SSU boosters: We'll support new athletic director

Photo: Savannah State University new athletic director Bart Bellairs will start on June 1.

'Race doesn't matter'

SSU booster Danny Parrish, a founding member with Alfred Berry of the Atlanta-Downtown Alumni Chapter, one of SSU's largest clubs, is ecstatic that Bellairs was selected from 32 applicants. The Richmond, Ky., native was chosen over Wichita State assistant AD Leonard Clark and NCAA assistant director of championships Keshia Campbell.

"I'm very excited to have him there," Parrish said. "He has the background and experience to build the program to what we need. Everybody wants the same thing: to turn the Savannah State athletic program around and have a successful athletic program. I think he's capable of doing that.

"Race doesn't matter at all. I think diversity is very good. We need to represent the entire Savannah community. I'm glad that we're getting past the color issue." Horace Scandrick, president of the SSU Community Booster Club, agreed with Parrish.

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UMES Hawks add six athletes to the Basketball Program

Head Coach Frankie Allen assembled a strong first-year recruiting class.

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Head Men's Basketball Coach Frankie Allen announced the signing of six athletes to National Letters of Intent on Friday.

"Overall we are very pleased with the signees and feel that we have started to put together a foundation that the entire basketball community will be proud of in the upcoming years," said Allen.

Coach Allen who took over the helm on April 10 put together a solid core of prospects during the late signing period that will look to contribute to the Hawk basketball program in 2008-09, including Reginald "Tyler" Hines (6-7, 220, PF/C, Sewell, N.J./Timber Creek H.S.), Mark Robertson (6-5, 215, SF/PF, Lakewood, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep), Christopher Conner (6-4, 210, SG/SF, Powell, Tenn./Hargrave Military Academy), Neal Pitt (6-6, 230, SF/PF, Ft. Washington, Md./Frederick C.C.), Hillary Haley (6-6, 210, SG/SF, Waldorf, Md./St. Bonaventure Univ.), and Samuel Obetoh (6-7, 190, SF, New York, N.Y./Washington Irving H.S./Boys' Club of New York).

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Frankie Allen is still a great recruiter of Division I level talent. The Hawks are going to make a big move forward this upcoming season. Way to go, Coach Allen! Great crop of student-athletes.

Jackson State University - J-Settes

JSU J-settes Field Routine (Man eater)


JSU J-Settes Dancing to "I'm Dreaming"

Bryant High's Patrick earns scholarships to Alabama State

TUSCALOOSA Joe Patrick learned a few things about priorities in his life during his career at Paul W. Bryant High School. Patrick capped his senior season by accepting academic and athletic scholarship offers from Alabama State University in Montgomery.

Patrick, who stands 5-foot-9, finished second in the high jump in the AHSAA meet by clearing a height of 6-6. Patrick ran in the 4x800-meter relay during sectional competition. He said he’d like to be a versatile performer in college.

It feels great just to know I’ve done a lot for myself with the help of my parents, the track team and God,” Patrick said. “It feels great to know I’ve lifted a burden off my parents so they don’t have to pay anything.

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ASU to pay outgoing president Joe Lee nearly $289,000

MONTGOMERY, AL — Alabama State University will pay President Joe Lee nearly $289,000 when he resigns May 31 under a severance agreement reported Friday. Lee announced unexpectedly at a Feb. 8 board of trustees meeting that he planned to resign, ending a seven-year administration that saw a $125 million building campaign and record enrollment.

But he also upset some alumni by firing the football coach and over accounting problems revealed by an audit. Most of the payout — $215,875 — is the balance remaining on Lee's contract that's set to expire Aug. 31, 2009; $47,446 is in retirement and other fringe benefits; and $25,666 is in accrued paid leave.

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A well deserved payout for a president that accomplished many great things for the Hornets.

FAMU Rattlers getting ready for next football season

FAMU quarterback Eddie Battle slowed down from the rapid pace he’d set, going from one weight-training piece of equipment to another. It was brief, but not long enough to notice Joe Wims being spotted by Taj Jenkines.

“Let’s go, Joe,” Battle said, sweat dripping from his face. “Ain’t nothing but up and down.”

