A&M regaining indoor track teams

Two years after eliminating men's and women's indoor track, Alabama A&M athletics director Betty Austin said the school will bring back the sports. The sports were cut in an attempt to balance the budget, but Austin said a series of meetings with the student-athletes compelled her to put the sports back in place.

"I started a series of conversations with the students in April and asked them what we could do to strengthen their programs, and out of that, the track athletes requested we bring back indoor track," Austin said. "You can't do everything they ask you to do, but I thought the things that they said were legitimate."

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Brisco's drive on track leads him to chase his goals at DSU

Despite finishing in the top half of the field, recently graduated Cape Henlopen High hurdler Isaiah Brisco didn't perform as well as he would have liked in the Nike Outdoor Nationals, held June 19-21 at Greensboro, N.C. He finished 13th among 32 participants in the 400-meter hurdles, and finished last in a field of 22 in the 110 hurdles.

But Brisco will have plenty of chances to improve on his times in the next four years. Best of all, his friends and family won't have to travel far to see this year's winner of the Thomas H. Fort Award, given to the state's most valuable performer in boys high school outdoor track and field as voted on by Delaware high school head coaches.

After winning the 110- and 300-meter hurdles in the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association Meet of Champions as a senior, Brisco will attend Delaware State University this fall.

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Runner Hyppolite commits to FAMU

Miami native anxious to be with Rattlers

Benedick Hyppolite doesn't intend to take too long to fit in on FAMU's men's track team. Hyppolite, who ran on the Miami Booker T. Washington High School's state champion relay teams, became the newest runner for FAMU this week. He's spent the last two years running with the same relay teammates that had the fastest time in Dade County this past season.

He is anxious to build a relationship with his new teammates that can produce similar results, Hyppolite said Thursday just after his signing was announced. "We're going to be the youngest team and I just want to help Florida A&M work its way back up," he said. "We've got all the talent so hopefully we can make it happen."

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SU’s Johnson ready to run for spot in ’08 Olympics

The 6-foot-5 guy who ran the 40-yard dash in less than 4.4 seconds at Southern University’s pro day for NFL scouts this spring isn’t going to a pro football training camp. Had he made different choices, Brian Johnson might be playing pro football. The former Southern track star has no time for second guessing.

The 28-year-old ex-Iowa High standout is focused on breaking a different barrier. With a jump of 27 feet, 2Ø inches, Johnson is ranked No. 1 going into today’s long jump qualifying round at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. Johnson has three of the top seven jumps in the world this year and hopes to earn his first Olympic team spot. The final round is Sunday.

Brian Johnson


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Changes are coming under former Grambling State's Robert Smith

Houston, Texas - Clear Lake Christian’s football program is about to get a different look. New head coach Robert Smith is setting his sights on lifting the Eagles from 6-man to 11-man football, upgrading the playing field and the bleachers. If anyone can do it, Smith can. He knows football inside, outside and sideways – offense and defense.

Smith played professional football in the NFL and USFL under three coaching legends: Tom Landry with the Cowboys in Dallas, Bud Grant with the Minnesota Vikings and George Allen with the Arizona Wranglers. Smith was drafted in the first round by the Wranglers in 1984 when Allen, the former coach of the Washington Redskins, was at the helm. He also played for Ray Perkins at Tampa Bay. His Tampa Bay and Detroit playing days included winning divisional championships in 1992 and 1993.

In college, Smith played for another football legend. During his four years at Grambling State University (1980-83), he was a starter at defensive end for Eddie Robinson. Before you ask the big question, yes, Smith knows coaching – a lot.

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Savannah State changing attitudes

SAVANNAH, GA -- The Savannah State Tigers will begin a new era under coach Robby Wells.

As they get prepare the new season... the Tigers have signed a pair of new recruits. Wide receiver Alakan Thomas... A 6-3, 190-pounder from McDonough... and Jordan Monico from Hawaii... a fullback and linebacker who stands 6-feet and weighs in at 225-pounds.


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B-CU hurdler to compete in track championships

Freshman Ronnie Ash has been selected to represent Team USA for the 110-meter hurdles in the NACAC under-23 Championships in Toluca, Mexico.

Ash, 19, is the first runner in Bethune-Cookman history to represent the U.S. The NACAC is the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association. The event takes place every other year, and involves teams comprised of the best athletes under 23 from the United States, Canada and Caribbean.

"This is a truly a huge honor for Ronnie," head coach Garfield Ellenwood said. "He worked extremely hard all season, earned All-America status for himself and the school, and now represents not only B-CU but also Team USA in the NACAC games. What a huge, huge honor for a freshman."

