Legendary Coach Alonzo S. "Jake" Gaither Authorized Biography Published After 40-Year Delay

ORDER

Agile, Mobile, Hostile: The Biography of Alonzo S. "Jake"Gaither, is the complete untold story of the extraordinary life of Jake Gaither, the legendary coaching icon of Florida A&M University.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- When Roosevelt Wilson first decided to write a biography about Alonzo “Jake” Gaither 40 years ago, it was about setting the record straight.

At the time Gaither, Florida A&M University's legendary football coach and a College Football Hall of Famer, was upset about another book that was published about him in 1977.

Gaither, FAMU's head coach from 1945 to 1969, and Wilson discussed the book at length.

A noted black journalist George E. Curry, one of the first African Americans to work for Sports Illustrated, came to Tallahassee to interview Gaither for the book "and Jake hated it,” Wilson said. “He said it misrepresented everything, that the guy misquoted him, and it literally brought him to tears.

“I said, ‘Well somebody needs to do an accurate account of this thing.’ I kept putting it off. I decided to do it because the other book bothered him so. I just started gathering information.”

If the process got started more than four decades ago, why is the book, titled “Agile, Mobile and Hostile,” just now seeing the light of day?

“I guess you could call it a lost manuscript because I just forgot I had it,” Wilson said with a laugh. “After doing all that work, I just forgot it.”

CONTINUE READING

Virginia State Women’s Basketball: Rolling out to 15-0

ETTRICK, Virginia - “The coach is the main reason why I came here.”

Alexis Smith, who went to Division I-level Drexel University in Philadelphia for three years and then afterward sat out for a year, remembered talking to Virginia State head coach James Hill Jr. over the summer and feeling that player-coach connection before she even joined the Trojans.

“And then, once I got here - so many transfers, but we gelled and clicked so well,” she said. “Even just coming here over the summer for a visit, all three of the coaches (Hill, Chiante Wester and Anthony Mills), we all just gelled.”



It was the kind of connection, Smith said, that you can’t just find everywhere.

Endia McKinney had been with VSU all four years, but this year, the difference she noticed with the team this time around was the chemistry.

“We worked well together,” she said. “Past teams, we had a lot of talent, but we didn’t always gel the way this team gelled so quickly...we learned how each other played so well, that and we listened to our coaches.”

CONTINUE READING

Coach AnnMarie Gilbert has Virginia Union women soaring again ...Panthers at 14-1

RICHMOND, Virginia -- AnnMarie Gilbert has admittedly high standards when it comes to success for her women’s basketball team at Virginia Union.

Anything more than five losses in a season would qualify as a big disappointment for the third-year coach, and it’s a dilemma the Panthers have yet to face under Gilbert’s direction. Virginia Union lost three games in 2015-16 and registered its fifth loss of the season last year in the NCAA championship game against Ashland to finish 28-5.

But the team Gilbert is fielding this season is different.



Long gone are Kiana Johnson, who was national player of the year two seasons ago, as well as Lady Walker and Brittany Jackson, two stalwarts of last season’s national runner-up team. Gilbert said she thought, “Do you have enough to continue to perform at the national level?”

The internal fears of not having enough talent were compounded when the Panthers, ranked second nationally in the preseason, dropped their first game of the season on a neutral floor to Edinboro University. But with 14 straight wins since that loss to the now-No. 14 Fighting Scots, those fears are beginning to appear unfounded.

“(Edinboro) cracked us that first game, and you’re sitting there wondering, ‘Where is Virginia Union? What is our identity? Are we still a national contender?’ ” Gilbert said.

“For them to rattle off 14 games in a row — pretty decisively — is really impressive because it’s a totally new group.”



CONTINUE READING

Simmons' first month at FAMU a 'whirlwind'

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Willie Simmons’ fist month at Florida A&M has been the expected whirlwind.

That’s how life rolls in a new job accompanied by homecoming euphoria.

“Being from here is one thing, but actually being on campus and in a working capacity is something totally different,” the Rattlers’ head football coach said Friday.

Buoyed by characteristic optimism and unbridled faith, Simmons is determined to rebuild the Rattlers’ struggling football program and introduce a culture woven in consistency. One day and thread at a time.

Take this week, for example.

