Hampton's Kendall Langford drafted by Miami Dolphins, 3rd Rd. #66

Photo: Hampton University's Kendall Langford, defensive end, was drafted in 3rd Round, #66 by the Miami Dolphins.

DAVIE — The Dolphins were busy trading partners today, trading down to tab defensive end Kendall Langford in the third round and trading up five picks to select offensive guard Shawn Murphy in the fourth round. The Dolphins swapped third-round picks with Detroit early Sunday, and used the 66th selection to draft Langford out of Hampton, a Division I-AA school.

Langford, 22, is the second defensive end drafted in the Dolphins' first four picks, joining Phillip Merling, the Dolphins' 32nd overall pick out of Clemson. The Dolphins also selected offensive tackle Jake Long first overall, and quarterback Chad Henne 57th.

Langford, a 6-foot-5, 294-pound defensive end from Petersburg, Va., compiled 23 1/2 sacks and nine forced fumbles in four years with the Pirates, and was named All-MEAC first team his final three seasons.

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Savannah State suspends Hardy

Photo: SSU head baseball coach Carlton Hardy.

Savannah State baseball head coach Carlton Hardy has been suspended and is the focus of an internal investigation, SSU communications director Loretta Heyward said Thursday night. Hardy, who is in his third season at the school, has not coached the Tigers since an April 16 game at Mercer, SSU sports information director Opio Mashariki said. The Tigers (19-18) lost that game 27-1.

SSU has played four games without Hardy. The team is being supervised by assistant coach Emanuel Wheeler. Heyward said Hardy "has been suspended, effective April 18, pending the outcome of an internal investigation." Because the case is a personnel matter, Heyward said she could not provide further information "in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, and Mr. Hardy's rights."

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Moore impresses as UAPB wraps up spring camp

Although the 2008 season does not begin until Aug. 30, Monte Coleman said that Saturday’s Black and Gold Game felt like a real game.

“This whole day has been feeling like it’s a game day instead of a scrimmage,” Coleman said. “It came to reality when my wife called and she was asking me all these questions about parking passes and tickets for the game. And I was saying it was only a practice. That’s when the reality was setting in that it was only a practice.”

The Black and Gold Game, “won” by the Black Team 24-8, won’t count in the standings, but it will help the first-year head coach evaluate the Golden Lions, who are coming off of a 4-7 campaign last season.

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UAPB and Alcorn State were originally scheduled to play each other on Saturday, Sept. 20, but the game has been moved to Thursday, Sept. 18 for television. The Sept. 18 matchup between UAPB and Alcorn will be televised on ESPNU at 4 p.m. Central.

Arizona Cardinals earn high praise for Rodgers-Cromartie selection at #16, 1st Round

No pick in the first round of Saturday's NFL draft drew a louder or more positive response from any of the talking heads on the NFL Network than the selection of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. When the Cardinals took the Tennessee State cornerback at No. 16, all you could hear on the television was someone shouting, "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"

It was Deion Sanders. "I love the intangibles! I love the upside!" Sanders, the former eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback, said. " . . . I want to work with this guy."

Say what you want about Sanders, be it his mouth, flamboyance or his fear and loathing to make tackles during his NFL career. But when a cornerback of the stature of Prime Time says he wants to personally work out with your rookie defensive back, it should tell you something.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, 2008 Senior Bowl Defensive MVP.


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UAPB Coleman makes transition easy

Monte Coleman’s ascension to head football coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff was about as smooth as college coaching changes get.

When the former Central Arkansas and NFL standout was bumped up from his defensive coordinator position after the dismissal of former Coach Mo Forte, Coleman passed on making sweeping changes. The coaching staff remained intact, as did the packages, plays and terminology.

Today’s Black and Gold scrimmage at 1 p.m. at Golden Lion Stadium will conclude UAPB’s 15-day spring practice session, and it should be an early indicator of whether more of the same is what the Golden Lions need.

Archive Photo: UAPB Golden Lions vs. New Mexico State University (2007).

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Today's Pine Bluff Commercial newspaper is reporting former UAPB players Jason Jones and Chris Wallace could be members of the National Football League by the end of this weekend.