BCU Freshman Ronnie Ash (Lane #6) has All-American race for third place finish in NCAA Outdoor National Championships and does not get his name called once by TV announcers.


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Prairie View baseball coach going to TSU

Michael Robertson resigned Monday as Prairie View A&M baseball coach after six seasons, saying he has accepted an offer for the same position at Texas Southern.

Robertson said TSU athletic director Charles McClelland, who served as Prairie View's AD from 2001-08, offered him the job Wednesday. A person familiar with the situation said that Candy Robinson, who just completed his 19th season as TSU's coach, would be promoted to director of baseball operations.

Robertson, who went 163-171 with the Panthers and led them to back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament championships in 2006-07, said...

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Capital City Football Classic: Texas Southern vs. Shaw University

Shaw University, the reigning 2007 CIAA Champions, will face Texas Southern University on the gridiron in the Capital City Football Classic in Sacramento, California on Sept. 13 at Hughes Stadium. Game time is set for 4:05 p.m. and will be broadcast live via Comcast Sports Net.

Events will begin on Sept. 11 with the United College Action Network, Incorporated 20th Year Anniversary United Scholarship Gala. We are extremely excited about this incredible opportunity to be a part of the Capital City Football Classic and face Texas Southern; one of the premier athletic programs in the nation,” said Dr. Clarence G. Newsome, President of Shaw University.

File Photo: Texas Southern Tigers vs. University of Texas at El Paso Miners in a 2007 regular season game.

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Former Kentucky player named head basketball coach at MVSU

JACKSON, Miss. -- Former Texas Christian University assistant Sean Woods was chosen as the new head basketball coach at Mississippi Valley State University on Tuesday.Woods replaces James Green, who left earlier this year to become the new coach at Jacksonville State in Alabama.

Woods, a former college basketball standout at Kentucky, served two seasons at TCU as director of basketball operations and then assistant coach. Prior to his time at TCU, Woods spent one year as an assistant coach at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

The two other finalists for the MVSU job were Texas Southern assistant Lacey Reynolds, a former head coach at Grambling State and Harvey Wardell, an assistant at Tougaloo College.

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Mitchell back home at Southern University

There was always an air about Jackie Mitchell. That maturity level melded with athleticism to drive him into being a two-sport standout at Southern. Now, in returning to his alma mater after a successful run in the Canadian Football League, Mitchell’s aura — a seamless blend of easy confidence, attention-grabbing command and seriousness — remains one of his biggest assets.

“I truly felt I just had a different agenda,” Mitchell said of his time at SU. “I knew what I wanted to do, and I wasn’t going to be deterred by anything to get there.” The Canadian experience has added another layer of polish for Mitchell, who will be SU’s defensive backs coach.

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Sprinter headed to Olympic time trials

Since the seventh grade, Romulus' Landria Buckley has been excelling in track. Now this soon to be junior at Howard University in Washington D.C. is headed to the July 6 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. "In the beginning of the year my goal was to run under 13.3 seconds and qualify for regionals," Buckley said. "I surprised myself and made to nationals and ran 13.24 in the 100-meter hurdles."

She said that the adjustment from high school to college was different. For her she had to continue to work hard and really hit the weight room. The workouts are a lot harder and a lot more," she said. "The competition ends up being the best in the country."

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DSU football opener moved to Sept. 4 for TV

Delaware State University's season-opening football game against Florida A&M has been moved to Thursday, Sept. 4, and will be telecast on ESPNU.

The home game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ESPNU also will carry two other Delaware State games during the 2008 season. The Nov. 1 matchup with South Carolina State (1 p.m.) at Alumni Stadium and the Nov. 15 game at Norfolk State (1 p.m.) will be shown on tape-delay on ESPNU at a time to be determined.

The DSU-FAMU game was previously scheduled for Sept. 6.

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Big challenge for SSU coach

Robby Wells says he likes a challenge. He’s got one, all right. Wells was named head coach of the Savannah State University football team on Dec. 22, 2007, taking over one of the most maligned and moribund football programs in Division I. The Tigers have not had a winning season since 1998. They haven’t won more than two games in a season since 1999, and they went 1-9 in 2007.

“We’re doing the same thing Georgia State is doing,” Wells said, noting the Atlanta university’s plans to start a football program. “We’re doing it from scratch.” Problem is, Georgia State doesn’t plan to put its first team on the field for another two years. Savannah State’s been playing football since 1915. They are 7-47 since moving up to Division I in 2002.

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FAMU seeks kicking coach

All-American Vasquez favored to land position

FAMU's kicking game continues to be a major concern for football coach Joe Taylor. Just as soon as he found a seasoned kicker to add experienced depth with signee Trevor Scott, Taylor finds himself searching for a special-teams coach to replace J.B. Gibboney after he unexpectedly took another job.