Simmons – the Tallahassee native and former Quincy Shanks star quarterback – held his first team meeting last Sunday as players returned from the holidays.

Simmons, 37, had the opportunity to meet players, put names and faces together, and talk about his philosophy that stresses accountability – academically, athletically, socially and spiritually.

CONTINUE READING

NCAA awards $3.1 million in grants to 9 schools

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The NCAA has awarded more than $3.1 million in grants to nine Division I schools to support academic programs that help student-athletes earn their degrees.

The recipients of the Accelerating Academic Success Program Comprehensive Grants (multiyear) include Arkansas-Pine Bluff ($900,000), Morgan State (887,700) and Southern University ($900,000).

Recipients of Accelerating Academic Success Program Initiatives Grants (single year) include Alabama State ($63,600), Austin Peay State ($100,000), Coppin State ($85,000), Idaho State ($57,000), Norfolk State ($100,000) and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ($87,460).

The grants help schools improve the academic success of their student-athletes. The goal is to support the schools’ efforts to meet the requirements of the Division I Academic Performance Program, which was developed to ensure schools provide an environment that supports education while enhancing the ability of student-athletes to earn a degree.

“The impact of the Accelerating Academic Success Program has exceeded expectations and the reach has expanded far beyond the Academic Progress Rate,” said Bernard Franklin, NCAA executive vice president of education and community engagement and chief inclusion officer. “The program’s success is an illustration of the transformation that can take place when adequate resources are combined with creative and strategic planning.”

Schools eligible to apply for the program are non-Football Bowl Subdivision Division I schools in the bottom 10 percent of resources as determined by per capita institutional expenditures, athletics department funding and Pell Grant aid.

The comprehensive grants will be distributed over a three-year period and used to fund increased academic support services staffing and space; technology upgrades (software and hardware); career planning; professional development; and increased availability of summer financial aid for student-athletes.

Schools can request a maximum of $300,000 per year for three years. The participating schools are required to match grant dollars each year of the program, with direct funds and/or in-kind contributions. The school must commit a 25 percent match in the first year, 50 percent in year two and 75 percent in year three. Schools must match 20 percent of single-year grants.

“Through my research, I have been able to see the positive impact AASP has had on our previous cohorts — quantitatively and qualitatively,” said Tiese Roxbury, NCAA assistant director of research, assessment and academic success. “Based on the excellence of the proposed plans, leadership and commitment from these institutions, I fully expect to see the same gains from this new cohort.”

The announced awards mark the fifth round of Accelerating Academic Success Program funding distributed by the NCAA.

NCAA MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Ed Hardin: Rod Broadway, a giant of a coach, walks away

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  – Rod Broadway ended his own era this morning, choosing to walk away while at the top of the game and leaving the N.C. A&T football coaching job to a trusted friend.

Broadway, 62, has decided he has spent enough time on the sidelines, enough time away from his family and far too much time away from his beach house.

He left behind a case filled with trophies. He left three MEAC titles and two national championships and a lifetime of memories. Broadway left as a legend.



This is how all coaches dream of going out, telling jokes and laughing with his friends and colleagues, promising to come back sparingly and pledging to spend his fall Saturdays with a fishing rod in his hands, far from Aggie Stadium, far from football officials and a lengthening shadow that would’ve never left him.

That shadow was his own.

They’ll tell stories of what Broadway accomplished here, and they’ll compare everything from this day forward to this man who walked away, a giant of a coach in this city, this state and this country. He was one of the greatest college football coaches we’ll ever see.

CONTINUE READING

The Power of One Win at Coppin State

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Sometimes all it takes is one. One step to create space. One pass to get an open shot. One dribble to beat a defender. One shot for the win. For Coppin State University men's basketball program, it took a lot to reach one.

Head coach Juan Dixon said, "That's where it all starts. We got that gorilla off our backs."

Added junior forward Lamar Morgan, "It's like wearing a weighted vest. And it's just that weight that you want to get off." Morgan is second in the team in scoring averaging 10.7 points per game. It's his first season at Coppin State after playing two years of JUCO in Missouri.



The Eagles are taking about one win. The first of this season. Which is also the first for head coach Juan Dixon in his first season at CSU and a head coach of a men's basketball program. It took two months time, the Eagles 18th game of the season, and a double overtime win at home Monday night against Florida A&M where Coppin State won 79-78.

