Wednesday, August 8, 2012

UAPB Golden Lions wrap up day 3 on positive note

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- Two of the key factors the Golden Lion coaching staff wants to focus on are retention and application of the playbook.

With veterans stepping up and showing leadership to the incoming freshmen, the learning curve that is usually an issue with the start of fall camp has been reduced to the liking of head coach Monte Coleman.

 Even with the normal conditions that could plague preseason camp (heat, injuries), for the first day in shoulder pads, the coaching staff is pleased with the conditioning of the overall team.

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Shaw To Hold Pigskin Preview Thursday, August 9

RALEIGH, North Carolina - The Shaw University Athletic Department will hold its first Shaw Pigskin Preview on August 9 at the Courtyard Marriott - Crabtree Valley. The event will begin at noon with a question and answer session beginning at 12:15 p.m.

First-year head coach Robert Massey, selected assistant coaches and players will be on hand to greet fans as well as field questions.

The event is free and open to the public. The Courtyard Marriott - Crabtree Valley is located at 3908 Arrow Drive near the Crabtree Valley Mall.

NOTE: This is a location and time change from an event announced in late June.

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Southern University looks at backup running backs

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - The emergence of a reliable third running back behind Sylvester Nzekwe and Jerry Joseph is a priority for the Southern offense this fall.  Should Nzekwe or Joseph (or both) go down with an injury, the Jaguars want to know the ball will be in good hands. On Tuesday, they got to see that exact situation unfold.

Nzekwe (ankle) and Joseph (knee) were held out of practice with minor injuries and instead did conditioning work. They’re expected back on Wednesday, the team’s first day in full pads, but their time on the sideline meant a valuable chance for someone to grab hold of the No. 3 spot.

The reps were split up between redshirt junior Darrius Coleman, freshman Lenard Tillery and former sprinter Terrance Clayton. Coleman, a 5-foot-9, 207-pound former defensive back, has 30 pounds on Tillery and more than 50 on Clayton, making him the best fit physically.



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UAPB: Another 100 on Horizon?

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- Arkansas-Pine Bluff linebacker Jer-ryan Harris was limited to seven games last season dealing with a hamstring injury. His sophomore season wouldn’t be anything like the year before, when he led the SWAC with 129 tackles.

While it took him a few months to recover from the injury, it look him longer to recover mentally.

“It was really weighing on me at first,” Harris said. “But after having support from my teammates, I was really able to come back mentally.”

After practice Monday, Harris flashed a wide smile on his face when he was asked how healthy he is. “I’m 100 percent,” he said with glee.



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Alabama State Hornets go through first two-a-day practice

MONTOGMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State University hit the practice field twice today for their first two-a-day practice of the preseason. The team's first practice was at 9 a.m., followed by an evening session that started at 7 p.m.  The last few practice sessions have not gone exactly the way the ASU coaching staff had envisioned, but head coach Reggie Barlow has seen some things that the team has done well.

"I will say as a whole, this team's mindset has been positive," Barlow said. "They have embraced the work, even after three or four days where we were not good, I think the mindset has been pleasant for the majority of the guys."

"I am real pleased with the way Greg Jenkins is directing the offense. He has been real positive, real upbeat, and he has been doing a lot of positive things on the field and I am real happy about that," he said.



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WSSU's Maynor says he's forgotten last season

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -  Coach Connell Maynor says he hasn't dwelled much on how last season ended for Winston-Salem State. The Rams were in position to clinch a berth in the Division II football championship game but lost 21-14 to Wayne State in the semifinals at Bowman Gray Stadium.

It was a tough end to a dream season.

"We can't worry about what happened last year," said Maynor, whose team will open practice for the new season Thursday. "I didn't think too much about what happened, because in this business, you have to keep looking ahead, and that's what we've done."

Maynor said when he did look at the film of the loss to Wayne State, he saw that the Rams didn't make big plays when they needed them.

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ASU signs former D-I QB from FAU, officially opens practice with sand dune run

ALBANY, Georgia - Welcome to Albany State football, David Kooi. The senior transfer from Florida Atlantic, who got his first dose of Rams football Monday morning with a 6 a.m. climb up the sand dunes near campus, will be the third quarterback fighting for the starting spot this season.

