Bethune Cookman and Albany State Lead Off In HSRN’s 2011 Pre-Season Polls

Hartly, DE – Bethune Cookman and Albany State will open their 2011 football season on top in HSRN’s Pre-Season Division I FCS and Division II Top-10 polls. Each week during the 2011 season HSRN staff and writers, along with selected media representatives and SIDs, will rank Historical Black Colleges Division I FCS and NCAA Division II teams.

Division I FCS voting have the defending MEAC Co-Champions each receiving first place votes, but it was Bethune Cookman getting the top spot with 10. Albany State got all but three first place votes to beat out Shaw, who picked up three, for the top spot in Division II.

Division I-FCS Top-10 Pre-Season

#	Schools (1st Place Votes)	2011 Record	Total Points	Final 2010 Ranking (Record)
1.	Bethune Cookman (10)	0-0	174	1 (10-2)
2.	S.C. State (5)	0-0	171	3 (9-3)
3.	Florida A&M (3)	0-0	152	5 (8-3)
4.	Jackson St. (2)	0-0	138	6 (8-3)
5.	Grambling St.	0-0	127	4 (9-2)
6.	Texas Southern	0-0	110	2 (9-3)
7.	Hampton	0-0	69	9 (6-5)
8.	Alabama St.	0-0	55	7 (7-5)
9.	Prairie View	0-0	38	8 (7-4)
10.	Norfolk St.	0-0	24	10 (6-5)
	Others Receiving votes: Alcorn St. 20, N.C. Central 10, AL A&M 5, TN St. 4, Morgan St. 2,ARK PB 1

Division II Pre-Season

#	Schools (1st Place Votes)	2011 Record	Total Points	Final 2010 Ranking (Record)
1.	Albany St.  (17)	0-0	195	1 (11-1)
2.	Shaw  (3)	0-0	179	2 (9-3)
3.	Tuskegee	0-0	160	3 (9-2)
4.	St. Augustine’s	0-0	123	4 (9-2)
5.	Ft. Valley St.	0-0	108	5 (8-3)
6.	Winston Salem St.	0-0	105	6 (8-2)
7.	Morehouse	0-0	78	8 (8-3)
8.	Virginia St.	0-0	54	7 (8-3)
9.	Elizabeth City St.	0-0	49	10 (6-4)
10.	Bowie St.	0-0	34	9 (6-4)
	Others Receiving votes: Fayetteville St. 11, Miles 2, Langston 2

VISIT: HSRN.com

2011 New York Urban League Football Classic

Howard University and Morgan State University will faceoff once again in the New York Urban League Classic at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011.

In 2010, NYUL had the first college football game ever played at New Meadowlands Stadium and we are excited about returning for the second year.

Last year, after two field goals and three interceptions, the Morgan State Bears defeated Howard University’s Bison 20-3 in front of nearly 35,000 football fans. The tension between the college rivals has had nearly a year to brew and it will be an all out battle on the field to see which team will march out of New Meadowlands Stadium victorious. The competition doesn’t miss a beat as the ultimate Battle of the Bands takes the field during the Halftime Show. The New York Urban League Football Classic steeped in tradition, reunions, and football fun.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: New York Urban League Football Classic

VISIT: HOWARD UNIVERSITY BISON ATHLETICS
VISIT: MORGAN STATE BEARS ATHLETICS

JSU Opens Fall Practice with a Bang

Coach Rick Comegy

Jackson, MS - A chance for the SWAC title might not be in play for Jackson State this season, but that's not slowing down the Tigers at all. JSU holding its first practice of the fall earlier today and from the start you could see plenty of excitement and energy from the group.

The Tigers are building off of last season's 8-3 performance and will be riding the arm of preseason Walter Payton Award watch list candidate Casey Therriault.

Head coach Rick Comegy says he expects an improved special teams unit and defense this season. He says this team is unified and doesn't have just one key player.

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FAMU eager to begin practice, ready to prove naysayers wrong

Coach Joe Taylor

Tallahassee, FL - Some players are so vexed by the preseason prediction that Florida A&M will finish third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference that they could hardly wait to get onto the practice field. They will have to hold their anxiety a few more days, though.

"We have been working for about 12 weeks and we are ready to play," said senior safety Anthony Shutt. "We are tired of seeing each other."

Well, it will be like that for another four weeks. But at least the Rattlers will get a chance to do a little hitting in a few days after they spend the next two days going through orientation and other formalities. They'll also spend their afternoons participating walk-through drills all of this week.

The team will begin to get a little more physical on Aug. 15. Two-a-days will be held...

