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WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State University C.E. "Big House" Gaines Hall of Fame will welcome its class of 2010 inductees when eight individuals along with the 2000 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champion Rams football team will take their place among the WSSU greats.
The individual inductees will be inducted in a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 17 at the Grand Pavilion Ballroom located at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Winston-Salem, N.C. and will be honored at halftime of the Winston-Salem State versus Chowan University football game on Saturday, Sept. 18.
"To an athlete, being enshrined into your university's athletic hall of fame is reaching the mountaintop. There is no higher honor," WSSU Director of Athletics, William "Bill" Hayes said. "On behalf of the entire WSSU Department of Athletics, congratulations to all inductees for reaching this milestone."
The Clarence E. "Big House" Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2010 will include some of the top student-athletes in school history. The class will include two softball players (Kenisha WilliamsandSheila Vanhook McDonald), one tennis player (Darrell Edmund Galloway), four football players (Masha Paul, Kelley D. Goodman, Gary Raiford and Antonio Stevenson), and one member of the Rams track & field team (George Dillard Macklin).
ALBANY, GA — A quintet of Albany State University alumni are about to go from legendary to immortal. Five distinguished individuals — Dr. Wilburn Campbell Jr., Dr. John I. Davis, Johnny Seabrooks, Timothy Goff and Antonio Leroy — will be inducted into the Albany State University Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010 on Sept. 10 as part of the school’s 11th Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Albany State University HPER Gymnasium.
Campbell is an associate member of the ASU National Alumni Association and was the swimming coach at Albany State from 1969 to 1982. During that span, his swimming and diving teams were SIAC Champions from 1975 to 1981. Campbell’s swimming and diving teams were the first National Black College Champions in 1979, and he was SIAC Coach of the Year. His team repeated as National Black College Champions in 1980. Campbell is the only Albany State coach to win a college national championship. As a coach, Dr. Campbell contributed to the success of numerous students.
Bulldogs determined to win MEAC and a playoff game this season
ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Buddy Pough fielded familiar questions on Saturday at South Carolina State media day at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. Will the Bulldogs win the MEAC football championship again? Will the team get its first NCAA playoff win since 1981? Will SC State impress the FCS committee enough to rate a first-round bye and/or an opening home game?
“The first thing is we have to win the conference championship, or all this talk means nothing,” said Pough, who has guided the Bulldogs to back-to-back 10-2 records, MEAC titles and automatic NCAA postseason berths. “We have some holes to fill, but the guys we have back seem to have the right stuff. The goal is to win the conference again and see what happens in the playoffs.” Pough believes his team has its best chance yet to rate a high enough national seed to open at home.
“We’ll start with a high enough ranking that if we handle our end of things, we should be in good shape there,” he said. “Our attendance at home should also come into play and be a factor.
Here is the official transcript of Jerry Rice's speech Saturday night as he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on 8/7/2010.
"Thank you. Thank you, guys.
"I have something I have to admit to today. My uniform, the way I dress, is everything. I'm a very honest guy. I made a mistake today. I have a blue and a black sock on today (smiling).
"Now, for me to do this speech, I need to borrow a black sock from someone (laughter). Just joking, guys.
"Hey, look, thank you, Eddie DeBartolo, for that introduction. Thank you, thank you.
"I love you fans, especially the greatest fans in pro football, the 49er fans. Thank you, God, for allowing us to travel here safely. This has been such an unbelievable week. To the city of Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, thank you for your hospitality. It has been incredible. To the selection committee, thank you for bestowing this great honor to me.
"I had never been on an airplane until I was drafted by the 49ers. And I left Crawford, Mississippi, for a long, stomach-churning flight to San Francisco. I was scared to death, but excited at the same time. Scared about surviving the flight, excited like I am now because I knew I was joining a great team that had already won two Super Bowls. And, of course, we went on to win three more.
"I was also part of the Oakland Raiders, a team I admired that also went to the Super Bowl.
"But standing here today as the newest member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, feeling like a rookie all over again, I can honestly say this is the greatest team I have ever belonged to. I'm truly honored and humbled.
"I also feel very fortunate to be part of the 2010 Hall of Fame class. Russ Grimm, Dick LeBeau, Floyd Little, John Randle, another 49er Rickey Jackson, and, of course, the NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith. If not for you, Emmitt, and the Dallas Cowboys, there would be three more Super Bowl rings on my fingers (laughter).