"When we actually won the game I felt some emotions inside me that I must have had built up," Dixon said. "It just came out. Especially in the locker room. I told the guys it takes a lot to win. It's going to take time, but we are building something here."

CONTINUE READING

A&T plans five-stop Celebration Bowl Victory Tour

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — Fresh off the best season in the football program’s 93-year history, N.C. A&T continues to celebrate winning the Celebration Bowl for a second time in three years.

The 12-0 Aggies have five stops set on a Celebration Bowl Victory Tour where retiring coach Rod Broadway’s last team will be honored.

These Aggies have won three of the last four MEAC titles, two of the last three black college national championships, and they're the first MEAC team to finish a full season undefeated since the conference was born in 1971.

The victory tour's stops are:

• Jan. 15: The football team will serve as grand marshal of the Martin Luther King Day Parade through downtown Greensboro, which begins at 11 a.m. Monday.

• Jan. 16: The Greensboro city council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers of the Melvin Municipal Building, and the football team will be presented with a resolution honoring the season.

CONTINUE READING

Will Rod Broadway’s retirement change the Eagle-Aggie rivalry?

DURHAM, North Carolina -- Rod Broadway saw the rivalry between N.C. Central and North Carolina A&T from both sides.

Now the rivalry between Eagles and the Aggies will have a new look next season when the teams square off in Durham – both teams will have first-year coaches.

On Monday, N.C. A&T’s Broadway announced his retirement from coaching after posting a perfect 12-0 season and a victory in the Celebration Bowl for the Aggies. His retirement announcement came after NCCU lost coach Jerry Mack in December. Mack left NCCU after four seasons to become the offensive coordinator at Rice, while Broadway, who coached the Aggies for seven seasons, will serve as a special assistant to the athletics director at N.C. A&T for the next six months.

Broadway coached NCCU from 2003-06, posting a 33-11 mark over four seasons. His .750 winning percentage remains the best in NCCU history. He left NCCU for Grambling State before moving on to A&T.

When the Eagles and Aggies meet next fall, it will mark the ...

CONTINUE READING

Eau Gallie Commodores Hire Former FAMU OL As New Football Coach

MELBOURNE (Brevard County) FLORIDA — Following in the footsteps of another Brevard County head football coach, Christopher Sands has been hired by Eau Gallie High School to fill the coaching vacancy left when Tim Powers resigned in November.

Sands joins the Commodores from Central High School in Brooksville, Florida, which is located north of Tampa and in Hernando County.

During Sands’ tenure, the Bears posted a 13-26 record. The former all-conference offensive lineman helped more than two dozen players sign to play football at the college level.

Sands is a big man, standing 6-foot-9. He was a four-year starter at offensive tackle for the Florida A&M Rattlers and selected to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference All-Conference Team twice and a two-year captain while at FAMU.

Sands played high school football at Tallahassee-Leon. Central won just six games from 2009 through the 2013 season, and under Sands, would fin
ish 6-4 in 2016.

If the former Central head coach can experience any of the success the last head coach that moved from there to coach a Brevard County team has had during the past 13 years, the Commodores are in for one great ride.

CONTINUE READING

WSSU baseball entering a new era as an independent program

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Before hitting the practice field with his team, Coach Kevin Ritsche of Winston-Salem State baseball had the chance to go ice fishing.

At a nearby pond, thanks to the unseasonably cold weather, he got out his pole and tried his luck.

“I got to fish a little bit and our kids ice skated,” Ritsche said. “That was a first for us to be able to do that around here.”

Ritsche and his Rams will also be doing something different this season — playing as an independent. For the first time since its inception, the CIAA will not be sponsoring baseball.

Because they won’t compete in a conference tournament, the Rams won’t have the automatic berth into the regionals. The Rams were CIAA champions last season and have won the championship six out of the last seven years.

“It will be different in the sense that we won’t have the CIAA tournament anymore, but we generally won’t be changing much,” said Ritsche, whose Rams began practice this week at BB&T Ballpark. “We’ve always kind of focused on doing well in regional play and getting to regionals with a good record.”

CONTINUE READING

Florida A&M Releases Details on Head Football Coach Willie Simmons Contract

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M has released the contract details for new head coach Willie Simmons, including incentives he stands to earn for success with the Rattlers.

