ASU's White: "So far, so good" with QB Rivers

HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE
Albany State University Golden Rams

ALBANY, Georgia - Albany State is a little over a month away from opening their 2013 campaign against North Greenville.

On Friday, ASU head coach Mike White discussed the upcoming season with Golden Ram fans and boosters at the team's annual preseason kickoff banquet.

On the minds of many is transfer
QB Frank Rivers, who is joining the Golden Rams after transferring from Grambling State this offseason.

White says he's been impressed with the junior QB from what he's seen so far.

"He's a good football player that has good smarts. He picks up well," says White. "He has good report with his teammates, and they've kind of embraced him, so that's good. He's been working hard with his receivers. So far, so good."

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Former Albany State's/S.F. 49'ers Lockette expects big plays with teammate/roommate QB Kaepernick

Ricardo Lockette

San Francisco, California -- Monroe High grad Ricardo Lockette is competing for the starting receiver job with the San Francisco 49ers. What helps his chances is his relationship with quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who is also his roommate.

"Without a doubt," Lockette said. "If I'm on the field and he's at quarterback and its a ball that needs to be thrown. Most likely its going to come my way ... We look forward to a couple big plays this year,"

Lockette chances to make an impact on last year's Super Bowl loser increased once Michael Crabtree went down with a torn Achilles. While he fully intends to compete for the starting role, he also understands that there is a limit he can push his body in camp to get it.

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Jackson State Gets Fall Camp Started

JACKSON, Mississippi - The JSU Tigers begun preparations for the 2013 season Saturday with the mission in mind being to return to the SWAC Championship game. Many of them say the loss in last year's conference title game is a huge motivator for this season.

JSU practiced for the first time for approximately two hours in helmets and shorts at the JSU Practice Field.

The Tigers used the day as a conditioning session. Head coach Rick Comegy used the day to see where his team is mentally and physically. Comegy was pleased with the physical condition of most of the players.


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ASU's White places emphasis on strong start

ALBANY, Georgia -- The beginning of the season will be critical for Albany State football head coach Mike White and the Golden Rams.

"I always believe in how we start is really going to have a lot to say about our team," White said.

The team opens the season on Sept. 7 against North Greenville before returning home for a game against Tuskegee September 14. The following weeks they will play against Elizabeth City State and Miles College.

"Those first four tough games," White said. "Before we have an open week, really is going to say a lot about how successful the 2013 season is."

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Willie Quinn back, eligible for Southern Jaguars

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Willie Quinn was a star of Southern’s preseason camp last year, but eligibility issues cost him a chance to show everyone why.

It appears Quinn will finally get the chance.

The explosive receiver with the diminutive 5-foot-6, 175-pound frame has returned to the Southern practice fields, and coach Dawson Odums said the sophomore’s eligibility issues are behind him.



“It’s always easy to quit, but we’re trying to teach the young men a different mindset,” Odums said. “He paid the price and made the sacrifice. Now he’s getting an opportunity. I’m just glad he did what he was supposed to do academically. We’ll see how the fall goes for him.”

The academic hurdle Quinn hit last year apparently stemmed from the Miami product attending two high schools.

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Dionte McDuffy transfers to Southern, reunites with Virgil Williams

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  On a day like so many in the friendship of Virgil Williams and Dionte McDuffy, the two were playing “Madden” at Virgil’s house last winter when McDuffy told his former Evangel teammate he was looking to transfer.

McDuffy had begun his college career at South Alabama. Williams had just finished his third season at Southern.

But before Williams could begin selling McDuffy on a reunion in Baton Rouge, Williams said McDuffy’s phone rang.

“He told me it was coach Germany calling,” Williams said, referring to Southern assistant Chad Germany. “It just so happened that coach Germany called him right after he told me.”

By the time Williams returned to Southern after Christmas break, McDuffy had transferred from South Alabama and was set to join him in the SU backfield.



