Pass it on: JCSU Bulls will take to air

Johnson C. Smith’s offense is under close inspection. After scoring an average of 18.7 points per game last season, the Golden Bulls have a new offensive coordinator in Maurice Flowers and nine returning starters. The most scrutinized of the lot will be quarterback Ryan Carter, who completed 97-of-182 passes for 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns in 2009.

He will have to be more productive in order to push the Bulls forward. “He needs to go from being a guy who was handed the job into a leader,” head coach Steve Aycock said. Carter, who was an erratic decision-maker in his first season as a starter, will get his opportunities to improve. He’ll have a running attack that averaged 138.3 yards per game going for him, as well as three-time all-CIAA receiver Jeremy Franklin, whose productivity slipped to 48 catches for 610 yards and five scores last season.

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South Carolina State Bulldogs: Brother Act, Part 2

Former Richmond Raiders Tedarrius Wiley, left, and his brother Derrick Wiley are quarterbacks on the South Carolina State 2010 football team.



ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Former Richmond Senior quarterback Tedarrius Wiley has always followed in his older brother Derrick’s footsteps. Derrick was a standout quarterback at Richmond who now plays for South Carolina State University. Tedarrius was a standout quarterback at Richmond who also led the Raiders to a North Carolina Class 4AA state championship in 2008.

And Tedarrius also now plays for South Carolina State. He signed a letter of intent with the school last February and reported for fall practice last week. After a few days of practice, Tedarrius is a quick study at the college game, according to Derrick. “He’s picking up the offense pretty quickly,” Derrick said before a Sunday afternoon workout at the Bulldogs’ practice facility. “He’s very coachable.”

Derrick, a 2008 Richmond graduate, is currently rehabbing a broken ankle suffered during the summer. He’s expected back by the fourth game of the season, when South Carolina State opens MEAC play on the road at Florida A&M. For now, Tedarrius is expected to redshirt. That would leave him four years of eligibility. Derrick, meanwhile, redshirted his freshman year as well. He’s now a redshirt sophomore and will back up senior QB Malcolm Long this year. S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough said Derrick is the Bulldogs’ “changeup” quarterback.

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FAMU football players give Coach Taylor good early impression

All summer Joe Taylor could only go on second-hand information about the condition of the players on the Florida A&M football team. Taylor finally got a close up Tuesday as the team began preseason workouts. Under a blistering mid-afternoon sun, the Rattlers ran the 40-yard dash, a shuffle over 20 yards and zig-zag runs through cones. They will return at 6 a.m. today for more testing before starting walk-through drills later in the day. Tuesday's start impressed Taylor.

"I thought there was a lot of energy," he said. "I don't know if we've had this amount of sub-4.5 (seconds) for a timing day since I've been here. Now we've just got to be able to get it transferred (onto the field)."

Taylor said he had an inkling before the team showed up there would be some impressive times. During the team's initial meeting, when each one of them had to stand up and tell about themselves, Taylor said, he noticed a physical improvement in more than half of the players. "For some of those guys when they took off their shirts their chest came with it," Taylor said, "but you could see evidence and signs that they've been working. They're really cut."

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Southern Jaguars Coach Mitchell Expects 12-0 Season

We’re going to recruit good players, give them all the necessary tools and give our fans a team they can be proud of. We’ll work our guys hard, make ’em play until the whistle blows and see where we stand at the end of the year. We’re going to do everything we can to produce fine young student-athletes and win some games in the process. Blah. Blah. Blah.

Year after year, preseason after preseason, we hear the same football coaches say the same things about their same programs. Most of them, in the interest of protecting their own backsides, back away from any kind of hard and fast prediction, lest they fall short. And then there’s Stump Mitchell.

Time and again this summer, Southern University’s first-year coach has done the exact opposite. He has done it with three words: Twelve and zero. “That’s the goal,” he said. “We want to go 12-0 this year, and we think at the end of the season, we’ll be 12-0.”