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Davenport: I voted SSU No. 1 in the MEAC

Savannah, GA - Watch out, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Steve Davenport has come out swinging.

Savannah State University has not produced a winning football season since 1998, but that did not stop the Tigers’ first-year head coach from picking SSU to win the MEAC during its inaugural season as a conference member.



Davenport revealed Sunday during SSU’s Media Day at Tiger Arena that he voted SSU No. 1 in the MEAC’s preseason poll, which was announced July 29 during the conference’s preseason luncheon in Norfolk, Va.

In a secret ballot, the MEAC’s football coaches and sports information directors picked SSU to finish last among the conference’s 11 schools that play football. The MEAC has 13 schools, but Coppin State and Maryland Eastern Shore do not have football programs.

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David Climer: Richard Dent serves as emblem of TSU's past glory

Nashville, TN - Portions of the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies this weekend will morph into an infomercial for historically black college football in general and Tennessee State in particular.

Former TSU and Chicago Bears star Richard Dent is a member of the seven-man Class of 2011. Joe Gilliam Sr., defensive coordinator at TSU during Dent’s college career, will introduce him. TSU’s marching band will participate in the parade that precedes the induction ceremony.

Dent hasn’t forgotten his roots. He said his speech on Saturday will include recollections of his days at TSU and the impact that Big Blue football had on him from 1979-82. The fact that he asked Gilliam to introduce him speaks volumes.

“I wouldn’t be going into the Hall of Fame if it weren’t for Coach Gilliam,” Dent said.



Hard to believe, but Dent is the first TSU product selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame — and it took eight years after he became eligible to make it. Claude Humphrey has been overlooked much too long, as has Ed “Too Tall” Jones. Others merit consideration.

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Scott Ferrell: LSU needs to keep the money in state

Baton Rouge, LA - LSU completed its 2012 non-conference football schedule this week with the addition of Towson University. Towson University? Really?

Southeastern Conference schools have historically lined up punching bags for games outside of the conference. The thought process being the eight SEC games are difficult enough. SEC schools have little desire to add four more tough ones.

That thought process is debatable. What shouldn't be debatable is that Towson has no business taking one of LSU's four out-of-conference dates in 2012.

In the past, LSU has done an admirable job of playing in-state competition. After years of only playing Tulane in state, LSU has opened up its stadium and coffers to Louisiana Tech, UL-Lafayette and UL-Monroe. Last year, LSU dropped down to play Football Championship Subdivision member McNeese State. The Tigers will play FCS member Northwestern State this year.

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NOTE: We agree with Scott Ferrell... We have nothing against Towson University, which was 1-10 last season, but why pay $510,000 to an out-of-state program when you can create a great payday for FCS programs Grambling State or Southern University that the Tigers have never played in football? Why should Southern have to travel to New Mexico or Georgia to get a "money game" when LSU sits right across Baton Rouge with a fat checkbook ready to pay other perennial doormats a half-million dollars for a guaranteed blowout?  From any angle, Grambling State vs. LSU or Southern vs. LSU is much more entertaining than a Towson vs. LSU game.

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Southern University WR Green has ball, will travel

Baton Rouge, LA - Jared Green spent four years at the University of Virginia, earning his bachelor’s degree in anthropology. To him, it was the only major that made perfect sense. “I just added two things together, really,” Green said.

“Anthropology is the study of people and culture, and how they interact,” he said. “My favorite thing to do is travel, and my second-favorite thing to do is write. I figured I’d put them both together.”

The writing part may come in time. Green has already proven he knows how to travel. With one year left to play college football, Green, a senior wide receiver, decided this summer to transfer from Virginia to Southern. With the Jaguars, he said he believes he can play more often, maybe draw the attention of a few NFL scouts.

“He’s got speed. He’s got size,” SU coach Stump Mitchell said. “He wasn’t the primary receiver at Virginia, but he caught some balls, and we’re a passing offense. That was the main thing he wanted to be involved with, because he has aspirations of playing at the next level.”

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Alabama A&M: Bulldogs bigger, stronger, faster

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - One of the biggest reasons for Alabama A&M's success over the years has been the work of James Hester, the Bulldogs' strength and conditioning coach.

Hester, who has served in that role since Anthony Jones became head coach in 2002, helped A&M rattle off six straight winning seasons, win three Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division titles and the 2006 SWAC championship.

The Bulldogs haven't been nearly as successful the last three years, having had two losing seasons during that span, but A&M did reach the SWAC championship game in 2009.

Even so, following last year's 3-8 season, A&M's worst during Jones' tenure, Hester made some changes and he says after the first week of practice...