Kooi officially joins transfers Keenan Grissett (Gardner-Webb) and Rodney Castlin (Arizona Western College). Now, the trio has less than a month to win the spot before the Sept. 1 season opener against North Greenville.  ASU coach Mike White hopes it doesn’t take that long.

“I hope that in a couple of weeks we will be able to name (the starter),” White said. “Before we get to our first game, I’m hoping we will be able to say who is our man. It won’t go as I would like if we don’t name somebody by game week.”

White and his fellow coaches were ...



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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Olympics 2012: JSU's Michael Tinsley takes silver in men's 400m hurdles

LONDON  -  One of the toughest races on Monday at the Olympics Stadium in London has a surprise outcome in favor of the United States. USA was well represented when Michael Tinsley crossed the finish line second in the Men’s 400 meter hurdles surprising everyone. In what was a tough race, Felix Sanchez brought home the Dominican Republic gold, but that was almost expected when he crossed the finish line at 47.63.

It was Michael Tinsley’s strongest moment on the field and gave the audience a shocker as most didn’t think the United States athlete had a chance. However as Tinsley proved, never underestimate the underdog.

HU's Kellie Wells wins bronze in 100-meter hurdles



LONDON - Kellie Wells gained the redemption she's been seeking for four years. It took her only 12.48 seconds to get it.

After having to be carried off the track in 2008 after suffering a hamstring injury at the trials, Wells rebounded in 2012 to earn Olympic bronze, claiming third in the 100-meter hurdles Tuesday in 12.48 seconds.

Australia's Sally Pearson, who was the favorite entering Tuesday's final, claiming the gold medal with a wire-to-wire win in 12.35 seconds, an Olympic record.  American Dawn Harper, who won gold in the event in 2008, earned silver in 12.37 seconds. U.S. teammate Lolo Jones placed fourth in 12.58.

"I had a long wait for this but it was definitely worth every day of it," Wells said. "I've had my great moments; I've had some tough times, too. It's made me a better athlete and a better person. An Olympic medal caps it all."



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Chavous Joins Football Staff at Saint Augustine's University

COACH TIM CHAVOUS
RALEIGH, North Carolina  -  The Saint Augustine's University department of athletics has announced the hiring of Tim Chavous as assistant football coach on Tuesday, August 7, 2012.

Chavous replaces long-time assistant Matthew Montgomery, who left the program to become a teacher and counselor in his home state of South Carolina. Chavous will coach the running backs, and offensive coordinator Jermaine Gales will handle the quarterbacks in place of Montgomery.

Head Coach Michael Costa is confident he has the right man to revive the running game. In 2011, the Falcons led the CIAA and ranked 33rd in NCAA Division II in passing offense (264.2 ypg), but finished 10th in the CIAA in rushing offense (61.4 ypg). Two years ago, the Falcons were fifth in rushing (152.64) in the CIAA and tailback Walter Sanders was named CIAA offensive player of the year.

“We are very fortunate to get Tim on short notice,” Costa said. “He has vast knowledge and experience working with running backs. He will also assist us with academic advising.”

Chavous was an assistant offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Saint Paul's College from 2005 to 2011. While at Saint Paul's, Chavous was head baseball coach, admissions recruiter and director of student activities. During his tenure at Saint Paul's, Chavous coached one All-CIAA rookie football player and one 1,000-yard rusher.

Chavous was running backs coach at Virginia State University from 2003 to 2004. He was a coach and camp coordinator at the University of Virginia during the summers of 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Chavous was a standout college running back at Bethune-Cookman University where he was a member of the 2001 MEAC championship team. He played two years at Pasadena (Calif.) City College for two years before transferring to Bethune-Cookman. Chavous graduated from Bethune-Cookman with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and recreation in 2002. He earned a master's degree in education and physical education in 2012 at his alma mater.


While Costa is glad to have Chavous on board, he will miss Montgomery, who was the longest tenured football assistant at Saint Augustine's University. Montgomery coached 10 seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He was the only full-time assistant coach left from the original staff when the Falcons re-instituted football in 2002.

“Matt has been with me from the beginning,” Costa said. “He played an integral role in the growth of our football program.”

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B-CU makes note of anti-hazing policy to first-year band members

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - Moving her hips from side to side with nine other first-year band trumpet students, Erica Jones yelled out "Let's Go, Wildcats" and then raised her horn to her mouth and began playing.