"Rivalries are great for the NFL, and it's fitting that the 49ers and Cowboys are represented here today. We definitely made each other better. When I was a kid, I had these embarrassing huge hands that I would hide in my pockets. I was always running, even before I played sports. I ran everywhere. I didn't even know why. But I guess I was preparing myself for something, destined for something, but I didn't know what.
"In the summertime, holidays, I would work with my father laying bricks for homes and businesses. We started at 5 a.m. and finished after dark. It was hot, hard work. My brothers and I would be the supply chain for bricks, and many times I would be the last link between the bricks and my father. Sometimes I would balance myself on the scaffolding two stories up and catch bricks thrown to me from the ground.
"There was a certain standard. Even though my job was to make sure that my dad had bricks and everything worked out smoothly, I took pride in it. There were no shortcuts. The concrete had to be laid a certain way. The bricks had to be stacked because any slowdown was money lost. It was a lot of pressure. I didn't want to let my father down. I was afraid to fail.
"I'm here to tell you that the fear of failure is the engine that has driven me throughout my entire life. It flies in the faces of all these sports psychologists who say you have to let go of your fears to be successful and that negative thoughts will diminish performance. But not wanting to disappoint my parents, and later my coaches, teammates and fans, is what pushed me to be successful.
"My dad was a hard man. I never saw him cry, and he didn't say, I love you. But like men of his generation, he expressed it in other ways. He taught us about responsibility at an early age. I miss him and I know he would be very proud of me today. I wish you were here, dad. I love you.
"Despite the fear of knowing my mom and dad would whip me good, one day my sophomore year at B.L. Moor High School, I decided to play hooky with a friend. We got caught by the school principal, Mr. Ezell Wickes. He saw how fast I sprinted away from him and realized I could put my speed to better use. So after whacks with a leather strap, he forced me to meet with Charles Davis, our head football coach, who convinced me to come out for the team.
"Coach Davis made us run hills after practice, 40 yards up, 40 yards down, a training regimen I kept doing 20 seasons in the NFL. I received a lot of letters from recruiters at big schools like USC, LSU, Mississippi State. But I chose Mississippi Valley State for two reasons: Coach Archie Cooley loved his team to throw the football, and they were the only ones who sent someone to see me play. Coach Cooley is here today. Thank you.
"Before Joe Montana or Steve Young, there was Willie Totten, my quarterback at Mississippi State Valley University. We earned the nickname satellite express because the ball was seemingly in orbit. Willie is here today. Thank you.
"It was a dream come true to be drafted by the 49ers, and I'm so proud to be part of such a classy organization, with the greatest owner ever, Eddie DeBartolo. The greatest coach of all time, Bill Walsh, and the greatest fans. There will never be another organization like that in the history of sports. To have two guys like that, who were all about winning.
"Eddie would say, I'll give you guys everything you want. You're going to have the best hotels, the best planes to travel on. You're going to go a day early to the East Coast. All I want is for you to do is win championships. Eddie was like that 12th man. He loved football, loved his players even more, and he wanted to win. And, man, did the 49ers win under Eddie DeBartolo. Five Super Bowls in 12 years.
"Every player knew nothing was finer than to be a 49er, and some was willing to take pay cuts to play there. We were the envy of the NFL, the guys they said wore wing tips and carried briefcases because we were a first-class operation and meant business.
"Just like he did after every game, Eddie has greeted players like Joe Montana, Steve Young, Fred Dean and me in Canton, Ohio. He deserves to be standing with us as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Thank you, Eddie. I love you and your family, your wife Candy, and your daughters.
"I miss Bill Walsh every day of my life. I know he's up there looking down from heaven today smiling. What can I say about the genius, the legend? He was like magic. He would cast a spell on you just being in his presence. You wanted to win for this guy. There was just something about him, and he knew how to get the best out of his football players.
"Bill is the reason I played in the NFL. He was like a father to me, someone I could talk to about relationships and business or professional football. I never wanted to let my father down, and I was afraid to let Bill Walsh down. He taught us to be perfect. If you failed to be perfect, then excellence would be within your grasp. He had every gift but length of years.
