Five-a-Side: Jackson State's Casey Therriault

FCS Walter Payton Award

Jackson, MS - The timing would be impeccable if Jackson State senior quarterback Casey Therriault wins the 2011 Walter Payton Award.

This season marks the 25th anniversary of the most prestigious award in the FCS - the Heisman Trophy of the division which is presented by The Sports Network and sponsored by Fathead.com.

The legendary Payton, of course, played at Jackson State, which this season is celebrating its 100th year of football. Of course, the Casey Therriault story isn't ordinary regardless.

It was just over two years ago that Therriault was released from jail, having served a six-month sentence for his minor part in a January 2008 incident in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich., in which a 21-year-old man was killed at a bar and restaurant. At the time of the altercation, Therriault was home from junior college.

The man, who was intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level of 0.27, harassed one of Therriault's friends before the incident escalated to ...

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S.C. State-Claflin basketball series to be revived this year

Orangeburg, S.C. - There was a time in the mid-1980s and '90s when Claflin and South Carolina State battled annually for on-court hoops supremacy in Orangeburg.

For a 10-year period, the Garden City Classic featured an evening of hard-fought men's and women's basketball. Whether at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center or the Jonas T. Kennedy Center, the games saw passions raised to a fever pitch for the two Orangeburg fan bases which in turn produced funds to cover scholarships.

"I thought it was great," said Claflin athletics director Tim Autry, who served in the same position at S.C. State at the time of the final Garden City Classic in 1996.

A mandate by then-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference commissioner...

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No respect: Virginia State University picked to finish sixth

ETTRICK, VA - Even though Virginia State reached the CIAA championship game last season — the Trojans lost 14-7 to Shaw — VSU is ranked sixth in the conference preseason poll, which was released Thursday at the CIAA kickoff press conference at Virginia State University.

"I thought we'd get a little bit better recognition," said VSU coach Andrew Faison, who was named CIAA coach of the year after guiding the Trojans to an 8-3 record.

But VSU was predicted to finish eighth last year, so exceeding expectations is nothing new to Faison or the Trojans. He said he'll just use the preseason ranking as motivation for his players, just as he did a year ago.

"It's preseason," Faison said. "It's no big deal."

The top four teams in the preseason poll — defending champion Shaw, Winston-Salem State, Saint Augustine's and Fayetteville State — come from the Southern Division. Even though VSU is predicted to finish sixth overall, the team is ranked second in the Northern Division.



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Fayetteville State coach Kenny Phillips not buying preseason predictions for his Broncos

Fayetteville, N.C. - Perhaps it was unintentional. But Fayetteville State football coach Kenny Phillips stole a page right out of Yogi Berra's book.

Thursday during CIAA Media Day festivities at Virginia State. Asked about the upcoming season, with his Broncos pegged in the preseason poll to finish fourth in the league's Southern Division, Phillips delivered a calm, if somewhat confusing, aphorism.

"If the prediction goes as the predictions go, they never do," he said.

Phillips has recent firsthand experience with the unreliability of preseason polls. Last season, for example, his Broncos were picked to win the CIAA, yet they sputtered to a disappointing 5-5 season and a fourth-place finish in their division.

"Where you're picked at is where you start," Phillips said. "But it's where you finish at (that matters)." So will FSU exceed expectations this season?

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The Predicted Order of Finish and Preseason All-CIAA team are being formally announced. To see a list of those, go here and here.

Southern University handles scholarship loss

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Southern football coach Stump Mitchell on Monday confirmed the loss of nine full scholarships spread among 19 players - the result, he said, of NCAA penalties brought forth because of SU’s substandard score in the Academic Progress Rate. Mitchell, however, said the team had yet to lose any players because of the predicament.

The blow was announced on the eve of this year’s Southwestern Athletic Conference media day and less than two weeks before his team starts practice, Aug. 4. Southern was susceptible to harsh penalties because its football team had a history of substandard APR scores.

The APR is a rolling four-year system that measures classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team. Teams scoring below 925 can face penalties, and teams scoring below 900 are subject to “severe” penalties.

According to data released...

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Williams preparing to make another run with Grambling

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Asked why he returned to coach football at his alma mater, Alabama’s Bear Bryant is famously supposed to have replied: “Mama called.” For Doug Williams, his whirlwind return to Grambling was for similar reasons.