The 18-year-old freshman from Miami was in her first day of practice Monday for the Bethune-Cookman University marching band with about 100 other freshmen or first-year band students, up about 5 percent from last year.



National attention to hazing and the death last year of a Florida A&M University drum major has put a "negative image" on bands, especially at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), according to B-CU director of bands Donovan Wells. But it didn't deter new students from applying.

"Image wise (hazing and the death at FAMU) has had a huge impact on us and every HBCU band because of the old adage we all have been painted with the same brush," Wells said. "But when you get down to the day-to-day operations and the product on the field -- all of that will be status quo."



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Grambling embracing high expectations

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Grambing's not trying to duplicate its 2011 SWAC championship performance. The Tigers are trying to pick up where they left off. Big difference.

No one in black and gold wants to relive the 1-4 start. Everyone wants to keep clicking the way they were during a redemptive seven-game win streak that reclaimed the crown.

"What I try to convey to those guys is, 'Last year we started rough, but we ended well,'" coach Doug Williams said. "The most important thing is to continue where we ended.

"If we can continue to play the kind of football we played down the stretch, this could be a pretty good year for us if we can understand where we are, and I think we've got the leaders to convey that to the younger guys and pull it out of 'em. And I think we've got guys that are gonna push each other because of what they accomplished last year."



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Former B-CU standout signs with NFL Baltimore Ravens

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida - Former Bethune-Cookman standout linebacker Stevie Baggs Jr. is back in the NFL. Baggs, 30, a pass-rush specialist, has signed with the Baltimore Ravens, the team announced.

Baggs is a Canadian Football League veteran who has played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was a CFL All-Star with the Roughriders in 2009.

The Tiger-Cats cut Baggs in March after a reported contract dispute. He had made 50 tackles and five sacks in 18 games in 2011.

The 6-foot-1, 241-pound defender has been in NFL camps before with the Detroit Lions (2004-05) and Arizona Cardinals (2010).



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Female MEAC official to make NFL history Thursday

SAN DIEGO, California - Shannon Eastin will become the first female to officiate an NFL game when she works as a line judge for the Green Bay at San Diego preseason match Thursday night.

The regular NFL officials have been locked out by the league.

Eastin is a college referee who has worked in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, in which Norfolk State and Hampton compete. She is one of the replacement officials hired by the NFL and has 16 years of experience.

A resident of Tempe, Arizona, Eastin also has won six national judo championships. She was the youngest judo athlete ever to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, doing so when she was 11.

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Female ref to work NFL preseason game

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin — For the first time in league history, a female referee will officiate an NFL game Thursday night.  Shannon Eastin, a referee from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, will wear the officiating stripes when the Green Bay Packers travel to San Diego to play the Chargers for each team's preseason opener.

When that news hit the Packers' locker room Monday afternoon, the players were surprised but supportive that a female would be given such an opportunity.

"Female, male, dog, cat, as long as they're calling the right calls and they know what they're doing out there, it really doesn't matter," tight end Jermichael Finley told FOXSportsWisconsin.com in an exclusive interview. "It's a person. She'll see the same things as a man. She knows how to blow the whistle the same way.  "It's going to be something weird to see, but you deal with it and just roll."

With the league and NFL Referees Association currently in contract negotiations, the NFL has been training replacements since June.

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Monday, August 6, 2012

Trifonov anticipates a ready FAMU volleyball team

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - Tony Trifonov will learn on Tuesday just how well his Florida A&M volleyball team adhered to its offseason workout plan. The Rattlers coach was actually anxious to find out last week, mentioning one major incentive why players needed to remain committed — they were stopped short of winning the MEAC title for a second straight season last year.

FAMU opens practice on Tuesday, three weeks before its first match in the University of Florida Tournament.



“I will see on the first day of practice how much they have done over the summer and how much time they’ve spent in the weight room,” said Trifonov, whose team won nine consecutive conference titles before hitting its recent dry spell.

“You would think that coming off a second-place finish in the conference tournament they would try to do a little bit extra so that we could return to the tradition of winning championships.”

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New Norfolk State receivers coach has NFL experience

NORFOLK, Virginia - The Norfolk State football team rounded out its coaching staff less than a week before training camp begins, bringing in Quintin Smith to coach wide receivers.