"I love you, Bill, your wife Geri and your family. Geri Lynn, thank you for joining us here today. I love my teammates and coaches. There are too many of them to mention. I was blessed to play for not one but two Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Joe Montana and Steve Young. Joe was the ultimate prankster, put in Tiger balm in jocks and Steve would roll out of bed and come to work with his hair all messed up.
Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon, they were true professionals and took me under their wing. Even though they knew I was there eventually to replace them. To Roger Craig and Raymond Ferris, thank you for helping me take my training regimen to the highest level possible. I wasn't the most physical or the fastest receiver in the NFL, but they never clocked me on the way to the end zone. The reason nobody caught me from behind is because I ran scared. That old fear of failure again. It's hard to go into every game with a red X on your chest, and I could feel the hair rise on the back of my neck when people chased me.
"People are always surprised how insecure I was. I love it when some commentary would refer to an upstart receiver as the next Jerry Rice. That made me work even harder. It was as if I was saying, You're going to have to work so hard to get to where I am, and if you can pay that price, you deserve it.
"But I was always in search of that perfect game, and I never got it. Even if I caught 10 of 12 passes, or two of three touchdowns in the Super Bowl, I would dwell on the one pass I dropped.
"I played for 20 years and I still believe in my heart I could play today. I played that long because I love this game of football. I loved everything about it, especially the fans. The stadium was my stage, and I was there every Sunday to put on a performance for the fans. I hope the players today respect the game, respect the men whose shoulders they are standing on. But most importantly, don't play for what the game can give them rather than what they can give to the game.
"I felt proud every time I put on that uniform. That's why I'm still humbled to pose for pictures and to sign autographs. I'm a lot like my mom in that respect. If she just met you, she would invite you into her home and cook you dinner. She is the most caring and passionate person I know. I love you, mom.
"Thank you to my brothers and my sisters for sharing this moment with me today. To my children, I am so proud of you. You are my life, and I love you with all my heart. I'm so looking forward to seeing you make your mark in this world.
"To Jackie, thank you for being the anchor for our family and for supporting me for all these years. In addition, thank you to your family for their support.
"To my management team, thank you for all those hats you wear and keeping me together all these years. To the York family and the 49ers organization, thank you for your continued support.
"When you play as long as I have, there are a lot of people that have contributed to my journey. I regret that I cannot mention all of you today, but I hope you all know how important you are to me.
"To my 'Dancing With the Stars' family, you provided me with a whole new audience to thrill and a new challenge, another venue where I could be judged and triumph over my fear. All I had to do was wear sequins, an afro wig and heels.
"Today I feel as if this honor of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was made not just to me but mostly to my work, to my sweat and sacrifice of all those who carried me to the steps of this hallowed ground.
"But if I have a single regret about my career standing here today, it's that I never took the time to enjoy it. I swear to God, this is true because I was always working. Right after the season, whether we won the Super Bowl or not, I would take two weeks off and go right back to training. The doubts, the struggles is who I am, and I wonder if I would have been as successful without them.
"A lot of emotion that I kept submerged bubbled to the surface last February when my name was finally called for selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You see all the faces of the people that helped you reach your goal: My mom and dad, brothers and sisters, my family, my coaches, my teammates, the fans. But you also realize that it signals the end of your career.
But I am excited about tomorrow. I'm like the guy who jumps out of a high-rise building and every floor he passes on the way down, he says, So far so good. But this is finally it. There are no more routes to run, no more touchdowns to score, no more records to set. That young boy from Mississippi has finally stopped running.
"Let me stand here and catch my breath. Let me inhale it all in one more time. (Goes to front of stage.)
"Thank you. Thank you. You know what, guys, I feel like dancing!"
Jerry Rice and San Francisco 49ers former owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., unveils Bust of Mr. Rice, the legendary player from tiny Crawford, Mississippi and Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils.
CANTON, Ohio -- This should surprise no one. But when it was Jerry Rice's turn to talk here Saturday, the man was prepared. Know why? He was scared. He has been scared all along, as he acknowledged in his meticulous yet powerful acceptance speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
"I'm here to tell you that the fear of failure is the engine that has driven me throughout my entire life," Rice said. "It flies in the faces of all these sports psychologists who say you have to let go of your fears to be successful. But not wanting to disappoint my parents, and later my coaches, teammates and fans, is what pushed me to be successful."