“I always feel responsible for Grambling because Grambling was good to me,” Williams said as he faced a barrage of interviews Tuesday at SWAC football media day. “I hope that by coming back I’m giving back.”

The Zachary native was set to take a front office job with the Washington Redskins - the franchise he led to victory in Super Bowl XXII with a virtuoso MVP performance - when former Grambling coach Rod Broadway abruptly resigned on Feb. 3 to become head coach at North Carolina A&T.

Almost immediately, Williams said, his phone started ringing. At the other end of the line were ...

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Jackson State University names new athletics director

Jackson, MS - Jackson State University has named a seasoned athletics director and college administrator as its new athletics director.

Vivian L. Fuller, 56, will take the helm of Jackson State’s athletics program later this summer, just in time for the start of JSU’s celebration of 100 years of football.

“I’m excited to be a Tiger,” Fuller said.

“Jackson State has such a long and proud tradition; I look forward to honoring that tradition and helping our student athletes be the best they can be.



JSU President Carolyn Meyers announced Fuller’s appointment on July 20 before a large crowd of JSU fans inside the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center’s Sports Hall of Fame.

“Vivian Fuller’s leadership skills, along with her experience as an athlete, academician, and director of athletics at three institutions, make her the best choice for Jackson State University at this time.” Meyers said. “I’m very confident that she will be able to lead our athletics programs to prominence, ensuring that JSU student-athletes succeed on the field or court as well as in the classroom.”

Fuller comes to Jackson State University from Sojourner-Douglass College, where she serves as dean of the college’s Cambridge, Maryland campus. Before joining Sojourner-Douglass in 2003, Fuller spent more than a decade directing the athletics programs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Tennessee State University and Northeastern Illinois University.

When named AD at Tennessee State in 1997, Fuller became the first African-American woman to lead a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Athletics program with a football team. That team finished its first season under her leadership with a 9-3 record and won the Ohio Valley Conference championship.

Jackson’s State’s new AD is a nationally known expert on academic support programs for student-athletes, academic advising, women in sports and management and gender equity. She has testified before the U.S. Senate in congressional hearings on gender equity and minority participation in sports and has been involved in numerous NCAA committees including the Management Council, the Peer Review Committee, the Initial Eligibility Standards Committee, the Gender Equity Task Force and the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), for which she served as chairperson.

Fuller began her career in higher education at Bennett College in 1978 as the director of intramural and instructor of physical education. From 1984-87 she served as assistant director for advisement programs for student-athletes at North Carolina A&T, earning a promotion to assistant director of athletics. In 1987, she became associate director of intercollegiate athletics at Indiana University in Pennsylvania, where she was responsible for internal operations of the program and developing the academic component for student-athletes.

Fuller earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Fayetteville State University in 1977, a Master’s of Education from the University of Idaho in 1978, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Iowa State University in 1985.

For more photos, click the following link:  PHOTO GALLERY

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Keshia Campbell Appointed Athletics Director at Hampton U.

HU Athletics Director Keshia Campbell
(Photo courtesy of: MEAC Media Relations)

Hampton, VA - Keshia Campbell has been named the new director of athletics at Hampton University. Campbell, who has extensive experience in athletics administration, will begin at Hampton on Aug. 15.

Campbell, the first female athletics director to lead the Pirates, replaces Lonza Hardy, who has been named director of athletics at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Hampton received several nominations and expressions of interest for the position of director of athletics. After careful review, two of the candidates were invited for interviews with members of the coaching staff and athletic administration. Dr. Rodney Smith, vice president for administrative services, who supervises athletics at Hampton then interviewed both finalists. Smith was also impressed with Campbell and recommended her for the position of athletics director at Hampton.

"Ms. Campbell comes with athletics management experience, knowledge of the institution's athletics program and direct experience from within the National Collegiate Athletics Association," Smith said. "We are very excited to welcome her as a member of the Hampton family and we are looking forward to continued excellence from our student-athletes under her direction."

Prior to her current position as director of business affairs at University of Texas at Dallas, Campbell held two administrative positions at the NCAA, assistant and associate director of championships, from 2006-2009. Campbell is also no stranger to Hampton; she served as assistant and associate director of athletics at Hampton from 2004-2006 and was head women's basketball coach at South Carolina State University for seven years.

