Nelson Townsend to be honored in FAMU's Black Archives (Video)

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Diane Townsend confidently stood at the front of an afternoon meeting of the 220 Quarterback Club, and — much like her late husband Nelson Townsend — challenged the Rattler community to make a difference by supporting the athletic department.

Townsend stood in front of nearly 60 members of the club Wednesday afternoon at New Times Country Buffet on Monroe Street and said she wants to see her husband's vision for Florida A&M's future fulfilled.

"I'm in orange too," she said.

"This is home now. This is where (Nelson Townsend) died and this is where we're going to stay. I would love to see the vision he had for his school – that was really not his school, but he loved – to do exactly what he knows it can do."

Townsend also learned a plaque honoring her husband — who ...

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Meet The Coaches: Jumping High In The Coaching Game

Former head women's cross country, track and field coach at Jackson State University, Pristina Jones brings passion, experience to Irish staff.

NOTRE DAME, Indiana -- One bold step is one huge gain for the Fighting Irish.

Pristina Jones stepped down from her head coaching position at Jackson State University, a place where she oversaw a program (cross country, indoor track and outdoor track) that achieved a perfect score of 1000 in the Academic Performance Rate for three straight seasons (2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14), to become the newest track and field assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame.

"I just applied, and after I did, [Irish head coach Alan Turner] called me and said, `Pristina, are you sure you want to leave being a head coach to come be an assistant coach?' and I was thinking, `Yeah!'

"Sometimes when you have these opportunities, it's not about the title that you have, it's about what you're able to do," Jones said. "I'm able to still do what I had done in my previous coaching position here, just not the title. It's a refreshing position."

Jones will be focusing on sprints and jumps at Notre Dame, events in which she herself was a standout athlete.

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Bill Hayes to receive community award

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Bill Hayes might be retired from athletics — but he’s still winning awards.

Hayes, who retired last February as athletics director at Winston-Salem State, will be given a Rhythm of Triumph Award for his long-standing work in the community.

The award, which is sponsored by the owners and operators of the Triad McDonald’s franchises, recognizes those in the community who give back beyond their job titles.

“This is our 15th year of doing this and it’s a celebration of Black History Month and we honor three dignitaries from the three cities,” said Nancy Tate, who is the marketing director of the event.

Also receiving an award on Friday night at ...

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National Signing Day celebration set for Feb. 4

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern University head coach Dawson Odums will unveil the Jaguars’ 2015 National Signing Day class during its Feb. 4 recruitment celebration in the Smith-Brown Royal Cotillion Ballroom on the Baton Rouge campus at 7 p.m.

Admission for next Wednesday's event, which is sponsored by the Southern University Quarterback Club and the Blue and Gold Century Club, is $20 and includes a buffet-style dinner and appearances by the SU varsity cheerleaders. Table sponsorship is also available for $300 per table.

All proceeds will be donated to the Southern Jaguars football program.

Odums is scheduled to provide commentary on the new recruits while career highlights of the 2015 class is shown during the two-hour event. Members of the Jaguars coaching staff will also be in attendance.

Fans are encouraged to contact 225-572-5878 for ticket information.

COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS 

South Carolina State Releases 2015 Football Schedule

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State announces an 11-game football slate for 2015 that includes two non-conference opponents, five home games at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium and a return to the annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando, FL.

SC State will open the season on Sept.5 on the road against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge held in Orlando, FL.

The Bulldogs then kick off their home campaign at O.C. Dawson Stadium on September 12 against Coastal Carolina. Other home games include Florida A&M (Sept. 19), Howard (Oct. 17), Hampton (Oct. 31), and North Carolina A&T (Nov. 7).

Additional road games are at Furman (Oct. 3), Bethune-Cookman (Oct. 10), Delaware State (Oct. 24), Norfolk State (Nov. 14), and Savannah State (Nov. 21).

Bulldogs fans and supporters are encouraged to purchase season tickets at the SC State Ticket Office. For additional information, call 803-536-8579 or 800-298-9157.

Starting times and dates for all games on the 2015 schedule, which is listed below, are subject to change.

For more information on South Carolina State University football, please call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060, or visit the official Bulldogs website at www.scsuathletics.com.

2015 South Carolina State Bulldogs Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Time#
9/05	Arkansas-Pine Bluff (ESPN MEAC/SWAC     Challenge Classic)	Orlando, FL+	TBA
9/12	Coastal Carolina (Business & Industry Day)	Orangeburg, SC	6:00 p.m.
9/19	Florida A&M* (Former Student-Athlete  Appreciation Day	Orangeburg, SC	6:00 p.m.
10/3	Furman	Greenville, SC	TBA
10/10	Bethune-Cookman*	Daytona Beach, FL	TBA
10/17	Howard* (Youth/ROTC/Military  Appreciation Day)	Orangeburg, SC	2:00 p.m.
10/24	Delaware State*	Dover, DE	TBA
10/31	Hampton* (HOMECOMING)	Orangeburg, SC	1:30 p.m.
11/07	North Carolina A&T *(Senior/Faculty & Staff Appreciation/High School Band Day)	Orangeburg, SC	1:30 p.m.
11/14	Norfolk State*	Norfolk, VA	TBA
11/21	Savannah State*	Savannah, GA	TBA

 
*MEAC Contest
Home Games in BOLD
Dates, times and locations subject to change



COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Florida A&M Head Football Coach Alex Wood Release Names of New Assistant Coaches

COACH THEO LEMON

COACH RICHARD SOLOMON

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Tuesday afternoon was a day of excitement and promise for the football program at Florida A&M University with the announcement of the first members of the new Rattler Football coaching staff.