Rice then added: "When I was a kid "... I was always running, even before I played sports. I ran everywhere. I didn't even know why. But I guess I was preparing myself for something, destined for something, but I didn't know what." Saturday, of course, was the "what." It was the ultimate "what," really. Rice could finally stop running. He officially joined the most elite club in his sport. In doing so, he looked and sounded like a million bucks. It was no upset for a football player who always paid painstaking attention to detail.
JSU Coach Rick Comegy is looking to bounce back from a 3-8 season.
Jackson State began the process of fine-tuning its kicking game at the team's second fall practice Saturday, coach Rick Comegy said. "We got some good kicking stuff done, special teams work," Comegy said. "We emphasized trying to get our punt protection. Second and third (string) guys got work." The special teams' spotlight, though, shines on the two new kickers. Eric Perri and punter Brett Bennett, both All-SWAC members, are gone.
Jabril Smith, a sophomore and former Callaway player who redshirted last year, is likely to replace Perri. Smith handled kickoff duties for the Tigers as a true freshman in 2008, averaging 50 yards a boot. Transfer Reed Gallagher is set to replace Bennett. Gallagher punted at Coahoma Community College last year. "Both are kicking well," Comegy said. "I'm looking for both to have a good year."
HUNTSVILLE, AL - Chance Wilson was content with being the starting punter at Alabama A&M last season. The redshirt freshman averaged 36.5 yards per punt and was among the leaders in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with 25 kicks inside the 20-yard line to help the Bulldogs reach the league championship game.
Now, Wilson, a former Buckhorn High School start, wants to do more. And, he just might get an opportunity. Wilson served as the Bucks' kicker and punter for three years before coming to A&M. With Jeremy Licea, the leading scorer in school history, having graduated and Ray Blanks academically ineligible, Wilson may get a chance to do both jobs this season.
"I told (A&M) Coach (Anthony) Jones during the spring that I wanted a chance to kick and punt," Wilson said Wednesday. "He told me I was going to get that chance. Ray didn't participate in spring practice and they were looking for a kicker, but right now I'm the guy." Jones is still looking a kicker as the Bulldogs continue preseason practice, but Wilson is confident he can do both jobs effectively. READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.
Milwaukee, WI – The Fresh Coast Classic Basketball Tournament announced that the following Historically Black Colleges and Universities will participate in the 2010 basketball tournament:
Bowie State University (Bowie, MD), Clark-Atlanta University (Atlanta, GA), Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, NC) and Saint Paul's College (Lawrenceville, VA) will compete for this year’s championship title.
Scheduled to take place in Milwaukee at Wisconsin Lutheran College, 8800 West Bluemound Road, November 26-27, the Fresh Coast Classic is far more than a basketball game; it’s an unforgettable experience that brings the legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to Milwaukee.
This year’s event will feature four HBCUs playing in four games over a 2-day period with 2009 Fresh Coast Champions, Clark-Atlanta University, defending its title. The four HBCU teams will participate in semifinal games on Friday, November 26 with the championship and consolation games taking place Saturday, November 27.
“We are excited about the outstanding match ups for this year’s Fresh Coast Classic basketball tournament,” said Harold Scott, Chairman of the Fresh Coast Classic. “This is the fourth year of the tournament and we believe this year is going to be the best one yet. The Fresh Coast Classic is gaining momentum and has proven to be more than a basketball tournament; it’s a celebration of our country’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities that commemorates academic achievement, tradition and sportsmanship. It’s a weekend filled with something for everyone.”
Traditionally, the Fresh Coast Classic has been an HBCU Classic, but this year’s event will expand to include eight area high school games that will follow the City/Suburban Holiday Classic format, in which a Milwaukee City Conference school will be paired against a Milwaukee area suburban school.
In addition, back by popular demand, the Fresh Coast Classic College & Resource Fair will provide Milwaukee youth and families the opportunity to explore the many educational options at HBCUs throughout the United States. In 2009 16 states were represented by over 40 HBCUs and local colleges and universities.
For more information on the 2010 Fresh Coast Basketball Classic and the College & Resource Fair please visit http://www.freshcoastclassic.org or call (414) 550-0939.
FLOWERY BRANCH, GA -- Wide receiver Eric Weems made the Falcons' roster last season and played in all 16 games. He also won the punt- and kickoff-return jobs. With Harry Douglas returning from knee surgery and the drafting of rookie Kerry Meier, Weems, who signed in 2007 as an undrafted free agent from Bethune-Cookman, knows he's in another battle to make the roster.