Taylor said he'll have a replacement hired within the next two weeks. Former FAMU kicker and two-time All-American Juan Vasquez is the leading candidate among applicants for the job.

Gibboney spent spring practice working with freshman Troy Walker, a kicker from Wakulla High School. But Gibboney left FAMU for Purdue about two weeks ago, following his former boss Danny Hope, who is associate head coach for the Boilermakers. Gibboney's departure ironically came just weeks after Orlando Mitjans resigned as defensive coordinator to pursue a business venture. Both Gibboney and Mitjans came from Eastern Kentucky and were the last two hires for Taylor's staff in January (2008).

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FAMU football coach Taylor reaches out to alumni

GAINESVILLE — Recruiting in Alachua County and surrounding areas should be a lot easier for Florida A&M — at least that's the impression that a lively gathering of alumni gave football coach Joe Taylor last weekend.

Taylor's offseason speaking tour made its stop in Gainesville on Saturday, where the Alachua chapter of the FAMU Alumni Association is being revived after a two-year hiatus. The group also promised to help FAMU's recruiting efforts in an area where Rudy Hubbard was the last FAMU coach to seriously recruit during the 1970s.

"There's going to be more competition (for athletes) because he has shown up," said Jesse Heard, a retired football coach at the old Lincoln High School in Gainesville. "He's been tremendously received and it's going to be a lot of energy here."

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Winnipeg Blue Bombers axe SCSU's Cleve McCoy

The axe came down hard on a number of Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday afternoon as the Canadian Football League club made its final cuts.

Sent packing were punter Brian Monroe, quarterback Cleve McCoy, defensive backs Greg Moss, Willie Amos, Kevin Garrett, Sebastian Clovis and Marc Beswick; linebackers Dwayne Slay, Brad Newman, Art Thomas, Jordan Matechuk and Joe Lobendahn...

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McCoy does have a slim opportunity of being signed to the Bombers practice roster.

Ex-NFL linebacker, Disney Sports exec Reggie Williams fighting to save his leg

Battling infection takes ex-NFL star to New York

NEW YORK - Reggie Williams got in his car two months ago and headed north. He said goodbye to the swans and almost nobody else. He'd come to know them on his walks around Lake Eola. They'd take his mind off the pain as he circled the lake. Now the gnawing in his right knee had become too much.

Williams packed his Lexus with a few clothes and an iPod loaded with 18,226 songs. He did not know when he'd get back to Orlando, but the ex- NFL linebacker was certain of one thing. "This was all or nothing," Williams said.

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Hampton U's Briggs jumps to title at Nike Outdoor Nationals

Recent Booker T. Washington graduate DeShana Briggs,will attend Hampton University this fall, won the high jump at the Nike Outdoor Nationals.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - DeShana Briggs and Marlena Wesh came to Nike Outdoor Nationals this weekend hoping to make a statement. Both dominated opponents in Virginia but they wanted to see how they would fare on the national level. Both left satisfied.

Briggs, a recent Booker T. Washington grad, won her first national title when she cleared 5 feet, 8 ½ inches to win the high jump.

“She made goals for herself all season,” Booker T. Washington coach Yolanda Penn said about Briggs. “She got the district title, the region title, the state title and placed third at the indoor national meet. But this was her last time competing as a high school athlete. And I told her it was now or never for a national title and she went out there and competed.”

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Ex-Clemson RB McElrathbey to play for Howard

Southern Pigskin writer B.J. Bennett reports that former Tiger running back Ray Ray McElrathbey will play for Howard University. McElrathbey became famous in 2006 after it was discovered he took custody of his younger brother, Fahmarr, while is mother struggled with a drug addiction and his father with a gambling problem. The younger McElrathbey will accompany Ray Ray to Washington, D.C.

It wasn't a hard decision to pick Howard because I graduate from Clemson with a degree in Sociology on August 9th and Howard has a tremendous Master's Degree program in communications," McElrathbey told Bennett in the Southern Pigskin.com exclusive interview. "Howard is also in a huge market in Washington D.C. It was a no brainer."

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Ray Ray was a reserve running back for the Clemson Tiger, but will become the featured back in Coach Carey Bailey's spread offense. The 5-11/207 back runs a 4.36 40 yard dash with 38 inch vertical. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Coming out of Atlanta's Mays High School, the three sport star was a Rivals.com 3 star rated running back.

Ray Ray will join Howard incoming Division IA transfers Xavier Rucker (Nebraska) and Oscar Gonzales (Auburn) on Bailey's second Bison team. The Bison season opener against Georgetown just became worth the price of admissions and Metro subway fare to Georgia Avenue.

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