Smith, who signed with the Chicago Bears as an unsigned free agent out of Kansas and played in the 1990 and '91 seasons, becomes the only NSU coach with NFL playing experience and the first since quarterbacks coach Jeff Parker in 2009. He has coached high school and college football, been a professional scout and taught high-level social studies.



"I think I bring a unique skill set," Smith said Thursday. "There's not a lot of scouts that get into coaching. There's not a lot of teachers that were players. I was undrafted out of college, but I was at the next level.

"Guys that play in college, they all have that dream to play professionally. I think it brings some automatic credibility."

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NSU football | Five questions as practice kicks off

NORFOLK, Virginia - Norfolk State won its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship in 14 tries last season. The Spartans, the favorites to repeat in a poll of coaches and sports information directors, have much to address first.

1. Who will replace Chris Walley?

Walley was NSU's first MEAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year and the most accurate passer the Spartans have had. Backup Nico Flores was 9 for 17 and fumble-prone. Norfolk State brought in two junior college quarterbacks this season, but head coach Pete Adrian has named Flores the starter heading into training camp - but not his starting quarterback for the opener. None of that screams confidence. Flores' early performance will likely dictate whether there's a true quarterback competition during the fall, or whether the Spartans maintain the natural line of succession.

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Alabama A&M's Davies welcomes 17 players to "The Hill"

NORMAL, Alabama – Head coach Frank Davies welcomed 17 women soccer players to “The Hill” today for the start of their 2012 preseason camp.

Opening his 12th season at Alabama A&M, coach Davies introduced two newcomers to the athletic department and 15 returnees.

One of the newcomers is Miss Marissa Oehler a goalkeeper from Deltona, Florida. She participated with the Omega Soccer Club where she was the starting goalkeeper, when the team played in the Humanitarian Games.

The other signee is Miss Maria Farella who played defender at Baker High school in Cape Coral, Florida.

The women’s soccer team will begin camp on Friday, August 3rd with a full day of meetings then assessments and physical training. Opening practice begins on Saturday morning.

The Maroon and White are slated to play its home opener against Belmont University at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 12th at the women’s soccer field.

Admission is free.



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ECSU's ‘Wonderful Radio, Viking Style’ making waves

ELIZABETH, North Carolina  -  Wonderful Radio, Viking Style. Locals may know it as the initials WRVS, or 89.9 on their radio displays, but there is a lot more than just a number behind that frequency.

The Elizabeth City State University-based radio station is staffed with people from the surrounding area who have expressed the desire to invest in the community’s talent, and the station displays such talent in its content.

“Coool Cat”, on Sundays at 2 p.m., is one example. The syndicated radio program was founded by Elizabeth City local, Ray White, who has been able to parlay his interest in music into a syndicated radio program that is run from the comfort of his home, or even on the road, thanks to his portable radio station.

Coool Cat’s unique twist on radio and music is that it concentrates on ...


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Sunday, August 5, 2012

Johnson C. Smith grad Leford Green running for gold on Monday

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina - Recent Johnson C. Smith University graduate Leford Green will compete for Olympic gold Monday in London.  Green, running for his country of Jamaica, qualified for the 400-meter hurdles finals Saturday when he finished second in his semifinal heat with a season’s best time of 48.61 seconds.

Green will run in the finals at London’s Olympic Stadium on Monday at 3:45 p.m. (EST).



“It was a good run and I’m glad to be in the final, because at this stage basically anything can happen,” Green told reporters. “I have been working a lot in practice and I’m going to try and fix up for the final. I’m going to see if I can go faster.”

Green, whose personal best is 48.47 seconds, was the NCAA Division II champion in the 400-meter run in 2011, the year he graduated from J.C.Smith.  Green is trying to become ...

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2012 SCSU Bulldogs fueled by intensity to regain MEAC crown

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina - Press and Picture Day is a time for South Carolina State football players and coaches to put on their best faces for the cameras and discuss the upcoming season.

Bubbling beneath the smiling faces on display Saturday morning at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium was an intensity which burned to the surface when the topic turned to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title.

“Last year hurt that we couldn’t get the title,” quarterback Richard Cue said. “But we’ve just got a big chip on our shoulder right now. We’ve going to go back and start and do what we’ve supposed to do.”