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WSSU Rams are excited about return to CIAA this season

As Winston-Salem State tries to settle into a groove in the early days of preseason football practice, Coach Connell Maynor is leaning heavily on veteran players. Linebacker Shawn Kearney and defensive back Marvin Bohannon, both redshirt seniors, are leading an 88-man roster that has plenty of new faces -- a move that Maynor calls natural because of their experience.

Kearney, a starter most of his career, said that there have been changes in attitude since Maynor, in his first season, and his new staff took over. "We have a different outlook with the new coaches, and they are talking about CIAA and winning the title, and winning the national championship in future years, and we've never heard that here before," Kearney said. "So we can't wait, and it excites us, especially the veterans on this team."

Despite last season's 1-10 record, the defense was a constant bright spot for the Rams and kept them in most games. Although the core of that defense -- a talented line -- is gone, some key parts remain. I

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FAMU to begin practice with walkthroughs

Not long after Mike Caldwell began coaching in the NFL, he was invited by Joe Taylor to talk with his football team. Taylor himself had a few questions, including one about what Caldwell would have done differently if he had to return to coach on the college level. The response from Caldwell, who coached several college teams, was pretty simple. More walk-through practices.

Taylor, who begins his third season at Florida A&M, took heed and has since started each of his preseason camps with several days of walk-through drills that allow his players to focus mentally on their roles. And, so it will be when the Rattlers begin practice on Wednesday afternoon.

"It's big because we are learning mentally so when we get on the field and put on the pads nobody is slow and nobody gets hurt," said defensive end Kendrick Washington. "The mental aspect is knowing yourself and knowing what your opponent can do." Players tend to be more attentive during the days that they have to concentrate on theory rather than banging bodies, Taylor said.

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Fall camp gets under way for Alcorn State

LORMAN, MS — Alcorn State head coach Earnest Collins noticed a big difference on the Braves first day of fall practice Thursday — more players. And Collins said that should have a big impact on the kind of season the Braves will have in 2010. “Last year we came into camp with 70 some odd players, which is not enough,” Collins said. “Now we’re about to capacity, and I feel a lot better about it.”

As the Braves began fall practice to prepare for their Sept. 4 season-opener against Langston, Collins said the added depth means every player will have to fight for his position. “Now the players know there is depth behind them,” Collins said. “There is somebody pushing them, and they won’t be playing by default. Last year we had some players who had to play by default because there was nobody behind them. That’s not the case this year at any position we have.”

In addition to the added depth, Collins said he was pleased with the physical condition of his players, and could tell they have been working hard over the summer to stay in shape.

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Tennessee State coach Rod Reed expects boldness from quarterback Dominic Grooms

TSU Tigers Coach Rod Reed

Even with Calvin McNairl no longer in the way, senior Dominic Grooms won't simply step in as Tennessee State's starting quarterback. First-year Coach Rod Reed said Grooms, who backed up McNairl last year, must prove he possesses a boldness Reed considers necessary to lead the offense.

"I want to see him show that he has a take-charge attitude,'' Reed said Monday on TSU's first day of practice. "I want him to go out there and say, 'This is my offense and I'm going to run it.' I want to see him with a little attitude, with a chip on his shoulder that lets everybody know he's going to be the man to take this offense to the next level."

Grooms played enough last season to prove to Reed, the defensive coordinator in 2009, that he can replace McNairl, who moved to receiver in the spring. Grooms started three games when McNairl was injured and played in another. He completed 29 of 66 passes for 279 yards, with four interceptions and no touchdowns.

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WSSU Defense to have familiar style under Boulware

Winston-Salem State hasn't changed its style on defense much, said new coordinator Kienus Boulware. Mike Ketchum, now the defensive-line coach, was the coordinator the past five seasons. "What Coach Ketchum's defense was based on last year is very similar to what we have this year," Boulware said. "He had more three-man fronts, but in the package we are running now, we have some of the same stuff."

