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Albany, GA - At Wednesday’s SIAC Kick-Off Luncheon, (Coach Mike) White announced that last year’s anchor on the offensive line and team captain Mike Mavromichalis, along with fellow offensive lineman Norris Byrd, were both ruled academically ineligible for the upcoming season.
Both were named to the All-SIAC Preseason First Team Offense before final grades were released, and White said it was a big disappointment to see the seniors miss out on their final collegiate football season.
“It’s tough anytime you lose guys with three years experience on the line,” White said. “Both of them are seniors and good kids and just didn’t do what they were supposed to do in the classroom. Our team and staff understand where we are at, and our team and staff will have to step up and do the best they can. There is no way you can put guys in there who are going to be Mike or Norris. It’s just not going to happen. We are going to just deal with what we’ve got.”
Ed Graves and the TSU band will perform at the Hall of Fame.
Nashville, TN - Richard Dent did not wait to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame to ask Tennessee State marching band director Ed Graves for a favor. Not long after the former TSU defensive end retired from the NFL in 1997, he informed Graves he wanted the band to be a part of his enshrinement weekend.
“He always said, ‘If I ever get that call I want the band to be there,’” Graves said.
So when Graves saw that Dent was voted into this year’s class, he put a trip to the Aug. 6 ceremony in Canton, Ohio, on the schedule for the 200-member Aristocrat of Bands. TSU’s summer commencement was originally scheduled for next weekend, but the administration delayed it until Aug. 13 so that alumni, students and fans may attend the Hall of Fame festivities.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- The Cowboys announced on Friday that they had signed running back Frank Warren (5-9, 206) from Grambling State University. Warren was the 2010 SWAC Football Offensive Player of the Year and is Grambling State's all-time leading rusher with 3,910 yards. He ranked third in the NCAA last season with 1,592 rushing yards.
Also, signed to undrafted NFL free agent contracts from HBCU Colleges and Universities were:
Atlanta Falcons: Philip Sylvester, RB, Florida A&M University
Baltimore Ravens: Michael Ricks, DB, Stillman College; Eugene Clifford, S, Tennessee State; Walter Sanders, RB, Saint Augustine's College
Chicago Bears: Jordan Miller, Southern University
Cincinnati Bengals: Steven Robinson, HB, Hampton University
Cleveland Browns: Andre Carroll, DL, Delaware State; Sidney Tarver, LB, Tennessee State; Calton Ford, OL, Norfolk State University
Detroit Lions: Brandon Bufford, DB, Howard; DeJuan Fulghum, LB, Texas Southern; Ricardo Silva, DB, Hampton; Narada Williams, DE, Fort Valley State.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jalil Jackson, CB, Jackson State University
Kansas City Chiefs: David Mims, OL, Virginia Union University
Indianapolis Colts: Larrone Moore, WR/KR, Delaware State
Minnesota Vikings: Chris Adingupu, Safety, Prairie View A&M
New England Patriots: Richard Medlin, RB, Fayetteville State University
New York Giants: Ibrahim Abdulai, DT, Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Darnell Burks, DB, Fort Valley State
Philadelphia Eagles: Brandon Peguese, LB, Hampton University
Pittsburgh Steelers: Joshua Harrison, OT, South Carolina State University
Seattle Seahawks: Ricardo Lockette, WR, Fort Valley State
Saint Louis Rams: Dionte Dinkins, CB, Fort Valley State; Arthur Thomas, DT, Arkansas at Pine Bluff; and Teryl White, DT, North Carolina Central University
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Raymond Webber, WR, Arkansas at Pine Bluff;
Tennessee Titans: Joseph Hills, WR, Tennessee State; Anquez Jackson, G, Alabama A&M University
Washington Redskins: Dante Barnes, CB, Norfolk State;
ALBANY, GA — It’s official — Uyl Joyner will be the offensive coordinator for the Albany State football team. Head coach Mike White, speaking at Friday’s 12th annual Quarterback Club Kickoff Football Reception, confirmed the rumors that have been floating around for weeks when he announced Joyner as such.
2010 SIAC MVP QB Stanley Jennings
“He is a good, intelligent football coach,” White said of Joyner. “This will be 28 seasons for me coaching, and the guys who I can call out who I have met who are football smart like that, I can count them on one hand and cut a few fingers off. He is one of those guys who can see and recognize what is happening on the field very quickly.”