A two-time graduate of South Carolina State, Campbell earned a bachelor's degree in physical education and a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling.

"I am thrilled and honored to be appointed to the helm of the Pirate athletics program," said Campbell. "Hampton is recognized as one of the best Division I mid-major programs in the entire country and I look forward to carrying on the tradition of excellence."

Campbell is another in a long line of women being appointed to senior administration positions under William R. Harvey's tenure as Hampton president.

"Ms. Campbell has the administrative skills and experience to continue to guide our student-athletes to academic and athletic success," Harvey said. "We believe her passion and vision will further elevate the bright future of Hampton University athletics."

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Chattahoochee Tech's Brian Collier signs with Lemoyne-Owen

Memphis, TN - Chattahoochee Tech men’s basketball player Brian Collier has signed with four-year Lemoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tenn.

He will have two years of eligibility remaining for the Magicians, who play in the NCAA Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“I think it’s great that Brian has found a home for the next two seasons,” said Chattahoochee Tech head coach David Archer. “He has the ability to develop into a post player who can have a great impact. Lemoyne-Owen will be a good fit for him to continue to develop as a student and a player.”

The 6'9, 265-pound post player averaged...

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VISIT: LOC MAGICIANS

GCAC Unveils New Conference Logo

                                                                           

Hattiesburg, Miss. - The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference recently released a new logo that will be used by the GCAC. This logo was chosen from a design submitted by Eddie Frances, Director of Public Relations at Southern University of New Orleans.

Frances provided the following information concerning the design of the logo:

The five stars represent the five pillars of the Champions of Character program.

The letter A signifies the commitment to our athletes' successful matriculation through college.

The biggest star shows our commitment to Servant Leadership (keeping in mind our particular institutions' connection to their respective communities).

Dr. Thomas Howell, Commissioner of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, expressed his appreciation to Mr. Frances and stated that "I'm proud of the result and will delight in showing it off to commissioners of other conferences".

The president of the GCAC, Kiki Barnes of Dillard University, echoed Dr. Howell's comments concerning the logo and also stated "I would like to thank all of the conference sports information directors for your submissions and work in getting this done. Thanks again for your hard work and the great spirit in which you do it."

VISIT: GULF COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

TSU Tigers looking to defend their SWAC Championship

Houston, TX - SWAC Football Media Day concluded Tuesday at the Birmingham Sheraton with coaches and media awarding Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault and Prairie View defensive back Moses Ellis preseason player of the year honors. Grambling and Jackson State were also voted to be the favorites in their respective divisions.

SWAC Predicted Order of Finish (1st-place votes)

Western Division
Grambling State (12) 103 points
Texas Southern (8) 79 points
Prairie View A&M (2) 74 points
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1) 56 points
Southern 33 points

Eastern Division
Jackson State (13) 88 points
Alcorn State (6) 84 points
Alabama State (3) 82 points
Alabama A&M (1) 62 points
Mississippi Valley State 27 points


NEXT GAME: 9/10/11 PRAIRIE VIEW AT DELMAR STADIUM, HOUSTON, TX  7 PM
VISIT: TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
VISIT:  TSUTIGERS

Shaw University Bears lead All-CIAA

Raleigh, N.C. - The preseason All-CIAA football team was released on Tuesday, as was the conference's predicted order of finish. Both lists were selected by the CIAA Football Coaches Association. Shaw, Elizabeth City State and Winston-Salem State each had five players chosen to the 26-player preseason All-CIAA team. Two players were selected from St. Augustine's.

PRESEASON ALL-CIAA TEAM

OFFENSE
QB - Creven Powell, sr., Elizabeth City State
RB - Daronte McNeill, jr., Elizabeth City State
RB - Nicholas Cooper, sr., Winston-Salem State
WR - Robert Holland, jr., Chowan
WR - Tehvyn Brantley, so., Winston-Salem State
TE - Bobby Holiday, sr., Shaw
OL - Larry McDonald, sr., Fayetteville State
OL - Baron Coffin, sr., Elizabeth City State
OL - Bryan Garnett, sr., Elizabeth City State
OL - Allen Buckner, sr., Shaw
OL - Markus Lawrence, jr., Winston-Salem State
PK - Austin Turner, sr., Fayetteville State
KR - Tyron Laughinghouse, jr., St. Augustine's