Linebacker Shawn Kearney, the top returning tackler from last season, said he's encouraged by what he has seen. "There's not too much of a difference because we have the same type of packages, but they have different names," Kearney said. "We are still going to be that fast defense you have always seen."

When new head coach Connell Maynor heard the suggestion that he might win the Rams' quarterback derby, he laughed, then said: "No, I don't have any eligibility left." Maynor -- an All-MEAC quarterback during his days at N.C. A&T -- is closely watching the competition between transfers Octavius Hawkins, Kameron Smith, Jamie DeGeare and freshman Vernon Brandon, and said he hopes to name a starter by late next week.

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Weather shuffles Southern practice

Out on the practice fields at Southern University, where the football team has spent most of its afternoons for the past week, players are not permitted to place their hands on their hips. Or, for that matter, on top of their heads. As the new coaching staff dutifully (and sometimes loudly) reminds them, those movements convey a message to the opponent. “You keep doing that,” strength and conditioning coach Thomas Hall said, “you’re telling them you’re tired.”

One other thing: Even with above-average temperatures and triple-digit heat indexes, players cannot talk about the weather. Which made Monday afternoon awfully awkward. Coaches and players hit the field just after 3 p.m. Monday, gearing up for what was supposed to be SU’s first practice in full pads this preseason. At the time, the temperature was 96 degrees with a heat index of 109, making it the second-hottest day of preseason camp thus far. Of course, conditions didn’t stay that way for long.

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Five questions as Hampton University opens preseason practice

After Donovan Rose's first season as head coach at Hampton University ended in a 5-6 mark and the Pirates' first losing record since 1996, a few shakeups took place. Most notably, a new, yet familiar, offensive coordinator is now calling plays in one of several changes on Rose's coaching staff. The tweaks will be tested right away, as HU opens the 2010 season at I-A Central Michigan on Sept. 2. Here are five key questions going into that game:

Who is the Pirates' starting quarterback? Herb Bynes, HU's starter in 2008, split time behind center with Syracuse transfer David Legree last season. But the ankle injury that hampered Bynes throughout 2009 required offseason surgery, curtailing his participation in spring practice and effectively handing the offense to Legree, who threw for 803 yards and seven touchdowns last year to Bynes' 987 yards and eight TDs. Legree will begin the year as the Pirates' starter, with Rose hoping Bynes is healthy enough to provide an experienced option. "We've got two experienced guys, and we'll see what happens," Rose said. "Starting off, it will be David, and hopefully Herb will be back in his raw form. But I think it's a great situation to have two quarterbacks that can come in and control the team."

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Job turns to hobby for Texas College Carson‎

Ricky Carson, a former teammate of Jerry Rice at Mississippi Valley State, is now the head football coach and athletic director of NAIA Texas College.

NATCHEZ, MS — When Alcorn State University hired Rickey Carson as its first ever golf coach, there was one teeny-weeny problem. Carson had never played golf. When The Dart landed at Duncan Park Golf Course Friday afternoon, Carson was practicing his swing while wife Victoria and daughter Courtney looked on. “I had to find out about the rules. What’s a par? What’s a birdie? I didn’t even know what that was,” Carson said.

But Carson is well versed in the game now. But Carson is well versed in the game now. An assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the ASU football team from 1998 to 2000, Carson studied the rules of golf at the library, and eventually applied his newfound knowledge at Duncan Park.

“I did bad my first time out. I tore up the golf course real bad,” Carson said. “I’m sure everyone was glad when I left that day.” Carson didn’t let his less than stellar debut deter him from the game. He continued to practice, and even gained pointers from his team, which finished sixth overall in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

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Delaware State Hornets Kicks Off 2010 Football Camp

Dover, DE --- Delaware State University's 2010 summer football camp is underway. About 85 players spent today moving into their rooms, attending meetings and being welcomed by among others, DSU President Harry Williams and athletic director Derek Carter. After a picture taking session Wednesday morning, the 2010 Hornets will hit the field for the first time. The players will be put through a run test tomorrow morning and take part in their first official practice in the evening.