Jones, who starred at wide receiver for the Golden Lions the last three seasons, has garnered interest from several teams, including the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and St. Louis Rams. Coach Monte Coleman said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have shown interest in Jones as well.

The 6-foot-1 Jones has been projected as a possible fourth to fifth round pick in this weekend’s NFL Draft. Wallace, who helped quarterback the Golden Lions to the SWAC Championship Game in 2006, may be a late-round pick or a free agent.

FAMU signs JUCO Softball Pitcher, Amanda Reyes

Photo: RH Pitcher Amanda Reyes (Photo provided TCC).

Tallahassee Community College (FL) announced yesterday that student-athlete Amanda Reyes has been signed to a national letter of intent by Florida A&M University.

A native of Scotts Valley, California, Reyes has appeared in 59 games during her two seasons with the Eagles. She has a career record of 24-22, including a 14-7 mark as a freshman in 2007, with a 1.75 ERA. The only returning pitcher for the Eagles in 2008, her ten wins have helped TCC secure its fourth straight berth in the FCCAA Gulf District Tournament.

Reyes appeared in 28 games with 14 complete games. She recorded 88 strikeouts with 54walks and in Panhandle Conference games, she went 5-3 with 3.06 ERA with 18 strikeouts.

Amanda played at Scotts Valley High School where she was a four-year starter and two-time MVP. As a senior, she earned Pitcher of the Year honors for Scotts Valley in the Santa Cruz Athletic League in California; was named 1st team all-conference; and posted a 0.36 ERA while averaging 8.4 strikeouts per game.

Reyes pitching will be a welcomed addition next season to a Lady Rattlers club that is sporting a 2008 record of 11-36 (1-5 MEAC), going into this weekend home series with Bethune Cookman University.

FAMU currently has only two pitchers on a team led by Coach Veronica Wiggins. Wiggins has a 367-412 career record, and last won a MEAC championship and participated in the NCAA softball tournament in 1999.

WSSU's Hayes eager to see if he gets drafted

Archive Photo: Winston Salem State University William Hayes awaits NFL draft selection, possibly on Sunday in Rounds 4 thru 7.

This is a big week for William Hayes, a defensive end from Winston-Salem State. Hayes has been poked and prodded and asked plenty of unusual questions by NFL scouts and assistant coaches. In the process, he has learned a lot about the NFL. "Oh, definitely I've found out that it's all business," Hayes said.

He has had visits with the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts, and a scout for the Atlanta Falcons was on campus yesterday to talk with Hayes one more time.

Hayes, a 6-2, 272-pounder and a graduate of High Point Andrews High, started at WSSU for four seasons. He led the team with 8.5 sacks last season and was second in tackles with 78. Earlier this month, he ran a very good 40-yard dash time for scouts, 4.62 seconds.

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Grambling legend Patricia Cage-Bibbs will not return to take over former program

Photo: North Carolina A&T State University head women's basketball coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs turns down her alma mater's head coaching position at Grambling State University. Coach Cage-Bibbs has 422 career wins and nine conference championships on her resume.

GRAMBLING — Nearly three weeks into the search for a new Grambling State women’s basketball coach, it remains unclear who will replace David “Rusty” Ponton. We now know, however, who it will not be: GSU product Patricia Bibbs. Bibbs, currently head coach at North Carolina A&T, called Grambling athletics director Troy Mathieu on Tuesday and removed her name from consideration.

“He told me to think about it, to sleep on it,” Bibbs said. “I love my school, and I will always love my school, but I have to do what’s best for me and my family — and that’s stay here.”

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Ingrid Wicker-McCree named NCCU Athletic Director

Photo: North Carolina Central University athletic director, Ingrid Wicker-McCree.

It turned out to be something entirely different when N.C. Central on Wednesday announced that Ingrid Wicker-McCree, 41, had been hired from a large pool of candidates as the school's athletic director, a job she had held on an interim basis for five months.

In landing the job, Wicker-McCree qualifies as a rarity in college athletics. Less than 2 percent of the NCAA's 300-plus Division I schools have female African-American ADs, which in part explains her surprise when the school made the decision.