Photo: FAMU's #76 DeWayne Lanier, 6-7/315 Offensive Lineman, RS Sophomore, beheads a Southern Jaguar defensive player in last season MEAC/SWAC Challenge.

Wims gave the loaded weight bar a few more jerks, then turned it over to Jenkines. Battle and about 15 FAMU football players had been working out hard for almost an hour. Different groups of players go daily in three sessions.

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Eagles' undrafted quarterback (NSU Casey Hansen)

Photo: Casey Hansen (#3) left his mark at Norfolk State University as the second all-time leading Spartan passer with 4,277 yards in two season. Expect Hansen to surprise and stick with the Donavan McNabb led Eagles as a backup QB. (photo by Mark's Digital Sports Photography)

WITH HIS shirt off, Casey Hansen would tend to get noticed anywhere. A 6-5, thin, strawberry blond guy with a huge tattoo across his back - a pair of six guns framing a skull wearing a cowboy hat, with smoke from the guns curling up to where it spells out "HANSEN" across his shoulders?

That's a bit different, even without the large right-shoulder tattoo of a crown-wearing Jesus.

But Hansen, signed last month by the Eagles as a rookie free-agent quarterback, is used to standing out because of his looks, even fully clothed. To get on the field in college, to create the opportunity he's now pursuing in rookie camp, Hansen played his final two seasons at historically black Norfolk State University. The Spartans' Web site estimates that 86 percent of the school's 6,238 students are African-American, 7 percent are caucasian.

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Historic Rivarly moves to Historic Stadium in Charlotte

NCCU, NC A&T to Play Oct. 4 Football Game at Memorial Stadium in Charlotte

DURHAM, N.C. - In order to accommodate an anticipated crowd that exceeds the capacity of its own stadium, North Carolina Central University will move its home football game against long-time rival North Carolina A&T State University to Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

The 80th gridiron contest between the Eagles and Aggies will kickoff at 5 p.m. on Oct. 4.

"We are excited about partnering with the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department to bring this historic rivalry to Charlotte," said NCCU Director of Athletics Ingrid Wicker-McCree. "Memorial Stadium provides a terrific atmosphere for college football, and I am sure the fans will enjoy the many accommodations the Queen City has to offer."

A crowd of 19,320 witnessed the last meeting in 2007, played inside Aggie Stadium in Greensboro. Since 1994, the average attendance at an NCCU versus NC A&T football game is 35,478, including a high of 48,001 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh in 1997.

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New Blue QBs can run like the wind

Photo: Former South Carolina State University QB Cleve McCoy is now a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers' playbook is about to get a little fatter and -- Doug Berry has his fingers crossed -- the offence a whole lot more difficult to defend.

The Bombers finally made official on Tuesday what has been speculated for days when they announced the additions of quarterbacks Bryan Randall and Cleve McCoy, both Canadian Football League neophytes. But what's intriguing about the two transactions isn't just the addition of QB depth behind incumbents Kevin Glenn and Ryan Dinwiddie, it's about the skill set they will both begin showcasing with the opening of rookie camp next Wednesday.

Simply put, both Randall and McCoy tore it up in college by using their legs to help open up the pass -- McCoy rushed for 823 yards last year for South Carolina State; Randall had 511 yards along the ground as a senior at Virginia Tech in 2004.

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AFCA honors FAMU legend Jake Gaither

Florida Governor Claude Kirk visited Jake Gaither, the nationally renowned coach of the Florida A & M University football team, circa 1967-70. (photo provided by Florida's Division of Historical Resources)

Coaches group lauds Rattlers great with Trailblazer Award

Almost 40 years after he coached his last football game, Jake Gaither is still winning.

Gaither, who became a legend during a 24-year coaching career at FAMU, was recently named winner of the Trailblazer Award, a posthumous honor. He is the fourth winner of the prestigious national award that is given by the American Football Coaches Association.

The award recognizes black coaches who became greats of the game during an era when their accomplishments were seldom recognized. Gaither is considered on the same plateau with legend Paul "Bear" Bryant, who Gaither once recruited during the 1950s to assist with a coaches' clinic.