"My mindset is to always compete," Weems said. "No job out here is safe. I'm going to go out here and fight hard every day." Weems averaged 25.3 yards on 48 kickoff returns, which was ninth in the NFL for players with 30 or more returns. Tampa Bay's Clifton Smith was tops in the league with a 29.1 average. Weems averaged 10 yards on 27 punt returns, which was 10th in the league for returners with 25 or more returns. Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson led the league with a 15.2 average.
Steve Aycock is taking an aggressive approach to his second season as Johnson C. Smith football coach. When the Golden Bulls opened practice Saturday, the roster was overhauled with an infusion of first-year players to challenge for starting jobs. There's a new offensive coordinator - former Olympic, West Charlotte and Chester (S.C.) coach Maurice Flowers - who'll push a more dynamic attitude.
The changes are necessary for a program that's produced three consecutive 3-7 seasons. To break the streak, Smith will have to rebuild a tattered defense that allowed more than 30 points per game last season and an offense that scored fewer than 19 an outing. The Bulls have some work to do before the Aug. 28 opener at Elizabeth City State, starting with finding answers to these questions:
ASU Coach Reggie Barlow had 93 players report for first day of football practice.
MONTGOMERY, AL - Calling it an acclimation practice was exactly what the Alabama State University football team experienced on their first day of practice in boiling temperatures. The session was originally scheduled for 3 p.m. but was pushed back to 7:30 p.m. due to the extreme heat conditions.
"We have five days in jersey's and shorts so we can use these days to get the players acclimated to the hot weather," head coach Reggie Barlow said. "We want to be smart with the guys and give them the ability to compete when they are not so drained because of the hot weather."
A total of 93 players were on the field for the first day of practice with 45 of those being returnees. Needless to say, there were several new faces around the team as practice began and there will be a lot of evaluation to go along with the first few days without the pads.
"I am thrilled about the team we have this year," Barlow said. "We have a good mixture of young guys and a lot of older guys. We want to see what the players that were here in the spring retained from spring practice, but we also have to see how some of the new guys will be able to help us."
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle: When the sun comes up, you’d better be running.
—origin unknown
Every so often, during the first three days of preseason football camp at Southern University, players placed their hands on their hips between periods, then strolled to various spots on the practice fields. The coaching staff was not impressed. Take, for example, Friday afternoon’s session. About halfway through, when too many players straggled on their way to team drills, the squad got a quick, blunt and alarmingly loud reminder from first-year coach Stump Mitchell and his assistants.
After finishing the 2009 football season in third place with a 4-3 conference record, St. Augustine's will rely on veterans this season. The Falcons have back 17 starters and 38 lettermen in all from a team that produced a 4-6 record overall, and for the first time in five years, they will have stability at quarterback.
The team also has four returning All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association players: senior linebacker Mark Hall, senior offensive lineman Ricky Rodriguez, redshirt sophomore quarterback Joaquin Green and sophomore wide receiver Tyron Laughinghouse. Despite all the experience, the Falcons still have questions that need to be answered if they want to come out with more victories this season:
The NCAA has granted Winston-Salem State its re-admittance to Division II. WSSU, which spent four years in transition to Division I, decided to halt that process last September. WSSU was also granted re-admittance into the CIAA.
Jimmy Jenkins, the president of Livingstone College and the chairman of the CIAA board of directors, said: "I speak on behalf of my colleagues as I express our excitement about the fact that Winston-Salem State University has returned." The Rams spent 61 years in the CIAA before leaving following the 2004-05 academic year.
Jackson State football players will get a slight reprieve in practice time this fall, but that's not necessarily a good thing. Because of the program's low Academic Progress Rate, Jackson State will be restricted to 16 hours of practice a week - four fewer hours than the NCAA normally allows. Fall practice begins at 3 p.m. today, and putting together a plan to work within the 16-hour framework could be an issue for coach Rick Comegy and his staff - especially since the team is installing a new offense.
"We're going to get the best out of those 16 hours. We know what we want to get it in," Comegy said. "We don't like it, but it fits. We can make it fit." Along with practice time, JSU was penalized with a reduction in scholarships. The program was restricted to offering 23.7 scholarships during February's signing class. Football Championship Subdivision teams are allowed to offer 30 scholarships per signing class.