"It was a big surprise, but it was a big, pleasant surprise," she said. "I don't know who all of the candidates were, but I do know there were a lot of very good ones."

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Rodgers-Cromartie’s success harkens back to Tennessee State Tigers glory days

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has become one of the nation’s best cornerbacks and on Saturday, is expected to become the first Tennessee State University player taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Waymond Bryant were selected 34 years ago.

“I always thought I was capable of playing in the NFL,” said Rodgers-
Cromartie. “That didn’t just come about this past year or the year before. I thought I could play on that level ever since I got to TSU and it's something I've looked forward to, like everybody does.”

Rodgers-Cromartie made big splashes at the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine, and during individual workouts for pro scouts. The 6-2, 184 pound Bradenton, Fla., native’s last workout came Tuesday at TSU’s Hale Stadium for the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints. The Patriots have the seventh pick and are in the market for a cornerback after losing Asante Samuel to free agency.

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TSU Express Interests In Playing Football Games at New Stadium

Dynamo Stadium Efforts Land a New Ally

The Houston Dynamo's efforts to partner with the City of Houston on a downtown soccer stadium received a boost Wednesday when Texas Southern University expressed interest in playing its home games in the proposed facility.

Photo: Texas Southern University athletic director Charles McClelland hits the ground running to improve the Tigers facilities.

"Although I officially start on May 1 at Texas Southern University and I haven't had an opportunity to look at all of the data involving the proposed stadium, TSU athletics and its football program would be excited to be able to participate and partner with all entities involved in the project to ensure Texas Southern has a state of the art football facility," said Charles McClelland, the schools' new athletics director in an interview with FOX 26 Sports.

The Dynamo and the City of Houston are in the midst of intense negotiations on the project that would be built near Minute Maid Park with an estimated cost of $110 million.

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SCSU to take on Bethune-Cookman in Lowcountry Classic

Visits to the Port City have generally gone well for the South Carolina State football team under head coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough.

On Sept. 13, SCSU will get another shot at the Bethune Cookman University Wildcats in Johnson Hagood Stadium on the campus of The Citadel. SCSU Board Chairman Maurice Washington made the announcement Thursday of the game moving from Orangeburg to Charleston as part of the fourth Lowcountry Classic.

Photo: SCSU Cleve McCoy scores over Bethune Cookman's Cedric Mason in the 2007 game at Daytona Beach, FL.

SCSU is 2-1 in the Classic, including last year’s 51-7 trouncing of North Carolina A&T. The lone loss, however, was a 45-21 pouncing by Bethune-Cookman in which SCSU jumped out to an early 14-0 lead before allowing 45 unanswered points and giving up 493 passing yards before an estimated 16,000 fans.

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Who the hell will they draft 2008: Howard DE Rudolph Hardie

While it is possible that the Colts will draft Georgia DE Marcus Howard or Purdue's Cliff Avril in rounds 2 or 3, that does not mean pass rushers in later rounds will get ignored. A player like Hardie is intriguing here, especially when you consider Indy's success with drafting late round defensive talent. First and foremost, Hardie played college ball at Howard, an African American college that does not play premiere talent. But I'm not one to put a ton of stock in the big school mentality. As I've said before, Laurence Phillips played a lot of college ball against top tier talent, and still sucked at the pro level. Vince Young and Reggie Bush played top tier college talent, and both are fading fast in the pros. Hardie's college, Howard University, runs a Tampa 2-style defense and it produced Colts starting safety (and Pro Bowler) Antoine Bethea.

Photo: #99 Howard University's Rudolph Hardie vs. Hampton University in the Real HU Game 2007. Will the Indianapolis Colts draft Hardie is the question?

The system Howard runs is a system very similar to Indy's. So, naturally, Indy's scouts take an interest when a player from Howard starts to make waves. Hardie was not present at the NFL Combine, but his production at Howard (in particular his knack for destroying QBs) and his university work out on March 11 impressed scouts. With Hardie, it is not his timed speed that wows scouts but rather his quick first step and non-stop motor. Hardie is also very stout against the run, as NFL Draft Scout notes, able to take on guards and tackles.