As previously reported, Simmons will earn $300,000 annually, with $100,000 coming from the school's direct support organizations -- meaning the university itself is on the hook for the same amount it was paying former head coach Alex Wood.

The deal is for five years.

Simmons' incentives include:

• A $5,000 bonus for a two-year average APR of 950 or better, with each full time assistant getting a bonus of $500
• A $5,000 bonus for winning the Florida Classic; each full-time assistant gets a $1,000 bonus
• A $10,000 bonus for a MEAC title; each full-time assistant gets a $2,500 bonus
• A $25,000 bonus for winning the Celebration Bowl; each full-time assistant gets $5,000
• A $5,000 for an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs; $1,000 bonus for each assistant
• A $2,000 bonus for being named coach of the year

CONTINUE READING

UMES Veteran coach trades Hawks for Hoyas as he heads to Georgetown

COAC TOBY RENS

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- University of Maryland Eastern Shore head volleyball coach Toby Rens resigned from his position on Monday, January 8, to accept the head coaching position at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Assistant coach Trevor Callarman will serve as the interim head coach while a national search is underway.

“We value everything that Coach Rens has done for the program and our young ladies over the past four seasons during his return to campus,” Director of Athletics Keith Davidson said. “We wish him nothing but the best in his move to Georgetown.”

Rens just completed his seventh season with the Hawks, and the fourth of his second stint at the helm of the program. 2017 was his most successful year to date as the Hawks went 27-9, earning a berth in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).

“I truly appreciate my time here at Maryland Eastern Shore and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and support that I was given,” Rens said. “I’d like to personally thank Mr. Davidson, Neema Connor, Stan Bradley, Collene Dean, Pat Nativio, Anne Carter and the entire staff.”

Over his Hawk career, he compiled a record of 127-102, winning two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division Championships and two MEAC Coach of the Year awards.

The Hawks also received several MEAC All-Conference selections during his tenure, as well as the Women’s Team of Scholars award for the highest team grade-point average over the 2016-17 academic year. Current sophomore Iva Vujosevic earned honorable mention for the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Regional team in 2017, becoming the first Hawk to do so.

Rens first came to The Shore in 2001, inheriting a team that had not won since 1998. By his second season the Hawks reached the 20-win threshold, and achieved a place in the MEAC Championship match by 2003. Rens left for Long Island University Brooklyn the next year, but returned in 2014 to turn around the program again after a 3-21 campaign the previous season. The Hawks went on to secure 78 victories during his second stint with a 35-13 mark against conference opponents.

“I have truly grown to love the people here and will miss seeing everyone on a regular basis,” Rens said. “The student-athletes that I have worked with over the years have given me many great memories. They certainly won’t be forgotten as each of them have a special place in my heart.”

Georgetown will be Rens’ sixth head coaching stop. He also piloted
programs at Northern Michigan, LIU Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, and Chicago State. He has a 378-266 career record over 18 seasons.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATION

Sam Washington's coaching journey leads to top job at A&T

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — Sam Washington’s friend and mentor is a tough act to follow.

Rod Broadway, 62, retired as N.C. A&T’s football coach today, leaving with the best winning percentage in school history, after three MEAC championships in four years, after an undefeated season that ranks as the best in the 93 years the Aggies have fielded a team.

Now what?

Now comes Washington, 57, promoted to the top job after seven seasons as the Aggies defensive coordinator and 11 years on Broadway’s coaching staffs at Grambling and A&T.

“You know what?” Washington said. “You don’t even try to fill those shoes. What I need is for us to do what we do, and do it well. … Follow the blueprint to its fullest, and we should be OK.”

Washington was introduced at a news conference this morning at A&T, but the truth is he’s been there all along.

He arrived at Broadway’s side in 2011, taking over a program coming off seven consecutive losing seasons and in an academic mess, staring down the barrel of NCAA sanctions.

CONTINUE READING

Fomer FAMU president Ammons named to Southern University post

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Former Florida A&M University President James Ammons has been named executive vice president for the Southern University System and executive vice chancellor of its Baton Rouge campus.

Ammons was appointed to the post on Friday by the Southern University System’s Board of Supervisors.