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READ: Jake Gaither
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/FAMU/70824026

READ: Jake Gaither, 90, Successful And Influential Football Coach:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E0D9153BF93AA25751C0A962958260&sec=&spon=

Rudy Hubbard returns to sidelines tonight

Jamboree first test for new Rickards coach

Rudy Hubbard left football 23 years ago when he coached his last game at Florida A&M. Tonight he returns as the first-year coach for the Tallahassee's (FL) Rickards High Raiders, who take part in a three-team jamboree at Cox Stadium.

Hubbard built on Jake Gaither's legacy by guiding FAMU to the Black College National Championship in 1977 and the inaugural NCAA Division I-AA title in 1978. He took over the Rickards program on March 20.

The Raiders will open tonight's jamboree by playing West Gadsden at 6 p.m. West Gadsden then plays Leon at 7 p.m. and Rickards and Leon play at 8 p.m. in the third.

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WSSU choir sings leader's praises

D'Walla Burke's students say that she teaches them much more than music

» AUDIO: Click to hear a recording of the Winston-Salem State University Choir singing "That's How Good God Is," under the direction of D' Walla Simmons Burke

Christopher Hawley said he had trouble meeting people when he arrived at Winston-Salem State University ­-- so much so that he was thinking about going back home to Durham. Then, he said, a friend suggested that he try out for WSSU's choir.

He tried out, was accepted and decided to stay for another semester.

Now a senior, Hawley says that his relationships with choir members and the choir's formidable director, D'Walla Simmons Burke, made all the difference in his career at WSSU.
















Photo: Choir Director D'Walla Simmons Burke philosophy is simply, "You can do nothing great by yourself." The Fort Valley, GA native was educated at Hampton University, UNC Greensboro and has lead the WSSU Choir as conductor to perform Faure's Requiem at New York's Carnegie Hall, becoming the first black female professor to debut as a conductor in this venue. In 2006, the WSSU choir was invited to perform with the Dvorak Symphony Orchestra in Prague, Czech Republic.

"The people in choir are like family to me," he said. "If it wasn't for choir, I probably would have transferred to another school."

He thinks of Burke, he said, as a second mother.

"She's very stern. She's going to push you, but that's a good thing," he said. "My mother's in Durham -- she's not with me now. Ms. Burke is right here with me."

Burke has been the director of choral and vocal studies since she came to WSSU in 1989. She had been teaching at Voorhees College near Denmark, S.C.

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FAMU's Harris fits men's basketball recruits into place

Photo: Cecil Bent is the crown jewel of Coach Eugene Harris first incoming class. The 6-9/290 center will play immediately for the Rattlers.

Coach Eugene Harris isn't exactly starting from scratch, but he likes what he has so far as he attempts to rebuild the FAMU men's basketball program.

Harris said he believes he's found a center and a forward to improve the Rattlers in the post. Akini Akini did most of the work down low for FAMU last season in his final year of eligibility.

Incoming center Cecil Bent and forward Yannick Crowder will play right away, Harris said. Six of the seven other recruits are guards. They will join four returning players from last season's team.

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Bent averaged 14 points per game with 8 rebounds at Swainsboro (GA), Swainsboro High School. He was a member of the 2008 Region 3-AA Champions basketball squad. He also competed in the State Sweet 16 tournament. Bent played for the South team in the GACA North-South All Star Game in which his team defeated the North team 100-95. He was also ranked as one of the top 24 basketball players in the state of Georgia.

-beepbeep

SSU goes for experience in AD hire

Within seconds of being introduced as Savannah State University's athletic director, Bart Bellairs on Tuesday used words like "gold mine" and "sleeping giant" to describe Savannah's only NCAA Division I school.

He'll no doubt use those terms frequently in his quest to help SSU increase revenue, join a conference and achieve success, both athletically and academically. Bellairs will begin at SSU on June 1.



Bellairs, 51, has spent the past three years as Virginia Military Institute's senior associate athletic director. He was instrumental in tripling revenue during his first two years at the Lexington, Va., school, which competes in the Big South Conference.

Bellairs is the first white AD at SSU, a historically black university that began playing sports in 1915. His hiring comes five months after SSU hired its first white football head coach, 39-year-old Robby Wells.