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Milan Clayton commits to FAMU basketball

Tallahassee, FL - Point guard Milan Clayton's decision about her college basketball career was pretty straightforward – go where she wanted and not where her talent was wanted. With that, she verbally committed to Florida A&M as the school where she will takes the next step in her basketball career.

"I always liked FAMU," Clayton said. "I mean, it's in the family and I like the coach (LeDawn Gibson). I like the way she runs things and I think I will be a good addition to her program. I like the whole system and the style of play."

Clayton's father, Mickey, said she's also decided to transfer from North Florida Christian to FAMU High for her senior year. The move will put her closer to advanced classes that she plans to take at the university, he said.



"I really didn't really want to go through my whole (senior) year wonder where I'm going to go," she said. "I knew I wanted to go to FAMU and since I knew that, I felt I should make that decision now and just enjoy my senior year and not have that on my mind."

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2011 Pro Football Hall Of Fame Inductee Richard Dent gives thanks for what he became

CANTON, Ohio — During his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech Saturday, Richard Dent said he “wanted to be someone special my mother and father and brothers could look up to.

” Dent accomplished that and so much more during a 15-year career mostly spent with the Bears where he wowed fans on the lakefront and wreaked havoc in opposing backfields.

Dent finished his career with 137½ sacks, third all-time when he retired behind Reggie White and Bruce Smith, and was the MVP of the 1986 Super Bowl. Those Bears epitomized the Monsters of the Midway.


He had 10 or more sacks in eight seasons, and was also a strong defender of the run, which impressed teammates like offensive guard Tom Thayer, who always appreciated the fact that Dent was a three-down player.

“Buddy Ryan challenged Richard Dent,” Thayer said. “Buddy said, ‘Make sure that you can stop the run, or else you’re not going to play in my defense,’ and then Richard Dent lived up to everything that was required of him on the field.”

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RICHARD DENT: His ‘wildest dream’

CANTON, OH — Dreaming big came naturally to Richard Dent.

“I grew up in a town where a man always said, ‘I have a dream,’ and that man was Martin Luther King,” Dent said. “And as a kid growing up at that time, listening to him, all I could do is dream. I wanted to be someone special that my mother and my father and my family looked up to.”

That kid from Atlanta exceeded his dreams.

Saturday night, he stood as a man inside Fawcett Stadium and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“Not in my wildest dream did I think I’d be here,” the 50-year-old Dent said as he looked back on his unlikely path, first to college and then to becoming an NFL superstar with the powerful Chicago Bears of the mid-1980s.

“None of us get anywhere by ourselves,” Dent said, as he thanked dozens of family, friends, teammates and coaches for helping him along his journey. Men such as high school coach, William Lester, and his Tennessee State defensive coordinator, Joe Gilliam, played a huge part in him becoming an NFL player.

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Shannon Sharpe's Speech At 2011 Hall Of Fame Enshrinement: Escaping Glennville

Atlanta, GA - The 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame class includes three players of particular local interest: Atlanta Falcons star Deion Sanders (Florida State University), Atlanta native Richard Dent (Tennessee State University) of the Bears and Shannon Sharpe of the Broncos and Ravens, who grew up in south Georgia's Tattnall County and played at Savannah State University, where he was one of the best players in SIAC history.

Sharpe looked ready to cry before even taking the podium, and had already spoken through a cracking voice while being interviewed before the event even began. He made it through his speech without breaking, and it will likely go down as the highlight of the night.



Thank you everyone. The people from the Hall tell me I only have eight to 10 minutes to do this. No chance. First, I'd like to thank the 44 men and women that deemed my play on the field worthy of this honor. Also the city of Canton and the Hall itself. Your efforts are appreciated.

I keep telling myself I'm not going to get emotional. I know that's going to happen. I'm proud and excited where my NFL journey has taken me and my family. 2121 George Halas Drive, Canton, Ohio.

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Turnovers again focus for Southern Jaguars

Baton Rouge, LA - Thursday afternoon, during the first practice of preseason camp, Southern University’s defense forced four turnovers in the first 30 minutes. If the defense is that productive during games, it could be in for a record-breaking year. On the other hand, if the offense is that sloppy, Southern could be in for another disaster.

During last year’s 2-9 season, the Jaguars had a minus-3 turnover margin, ranking eighth in the 10-team Southwestern Athletic Conference. Now, naturally, they’re looking for a better number. A positive number. It is, of course, a two-sided affair: The offense wants fewer mistakes, while the defense wants to force more mistakes.