DEFENSE
DB - Andre Lyles, sr., Fayetteville State
DB - Kenny Turner, sr., Bowie State
DB - Darrell Evans, so., Shaw
DB - Alton Keaton, sr., Winston-Salem State
DL - Larry Jones, sr., Elizabeth City State
DL - Charles Deas, sr., Shaw
DL - Stanley Porter, sr., Shaw
DL - Akeem Ward, sr., Winston-Salem State
LB - Delano Johnson, sr., Bowie State
LB - Brucelee Sterile, sr., Lincoln
LB - Jeremy Pruitt, sr., Va. State
P - William Rudd, so., Va. State
PR - Tyron Laughinghouse, jr., St. Augustine's

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NEXT GAME: 9/3/11 AT STILLMAN COLLEGE, TUSCALOOSA, ALA. AT 5 PM
VISIT: SHAW UNIVERSITY
VISIT: SHAWBEARS

Hope keeps MVSU Devils ticking as new season approaches

Delta Devils Coach Karl Morgan

BIRMINGHAM — Mississippi Valley State's Karl Morgan is hoping - a lot.

He's hoping his team will win a game this season - they lost all 10 in 2010. He's hoping his starting quarterback won't get injured - two have over the past year. He's hoping the junior college transfers he added in January will help out - he signed a whopping seven of them.

"Hopefully," the second-year coach said, "we're better, and I think we will be."

Morgan returns about half of his starters, just three on offense and seven on defense. Most of them are young players, like Robert Simpson, who started some games as a true freshman last season.

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NEXT GAME: 9/3/11 ALABAMA STATE, RICE-TOTTEN STADIUM, MS, 5 PM
VISIT: MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
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Winston Salem Rams picked to finish second in division

Winston Salem, N.C. - Winston-Salem State, heading into its second season back in the CIAA, is predicted to finish second in the league's Southern Division in football. The CIAA coaches' preseason poll has defending champion Shaw predicted to finish in front of the Rams in the division.

"That's about where I thought we'd end up," said coach Connell Maynor of the Rams. WSSU was 8-2 last season and finished second behind Shaw in the division. "I mean, Shaw's won three out of the last four championships, so I knew they would be picked to win the division," Maynor said.

Maynor said he doesn't put much stock in preseason polls because the competition still has to be decided on the field. "We played them pretty good last year, but came up short and lost," Maynor said. "We know it's going to be another good game with them this year, so it's a natural rivalry and we'll do our best to be prepared."

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NEXT GAME: 9/3/11 AT ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY, ELIZABETH CITY, N.C., 6 PM
VISIT: WINSTON SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: WSSURAMS

ECSU, with 5 All-CIAA picks, gets nod in division

Elizabeth City, N.C. - Heading into the 2011 football season few people are questioning Elizabeth City State’s ability to score points. The biggest question is how the Vikings will manage to stop opposing teams with the loss of Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year Malcolm Jenkins.

CIAA coaches think the Vikings will do just fine as they have picked the team to win the Northern Division in their annual preseason ranking.

The regard for ECSU’s offense is shown in the preseason All-CIAA team, where five Vikings were selected, four from the offensive side of the ball. Two Elizabeth City native lead the way...

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NEXT GAME: 8/27/11 at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS at 6:00pm CST
VISIT: ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY
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ASU's Andrews accustomed to offensive changes

Montgomery, AL - At this point in his Alabama State career, senior receiver Nick Andrews isn't fazed by a change of offensive coordinators. He'd be surprised if there wasn't one. This is Andrews' fourth year at ASU. Fred Kaiss, hired prior to spring practice, is his fourth offensive coordinator.

"It's not unusual at all," Andrews said, smiling. "In a way, I think it's kind of helped us. We've learned a lot of different styles and techniques, and I think we're better off. And really, it's not that big of a deal. Football's football, you know. The terminology might be a little different, but we're still trying to do the same stuff out there."

What the Hornets are trying to do, of course, is work their way back to Birmingham and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game. They were there last year and fell to Texas Southern.

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Ex-SSU coach's lawsuit under gag order

Robert "Robby" Wells
Career Record: 7-15

ATLANTA, GA — Not much has been heard lately from lawyers involved in a discrimination lawsuit filed by former Savannah State University football coach Robby Wells because they are under a court order not to leak personnel files before the trial.