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Mix-up makes for interesting Day 1 of JSU camp

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  Due to an ordering issue for the Jackson State football practice jerseys, the players had to write their names on tape and stick it on their helmets to identify themselves.

Still, with more than 70 players taking the practice field, all wearing dark blue shirts, shorts and helmets, it was difficult to tell many apart. Even head coach Rick Comegy had a difficult time identifying his athletes on the field.

But Comegy had a smile on his face when one particular player obeyed his rule.

“I was wondering if Qua (Cox) was going to be a guy that — because he’s All-American choice and First-Team All-(SWAC) — if he was going to put ‘Cox’ across his helmet,” Comegy said. “And when I went out there and saw that he did, it made me happy because he’s not trying to step out of bounds.”

The senior defensive back received the most acclaim during the offseason after receiving numerous preseason awards, notably the SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

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5 questions | Norfolk State football

NORFOLK, Virginia --  1. Who will be the quarterback?
Although fifth-year senior Nico Flores, who started seven games last season, would appear to be the incumbent, he will have competition. Ninth-year coach Pete Adrian plans to use the early part of camp to select a starter from among Flores and three newcomers: redshirt sophomores Tyler Clark, Malik Stokes and Omari Timmons.

The left-handed Clark, a Chesapeake native, transferred from Old Dominion. Stokes arrived from from Bowling Green, and Timmons from Albright College in Reading, Pa.

Flores passed for 1,067 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior, but turnovers cost him the job midseason before he won it back.

"My plan is not to elongate it," Adrian said, referring to the evaluation period. "I'm going to try to have a quarterback, hopefully, 10, 12 days before the first game so everybody knows, 'Here's the guy.' "

2. Who will replace the Spartans' accomplished specialists?
Dylan Shaddix averaged a MEAC-best 40.5 yards per punt and was named first-team all-conference as a junior last season before leaving the program to attend to what Adrian described as a family matter.



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The Heat is On: S.C. State Bulldogs set a more serious tone right from the start

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  --  The heat was on Saturday for the South Carolina State football team and not just from the sweltering weather conditions.

With temperatures for the opening preseason practice reaching 99 degrees, the Bulldog players were pushed through more than two hours of intense, high-paced drills from the coaching staff.

Coming off the first losing season in 13 years, the team was determined to set a more serious, no-nonsense tone and tempo for the upcoming season.



“We’re trying to set a tone for a sense of urgency,” SCSU head coach Buddy Pough said. “We’re trying to make our guys understand how much it’s important that we change for us to be better. These guys are trying to make sure they set the pace at a place in the very beginning that’s going to be high enough — set that bar high enough — that’s going to give us an opportunity to be successful.”

The return of Joseph Blackwell as offensive line coach/offensive coordinator and the arrival of Steve Bird as wide receivers’ coach served to provide ...

Bulldogs Slideshow

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Belinda Roby becomes Assistant Athletic Director; steps down as Tuskegee Women’s Basketball Coach

Belinda Roby

TUSKEGEE, Alabama  --  The Tuskegee University Department of Athletics announced that women’s basketball coach Belinda Roby will step down from the position after earning an overall record of 247-153 over a 13-season span. Roby, who also serves as the senior women’s administrator at the school, will be expanding this role to become the new Assistant Director of Athletics at Tuskegee University.

Essentially, Roby will be the #2 person in the chain of command within the athletic department, led by recently hired Athletic Director Curtis Campbell, who joined the staff at Tuskegee almost one month ago from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa.

 

“It’s really not a major change, because I’ve already been a member of the administration since I’ve been at Tuskegee University,” Roby said. “I’ll just be making the move from part-time to full-time. My job is to assist the AD in whatever areas of the department that he needs assistance in. I’ll be overseeing several different programs, and they are not just confined to basketball.”

Roby said that she had thoughts of stepping down for a couple of years, and felt that it was time to take a break from coaching college basketball.