Although the Hornets return their starting quarterback, best rusher, top two receivers and leading tackler from last season, there will be a number of new faces at other key positions this year. Delaware State expects to return just seven starters and 32 letter winners from last season. The defense is most critically hit, with just one starter and nine others on the 2009 two-deep returning. The offensive line must replace three starters, while the Hornets will also feature newcomers at punter and placekicker this season.

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SU quarterback coach stresses details

Each afternoon, the quarterbacks at Southern University begin practice with something so simple, so routine, it’s almost an afterthought to everyone else. It wasn’t an afterthought to Ted White. White, the Baton Rouge native and first-year SU quarterbacks coach, watches carefully as his players speak. Or, more accurately, he listens. Is the timing right? Do they sound OK? Do the quarterbacks bob their heads too much? White watches, listens and instructs.

The quarterbacks’ cadence is important, he says — not just to them, but to the entire offense.

It’s one of those details that might help the Jaguars’ new pro-style offense go from being average to being great. “If you want to run any type of offense, and you want the offensive linemen and receivers and everyone else to get used to your cadence, you have to practice it every day,” White said. “That’s what they do in the NFL. That’s what they did when I played college football. You try to bring those experiences from everywhere you’ve been.”

To read The Advocate's Southern University Preseason page, Click Here.

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Southern Offense By Position Southern Defense By Position SU quarterback coach stresses details Southern Notes for Aug. 8, 2010

Delaware State bowler a star in the driver's seat

Bower is Pennsylvania track's first female feature race champion.

During the school year, Nicole Bower is on a mission to bring Delaware State University its first NCAA team championship in any sport. But during the summer, Bower kicks off her bowling shoes and puts on her racing helmet and firesuit to race sprint cars at tracks in Pennsylvania.

On the bowling lanes, Bower helped the Hornets advance to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament last spring. She has found success behind the wheel, too. In early May, Bower led all 20 laps of the 358 sprint feature at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicburg, Pa., becoming the first female to win a feature race at the half-mile clay track. The "358" designation refers to engine displacement. Bower lives about 15 minutes from the track in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.

"It was unbelievable," said Bower, who began her racing career at the age of 12 in a quartermidget, often racing at New Castle's Airport Speedway. "It took quite a few days for the win to set in. I had dreamed of standing in victory lane at Williams Grove for a long time. All of the great drivers have been there ... and to get that opportunity is just great."

The 19-year-old will gott yet another thrill on August 5, when she competed against Sprint Cup regulars Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart in the Ollie's Bargain Outlet "Battle at the Grove" charity race at Williams Grove.

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RELATED LINK: www.nicolebower.com/

Coach Mose Rison has high expectations for NCCU Eagles‎

DURHAM, N.C. -- After a week of practice, N.C. Central football coach Mose Rison thinks he's got a team that can be pretty good. "For the first time since I've been here we're not going to be outmanned at any position in any game," Rison said.

"I expect us to turn it up and be ready to play. If we play good early, we have a chance to be ranked in the top-25."

Rison's confidence is boosted by a roster that returns 17 starters. The Eagles got off to a rough beginning a year ago, with six losses to start the season, but rallied to win four of their last five. And after what Rison called a tremendous off-season program, he thinks this squad is in the best shape they have been in since he arrived.

The Eagles certainly appeared loose and confident Sunday during their annual media and photo day. NCCU opens its season on Sept. 2 at home against Johnson C. Smith, a former rival in the CIAA. Since leaving that conference, NCCU has been preparing for play in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles have five games scheduled against MEAC opponents this season before playing a full slate next year.

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The NCCU Marching Sound Machine wants you to support the NCCU Marching Sound Machine on Their Road to the 2011 Annual Tournament of Roses Parade.

BUY A $20 RAFFLE TICKET TO WIN A 2010 Nissan Versa!!!