Southern is an historically black university in Baton Rouge, where its Law Center and Agricultural Center campuses also are located. Other campuses are in New Orleans and Shreveport.

“I am looking forward to helping make this System all that we know it can be," Ammons told the board. "There is so much potential. We have so much to work with. With all of us working together as a team, I know we can be successful.”

Ammons has been working as a tenured professor of political science at FAMU.

In 2016, Ammons was named provost of Delaware State University but decided to stay at FAMU.

Ammons served as FAMU's president from 2007 to 2012, when he resigned.

CONTINUE READING

Punishing schedules leave HBCU basketball teams little chance before January

BALTIMORE, Maryland — Juan Dixon won his first career game as a Division I men’s basketball head coach on Monday night, leading his Coppin State Eagles to a double-overtime victory over Florida A&M. Just 48 hours earlier, after his team had blown a late lead against Savannah State to lose its 17th straight game, Dixon rubbed the bags under his eyes and stayed on message. He reminded his group of how difficult it is to win in college basketball, a sermon he has repeated on loop for much of the past two months and reinforced with stories of his time as a player at Maryland.

Winning in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is especially difficult. Dixon’s team traveled more than 12,000 miles to play its 15 nonconference games, all losses by an average margin of 22.9 points. When Coppin State finally did make it to the MEAC conference opener, an eight-point loss at Norfolk State last week, its four-hour return bus trip was doubled and became an all-nighter because of a snowstorm in Virginia. In Game No. 17 — the Eagles’ third home game of the season — they played in front of 624 fans.

“We just haven’t been in enough close games to know how to win,” Dixon said.

It is a shared struggle for Division I programs at historically black colleges and universities, where resources continue to be severely limited and upward mobility for coaches remain almost nonexistent. Most schools have no choice but to stack their nonconference schedules with “guarantee games” against cash-rich Power Five schools, essentially trading losses for money that will help keep their programs and athletic departments afloat.

CONTINUE READING 

Unique stat line propels Bates to GCAC weekly award

NEW ORLEANS — It's back-to-back wins for Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball and the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week award.

Mikayla Bates, a 5-foot-7 junior guard from Baton Rouge, La., and a graduate of University Lab School, is the GCAC winner for Jan. 1-7 after producing 16 points, seven rebounds and six steals Jan. 2 in a 71-56 victory at Paul Quinn.

Bates is the only Gold Nugget in the last 14 seasons to reach 16 points, seven rebounds and six steals in the same game. Bates for the season is XULA's No. 3 scorer with 7.5 points per game, No. 2 in rebounds per game at 5.5 and the team leader with 3.1 steals per game. Bates ranks 10th in NAIA Division I in that latter category and is 16th in total steals with 40.

The GCAC award is the first for Bates. Backcourt teammate Maya Trench was the recipient for Dec. 25-31. It's the first time since the end of the 2015-16 season — Trana Hopkins, then Whitney Gathright — that the Gold Nuggets produced back-to-back winners.

Back-to-back victories on the court have been more difficult for the Gold Nuggets to achieve recently. XULA, which dropped three of its last four de
cisions and four of its last six, will travel to Tougaloo, Miss., for a 3 p.m. Saturday GCAC matchup against Tougaloo. The Gold Nuggets are 7-6 overall and 0-1 in the league after losing 66-62 Monday at Edward Waters.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Gold Rush win GCAC opener, move win streak to 6

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Led by freshman Rayshawn Mart and senior transfer Joseph Williams, Xavier University of Louisiana opened its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball schedule Monday with a 64-57 victory against Edward Waters.

XULA (12-4) has won six straight. This one occurred against the team that eliminated them in the first round of last season's GCAC Tournament.

Mart had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Williams — in his first season with the Gold Rush after three at Freed-Hardeman — produced his first collegiate double-double: 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jalen David scored 11 points, and his basket at 16:43 of the first half put XULA ahead to stay.

XULA led 36-23 at halftime. The Tigers (5-8) got as close as 45-41 in the 30th minute, but the Gold Rush iced the game by making 8-of-11 free throws in the final 3 1/2 minutes. Jeff Dixon made 4-of-4 in the last 16 seconds.

Khalil McCoy — a redshirt freshman in his first collegiate start — and Dixon scored eight points apiece. Dixon had six rebounds and seven assists.