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Pitchers coming through for FAMU

Photo: Cirilo Manego, 5-9/165 Pitcher/IF, senior, New Orleans, LA De La Salle HS.

FAMU baseball coach Robert Lucas has done some tinkering in his bullpen that is paying big dividends as the Rattlers have reeled off four victories in their last five games.

Lucas seems to have found the perfect pitching rotation with Miguel Parga, Anthony Espin and Cirilo Manego. The trio is pitching with more consistency than they did earlier in the season to give FAMU a late-season surge in the MEAC standings.

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Norfolk State signs Casey Pomeroy to NLI

Norfolk State University has signed to a national letter of intent a star softball pitcher and second baseman in Casey Pomeroy, Fallon High School, Fallon, Nevada.

Pomeroy has been a pitcher and second baseman for the Greenwave softball for the last four years. She plans to major in kinesiotherapy at Norfolk State. She's the fourth Greenwave softball player to sign with a Division I school in the last four years. "I'm excited," Pomeroy said. "I'll pitch and play outfield and fill in wherever they need me."

There were several colleges interested in Pomeroy, including the College of Idaho and Boise State.

Video: Casey Pomeroy


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Alcorn's Steve McNair left lasting impression

Where do I start in talking about former Alcorn State quarterback Steve McNair, who announced his retirement from the Baltimore Ravens last week? The many last-second wins at Henderson Stadium and then Jack Spinks Stadium where a concert-like crowd was treated to another rock-star type performance?

Steve McNair NFL Retirement Speech


The guy who went from saying maybe four sentences a game following a game his freshman year to a go who talked with ease with the country smile when he was a senior? The guy who played through so much pain and through so many injuries that bandage companies probably lost revenue after he left town?

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FAMU signs Atlanta's Shauib Winters

The FAMU track team signed Atlanta distance standout Shauib Winters to a national letter-of-intent, the Rattlers announced Wednesday.

He won distance titles in the Southern Indoor Nationals in 2006 and 2007 while taking eighth and the AAU Junior Olympics. He also won the men's 5,000 meters at the Morehouse College Relays and took third in the men's 3,000 at the Ed Temple Indoor Track Classic at Tennessee State.

His best times are 4:30 in the 1,600, 9:14 in the 3,000, 9:47 in the 3,200 and 15:43 in the 5,000.

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HU's Langford an NFL mid-rounder

HAMPTON - — A Hampton University football player has been selected in 12 of the past 16 NFL Drafts. Barring the unexpected, defensive end Kendall Langford will add to the list. Pro Football Weekly personnel analyst Nolan Nawrocki wrote on Tuesday: "Hampton DE Kendall Langford may be available in the fourth (round), but his value could be too great for 3-4 fronts to make it that far into the draft."

Photo: NFL draft prospect Kendall Langford, #98, Hampton University.

Langford said on Thursday that he is hearing that he'll go in the fourth round or earlier. Langford, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound senior, started four seasons at Hampton and was selected to two All-American teams for his play in 2007.

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Pine Bluff’s Torii Hunter at home in L.A., continues to be a force on, off the field

Photo: Los Angeles Angels superstar Torii Hunter has provided UAPB with $500,000 in seed money to build an on campus baseball only stadium. The facility will be named in honor of Hunter, who never attended college.

Torii Hunter has won seven Gold Glove awards. He’s been named an American League All-Star twice. And the new contract he recently signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim makes him one of the wealthiest professional athletes in the world today.

The day the Pine Bluff native was taken 20th overall in the 1993 amateur baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins, he could’ve left his hometown and never looked back, like many athletes tend to do. But that’s not Hunter.

“I just like to help people,” Hunter said modestly. “And I’m in the position to do it.”

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Prairie View A&M selects interim AD

PRAIRIE VIEW — Prairie View A&M named Fred Washington as its interim athletic director Wednesday, effective May 1.

Washington has served as the school's vice president of administration and auxiliary services and will oversee the Panthers' athletic program in the wake of Charles McClelland's departure to Texas Southern last week.

"Mr. Washington is the right person for the job; as a part of the university's Athletic Council, he is knowledgeable about the current projects and all the program's activities," said Prairie View president George C. Wright.