Make Your Donation Today! Tickets Will soon be available for purchase: • From any NCCU Sound Machine Musician or The Exquisite Ladies of the eClipse Auxiliary Squad • Student Affairs • Campus Bookstore • Student Union • Michael Jordan Nissan • Sound Machine Booster Club and Alumni Band Members.

GSU defense is no one-man show

Christian Anthony gets all the headlines for the Grambling defense, and rightfully so. The Tigers' star defensive end is the reigning SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, and is expected to take the award home again this year. Last season, Anthony had 76 total tackles (55 solo), 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks, five interceptions, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns.

But there's more to Grambling's defense than just Anthony. One player who is extremely effective, but doesn't get as much recognition, is defensive end Kendall Robinson. Robinson had seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last season, and along with Anthony, he creates a formidable tandem for the GSU front four. "He's not as flashy as Christian, but he's started for us for four years," Grambling head coach Rod Broadway said. "He doesn't get nearly enough due."

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GCAC Prepares to Become Nation's 5th HBCU Conference

In a few weeks, the four HBCU conferences – the CIAA, MEAC, SIAC & SWAC – will need to make room at nation’s the table for a newcomer. The revamped Gulf Coast Athletic Conference will begin life with six historically black colleges and universities after 29 years as a mixed league. Dillard University, Edward Waters College, Fisk, Southern University-New Orleans, Tougaloo and Xavier of Louisiana will try to keep the conference alive after six former members – all predominantly white institutions -- departed for greener pastures.

When the 2009-10 athletic season finished back in June, the GCAC had 10 members. But, LSU-Shreveport left to join the Red River Athletic Conference. Belhaven, Loyola of New Orleans, Mobile, Spring Hill and William Carey joined the expanding Southern States Athletic Conference in a bid for more exposure, according to New Orleans Small College Examiner Eddie Francis. That left GCAC with just four teams – Dillard, SUNO, Tougaloo and Xavier. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director at Xavier, explained that the conference needed six members to keep its automatic bids to the various NAIA tournaments. Otherwise, members would have to participate in a preliminary tournament with the Association of Independent Institutions for the chance to go to the playoffs.

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GCAC in the midst of major facelift

SSU Dixon hopes to lose interim tag

Savannah State University interim head football coach Julius Dixon has a past history of high achievements (see bio below).

Julius Dixon has been in charge of Savannah State University's football program since Jan. 28, 2010 the day Robby Wells was forced to resign and interim athletics director Marilynn Suggs appointed Dixon interim head coach. Dixon, SSU's defensive coordinator the past two seasons, began preseason training camp Saturday with the interim tag still in his title. He also is listed in the Tigers' 2010 media guide as interim.

It's an awkward position for Dixon, but the 43-year-old Toccoa native said he is confident he has the support of SSU's administration.

"In this transition phase into the (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), there were several requirements placed, football-wise, that had to take place," Dixon said Sunday during SSU's annual Media Day at Tiger Arena. "It's really been a busy process for a lot of different people to make this transition work a little smoother.

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COACH JULIUS DIXON BIO

Julius Dixon, a native of Toccoa, Georgia, attended and graduated from Stephens County High School in 1985; earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1990 from Furman University.

As a star cornerback for Furman, Dixon was one of four freshmen to letter in his first year, and was a member of the 1985 NCAA I-AA runner-up team that finished with a 12-2 record and a Southern Conference championship. As a senior, he earned first team all-conference honors, and was the captain of the 1988 NCAA I-AA national championship team. That year, the Paladins compiled a 13-2 record, a conference championship, and earned the nation’s top scoring defense holding opponents to 9.5 point per game. During his four-year span, the Paladins recorded a 40-10-2 record.

Dixon entered his first year as the defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach for Savannah State University in 2009. He comes to SSU from Presbyterian College where, in 2007, he was the defensive coordinator and helped coached the team to a 6-5 record in their first year of Division I, FCS competition.