The Herald first reported Wednesday that Joyner had been named the Rams’ new O-C after seeing Joyner’s name listed as such in ASU’s information packet at the SIAC Kick-Off luncheon in Atlanta. But White said the listing was made in error and that no final decision had been made, although he added Joyner was “the leading candidate.”
NORFOLK, VA —— Donovan Rose feels more comfortable going into his third season as head coach at Hampton University. He knows, though, that there's an even greater impetus to get things done.
That point was driven home at the Pirates' end-of-the-year athletic banquet as Rose talked with women's basketball coach David Six and men's basketball coach Ed "Buck" Joyner. Six, who has won back-to-back Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament titles in his two seasons as the Lady Pirates' coach, and Joyner, whose Pirates won the MEAC tournament championship this past season in his second year at the helm, were each rewarded with three-year contract extensions in April.
"All three of us came in at the same time," said Rose, a 17-year HU assistant before taking the head job in 2009. "Six won (the conference championship) his first year. Buck won it his second. It's on me now."
Rose's Pirates, who went 6-5 in 2010 after a 5-6 finish in 2009, were picked to finish fourth in the MEAC in 2011 in voting Friday by league coaches and sports information directors.
Fayetteville, N.C. - Robert E. Wilson, a 1976 graduate of Fayetteville State University and the North Carolina Assistant Secretary of State, will headline the Inaugural FSU Champions Gridiron Gala on Sept. 2.
Wilson has been in positions of increasing responsibility with the Secretary of State’s Office for the State of North Carolina since March of 1993. He has also held supervisory positions with the N.C. Department of Corrections and with the Community College system.
“It’s very exciting for me,” Wilson said. “It’s an opportunity to come back home and give back to the University after they’ve given me so much.”
Wilson was the first member of his family to attend college when he left his home town of Wilson, N.C., to enter Fayetteville State University in 1972. He graduated in 1976 with a BA in History. He has also continued his studies at North Carolina State University and Wilson County Technical Institute.
Norfolk, VA - Bethune-Cookman got more first-place votes than any other team in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference preseason poll of head football coaches and sports information directors.
B-CU received eight first-place votes -- two more than the next highest total -- in the poll that was released Friday as part of the conference's football media day in Norfolk, Va. However, the Wildcats totaled 454 points, second to South Carolina State's 468. The Bulldogs received six first-place votes.
Florida A&M, which shared the 2010 MEAC championship with B-CU, was projected to finish third. The Rattlers had five first-place votes and 420 points.
While a preseason No. 2 MEAC ranking might be music to the ears of Wildcats fans, it goes in one ear and out the other for B-CU head coach Brian Jenkins.
Norfolk, VA — People across the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference must be so impressed with the job that new Savannah State football coach Steve Davenport is doing that his squad received a first-place vote in their preseason poll.
Actually, it calls into question whether all the head coaches and sports information directors are taking their vote seriously. The one vote didn't prevent Savannah State from finishing 11th and last in the poll, which seemed warranted considering the Tigers were 1-10 last season for their 13th straight losing record.
But there's no denying Davenport is injecting life into his program. It usually happens with a first-year coach, as everybody tries to impress the new boss.
In the MEAC, multiply that scenario by five. This season, Savannah State and North Carolina Central have joined the conference, one of two in the FCS for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, so nearly half of the 11 programs have new and highly respected head coaches.
Davenport, 43, has arrived at Savannah State from ...
ALBANY, GA — The question marks are there. They are sprinkled throughout the Albany State football team as it inches toward the 2011 season — a year where the Rams will be defending the SBN National Black College Football Championship and SIAC crown.
And how will the team handle a slew of unknowns, including a new offensive coordinator, a depleted offensive line, an inexperienced group of linebackers and a tougher schedule? ASU coach Mike White said Friday that it will happen, but only with hard work — and no excuses.
No Excuses--ASU Rams have to replace superback LiRonnie Davis
“The 2011 season will have a lot of question marks and a lot of new faces,” White said during the 12th annual Quarterback Club Kickoff Football Reception at Eula Lovett Hall. “But be sure of one thing: As Albany State Golden Rams, we will battle as hard as we can, and we will leave it on the field. Every time, we are going to leave it out there. Every thing we got will stay on the field. And that’s what we have always been about.”
NORFOLK, Va. — The South Carolina State football team has dominated the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, winning league championships in 2008 and ’09 and sharing the crown last season.
That trend will continue, according to league coaches and sports information directors, who predicted the Bulldogs would win the MEAC this season during voting at the conference’s annual press luncheon. It marked the fourth consecutive year the team was picked to win the league.