 

Tarsha Askew

“This is not a decision that was made in June or July,” Roby said. “This is a decision that was made by consulting with the administration at the end of the basketball season. I made the decision that I wanted to get out of coaching, that I needed a break from coaching, and the administration assisted in my transition as a full-time administrator.”

With Roby stepping down at the helm of the Tigerette Basketball program, assistant coach Tarsha Askew will be taking over as interim head coach. Askew has served by Roby’s side for nearly every season that Roby has coached at TU.

 

“I think she’s more than prepared,” Roby said of her successor. “She’s been here 12 seasons, and I’ve allowed her to have a lot of input in practice and during game time. She’s more than prepared, and she will do a good job.”

 

Askew, who also currently serves as the head volleyball coach at Tuskegee, says that she does not feel any additional weight on her shoulders, as she is confident in her abilities to take over the reins.

 

“It hasn’t really set in yet, but this is something that has been talked about for a few years now,” Askew said. “It’s been in the making, and that opportunity is here. I know that this is a big task to fill, and I’m up to the challenge.”

Askew acknowledges that adjustments will have to take place, but that she still expects the basketball team to compete at a high level.

“It’s just them (the student-athletes) adjusting to me, and I’ve been there,” Askew said. “I’ve been a voice for them, but I wasn’t the main voice. It was Coach Roby’s team, but now my philosophies will be the last say.”

 

The Tigerettes had an overall record of 19-8 last year, with a trip to the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament. Some key seniors were lost to graduation, but with many players coming back for the 2013-14 season, Askew said that there hasn’t been much recruiting to do in the offseason.

 

“Because we had so many returning kids, there wasn’t that much recruiting for this upcoming season, and I think that it kind of worked out. We had so many returners, that we really didn’t have to go out and recruit a lot. But, this upcoming season (2014-2015) will be a big recruiting year.”

Askew said that she expects the program to maintain a high level of competitiveness, while competing to earn entry into and win games in the NCAA tournament. She also revealed that plans for finding a second assistant coach are underway this week, with Dietrich Randle returning to the bench to once again serve as assistant coach for this season.

 COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Alabama State Hornets More Fluid On Day Two

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- The Alabama State University football team had its second straight day of practice Saturday afternoon under warm but overcast skies at Hornet Stadium.

"I saw guys get better and practice with a little more energy," head coach Reggie Barlow said. "We've got to continue to develop and get in better shape. There were more guys working at a good tempo, which was a good thing."

Despite the offseason conditioning during the spring and summer, the body typically needs time to adjust as well. On day two, the majority of players moved more fluidly through periods as opposed to Friday.

"Sometimes you don't know what to expect from the new guys, and some of the older guys as well," Barlow said of how players' bodies adjust to being back in a regular practice mode. "I think it was some of that, the initial shock to the system, but today was better."

Several newcomers, including some of the freshmen, are starting to show understanding of the schemes on both sides of the ball, while the offense continues to work on continuity.

"I saw a few guys particularly on defense step up," Barlow said. "It's good to see guys take things from individual drills to team drills, and CB Ka'Ra Stewart was one of those guys. Some of the freshmen are catching on and doing a good job. CB Trey Jenkins and OL Marquis Parker each did some good things. We have a good core of returning players on offense with WR Nehemiah Henry being in that group. We just have to continue to develop."

The Hornets will practice once daily Sunday through Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at Hornet Stadium.



COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

NSU Spartans Report for Camp Sunday, Media Day is Aug. 10

NORFOLK, Virginia  --  Norfolk State football players will report for their preseason training camp Sunday and will hold their first practice Monday morning.

Head coach Pete Adrian's Spartans hit the practice field for their first preseason practice from 9-11 a.m. Monday. Practices will remain at 9 a.m. for the remainder of the week, weather permitting. The team is also slated to have a one-hour conditioning period each day next week beginning at 3 p.m. Practices are generally open to the public.