Prior to that, he spent 14 years as an assistant with Furman University; first as defensive line coach for three years, and then he served as the defensive backs coach for eleven years. During his tenure at Furman, Dixon coached three All-Americans and six All-Conference players. He also helped coach the Paladins to three conference championships (1999, 01, 03), and playoff appearances in 1999, 2001, 2004, and 2005. The 2001 team finished as the NCAA I-AA national runner-up.

Dixon got his start in coaching at Camden High School (S.C.). He served as an assistant coach for four years, from 1988-92. During his first year as an assistant, Camden went 15-0 and won the South Carolina AAA State Championship.

He is married to the former Tawanda Cooper of Kingstree, S.C. and they have two children; Jailyn (7) and Devin (2).

A&M Nelson hopes move to fullback results in more playing time‎

Bryan Nelson's chances of getting on the field this season appeared to be pretty slim. Sure, he probably could have played some on special teams, but Nelson, buried down the depth chart at inside linebacker, wanted a bigger role. So, when Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones asked Nelson to consider moving to fullback at the beginning of summer workouts, he jumped at the chance.

"I did it for the team and myself," said Nelson, who is battling Chris Hall, another converted linebacker, and true freshman Joseph Porter for playing time. "We've got great backs in Tony (Green) and (Kaderius) Lacey and they can run the ball well with a lead blocker and I felt like I could help them be productive." The Bulldogs haven't had a quality fullback since Trevis O'Neal finished his eligibility after the 2006 season. Roger Smith started at fullback last season, but elected not to return for his fifth year.

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Morgan State not overlooking opener vs. Bowie State

Bears face challenging early-season schedule before starting goal of reaching MEAC championship.

The Morgan State football team faces a daunting schedule in the coming season, including traveling to College Park to face Maryland for the first time and a trip to distant North Dakota State in back-to-back games. And that's before the Bears open their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule against Howard in East Rutherford, N.J., in one of the first games at the new Giants Stadium — an experience the players won't soon forget.

But the Bears are focusing all their attention on their first game of the season, against Bowie State on Sept. 4, knowing they can't dismiss a single opponent if they are to reach the MEAC championship. "I'm looking forward to [playing in Giants Stadium], but it all starts with the first game," junior tight end Lamont Bryant said Sunday at the team's media day at Hughes Stadium." We can't look over the first game. We have to start from that game and take it one game at a time."



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Georgia Tech coming to Savannah State in 2011

Savannah State University Coach Horace Broadnax has played the Georgetown University Hoyas in Tiger Arena (2009) and now has Atlantic Coast Conference power Georgia Tech on the Tigers home court in 2011.

Georgia Tech's men's basketball team will travel to Savannah to play a game against Savannah State University at Tiger Arena during the 2011-12 season, according to a report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Georgia Tech’s non-conference home basketball schedule this season will include games against in-state opponents Kennesaw State, Mercer, Georgia and Savannah State.

The Yellow Jackets, who went 23-13 last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, will also host UNC-Charlotte, Charleston Southern, Albany, Niagara, Fordham, and UT-Chattanooga.

Copies of contracts between Georgia Tech and those schools were obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in response to an open-records request. Georgia Tech hasn’t released its schedule. This season (2010-11), SSU will travel to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech on December 11. In one of two pay-to-play games, Georgia Tech will pay Charleston Southern $70,000 to play on Nov. 12, in addition to a $12,000 travel stipend. The Yellow Jackets will pay UT-Chattanooga $35,000.

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Coaches Corner: FAMU Joe Taylor

Monday marks the start of another season of FAMU Rattler football with head coach Joe Taylor. FAMU head football coach Joe Taylor adds, "(9-3), (8-3) means the ship has been righted, and now it's time to get to that next level."

A daunting task opens the Rattlers 2010 season. The first four games are away from Bragg Memorial Stadium, then the home opener is against MEAC rival South Carolina State.