Greg Dillon, show in photo as #1 in GSU game with Oklahoma State in 2009 was denied a sixth year opportunity by NCAA. Dillon played a total of two years in college football career.
Greg Dillon’s college football career is over. The Grambling quarterback’s petition for a sixth year of eligibility has been denied by the NCAA, leaving Grambling without its two-year starting quarterback for the upcoming season. “From where I sit, it’s a big injustice,” Grambling head coach Rod Broadway said on Friday. “But we’ll have to live with it.”
Dillon began his collegiate career as a walk-on for ULM in 2005. He then transferred to Grambling, and won the starting job as a walk-on in 2008. Grambling finished the 2008 season 11-2 and captured a SWAC Championship with Dillon under center, and last season Dillon led the Tigers to a 7-4 record and a win in the Bayou Classic.
Savannah State University quarterback Kurvin Curry was not among the 79 football players who reported to preseason training camp Thursday. Curry, a 6-foot-1, 216-pound sophomore last season, was academically ineligible to participate in spring practices this year and last year. The Hart County High School graduate returned to his home in Hartwell after the spring semester.
"We're looking to move forward with A.J. (DeFilippis) as our quarterback," SSU interim head coach Julius Dixon said Thursday night. "I haven't spoken with Kurvin. I know that I would like for him to come back to school and finish what he started." Last Friday, Dixon said he believed Curry would be academically ineligible to play this season. SSU players were instructed to report from 1-5 p.m. Thursday. Dixon said a couple of players with transportation issues called him and were granted permission to arrive today. The Tigers' first practice is Saturday at 8:45 a.m.
SU Jaguars defensive coordinator, O'Neill Gilbert.
Fresh from a pair of beatings after the first two days of preseason practice, Southern center Ramon Chinyoung spotted his nemesis in the parking lot of the A.W. Mumford Field House late Thursday night. Walking toward the double doors, Chinyoung locked eyes with defensive coordinator O’Neill Gilbert. “Hey, coach O’Neill,” he said, pointing at Gilbert with his helmet. “Nice job today.”
As the Jaguars geared up for meetings and looked ahead toward their third day of football practice — they plan to wear shoulder pads for the first time today — first-year head coach Stump Mitchell made something crystal-clear: During team drills, the offense did not live up to his standards. Gilbert’s defense did. Mitchell offered a tip of the cap. Gilbert’s reaction: pleased, but not satisfied.
“We need to get stronger; we need to get in better shape; and we need to get in the playbooks,” Gilbert said. “We still have a ways to go in terms of learning what we’re looking for in the defense. We haven’t arrived. We just need to keep on, day by day, getting stronger and faster and continuing to learn.”
ALBANY, GA — The A.J. McKenna era is over, so when coach Mike White and the Albany State University football team took the field for their first practice Thursday morning, one of the main things on their mind was the open quarterback spot. It’ll be tough to replace McKenna, who led the SIAC in passing yards per game (184.3) last season, but White said one of the three players vying for the spot — Wayne Campbell, Stanley Jennings and Chris Payne — should fit in nicely.
“They’ll be alright,” White said. “I don’t know if any of them will beat A.J.’s (numbers) — the size, the athlete, the combination A.J. had was really rare — but I think somebody will fill his shoes and definitely take care of the offense.” Campbell returns from last year’s team, Jennings is a transfer from Southwest Mississippi Community College and Payne is a redshirt player who originally signed with ASU in 2006.
And while Thursday was the first time the coaches were able to see them all together in action, White said he already knows they’ll follow plays better than McKenna did. “These are a little more coachable guys,” White said. “A.J. was a pretty intelligent kid, but he was a guy who always wanted to throw the ball deep. He would have a guy wide open in his face and he would try to force it deep. “He had that trouble all season. It was hard to get him to see that.”
NORFOLK, Va. — Florida A&M sophomore quarterback Martin Ukpai isn't going to be surprising anyone this season with his combo-threat abilities. He put that on display in the final game last season when he was pressed into action in place of injured Curtis Pulley. He wowed the Florida Classic crowd and left quite an impression that coaches around the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference couldn't avoid noticing. None of them were ready to call him the second coming of Pulley during the conference's Media Day, but he seemingly has gained their respect.
That much was obvious when coaches talked about what they had to look forward to during the coming season. "We need to be especially cognizant of the fact that this guy is a very good football player," said South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough. "He will only get better. It will be interesting to see how much he improves by the time he gets to us."