The Spartans' first day of full two-a-day practices will be next Saturday, Aug. 10. The team practices at 9 a.m. and is scheduled to scrimmage at 7 p.m. at Dick Price Stadium. In between the two sessions next Saturday (Aug. 10), NSU will also hold its annual football media day from 2-3 p.m. Players and coaches will be available for one-on-one interviews. Media are encouraged to contact the NSU Sports Information Office by close of business on Friday, Aug. 9, to make player interview requests. For more information or to make interview requests, please contact Matt Michalec, assistant athletics director for communications, at (757) 823-2628 or by email at mmichalec@nsu.edu.

The 2-3 p.m. window is open to media only. Fans are invited to attend the evening scrimmage.

The 2013 season gets underway with the Virginia Lottery Labor Day Classic against the University of Maine at 6 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Dick Price Stadium. For ticket information, call (757) 823-9009 or visit www.nsuspartanstickets.com.



By Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Seventy-First football player Evan Raines dies after practice Saturday

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina  --  Seventy-First High School football player Evan Raines, 16, died at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center on Saturday after collapsing at the end of a morning practice.

Raines was listed on last year's Seventy-First roster as a 6-foot-1, 210-pound, sophomore defensive end.

Frank Till, superintendent of Cumberland County Schools, said Raines got sick at the end of practice.

"We don't know medically what happened,'' Till said. "The first responders and EMS got there, and he passed away at the hospital."

Till said he went to both Seventy-First and the hospital.

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PVAMU Athletics Announces Fan Hotel Rates For Upcoming Football Season

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas  --  Fans who are planning to travel with the Panthers for the 2013 football season will have a variety of hotel options catering to Prairie View A&M to choose from during selected games.

 

Special hotel rates are available for the Panthers' road contests at Texas State on Saturday, Sept. 7 and Southern University on Saturday, Sept. 14. A special rate has also been secured for PV's neutral site games versus Grambling State (Dallas, Texas) on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Jackson State (Shreveport, La.) on Oct. 26.

 

HOTEL RATE SPREADSHEET

 

In additon to the selected road contests, special hotel rates have also been secured at two Houston-area hotels for the highly anticipated homecoming contest versus Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Fans are advised to book now as the special rates will expire at the end of August.

 

For more information, click on the above link for the special rates and hotel contacts or call (936) 261-9111.

COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Michael Wallace makes return to Savannah State football team

SAVANNAH, Georgia  --  Life has come full circle for Savannah State assistant football coach Michael Wallace.

He was born in Clyo and played for Effingham County High School before earning a scholarship to Savannah State. He starred with the Tigers as a player and eventually logged 11 years as an assistant before leaving to coach at Morris Brown, Clark Atlanta, Stillman, Lane and Benedict.

Now he has returned to the school by the sea.

Wallace will be coaching the inside linebackers and special teams for Tigers first-year coach Earnest Wilson.

“Coaching here at my alma mater is always what I wanted to do,” Wallace said. “When I got into my fourth or fifth year (as an assistant coach at SSU), I didn’t even consider trying to go anywhere. This is where I was happy.”

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Southern’s Wynton Perro is back where he started

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- After trying his hand at safety and linebacker the past two seasons, Southern junior Wynton Perro has finally found his way back into the offensive backfield.

Perro entered fall camp Thursday as a candidate to back up star signal-caller Dray Joseph, returning to the position he played throughout high school at Houston’s Booker T. Washington. All the way back to the position he always thought he’d play in college.

“I love playing quarterback,” he said. “This is my first love since I was little, so it’s a great feeling being back at this position and being in a position where I can help the team if called upon.”

Perro arrived at Southern with Joseph in 2010 and spent his first year on campus as a redshirt. Then J.P. Douglas signed with the Jaguars, creating a bit of a logjam of underclassmen at the position.

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Bowie State returns 16 starters with championship hopes

BOWIE, Maryland -- The Bowie State football team was competitive in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association last season, but the Bulldogs failed to win the conference championship.