Joe Taylor adds, "The key is we know we have to take each game one game at a time. We know if you don't win some then other don't matter. The key is I am asking for sixty minutes. I want sixty minutes and I think that the blue print says that and they understand that."

The FAMU Football team will hold their annual football media day and fan appreciation day on the third floor of the Al Lawson Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium on Saturday, Aug. 14. From 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., the Rattler Football Team and Coaching staff will host local media for their Annual Media Day. Then at 10 a.m. to Noon, local fans and alumni will have the opportunity to meet the 2010 FAMU Football team for Fan Appreciation Day. Poster and schedule cards will be on hand for autographs.

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Jackson to be inducted into FAMU Hall of Fame

Joe Bullard has been the "voice of the FAMU Marching 100" and a major contributor to the hundred legacy of greatness, since 1975. The silky smooth Bullard has been a radio personality(96.1 JAMZ FM) in the Capital City since 1972. As the band's announcer, his voice is known throughout the world.

Almost 25 years later, former Florida A&M baseball coach Robert Lucas still vividly remembers the day that Robert Jackson Jr. decided to be an ironman for the Rattlers. FAMU was involved in two tournament games against Alabama State when Jackson threw under 80 pitches to win the first of two seven-inning games. He pleaded with Lucas to give him the ball for the second game. Lucas reluctantly allowed the now deceased Jackson to make his second start on the same day.

"He said, 'coach, I'm not even tired,' " Lucas recalled. "I said let's go two innings. I looked up and he had thrown only 18 pitches." Jackson ended up staying in the game and throwing 78 pitches, just as many as he did in the first game as he went to distance to win both games. "He was a guy that had a tremendous amount of courage," Lucas said. "He wanted the ball he wanted to pitch."

On Oct. 1, Jackson will get the ultimate athletic recognition from FAMU for his heroics during his four years as a pitcher for the Rattlers. He will be inducted in the school's hall of fame along with five others in ceremonies at the Lawson Center. The other inductees are Tiffany Daughtry, Track & Field; Olrick Johnson, football; Ulysses Wilson, baseball; Amos Hill, coach; and supporter Joe Bullard.



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PVAMU Inaugural Athletic Director's Challenge Officially Kicks Off

Prairie View A&M University Athletic Director Fred Washington is proud to announce his first-ever Athletic Director’s Challenge. This open challenge to everyone across the nation and state or who is a part of the Panther Family is an effort to share our story and generate support for the proposed Sports Complex.

To participate in the challenge, log on to www.helppvbuild.org and click on the donate link at the bottom of the complex rendering. The second step of the challenge requires that after submitting a gift you contact five additional prospective supporters and invite them to accept the challenge. Once you and five others contacted by you have made a contribution, e-mail your name along with the names of your five contacts to athletics@pvamu.edu become a Challenge Champion.

Prairie View A&M Sports Complex/Football Stadium Presentation

Solomon: Stadium plans show Prairie View's progress | College ...

A picture of the proposed complex, which will be developed in three phases and include amenities such as a 15,000-seat football stadium and adjoining athletic facility, is above while step-by-step directions on how to participate in the challenge are listed below.

"We’re proud to have a presence and support in Houston and the surrounding communities," said Washington. "This is not a simple task and to accomplish it, we’ll need as much assistance sharing the message and raising financial support as we can get".
Panther Athletics looks for you to become a Champion today.

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S CHALLENGE

1. Log on to www.helppvbuild.org.

2. Click on the donate link at the bottom of the complex rendering.

3. In the other amount field under Your Gift, pledge $30

4. Fill out the required fields below (designated with a gold asterisk)

5. Under the Additional Information section, type Athletic Director’s Challenge in the message block and then proceed to submit your gift using the button at the bottom.

6. Contact and encourage 5 prospective donors to participate in the challenge

7. Once they complete the challenge, e-mail your name along with the names of the five donors to athletics@pvamu.edu to become a Challenge Champion.