Will Ibeh scored 17 points, Prince Braynen 11 and Rasaad Morgan 10 for Edward Waters. Charles-Eddie Smith, who torched he Gold Rush for a career-high 30 points in last season's GCAC Tournament, scored a season-low six and was 2-of-10 from the floor.

XULA shot 41.4 percent from the floor and committed a season-low eight turnovers, one in the first half. The Gold Rush outrebounded the Tigers 42-32.

The win streak is XULA's longest since winning eight in a row Jan. 10-Feb. 5, 2015.

XULA will be back on the road for GCAC games at Tougaloo at 5 p.m. Saturday and Talladega at 7:30.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Gold Nuggets suffer rare GCAC opening loss

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Jermisha Collins scored 21 points Monday to help Edward Waters rally for a 66-62 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana. It was the GCAC opener for both teams.

Edward Waters (15-1) trailed 37-33 at halftime but took the lead for at 7:41 of the third quarter when Mia Leite made the Lady Tigers' only 3-pointer of the second half.

Brittany Rowell had 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots for Edward Waters, which handed the Gold Nuggets (7-6) their fourth loss in 36 GCAC openers and first since 2009. The Lady Tigers have won 14 straight since a 66-63 home loss to Florida Memorial Oct. 27.

Ireyon Keith scored a season-high 14 points for XULA, and Essence Wells had 13. Maya Trench had nine points and six assists. Wells and Mikayla Bates had four steals apiece. Gina Smith and DeDe Martinez grabbed eight rebounds apiece.

XULA held its largest lead, 18-9, after a Bates 3-pointer at 2:44 of the first quarter. But the Lady Tigers rallied for a tie at 20 at the end of the period.

Edward Waters outshot XULA 42.2 to 30.9 percent from the floor, 52.6 to 20.6 percent in the second half. The Gold Nuggets made 16-of-33 free Cthrows — their 17 misses were their most in a game in nearly three years. The Gold Nuggets made four of their first five 3-pointers, then went 0-of-12 the rest of the game. XULA's struggle to make second-half shots offset its plus-9 turnover margin, 19 steals and 22 offensive rebounds.

XULA will be back on the road for GCAC games at Tougaloo at 3 p.m. Saturday and Talladega at 5:30 p.m. next Monday.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Longtime assistant Sam Washington gets first head coaching job at A&T

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — The man who will replace Rod Broadway as N.C. A&T football’s next head coach knows exactly how the program has grown and flourished the last seven seasons.

Sam Washington was there.

Washington, 57, has been an assistant on Broadway’s coaching staffs for 11 years, dating to their time together at Grambling.

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve under Coach Broadway both at Grambling State and North Carolina A&T,” Washington said in a news release. “I could not ask for a better friend and mentor than Rod Broadway. What I saw him accomplish at North Carolina A&T is nothing less than remarkable.”

Washington, Courtney Coard (defensive line), Shawn Gibbs (running backs) and Cedric Walthaw (strength & conditioning) were all on Broadway’s first A&T coaching staff in 2011. The Aggies were coming off seven consecutive losing seasons, including a 1-10 record the previous year.

Now the Aggies have won two of the last three Celebration Bowls, three of the last four MEAC titles and two black college national championships.

CONTINUE READING

North Carolina A&T's Rod Broadway Retires; Sam Washington Named Next Head Coach

COACH ROD BROADWAY

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- North Carolina A&T head football coach Rod Broadway announced his retirement from coaching on Monday.  

Assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and secondary coach Sam Washington will take over the program as the 19th head football coach in N.C. A&T history. Aggie Athletics will hold an 11 a.m., press conference at the Alumni-Foundation Event Center (200 N. Benbow Road, Greensboro) on Tuesday, January 9 that will feature Broadway, Washington and N.C. A&T Director of Collegiate Athletics, Earl M. Hilton III.

Broadway retries after seven seasons as the Aggies football coach. He will serve as a special assistant to the athletics director for the next six months. Broadway recently led N.C. A&T to its best season ever, finishing 12-0 with accolades that included winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title, the Celebration Bowl game and the HBCU national championship. In the process, the Aggies broke the school and conference records for wins and became the first MEAC and HBCU Division I-AA team ever to finish undefeated and untied.