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Barack Obama - in Portland, OR

Senator Obama spoke before a crowd of 75,000 people in Portland, Oregon on May 18th, 2008. This was the largest crowd of any event in the Democratic Primary.


Yolanda Adams recently performed during a political rally for Senator Barack Obama. during her performance she had a mutlitude of encoraging words for the audience.

Yolanda Adams recently performed in Louisville, Kentucky during a rally for Senator Obama. In this clip she performs her hit song "Open My Heart"

Carter adds seven to SCSU men's basketball team

With the exception of the coaching staff and four returning starters, the 2008-09 South Carolina State men’s basketball team will look altogether different than last year’s edition.

Last year’s 20-loss campaign only served to expedite head coach Tim Carter’s ongoing make over of the team. Taking advantage of the scholarships made available with the departure of four players and the dismissals of David Cobb and Derrick Davis, Carter was able to add seven players during the recently completed signing period:

- Guard Jimmy Williams (6-4), East Laurens High School in Dublin Ga.- The Class 2-A Player of the Year in Georgia, he averaged...

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Jim Brown, TSU team up to motivate potential college students

By TSU Media Services

Academy to feature life-skills program started by Jim Brown

Houston, Texas - NFL Hall of Famer and community activist Jim Brown’s “Amer-I-Can” program will be a major component in Texas Southern University’s conditional summer academic program for students who do not meet the University’s new admission requirements that will be phased in over the next year.

Hundreds of students will attend TSU’s summer program that will run June 6 through July 31. The summer program is a unique opportunity that prepares students for college-level coursework.

Photo: The 72 year old Jim Brown is still a force with his "Amer-I-Can" program.

The free program provides students with centered instruction in mathematics, reading, and writing along with leadership and character development. The “Amer-I-Can” program is a 60 to 90 hour, 15 chapter life management skills curriculum that will be part of the program.

Video: http://www.khou.com/video/index.html?nvid=246709&shu=1

“The beauty of the 'Amer-I-Can' program is that it is applicable to all people, as it transcends race, age, gender, religion, and socio-economic status,” said Brown. “The Amer-I-Can” program will change the lives of these students and will motivate them to make the best of their college experience and become great leaders on campus.”

Since its inception in 1988, more than 500,000 youth and young adults have successfully completed the “Amer-I-Can” program. Students who complete the program experience on average a 60% decrease in disciplinary incidents, a 38% decrease in absences, and a 35% increase in their grade point averages. The program is changing lives nationally in more than 16 states and internationally in the United Kingdom, Belize, and South Africa.

TSU’s recently adopted admissions standards change the University’s previous “open-admissions policy” by raising the bar for students upon acceptances. Prospective students will be required to graduate from high school with a minimum 2.0 GPA. Students who graduate in the top 25% of their class will be automatically admitted. Other students will need to submit an ACT score ranging from 15 to 17 or a combined SAT in the range of 775-825 (on the 1600 scale). Any student who does not meet the University’s minimum requirements will still have the opportunity to enroll at the University after successfully completing the conditional summer academic program.

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Jim Brown, The Greatest Player in NFL History

TSU top defending champ Prairie View for SWAC title

Candy Robinson spent most of a disappointing 2008 baseball season trying to convince Texas Southern it could be a good team.

On Monday the Tigers proved they’ve been listening to their longtime coach.

Texas Southern capped an improbable run through the 2008 SWAC tournament with an improbable victory against Prairie View A&M, claiming the championship with a 12-11 triumph at Lee-Hines Field.

The Tigers (16-32) will be the SWAC’s representative in the NCAA tournament after scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to erase an 11-7 deficit.

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PVAMU ousts SU to reach SWAC final

Prairie View will get the chance to win a third consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball title today after prevailing on a wild and gritty Sunday in which the Panthers took two games by one run from traditional powerhouse Southern on the Jaguars’ own field.

Adrian Canales froze Michael Gavion for a full-count strikeout, with a runner on second base, as the Panthers beat Southern 15-14 in a zany second game at Lee-Hines Field.