FAMU head coach Alex Wood, was all smiles Tuesday as he commented on the appointments to his staff.

“I am extremely excited to work with all these great men. They are coaches, teachers, family men, men of faith who will be great ambassadors for Florida A&M University.

COACH DENNIS R. SMITH

“Many of them I’ve known a long time, and they bring extensive experience to us, and I know they will do nothing but great things for our young men, the football program and the university,” Wood said Tuesday afternoon.

In all Tuesday, five men have been brought aboard to the Rattler coaching staff, with one additional coach retained from the previous staff. “We actually have two more coaches to be hired, one on defense and one on offense,” he said. “I hope to announce them within the next five or six days.”

The newest faces in the Rattler Football realm include:

• Martin Spieler, former wide receivers, tight ends and special teams coach at the University of Buffalo, who will serve as Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach. Spieler has served as assistant coach at Cincinnati, Allegheny College and Georgia Southern.

COACH  EDWIN PATA

• Theo Lemon, former head coach at Savannah State, Central (Ohio) State and College of Dupage (Ill.), will serve Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach. His extensive experience also includes staff appointments at Wake Forest, Rutgers, East Carolina, Northeastern, Central State, Kentucky State and Ohio University. 

•  Richard Solomon, former assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Mesa (Ariz.) Community College, will serve as Defensive Backs Coach. Solomon has a lengthy resume which includes professional (Arizona, Minnesota, New York Giants) and collegiate (Western Illinois, Illinois, Syracuse, Iowa, Southern Illinois and the University of Dubuque).

• Donald “D.J.” McCarthy, former director of player personnel and assistant to the head coach at Bethune-Cookman University, will serve as Wide Receivers Coach. McCarthy also has assistant coaching experience at LSU, UCLA, UCF, Nevada-Reno, along with an NFL stint (Oakland Raiders), as well as high school and junior college experience.

COACH "D. J." McCARTHY

• Dennis R. Smith, formerly an assistant coach and special team coordinator at Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Mississippi, comes aboard to serve as Tight Ends and Special Teams Coach. Smith had worked prior to his time in junior college on the staffs of the University of Miami and Florida International University.

• Retained from the previous staff was Offensive Line coach Edwin Pata, a Miami native, who served the last two seasons (2013, 2014) at FAMU, after working two years (2011, 2012) as an assistant offensive line coach at Florida International (FIU).

NOTE: Click on coach name for link to biography and other info.





COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
VIDEOS COURTESY OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO

For 2nd straight year, XU Nuggets are No. 3 in preseason

NEW ORLEANS -- For the second consecutive year, Xavier University of Louisiana is No. 3 in the NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll. The NAIA announced rankings Tuesday.

The Gold Nuggets are in the same position they held in the 2014 postseason poll. Xavier was 17-7 last season and became the first XU team in any sport to reach the NAIA's national semifinals two straight times.

The Gold Nuggets' active poll streaks include 22 consecutive top-25 appearances, 17 straight times in the top 10 and seven consecutive top-3 appearances.

Xavier returns eight letterwomen from 2014, including All-Americans Nour Abbes, Brion Flowers and Simone-Alyse Ewell. Abbes, a sophomore, is the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's top-ranked NAIA singles player.

The Gold Nuggets will play their first dual match of 2015 at 3 p.m. Friday against city rival Loyola at XU Tennis Center. XU's and Loyola's men's teams also will play at that time. The XU men are ranked eighth.

Defending champion Georgia Gwinnett, 18-4 last season, is the preseason No. 1. It's just the third time in 15 seasons that Auburn Montgomery does not hold that distinction.

There are five preseason top-25 teams on the Gold Nuggets' schedule: No. 6 Brenau (Feb. 23 at Mobile, Ala.), No. 11 Vanguard (March 30 at Costa Mesa, Calif.), No. 17 Lewis-Clark State (March 31 at La Mirada, Calif.), No. 12 Westmont (April 1 at Santa Barbara, Calif.) and No. 5 Auburn Montgomery (April 10 at XU).

The first regular-season rankings will be announced Feb. 17.

The top 25:

1. Georgia Gwinnett
2. Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
3. Xavier
4. Lindsey Wilson
5. Auburn Montgomery
6. Brenau
7. Northwood (Fla.)
8. SCAD Savannah
9. Oklahoma Baptist
10. Concordia (Calif.)
11. Vanguard
12. (tie) Davenport
12. (tie) Westmont
14. Milligan
15. Indiana Wesleyan
16. Coastal Georgia
17. Lewis-Clark State
18. Cardinal Stritch
19. Northwestern Ohio
20. Marian (Ind.)
21. Campbellsville
22. Southeastern (Fla.)
23. Olivet Nazarene
24. McPherson
25. Cumberland

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director 

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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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