“We have to get turnovers on this team and give our offense some great field position,” defensive coordinator O’Neill Gilbert said.

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Florida A&M players endure the heat during tests

 LaVante Page

Tallahassee, FL - Running back LaVante Page could have been speaking for any of the other Florida A&M football players who endured Thursday's scorching heat to prove their physical condition by running a 300-meter shuttle drill.

"It's burning," said Page, the last player to complete the test that was supervised by strength and conditioning coach Russell Barbarino on the team's practice field. It culminated a series of physical testing for the Rattlers that included power clean, bench press, 225-pound rep test and the vertical and agility jumps.

A handful of players who succumbed to the 90-plus degree heat will have to give the 300-yard run between cones another shot to earn a passing score. The team begins preseason practice on Wednesday, following another round of physical drills, Barbarino said.

"This kind of test not only determines if a person is in shape, but it tests...

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Future Southern schedule includes New Mexico, Georgia

Baton Rouge, LA - Southern University football players report for preseason camp Wednesday intent on restoring pride to their program. In years to come, they’ll fly across the country for big games against big teams, who will presumably cut some big paychecks.

SU coach Stump Mitchell said his program has agreed in principle to play two future away games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents - New Mexico in 2012 and Georgia in 2015. Yes, that’s correct: The University of Georgia.

“This class we’re bringing in right now - a lot of them will be (fifth-year) seniors when we play there,” Mitchell said. “These guys understand we have to take care of business now. But for them, that year is when they’ll go from being a young pup to a grown man.”

Mitchell said that without a permanent athletic director, he has taken temporary responsibility of scheduling future games, though he added that Chancellor James Llorens “has to sign off on it.”

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Sharpe makes trip from Savannah State to Canton

Savannah, GA - The late Bill Davis’ unique recruiting pitch lured Shannon Sharpe to Savannah State back in the mid-1980s, sending him on a football journey that will culminate with his enshrinement Saturday in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Davis envisioned great things for the tall and slender kid from Glennville. But even Sharpe wasn’t absolutely convinced that his would-be coach was telling the truth.

“He said, ‘if I owned an NFL team and if I had the first pick in the draft, you’d be the first player off the board,’” said Sharpe in a telephone interview Tuesday.

With his older brother, Sterling, already shining at South Carolina and headed toward a first-round selection in the NFL draft, Shannon bit on the cheese Davis left for him. He wanted to follow Sterling into the NFL.

“When he told me that, it resonated with me,” Sharpe said. “I thought, obviously, here is a coach that thinks a lot about my ability and thinks I could add a lot to the program. It was the best choice that I could have made.”



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Induction speeches will cap whirlwind weekend for Shannon Sharpe

CANTON, Ohio — It was during lunch when Shannon Sharpe understood that what he was really doing this weekend was rushing a fraternity.

The luncheon here Friday was for Pro Football Hall of Famers only. Gold jacket attire was mandatory. Sharpe didn't wear one, nor did anyone else in his Pro Football Hall class of 2011. That would come later Friday night at the formal gold jacket ceremony.

Deacon Jones, the original sack artist and star of the Fearsome Foursome for the Los Angeles Rams, was a featured speaker. Sharpe, as a newbie, a pledge, was not allowed to speak. But it was while he sat silently at attention that he was struck by the impact of his moment.

"When you play high school, you know there's college," Sharpe said. "When you play college, there are the pros. And the pros, you graduate to the Hall of Fame. And when you get to the Hall of Fame, that's it. That's your last stop."

Slideshow: Photos of Sharpe at the Gold Jacket Presentation to the 2011 class of Enshrinees.

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Tennessee State University's Richard Dent Joins Pro Football Hall Of Fame In Class Of 2011

Chicago, IL - Back in 1983, defensive end Richard Dent was an eighth-round selection out of Tennessee State by the Chicago Bears. Twenty-eight years later, Dent will find himself in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. A member of the storied mid-1980s Bears defenses, Dent made his reputation in the league by becoming a feared sack artist. His 137-1/2 career sacks have him tied for sixth all-time with 2010 Hall of Fame inductee John Randle. But that doesn't tell the whole story of Dent's dominance.

After playing in all 16 games as a rookie, Dent followed that up in 1984 with 17-1/2 sacks, third best that year. He didn't let up in 1985, leading the league with 17 sacks. He was in midst of recording double-digit sacks in eight of 10 season from 1984-93. In 1993, Dent, 33, had 12-1/2 sacks, his last great season. He would float around the league for the next four seasons to San Francisco, back to Chicago, then in Indianapolis and finally finishing things with Philadelphia.