And Josh Lara struck out 11 in a complete-game gem, finishing by getting SU’s Frazier Hall, a .400 hitter, to fly out to center field with Gavion on third base, as PV forced the second game 5-4 — after trailing 4-0 in the fourth — earlier Sunday.

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Obama Warns GOP "Lay Off My Wife"

Sen. Barack Obama ripped into a Republican ad today that targets comments made by his wife, Michelle, and called the GOP tactic "low class" and "detestable."

The senator and his wife discuss the race for the White House. The Illinois senator told "Good Morning America" that he expects hardball tactics from the Republicans if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee.

"But I also think these folks should lay off my wife," he told "GMA" as his wife chuckled beside him.

GMA Exclusive Video: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4883537

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Clark withdraws from SSU AD search

Clark withdraws from SSU consideration

Wichita State assistant athletic director Leonard Clark told The Wichita Eagle newspaper he withdrew from the athletic director search at Savannah State last week. Clark was one of three finalists for the position. The others are Bart Bellairs, Virginia Military Institute's assistant AD for operations and marketing, and Keshia Campbell, the NCAA's assistant director of championships.

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2007 Video Classics: Southern University Dancing Dolls

SU Dolls: The Hall Sisters (One night only)
SU Dancing Dolls - "Ain't no other man

SU Dancing Dolls - Sweet Escape

SU Dancing Dolls - D'Tara Feature

SU Dancing Dolls -Give it to me baby

SU Dancing Dolls (Gansta B**ch)

SU Dancing Dolls - Get It Shawty

SU Dancing Dolls - The Cupid Shuffle

SU Dancing Dolls - Suga Mama

SU Dancing Dolls - Neck

Alcorn State Fires Women Basketball Coach

On Thursday, Alcorn State Athletic Director Dr. Darren J. Hamilton announced that longtime coach Shirley A. Walker has been removed of her duties. Walker has been running the Braves program for the last thirty years and posted a record of 492-332.

In 2006, the basketball program received a one-year postseason ban and a three-year probation. The Braves lost one scholarship and had to remove all references to their 2005 NCAA Tournament appearance. The NCAA cited a lack of institutional control that included violations such as the use of ineligible players, giving improper financial-aid benefits and travel expenses, exceeding weekly practice limits, failing to provide a day off from practice each week, and allowing non-certified assistant coaches to recruit off-campus.

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Fighting an Uphill Battle...Why Division I-AA and II Get The Cold Shoulder

Next time someone mentions a Division I-AA or Division II school or player to you, research the player. Research the school. Because odds are that player is better than 90% of your favorite BCS team's roster.

I-AA Winston Salem State University had an NFL 4th Round (#103) draft pick in Defensive End, Willaim Hayes (Tennessee Titans). (Photo by Mark's Digitial Sports Photography).

What happened along the way? Back in the "Good ole' days," we saw small schools being held in, actually, high regard when it came to college football. Grambling was respected, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State, Jackson State, etc.

Now, when someone mentions that a Division I-AA school did this (FCS? What? Stop with that.), or a Division II did that, the first response is "Who cares?" I'll tell you who cares. Quick, name the alma maters of Steve McNair, Jerry Rice, and Walter Payton.

They were all named above.

Steve McNair, one of only a handful of college football players in history to pass for 10,000 career yards and rush for 3,000 career yards, attended Alcorn State and even made a run at a Heisman trophy.

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PVAMU Captures Emotional Win Over Southern Jaguars

BATON ROUGE, La.- The Prairie View A&M Panthers captured and emotional 5-4 victory over the Southern Jaguars in Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball action in the two team’s second meeting of the tourney.

PVAMU rallied from a 5-3 deficit to claim the win on Southern’s home turf. The win sets up a winner take all match-up where the victor will be awarded with an opportunity to participate in the SWAC’s title game where they will face Texas Southern.

PVAMU All-SWAC First Team Pitcher Wardel Taylor.

The Texas Southern Tigers remain as the only unbeaten team in tournament play as they have amassed a perfect 3-0 mark. TSU eliminated the Jackson State Tigers from title contention with a convincing 9-2 victory.

Prairie View A&M’s game versus Southern is set for 5:00 p.m. at Lee Hines field located on the campus of SU.

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