S.C. State was tabbed as the favorite despite having lost 15 seniors, including 11 starters, from last year’s team.
PRESEASON POLL
As voted by MEAC coaches and sports information directors:
In three short years in the NFL, former
Tennessee State University's DRC
has become a Pro Bowl
caliber cornerback.
Philadelphia, PA - According to reports on July 28, 2011, the Cardinals have traded Rodgers-Cromartie and a second round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Kevin Kolb.
Joe Banner was the guy doing the dirty work of negotiating the Kevin Kolb for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie trade. However, there's no doubt that GM Howie Roseman was closely involved as well. He met the media for a bit yesterday to give his thoughts on the player the Eagles received in the deal.
"This is a Pro Bowl caliber cornerback and an exciting guy to have on our team." Roseman said, "He's got great ball skills, he's explosive, and he'll fit well with the kind of posture we're going with on defense."
He says that the Eagles have liked DRC ever since scouting him in college.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Former Alabama A&M offensive tackle Anquez Jackson signed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday.
Jackson, a three-year starter and a two-time All-Southwestern Athletic Conference performer for the Bulldogs, started every game during his career for A&M coach Anthony Jones. He helped the Bulldogs reach the 2009 SWAC championship game.
During his Pro Day on March 9, Jackson checked in at 6-foot-3-3/4 and weighed 332 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.3 second and 5.38 seconds, the short shuttle in 5.29 seconds and the three-cone drill in 8.16 seconds. He had a 26-inch vertical jump, an 8-foot-6 broad jump and completed 22 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.
Birmingham, Ala. - The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its football broadcast schedule Thursday, including a 10-game slate on SWAC TV, the league's internet broadcast site.
The schedule has eight games across ESPN networks, plus national and regional television dates with NBC, Versus, and SportSouth. In all, 21 SWAC games are scheduled to be televised during the 2011 football season.
Note: The tape delayed games on ESPNU can all be seen live on ESPN3.com.
Date Game Time (CT) Network
Sat., Sept. 3 Alabama State at Mississippi Valley State 5 pm SWAC TV
Sat., Sept. 3 Alcorn State vs. Grambling 9:30 pm (Tape) ESPNU
Sun., Sept. 4 Prairie View A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman 11 am ESPN
Sat., Sept. 10 Alcorn State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6 pm SWAC TV
Sat., Sept. 10 Jackson State vs. Tennessee State 6 pm SportSouth
Sat., Sept. 17 Jackson State at Southern 6 pm SWAC TV
Sat., Sept. 24 Southern vs. Florida A&M 2:30 pm VERSUS
Sat., Sept. 24 Alabama A&M at Grambling 5 pm SWAC TV
Thur., Sept. 29 Texas Southern at Jackson State 5 or 6:30 pm ESPNU
Sat., Oct. 1 Alcorn State at Alabama State 7 pm SWAC TV
Sat., Oct. 8 Mississippi Valley State at Alabama A&M 1 pm SWAC TV
PINE BLUFF, Ark.- University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff football players Raymond Webber,Ibrahim Abdulai, and Arthur Thomas have signed free agent contracts with the NFL.
Webber will join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Abdulai and Thomas have signed to play for the New York Giants and the St. Louis Rams respectively.
“As a coaching staff we could not be happier to hear the news that Webber, Abdulai, and Thomas will be able to continue their careers in the NFL,” said UAPB head coach Monte Coleman. “All three young men have put in the hard work necessary to achieve their goals and with continued work at improving themselves as players I expect to see all of them heavily contributing on their respective teams in the near future.”
NFL teams are expected to begin training camps in the upcoming days as a deal was reached ending the lockout on Monday.
“I'm excited to get going and for training camp to start,” said UAPB's Webber. “While I was disappointed that I didn't get drafted I knew with hard work and persistence I would get my chance to showcase my abilities at the next level some day.”
For Webber, Abdulai, and Thomas that day has arrived as they headline the list of collegiate football players from HBCU's to sign free agent contracts.
Houston, TX - Former Texas Southern linebacker Dejuan Fulghum will formally begin his pursuit of an NFL career when he opens training camp with the Detroit Lions today.
Fulghum, the 2010 Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, signed as an undrafted with the Lions earlier this week. Fulghum, a Killeen native, was a four-year starter during his four years at TSU, helping to lead the Tigers to a 9-3 record and the SWAC championship in his final season.