The Bulldogs return to the gridiron Sept. 7 with 16 of its 22 starters from last season. Bowie State will face St. Anselm in Manchester, N.H., with a 1 p.m. kickoff, starting the Bulldogs’ campaign to the 2013 CIAA Football Championship.

“Everyone has an opportunity,” head coach Damon Wilson said about the Bulldog’s competition this season. “It’s not a schedule we can look up and down and say, ‘Here’s a win.’ It’s a matter of staying healthy and executing.”

In this fifth year as head coach, Wilson said he is excited to get back to work with a championship-caliber team.

“I’m excited about this season,” he said. “I think we have a good nucleus returning from last year.

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Former NFL Seahawks Bailey hired for Paine College Football

AUGUSTA, Georgia  -- Paine College officials announced today that former NFL Player, Edwin R. Bailey, joined the Paine College football program as the new Assistant Head and Offensive Line Coach. Nicknamed “Pearl”, Bailey played 11 years as a starting left guard for the Seattle Seahawks.  

A fifth-round draft choice in 1981 out of South Carolina State University, Bailey started 120 games as left guard from 1981-1991 on some of the most successful teams in NFL franchise history and helped the Seahawks advance to the playoffs four times [1983, 1984, 1987 and 1988].

Edwin R. Bailey Seattle Seahawks Video

Born in Savannah, Georgia Bailey caught football fever early on and while playing football at Tompkins High School, he earned the All-American and two-time First Team All-City titles (1974-1976).

Bailey played college football at South Carolina State for the late Bill Davis who later hired Bailey as a Savannah State University assistant coach. Bailey held the position for one season and helped guide the SSU Tigers to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

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FSU's Johnson & Bailey, Jr., Named Preseason All-Americans

MICHAEL JOHNSON

COLON BAILEY, JR.

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina  -- Fayetteville State junior Michael Johnson (Raleigh, NC) and senior Colon Bailey, Jr. (Manteo, NC) have been named to the 25th Annual USA College Football Division II Preseason All-American Teams. Johnson was placed on the First Team for defense at the free safety position; while Bailey Jr. earned Second Team accolades for offense as a running back.

For Michael Johnson (a 6-3, 191-pound free safety), this is his second honor of the preseason. He was previously named to Lindy's Sports Magazine's All-Division II First Team.  He led the Broncos defense last season and was fifth in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) with 93 tackles in ten games played. Johnson was named the CIAA Defensive Back of the Week following a stellar performance against Johnson C. Smith in which he had a career-high 19 tackles; falling just one tackle shy of the school record set in 1997 by Sam Washington.

 

Colon Bailey, Jr. (a 6-0, 200-pound running back) was recently named to the Preseason All-CIAA Team at the conference's Media Day in Winston-Salem, NC.

 

He earned CIAA All-Conference honors last season after rushing for 1,015 yards and ten touchdowns. Bailey, Jr. became the first FSU running back since Clifton Davis in 1994 to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. He finished 38th nationally in rushing and was fourth in the conference in rushing yards and touchdowns.

The duo was two of ten players from the conference to be selected as a Preseason All-American. Johnson was joined on the First Team by offensive lineman Nathaniel Hartung (Winston-Salem State), defensive lineman TJ Batchelor (Chowan) and linebacker Carlos Fields (Winston-Salem State). The Second Team, along with Bailey, Jr., consisted of offensive lineman Vincent Maene (Elizabeth City State), defensive lineman Javarous Faulk (Saint Augustine's) and defensive back Darnell Evans (Shaw). Bowie State tight end Khari Lee (Third Team) and defensive back Curtis Pumphrey (Honorable Mention) also received recognition.

The Broncos open the 2013 season on Sept. 7 against the Virginia State Trojans at L.N. Jeralds Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.  Fans wishing to purchase 2013 season tickets may do so online via etix.com or by contacting Antoinette Fairley, FSU Ticket Manager, by phone at (910) 672-1724 or by e-mail at afairley@uncfsu.edu.

Fayetteville State University is the second-oldest public institution in North Carolina. A member of the University of North Carolina System, FSU has nearly 6,000 students and offers degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. 

