackle Roger Brown (inducted in 2009) and Coach "Skip" McCain (inducted in 2006).

Prior to coming North to play for the Hawks, Boozer was a 5-11/190 star half-back at Lucy Laney High School in Augusta, Georgia. Boozer, who was a running back for UMES between 1962-65, was a four-year letterman, compiling 2,537 yards and 22 touchdowns during his Hawks career. He averaged a robust 6.78 yards per carry playing for Coach McCain and later, Coach R. "Sandy" Gilliam.

Skip McCain compiled a career record of 102 wins, 17 defeats and 4 ties (82.9%) with four perfect undefeated seasons and four Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Championships. More importantly, Coach McCain and the powerhouse Hawks defeated Grambling State and the legendary Eddie Robinson in all four games played between the Hawks and Tigers, outscoring Grambling 87-20. This was achieved while McCain served as the head football coach, head basketball coach and athletic director.

During the period of 1946-1960, Maryland State College produced five undefeated football teams and a combined won-loss record of 139 wins, 36 losses and 7 ties.

Boozer graduated and went on to star for the New York Jets for 10 seasons as both a feature running back with speed and tremendous power, and later in his career, as a powerful blocking half-back. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore holds the distinction with Florida State for producing the most alumni (five each) appearing in a single Super Bowl game (Super Bowl III, 1968). Boozer, along with Hawks Earl Christy, Johnny Sample, Charlie Stukes and James Duncan holds this record that may never be broken. UMES discontinued their football program in 1979 due to the rising costs of Division I football.

Boozer was drafted by both the NFL and upstart AFL in 1966. He was selected in the Round 7/Pick 98 by the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) and Round 6/Pick 46 by the AFL's New York Jets. Emerson became a Jets starter in 1967 and displayed talents that drew comparison to the Chicago Bears star running back Gale Sayers. Boozer was noted for his work ethic and his blocking and past catching abilities soon became legendary around the league. With quarterback Joe Namath, full back Matt Snell, and numerous support players like future college football hall of famer, Coach William "Billy Joe" (Cheney State, Florida A&M, Miles College), the Jets won Super Bowl III by an improbable 16-7 over the Johnny Unitas led Baltimore Colts.

Boozer scored 52 touchdowns and gained 5,135 yards in his 10 year NFL career. Emerson Boozer will forever be in the NFL record books for scoring the first regular-season over-time ("sudden death") touchdown in NFL history on a short pass from Joe Namath in 1974 to beat the cross-town rival New York Giants.

The UMES Hawks are not done yet--with former NFL stars and notable alumni -- NFL Coach Art Shell, Johnny Sample, Sherman Plunkett, Carl Hairston, Billy Thompson, Charlie Stukes, Earl Christy, Mack Alston Jr., and James Duncan are awaiting their names to be called for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Not bad for a Hawks program that fielded it last football team 31 years ago.

SCSU's Jeffries earns 'top' honor

South Carolina State University Bulldogs Coach Emeritus Willie Jeffries will be inducted into College Football Hall of Fame. Coach Jeffries had a career record of 179-132-6 and was the first black coach of a Division I school, Wichita State in 1979. The induction ceremony is July 16-17 in South Bend, Indiana at the College Football Hall of Fame.

Willie Jeffries spent a lifetime knocking down doors in the world of college football. Tuesday, the doors of the College Football Hall of Fame opened for him.
The former S.C. State football coach was named one of six new members of the 2010 Division Hall of Fame by the National Football Foundation. The Division Hall honors players and coaches from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and NAIA. Jeffries, who had two stints at S.C. State during a coaching career in which he won 179 games at four schools from 1973 to 2001, was thrilled by the news.

"This is an honor for me, my former players, South Carolina State and all the schools I've coached," he said. "This is about the top one a coach can receive." Jeffries won the most games in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference history, captured three historically black college national titles and was the first African-American head coach at an FBS school when Wichita State hired him in 1979. Jeffries, the only person to coach against both Bear Bryant and Eddie Robinson, recognized at the time that he was a pioneer.

"Once I got there (to Wichita), after about a week or two, I said, 'Oh, my goodness, I am a trailblazer.' There was a lot of weight on my shoulders," he said. "But I found out as I went across Kansas that people are people, and they will treat you well according to how you present yourself."

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Southern Jaguars push on without Cador

Southern University Jaguars head baseball coach Roger Cador.

When Southern pitcher Sherrard Brooks left his hotel room Sunday morning and boarded the team bus, Roger Cador wasn’t waiting. That was the first clue. Something wasn’t right. Maybe the Jaguars’ legendary coach was out recruiting somewhere in Houston — even on a Sunday morning, just hours before their series finale against Texas Southern. That seemed strange, but Brooks figured he couldn’t put it past Cador. Worse yet, maybe Cador had been disgusted by Southern’s play the day before. In losing twice Saturday, the Jaguars suffered a double-header sweep to a Southwestern Athletic Conference foe for only the second time in six years.

Brooks decided that didn’t make any sense, either. Minutes before the first pitch of any game, in the team huddle, Cador always has a story to tell. He usually saves the most stirring of them for when the chips are down. “It would’ve been a good day to hear one of those stories,” Brooks said later. “He would have had a good one for us.” It wasn’t until the team arrived at MacGregor Park that assistant coach Fernando Puebla gave players the complete picture: Cador, who has worn a pacemaker for more than 20 years, was having health problems. The 58-year-old coach returned home Sunday to visit his cardiologist after experiencing an irregular heartbeat Saturday night and again Sunday morning in Houston.

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