In 2010, the 6-1, 220-pound Fulghum led TSU in total tackles (101), tackles for loss (18 ½), sacks (11) and forced fumbles (three).
Two former Prairie View A&M defensive stars also will be in NFL training camps. Defensive back Chris Adingupu signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings, and defensive lineman Quinton Spears inked with the Miami Dolphins.
Indianapolis, IN - The Indianapolis Colts Friday officially announced the signing of Delaware State University free agent wide-receiver Larrone Moore.
Moore totaled 102 receptions for 1,236 yards and five touchdowns in 43 career games at Delaware State. In 2009 as a junior, he ranked second on the team with 33 catches and 315 yards while posting the third-highest kickoff return-yard average (25.6) in the MEAC. As a freshman in 2007, Moore led the squad with 431 kickoff return yards.
The 6'-0", 196 pound wideout and kick returner is noted for his speed, clocking a 4.38 40 yard dash at DSU's Pro Day. The Prince George's County (Hyattsville, MD) native played high school football at Northwestern High School.
Moore was the top sprinter on Delaware State’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams … qualified for 2009 NCAA Outdoor East Regional championships in the 100-meter dash (10.39) and 200-meter dash (20.75) … member of Delaware State’s NCAA championship qualifying 1600-meter relay team, which posted a school-record time of 3:05.21 at national championships … captured 2009 MEAC indoor 200-meter championship with time of 21.50 seconds … qualified for 2008 NCAA East Regional in 100 & 200 … also competed in long jump (top leap: 6.84 meters).
In other words, Larrone Moore has an excellent opportunity to become a deep threat kick returner in the NFL, as he can outright fly.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Philadelphia Eagles have signed former Hampton University defensive standout Brandon Peguese, the team announced on Tuesday.
Peguese (Greensboro, N.C.) was a Sports Network FCS All-American and First Team All-MEAC selection last season, after finishing third on the team in tackles with 85 (38 solo, 47 assisted). He also finished third in the MEAC with 8.0 sacks in 2010, while also ranking second in the conference in tackles for loss with 23.5 for a total of 94 yards.
For his career at Hampton, Peguese tallied 179 tackles and 18 sacks. In 2009, Peguese was named Second Team All-MEAC after leading the conference with 7.5 sacks.
Peguese was one of nine rookie free agents signed by the team.
Peguese is the second Pirate to be picked up by an NFL team this season; defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft back in April by the New York Jets.
Lake City, S.C. - Josh Harrison finally got the phone call he wanted.
On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed the former Lake City and South Carolina State offensive lineman to a free-agent contract. “I was so excited about it. I can’t put it into words,” Harrison said. “It’s been a dream of mine to play pro football and I’m excited to get the opportunity.”
Harrison will report to the Steelers’ facility Wednesday and then be with the club when it opens training camp Thursday in Latrobe, Pa. Harrison, like other undrafted free agents, has been in limbo since April until the NFL lockout ended Monday. Tuesday was the first day teams were able to sign undrafted free agents.
Harrison said he has stayed in shape by working out in Orangeburg, where he has been taking classes to finish up his degree in mechanical engineering, and at the YMCA in Florence.
NORFOLK, Va. — The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will have five new football coaches on the sidelines this season and two of them are already creating a bit of a buzz around the league because of their reputation of winning championships.
Henry Frazier, who spent the last seven seasons at Prairie View, comes into the league as head coach at North Carolina Central. Rod Broadway left Grambling State University to take over the head coaching job at North Carolina A&T.
Frazier is taking the Eagles from Division II to their first season at the Football Championship Subdivision, while Broadway's mission is to turn around an Aggies program that hasn't had a winning season under their last two coaches.
They spent Thursday in meetings with the conference's nine other coaches and commissioner Dennis Thomas. They will meet the media today and they could expect to field plenty of questions about how soon they'll make their programs winners. The same will be asked of the three other new coaches — Kermit Blount of Delaware State University, Garry Harrell of Howard University and Savannah State's Steve Davenport.
"This is a dream come true,” Sanders said. “I proved to the non-believers I can make it happen. I accomplished my goal - I am in the NFL from Division II."
Baltimore, MD - At about 11 a.m., Walter Sanders was watching the NFL Network in his East Baltimore home with his 2-year-old daughter, Makenzii, when his agent, Jason Sklar, called. That’s when the Baltimore native learned the Ravens planned to sign him.