Wells alleges the predominantly black school fired him last year because he is white and because he was recruiting white players who might have outshone others on the team. He is seeking personnel records for top administrators and staff in the athletic department.

The school denies it discriminated against him since it hired him in the first place. It charged him with not following directions and sloppy record keeping.

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Former DSU Hornet and N.C. A&T Aggie sign with UFL teams

Washington, D.C. - Former Delaware State University offensive tackle Darryl Hicks (Boston, Mass.) has signed a contract with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. Hicks competed for the Hornets during the 2009 and 2010 seasons after transferring from Hudson Valley Community College. He was a starting tackle in each of his 21 games at Delaware State.

During the 2010 season, Hicks helped lead the Hornets to a MEAC-best 248.9 passing yards per game. DSU was also No. 2 in the league with a 134.8 pass efficiency rating last year. Hicks was recognized as a MEAC scholar-athlete during his two years at Delaware State.

The 2011 United Football League season begins Aug. 14.



The Virginia Destroyers added another veteran tailback to the offensive backfield in Maurice Hicks. Hicks, who will turn 33 on July 22, is expected to carry the load at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.  The former North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University running back from Emporia, Virginia was previously signed by the UFL Florida Tuskers (2010); NFL Minnesota Vikings (2008); San Francisco 49ers (2003-2007); and NFL Chicago Bears (2002).

While at A&T, Hicks finished his college career with a school-record 2,812 rushing yards. As a senior, he was a third team Division I-AA All-American selection, the Black College Offensive Player of the Year, a first team All-MEAC selection, and he led the MEAC in rushing yards with 1,325 rushing yards. During his senior season, in a game against Morgan State University, he broke the NCAA Division I and II single game rushing records by rushing for 437 rushing yards. As a junior, he was a first team All-MEAC selection, after rushing for 1,487 yards. Hicks at  5-11/205 was the number two back during his career at San Francisco.

The Virginia Destroyers are under the command of  head coach/general manager Marty Schottenheimer, a former head coach of the Washington Redskins.

(From DSU Media Release/UFL Personnel Transaction Report)

Dr. Walter Kimbrough: No time to abandon black colleges

Little Rock, AR - In the Wall Street Journal, a recent article ran that questioned the need for black colleges and universities, because of falling enrollments. In the USA Today, Dr. Walter Kimbrough fired back with an op ed piece that ran on June 23rd.



In his piece, Dr. Kimbrough maintained that the black college continues to be more affordable for the economically challenged student. As he said on Today's THV at 6:30, taking race out of the equation, and instead using socioeconomic parameters, there is a place for black schools like Philander Smith. And as Dr Kimbrough pointed out, these schools, like Philander Smith also are a part of families histories and legacies. To close them down would be a disservice to the heritage of so many black families.

Here's more...



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Incoming Jackson State student ready for college life, football

Natchez, MS — Joseph Perry Jr. has wanted to build bridges and buildings ever since his days of tinkering with Legos. The Natchez High School Class of 2011 Valedictorian will attend Jackson State University in the fall to study civil engineering, a field on which he has been hooked since he was young.

“All my life I’ve liked the concept of putting things together,” Perry said. Perry said he chose Jackson State based on his academic passion, but he will not be neglecting his athletic passion in college — football. He will be a walk-on for the Tigers in the fall.

“I can’t wait to put some pads on and get on that field,” he said. Other universities offered Perry football scholarships, he said, but he accepted an academic scholarship at Jackson State because of the school’s engineering program. Perry graduated with a 4.1 GPA, showing a dedication to academics.



But the voluntary football workout in nearly triple-digit heat Wednesday proved his dedication to the game. Perry said he sometimes works out early mornings during the summer with the Natchez High football team to stay in shape for the fall.

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Hampton's McDaniel has breakout game in Hamilton Ti-Cats win

Hamilton, Ontario Canada - Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille spent 30 minutes this week talking to his players about pressure. Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Greg Marshall may be asking for a copy of that speech.

The Ticats dominated the Roughriders 33-3 on Saturday in front of 22,245 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Hamilton improves to 1-2, while Saskatchewan falls to 0-3. It is first time the Roughriders have opened a Canadian Football League season with three consecutive losses since 2000, when they finished 5-12-1.