“It’s definitely motivation,” said wide receiver and Goose Creek graduate Tyler McDonald. “We never like to give away something that we feel is ours. So, everybody’s been working with a chip on their shoulder since the season’s been over just to get that back.”



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Tougaloo College Acquires WUFX-TV in Jackson

TOUGALOO, Mississippi - Tougaloo College announced today that it had agreed to acquire television station WUFX-TV, Channel 35, in Jackson, Mississippi. WUFX is the MyNetworkTV affiliate for the Jackson market and can be seen on Cable One channel 9 and Comcast channel 11.

“This is a remarkable opportunity for the College to further its academic mission, as well as its economic interests through the purchase and operation of WUFX,” said Dr. Beverly W. Hogan, President of Tougaloo College. “Most importantly, a commercial television station will offer our students, particularly those from our Mass Communication department, some real world experience of seeing how a television station works, aiding them in knowledge acquisition and application. It will, without question, bring other benefits to the College, as well.”

“I also want to thank the Tougaloo College Board of Trustees for its role in making this acquisition a possibility, along with the generous gift by American Spirit Media to make it a reality. Without the leadership of our Board, this opportunity would not have come to fruition,” concluded Dr. Hogan.

Dr. Hogan deserves the credit for having the vision to pursue this opportunity”, commented Mr.LeRoy Walker, Chairman of the Board of Tougaloo College. “I also want to thank Charlene Priester and Melvin Preister of The Priester Law Firm for their legal guidance and advice in putting together the documentation to make our ownership of WUFX a reality”, concluded Mr. Walker.

The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

About Tougaloo College:
Tougaloo College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts institution of higher education founded in 1869. Through its diverse curricula and its fostering of scholarly inquiry, the College prepares its students to become imaginative, self-directed, lifelong learners and mindful thinkers who are committed to leadership and service in a global society. The College is consistently listed in national rankings and continues to produce a significant number of the African American physicians, attorneys and educators practicing in the State.

Tougaloo College Bulldog Athletics are members of the Gulf Coast Athletics Conference (GCAC) and Division I, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

ASU Marching Band Part of Online Mini-Series

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - Alabama State University’s Mighty Marching Hornet Band has recently entered into an agreement with NBTV Online Live Media Network to star and perform in the "Magic Before the Classic" mini-series.

According to ASU Band Director James Oliver, filming will begin on August 5 at the start of the band's preseason camp and will culminate with the first "Battle of the Bands" between ASU vs. Alabama A&M University Bands in Birmingham, at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Friday, October 26, the night before the Magic City Classic football game.

The agreement will net the ASU program $125,000 over a five-year period, in addition to royalties from online sales.

“I am truly excited about this deal,” Oliver said. “It is a major accomplishment for the band program and our great university.”

Funds from the show will be used to support the Marching Band program.



About NBTV
NBTV is an online news and information delivery service, headquartered in Atlanta. With worldwide bureaus, NBTV is promoted as the first 24-hour online broadcasting network in the world.

Southern Jaguars' WR Michael Berry blends size, 4.4 speed

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - When Southern lined up for a brief scrimmage on Friday, this was a frequent occurrence: Michael Berry sprinting past a defender, catching the ball over his shoulder in the middle of the field and cruising toward the end zone.

It borders on alarming to see someone as big as Berry (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) move as fast as he does, and that’s why he’ll be one of the most watched players in the Southwestern Athletic Conference this season.

“I just feel like this year I have to have the mentality that nobody can hold me,” Berry said.

That was largely true in 2011, when Berry finished 11th in the conference in receiving yards (508) and fifth in receiving touchdowns (seven). He racked up five plays of 25 yards or more, including scores of 56 and 60 yards.

And he did that while having to play out of position.

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GSU Runner's Road

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — One more month of a long road remains, but Jeremy Runner will take the progress thus far.

The Monroe native and 2009 Neville state champion touched a football field this week as part of a full team practice for the first time in more than a year as he joined Grambling — finally — to work toward the 2012 season's Sept. 1 opener.



"First time in a year," he panted as his first post-practice words Friday before stopping for the first of many moments to catch his breath. "I thought I was in good shape until I came back for this fall, this fall training. I was in good shape in the spring, but it feels real good being back out here."

The 2009 all-district, all-northeast and all-state athlete admitted his return has been more difficult than he initially expected. Conditioning has been an obvious struggle ...

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