“It’s a tremendous honor to sign with the Baltimore Ravens,” Sanders said. “It’s been my dream all my life to play in the National Football League, but not only the National Football League, but, in particular, with the Baltimore Ravens.“ “What more can you ask for than to play for your hometown team?”
At Mervo High, Sanders excelled in basketball and football and became a regional champion in the hurdles during spring track. The 5’10’, 227-pound back decided to continue his football career at Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C.
Despite the Division-II level of competition he faced, the blazing back, who most recently clocked a 40 time of 4.39 seconds, still managed to attract attention from NFL scouts. Last year, Sanders finished his senior campaign with the first 1,000-yard rushing season for the Falcons in the modern era of college football.
Richmond, VA - Virginia Union University's David Mims has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League, Mims announced on July 26. Mims announced the signing via his Twitter account.
"Happy to say that I am officially a Kansas City Chief" Mims tweeted on the morning of July 26.
Mims, a 6-8 offensive lineman from Charlotte, N.C., anchored a VUU offensive line which allowed Panther runners to rush for 1,884 yards in 2010 and set a school-record 490 rushing yards against Virginia State University in 2009.
Mims becomes the first Virginia Union football player to sign with an NFL team since Jerome Leslie signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004.
Marianna, FL - Former Marianna Bulldogs football star Philip Sylvester has signed a contract with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, and will participate in the team’s training camp in hopes of making the final 53-man roster.
Sylvester, who spent the last four seasons playing for the FAMU Rattlers, wasn’t selected in the April NFL Draft, but was offered a free agent contract by the Falcons on Monday, and then left for Atlanta on Tuesday.
Efforts to contact Sylvester were unsuccessful, but the speedy running back’s former high school coach Don Dowling said he couldn’t be happier to see the mild-mannered former Bulldog get his shot.
“It’s a big deal. Someone mentioned to me that he was my first former player to sign an NFL contract, which I thought was pretty cool,” said Dowling, now the head coach at Sneads. “He’s one of those kids who deserve it. He has worked hard his entire career, and he’s a great kid. Back at Marianna, you wouldn’t have even known he was some big-time running back in the hallways. He’s just a regular kid.
ETTRICK, VA. — Michael Jordan used to say about winning championships, “It’s the shoes”.
Thursday at the annual pre-season football Media Day for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) you could have said, “It’s the hair”. Or maybe, the ‘lack’ thereof.
The coaches of the four top picks to win the 2011 CIAA Football championship are: (1) from the league’s South Division, and (2) happened to have been sporting bald heads on Media Day. Members of the CIAA Football Coaches Association have picked defending 2010 champion Shaw University to repeat in 2011. Winston-Salem State was picked second, followed by St. Augustine’s College, and Fayetteville State.
Elizabeth City State edged out Virginia State to win the North Division and play November 12 in Raleigh for the league title. Meanwhile, Chowan was picked fifth in the division and ninth among the dozen league teams. The Hawks were among the teams who had to adjust their schedules...
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- First-year Miles College coach Reginald Ruffin said no one is surprised that Tuskegee was tabbed to be the team to beat this year in the West Division of Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football.
"Tuskegee is the team," said Ruffin, a former Tuskegee assistant. "They have been the mecca of the conference, they have been the mecca in black college football. They are a big measuring stick of where you would like your program to be."
SIAC POLL
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Football Coaches Association released its preseason football poll on Wednesday in Atlanta.
EAST
1. Albany State
2. Fort Valley State
3. Morehouse
Atlanta, GA - The Stillman College football team, under the direction of new head coach Teddy Keaton, has been picked to finish fourth among five teams in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s West Division.
Results of the preseason poll were announced Wednesday during the SIAC Kickoff Luncheon in Atlanta. The conference features two divisions this season, with the East and West winners meeting in a championship game. The title game is scheduled for Nov. 12 in Columbus, Ga., but Keaton said Stillman would not be able to participate if it qualifies because the Tigers’ homecoming game against Concordia of Selma is set for the same day.
Tuskegee was picked as the West favorite, followed by Miles, Kentucky State, Stillman and Lane. Albany State, the defending champion, was the top choice in the East. Fort Valley State was picked second, followed by Morehouse, Clark Atlanta and Benedict. Albany State was chosen to win the overall conference title.
Albany, GA - At Wednesday’s SIAC Kick-Off Luncheon, (Coach Mike) White announced that last year’s anchor on the offensive line and team captain Mike Mavromichalis, along with fellow offensive lineman Norris Byrd, were both ruled academically ineligible for the upcoming season.