"We got our . hats handed to us," Marshall said. "I told the guys at halftime (that), if they weren't embarrassed by their performance in the first half, then they were in the wrong business. We have to do a better job of coaching, and they have to do a better job of playing." Hamilton led 23-0 at the break and did not let up.



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In addition to Hampton University's WR/KR Marquay McDaniel, other former HBCU players on the roster of Hamilton are: DB Marcell Young - Jackson State; DE Darius Power - Fayetteville State (Practice Roster); and DE Stevie Bragg - Bethune Cookman. For Saskatchewan, DL Remond Willis - Tennessee State and Patrick Brown - Bethune-Cookman made the Roughriders' practice roster.

Shrine All-Star game: Central valedictorian heading to Howard

EUREKA, IL — Travis Kellum of Peoria Central High will play in the 37th annual Shrine All-Star football game Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Peoria Stadium. In a few weeks he’ll head to Howard University, in Washington, D.C., with the opportunity to walk on the Division I-AA football program. A year ago today he had yet to play his first game of high school football.

“All through high school the coaches were always trying to get me to come out for football,” said Kellum, also a four-year basketball player at Central. “With the merging of (Central and Woodruff) last year, I thought it might be the right time to give football a shot.”


Travis Kellum (#42) will be a football "preferred walk-on" at Howard. The Peoria Central (IL) High School valedictorian is planning to major in mechanical engineering at the Mecca.

A 6-foot-5, 255-pound defensive end, Kellum ended up all-area with the Journal Star and first-team all-conference in the Mid-State 6. He set an unofficial state record with 6½ sacks in a win over Rock Falls. "When I look back, the whole thing was like a dream," he said.

What got him into Howard, however, was his 4.0 grade point average. Kellum was Central’s 2011 valedictorian.  “I’m definitely going to Howard for academics,” he said. “At first I thought I would try to walk on with the basketball team. Now I’m going to try and walk on in football.”

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Pay for play: Texas Southern

Houston, TX - For Texas Southern, the argument about whether to pay players is more or less a moot point. The athletic department doesn’t make a profit, nor does it expect to. That’s not a goal.

A historically black college located in Houston, Texas Southern originally got its university status in 1947. (At that time, the University of Texas in Austin still did not admit African-American students.) Texas Southern’s overriding mission has been trying to help a segment of the population that has been traditionally denied equal access to higher education.

“We try to serve those who are historically underserved,” athletics director Charles McClelland said. “When you look at what we’ve done with a smaller amount of resources, colleges like us do the country a big service. In many cases, we are taking students who are less prepared for college, getting them adjusted and then graduated to make a significant difference in their communities.

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Flagler Palm Coast hoops' Certain signs with Southern University

PALM COAST, FL -- Lawrence Certain Jr. went from a Flagler Palm Coast graduate to a freshman student-athlete at Southern University with a stroke of a pen Thursday.

"This is a dream come true," said the 6-foot-7 power forward, who averaged 16.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a senior. "It looks like a good fit for me. They want to make a big turnaround with their program, get into the NCAA Tournament, and I hope I can help."

Certain's parents -- Tina and Lawrence -- younger sister Taylor, along with FPC coach Gary McDaniel and athletic director Steve DeAugustino, joined friends and assistant coaches Mark Odle and Lloyd Finley for the ceremony at the high school.

Southern's new head coach, Roman Banks, sent the paperwork, which gives Certain a full scholarship -- tuition, room, board, books -- for four years. "I've known Coach Banks a while," McDaniel said. "He's a dynamic first-year coach, and I'm certain he will do a great job.

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Bethune-Cookman Wildcats football vies for 3 of state's top 160

Daytona Beach, FL - Rivals' FlaVarsity.com recently released its top 160 football prospects for the class of 2012. While several of the recruits have already verbally committed to colleges, many others are mulling their choices and waiting for more offers.

Three players on the elite list -- Dondre Daley, Chris Murray and Elijah McClendon -- say Bethune-Cookman is among their top choices. The Wildcats and coach Brian Jenkins do not shy away from recruiting the top prospects in the state and have achieved several recruiting victories over bigger schools. But once a smaller school ventures into this stratosphere, the competition is pretty tough.

"If Bethune-Cookman gets two of the top 100 players in Florida, that's awesome," Sporting News recruiting reporter Brian McLaughlin said. Before National Signing Day in February, the Wildcats may be in the hunt for more of the state's top prospects.

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