RALEIGH, NC -- After losing to Fayetteville State 29-28 in the last minutes of the fourth quarter on Oct. 10 and giving up a chance at the division title, the Shaw football team is looking to make up for the missed opportunity. The team plays its season-opener at home and then goes on the road for five consecutive games. Shaw then comes home for three games before finishing off conference play against St. Augustine's on Nov. 6. Coach Darrell Asberry's team gets another shot at Fayetteville State at home.
The Bears have a veteran offensive line that has back all but three starters from a group that led the CIAA in scoring offense and total offense. But there are questions elsewhere on the team. Shaw hopes to have answers before its opener against Virginia Union on Sept. 4.
When Connell Maynor put away his golf clubs, it meant one thing -- time for football practice. Maynor, who plays to a 2 handicap, will open his first preseason camp as Winston-Salem State's coach -- and his first as a head coach -- at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. "I'm excited about the start of camp," Maynor said. "I want to get out there and see how the guys have been doing in offseason conditioning and while they might not be in full football shape yet, they should be close."
The Rams, coming off a 1-10 finish last fall, have a lot of holes to fill after losing nearly 30 players from last season. Some graduated, but others transferred or didn't have their scholarships renewed. The turnover turns WSSU into an unknown commodity in its return to the CIAA. Maynor was hoping to have veteran Akeem Ward back to lead the defensive line, but Ward, a junior who started the last two seasons, is academically ineligible.
"It's unfortunate, but no one player is bigger than the team," Maynor said. "We have to overcome that loss of Akeem. He would have helped us, but we have to move on."
The Grambling football team reports for fall camp Friday, and on Saturday the Tigers will hold their first training camp practice in preparation for the 2010 season. The team is in a familiar position, but not necessarily a comfortable one. The Tigers have some uncertainty at quarterback but should be strong on defense. It's the same situation the team faced in 2008, when incumbent quarterback Brandon Landers was ruled ineligible just weeks before the start of training camp.
Greg Dillon eventually won the starting job vacated by Landers, and while Dillon and the GSU offense worked out the kinks, the defense paved the way to an 11-2 overall record and a SWAC Championship. Now Dillon's eligibility is up in the air, and Grambling might need to follow the same script if it is going to challenge for a conference title in 2010.
Actress and singer Taraji P. Henson is a descendant of Matthew Alexander Henson, discoverer of the Geographic North Pole. She was born in N.E. Washington, D.C., and earned a B.A. degree from Howard University in Theater Arts. Henson played the role of Queeni in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009.
Independent motion picture company Gyre Entertainment will begin production of the sports drama, “From the Rough,” starring Academy Award Nominee Taraji P. Henson in New Orleans October 4, 2010.
“From the Rough” is based on the remarkable true story of the first female head coach of an NCAA Division One men’s golf team, Dr. Catana Starks atTennessee State University.Henson plays the fictional character Cassandra Turner who represents Starks in the film. Turner is a female coach at a historically black college/university (HBCU) who faces an uphill battle as she attempts to establish the school?s first men?s golf team.
“The extraordinary film explores one’s ability to transform life’s rough circumstances into distinct advantages,” said Pierre Bagley. “It confronts issues of race, gender, class, and cultural barriers in ways that are provocative, and sometimes hilarious.”
Year 2 of N.C. A&T’s rebuilding campaign is underway.
The Aggies reported to preseason camp on Sunday; the first practice was Tuesday. “My coaching staff is excited about getting out there,’’ said second-year coach Alonzo Lee. “We believe the players have really put in the hard work necessary to be successful, so we are eager to see how that translates to the field.”
Two Aggies – safety Justin Ferrell and cornerback Quay Long (West Charlotte High) – earned first-team All-MEAC preseason honors. The Aggies ranked ninth in the nation in pass defense last season. Ferrell, who led the conference with six interceptions, started the season at cornerback before moving to safety. “Justin makes us a team that can really get after you blitz-wise because he can cover like a corner,’’ said Lee. “It gives us a chance to play a little more man coverage. His presence really makes us a better defense.”
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State University C.E. "Big House" Gaines Hall of Fame will welcome its class of 2010 inductees when eight individuals along with the 2000 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champion Rams football team will take their place among the WSSU greats.
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