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UAPB's Ivory Signs Five in First Recruiting Class

Photo: UAPB Golden Lion head basketball coach George Ivory.

PINE BLUFF - George Ivory, recently hired as University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men's basketball coach, announced a signing class of five athletes following the start of the spring national signing period on April 16. The Golden Lions signed three high school and two junior college transfers to NCAA national letters of intent.

"We're very excited about these players," Ivory, a former UAPB assistant coach who spent the past season on the staff at Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Mississippi Valley State. "I believe we've addressed some much-needed areas in our program with these five signees."

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Hampton's Marcus Dixon prepares for 2008 NFL Draft, Looks to Escape Past

Photo: Marcus Dixon, #94 (left) intercepts pass from defensive end position against Morgan State.

Marcus Dixon, a defensive end from Hampton University, is hoping to get selected in the 2008 NFL Draft on Saturday despite his troubled past. While in high school, Dixon, then a student at Pepperell H.S. in Lindale, Georgia, had a controversial record of incidents.

Two alleged incidents got him suspended from school for a total of 10 days. In March of his sophomore year, Dixon exposed himself in a classroom, and a year later he allegedly touched a 14-year-old girl inappropriately after track practice. Neither situation was reported to the Floyd County police despite his suspension.

According to an ESPN report, the first incident was a "stupid prank", while the second incident was of Dixon and the girl "making out".

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Morgan State's Coly decides to go pro

Photo: NBA draft prospect Boubacar Coly.

Boubacar Coly, Morgan State's 6-foot-9 defensive enforcer, will forgo his last year of NCAA eligibility to pursue a pro basketball career, Bears coach Todd Bozeman said this week. Coly, who played this season as a 24-year-old graduate student, leaves as reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. He led the MEAC in rebounds (10.9 per game) and blocked shots (84).

A native of Senegal, Coly transferred from Xavier University, where he played in only a handful of games while undergoing two knee surgeries. He earned a degree in mass communication there, and that enabled him to play his first season at Morgan in 2006-07.

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Howard U., Georgetown Agree to Four-Game Series in Football

The Georgetown and Howard football teams have agreed to a four-game series that will begin on Sept. 6 at Howard. The division I-AA schools have not met in football previously. "I have seen both schools play over the years and as a Washingtonian, I always wondered why we were not playing each other," Howard Athletic Director Dwight Datcher said.

The schools will take turns hosting the game through 2011. Georgetown, a member of the Patriot League, went 1-10 last season. Howard, a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, went 4-7.

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Morgan State Announces 2008 Football Schedule

MSU Sports Information

BALTIMORE, Md. - The 2008 Morgan State Bears prepare for another challenging schedule under 7th year head coach Donald Hill-Eley. The Bears’ season will include 7 road games and 5 games at Hughes Stadium. (Some game times have yet to be announced.)

Morgan State will open the 2008 season on the road and finish the year off with two games at home. The Bears will start the season by playing against two of their three non-conference foes of 2008. "We are excited about the challenge of 12 consecutive games in a row, said Hill, " and the opportunity to play a BCS Bowl Championship team (Rutgers)."

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Date Opponent Location Time/Result
9/6/2008 Towson Towson, Md. TBA
9/13/2008 North Carolina Central (Prince Hall Day) Hughes Stadium 4:00 p.m.
9/20/2008 * Winston-Salem State Winston-Salem, N.C. TBA
9/27/2008 Rutgers New Brunswick, NJ TBA
10/4/2008 * Bethune-Cookman (Varsity "M" Letterman's Day/Fullwood Youth Day) Hughes Stadium 4:00 p.m.
10/11/2008 * North Carolina A&T Greensboro, N.C. TBA
10/18/2008 * Howard Washington, D.C. TBA
10/25/2008 * Delaware State (Homecoming) Hughes Stadium 1:00 p.m.
11/1/2008 * Florida A&M Tallahassee, Fla. TBA
11/8/2008 * Norfolk State Norfolk, Va. 1:00 p.m.
11/15/2008 * South Carolina State Hughes Stadium 4:00 p.m.
11/22/2008 * Hampton Hughes Stadium 1:00 p.m.

Morgan State University Marching Band 2007 "Torture"