Dent garnered a number of awards during his 15-year career. He was the 1985 Super Bowl MVP, which saw him record 1-1/2 sacks in the Bears' 46-10 romp over the Patriots. He made four Pro Bowls...

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Tennessee State star Richard Dent enters Pro Football Hall of Fame today

Excerpt:
TSU Took a Chance
The defensive coordinator at Tennessee State, Joe Gilliam happened to be teaching a graduate course in public health. One of his students was William Lester, Dent’s coach at Murphy High in Atlanta. Gilliam was also responsible for recruiting in Georgia, and one spring day, he stopped by the school. Lester put in a tape and asked what he thought.

“I said, ‘I have cornerbacks that are bigger than Richard Dent and he’s an offensive tackle. He just won’t cut it, Coach,’” Gilliam said.  Lester wouldn’t take no for an answer, though, and when fall practices started, Gilliam said he showed up with Dent in tow even though there was no scholarship offer.

“He says, ‘We can’t leave him in Atlanta. He won’t make it, Coach.’ I said, ‘I can understand. He comes from a pretty rough area and all that, but I just don’t have a scholarship for him.’ He says, ‘Coach, I can’t leave him. So I brought him.’ He says, ‘You do what you can for him. I know you'll do that.’ ”

He remembers Lester telling him, “Well, you got him” and then leaving.

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VISIT: MAKEADENTFOUNDATION
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2011 Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida Classic Tickets on Sale

ORLANDO, FL – Tickets for the 32nd Annual Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Classic, the traditional showdown between historically black institutions Bethune-Cookman University and Florida A&M University, are now on sale to the general public.

Tickets to America’s preeminent HBCU football game may be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, at the Amway Center box office, by phone (407.839.3900) or any Ticketmaster outlet. This year’s game will be played on Saturday, November 19 at 2:30 p.m. in Orlando’s Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium while being televised nationally on ESPN Classic.

Tickets are available for as low as $10.75 (3rd level, corner), while other seats are available at great price levels ($27 end zone, $37 goal line or lower-deck corner). Priority seating for the game is available with season ticket packages purchased through either B-CU or FAMU. For Wildcat ticket information, call 386.481.2202; for FAMU, call 850.599.3141.

Student tickets are available for $27 and may be purchased through the student’s respective school.

Group tickets (20 or more) may be purchased through Florida Citrus Sports (407.423.2476) or at the FCSports Box Office, located in the South end of the stadium (open Mon. and Wed., Noon – 4:00 p.m.; Fri., 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.).



Parking is on sale and available by visiting www.ClickandPark.com.

Fans should purchase their tickets at one of the approved locations listed above. Buying from any alternative source increases the risk of receiving a counterfeit ticket.

Proceeds from the BCBS of Florida Classic and all official ancillary events support the participating institution’s mission of providing educational opportunities through scholarships for all students.

VISIT: FLORIDA CLASSIC.ORG
VISIT: FAMUATHLETICS
VISIT: B-CUATHLETICS

Jenkins wins ASU QB job

Montgomery, AL - It didn't take two practices for Reggie Barlow to figure out his starting quarterback for the 2011 season. It might take a little longer to choose the backup.

Barlow said he wanted to wait on the start of preseason practice to name a starter in order to give last year's starter, Devin Dominguez, a chance to win his position. Dominguez, a star pitcher for the Hornets' baseball team, missed the spring under new offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss, then returned home to Indiana for the summer.

"Basically, it comes down to just playing football," Dominguez said. "All concepts are similar in the passing game. There are a lot more reads in the running game, but I'm coming along better than I thought. I thought I would be completely lost."

Dominguez started his career as a tight end and receiver for the Hornets, but...

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MVSU Sean Woods winning - more than just on court

Itta Bena, MS - Mississippi Valley State coach Sean Woods won’t enter the season with the goal of winning 20 games despite the fact that he’s got a team that may be favored to win the SWAC.

It’s easy to see why.

Just look at the schedule: at North Carolina, at Florida, at Wisconsin, at Notre Dame, at South Carolina, at Arkansas, at Northwestern, at Iowa State, at Ole Miss, at DePaul. That doesn’t even include a tournament out in Las Vegas. Woods, the former Kentucky star, won’t play at home until conference play. But wins are actually secondary for Woods and the Delta Devils men’s basketball program.

The priority? Earning paychecks as the sacrificial lambs to the big boys.

`That’s the major necessity for us,” Woods said. ``We’ve got to play buy games to keep the athletic department and my program afloat.” By his count, he’ll earn $778,000 for the 10 guarantee games he’s signed up for this season.

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