COURTESY FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Southern notebook: Jaguars switch to 4-3 to counter spread

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  When the Southern defense is on the field this season, the Jaguars will operate in a 3-4 alignment.

Coach Dawson Odums said the move is partly to accommodate the personnel he has on his roster, which includes 15 linebackers and 11 defensive linemen. But he also believes it will help the Jaguars counter the boatload of college offenses that have adopted spread-formation attacks.

“All these teams want to spread you out and play sideline to sideline,” Odums said Friday. “We want speed on the field.”

It so happens that the personnel Southern returns fits nicely into those plans.
“I think we’re athletic and have a lot of guys that can run,” Odums said. “We’re going to utilize that.”

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Southern football notebook: Conditioning test proves too challenging for 30 players

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  Before hitting the practice field Thursday afternoon for their first workout of fall camp, Southern’s football players reported in the morning to go through preseason conditioning tests.

Coach Dawson Odums said 65 of the 95 players in camp passed.

Of the 30 who did not, Odums said 23 were not on campus to participate in Southern’s summer strength and conditioning program.

“That really goes to show you why it’s important to have those guys here in the summer,” Odums said. “It’s so important to have those guys here over the summer.”

The conditioning tests included a series of 12 100-yard sprints for all players, with a 22-second break in between.

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Grambling State's Williams comfortable with own recruits

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  --  Grambling football coach Doug Williams says he’s a believer of coaching his own recruits.

Now that Williams is entering his third season back at his alma mater, he said the current squad more closely mirrors the coaching staff.

“We’re at that point now, and we’ve got at least two-and-a-half classes that represent the coaches,” Williams said Thursday. “At the same time, the players that have stayed here are focused and understand what we’re after and what we’re looking for.”



The Tigers hope to eradicate the stench of a 1-10 record this past season with a return to Grambling’s usually lofty standing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

That process started ...

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FAMU: Returning WRs play key role

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Offensive coordinator Quinn Gray hasn’t been secretive about the kinds of things that he’d like to do with FAMU’s offense this season. He just hasn’t gotten into specifics.

But whatever he rolls out when it comes to throwing the ball, Gray will have a receiving corps led by some players that he’s seen grow up before his eyes.

In particular, juniors Lenworth Lennon, Admenson Felix and Dewayne Harvey should give the unit
plenty of experience.

Receivers coach Ernie Mills said he’s been hearing nothing but good things about his group’s offseason workouts. Especially the returning players.

“Those guys have been playing so it’s not like I’m waiting on guys to know if they’re going to play,” said Mills, who is in his first season with the Rattlers.

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WVSU Yellowjackets: Mountain East Football Media Day

BRIDGEPORT, West Virginia  --  The first-ever Mountain East Conference football media day will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at the Bridgeport Conference Center at 2 p.m. Coaches and select players from each of the 11 schools will be present to meet members of the media. The MEC preseason poll will also be revealed on that day.

Each coach will make a few brief remarks to start the session before being available for one-on-one and television interviews. Additionally, the MEC will be gathering questions from fans via Twitter and Facebook in the days leading up to the event to pose to the participants throughout the afternoon. The social media hashtag will be #MECFb.

The 2013 football season starts with several Mountain East Conference teams in action on Thursday, Sept. 5. The first week of MEC play is Saturday, Sept. 14.     

COURTESY WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS

Florida A&M Marching 100 set to resume practicing

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Now off suspension after spending 20 months on the sidelines, Florida A&M’s revered Marching 100 is scheduled to begin regrouping during the coming week.

A date for the band’s first public appearance has not been set, however.

Student officers with the band will assemble at 8 a.m. Thursday, university officials announced, and try-outs for new members get under way at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.

But before a single snare drum ripples or a trumpet blares, prospective band members will hear from a host of FAMU officials next Saturday, including interim President Larry Robinson, legal counsel Avery McKnight and football coach Earl Holmes.

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