In 15 seasons as a head coach, Broadway amassed a 127-45 (.738) record with four HBCU titles and six conference championships. Yesterday, his .737 winning percentage was the best winning percentage among active FCS coaches. In the history of FCS play, Broadway has the third-highest winning percentage. Broadway spent four seasons apiece at North Carolina Central (2003-06) and Grambling State (2007-10). 

“I am grateful to this great and historic university, North Carolina A&T State, for the opportunity to be its head football coach for seven years,” said Broadway. “I am grateful to two men I hold in high esteem, chancellor Martin and athletics director Earl Hilton, for believing in me and the direction I wanted to take this program. I am grateful to the players, they have made this a wonderful experience for me and my family.

I am grateful to what I consider a great coaching staff. They have conducted themselves with the upmost integrity and professionalism. And I am grateful to the very hardworking support staff we have here at North Carolina A&T.”

“I love the man not only for what he has accomplished during his time as our head football coach at North Carolina A&T, but also for who he is as a person,” said Hilton. “While we are losing one of the greatest coaches of all time, I love that he gets to go out on his own terms, a luxury not afforded to most coaches. He took our football program from being the laughing stock of the (Football Championship Subdivision) to being the envy of black college football and one of the premier programs on the FCS level. He did it with class and intelligence. He held everyone within his program to the highest standards of accountable. Rod’s work ethic is unmatched. I will miss him as a colleague but will always consider him a friend and a confidant.”  

Hilton on head coach Sam Washington: “Coach Washington holds many of the same characteristics as coach Broadway. We have believed for some time that coach Washington has the skills, temperament and leadership qualities to be a collegiate head coach. We are confident the trajectory of the football program will remain on a winning path with coach Washington at the helm. We are eager to see him do well in a position he richly deserves.”

Under Washington’s leadership as the Aggies defensive coordinator for seven seasons, the Aggies have consistently produced one of the best defenses in the nation. The Aggies have been the MEAC’s No. 1 total defense and scoring defense four times in the past seven years. They have had the No. 1 total defense in the conference three straight seasons. N.C. A&T has also had the No. 1 rush defense in the conference six times in seven years. Nationally, the Aggies defense has never ranked lower than 20th under Washington including a No. 4 ranking in 2017. The Aggies had the nation’s best run defense in 2012.

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve under coach Broadway both at Grambling State and North Carolina A&T,” said Washington. “I could not ask for a better friend and mentor than Rod Broadway. What I saw him accomplish at North Carolina A&T is nothing less than remarkable. Following a legend is never easy, but coach Broadway has taught me so much over the years, I am poised to continue having success in Aggieland. I want to thank chancellor Martin and Mr. Hilton for what is an awesome opportunity for me and my family. Our coaching staff will stay intact for the most part, so we are ready to get to work.”

Broadway’s N.C. A&T accomplishments

• Broadway finished his career at N.C. A&T 59-22 (.728) overall and 41-15 (.621) in the MEAC. He has the best winning percentage of any N.C. A&T football coach in history. He is second all-time in wins.
• A third of the Aggies nine MEAC championships have come under Broadway. The Aggies three conference titles under Broadway have occurred in the last four years.
• N.C. A&T won two HBCU national championships under Broadway (2015, 2017).
• The Aggies were 33-5 overall and 26-3 in the MEAC at Aggie Stadium in Broadway’s seven years as head coach. The Aggies have won 10 straight at home.
• The Aggies had two 10-plus win seasons under Broadway. No other coach in school history had more than one.
• Broadway had four 9-plus win seasons which ties coach Bill Hayes for the most in school history.
• Broadway led the Aggies to a 7-0 homecoming record during his tenure. He was also 4-3 against North Carolina Central.
• The Aggies had four straight 9-plus win seasons (2014-17) under Broadway.
• Broadway beat four ranked FCS teams, two FBS schools and one school in transition to FBS play during his seven-year tenure.
• The Aggies scored 30-plus points 39 times and 40-plus points 19 times under Broadway.
• N.C. A&T has spent 37 straight weeks in the NCAA FCS national coaches poll. They have been a part of the BoxToRow Black College Football poll 59 straight weeks. They were ranked No. 1 in 38 of those polls. The Aggies were ranked in the SBN Black College Football poll 57 straight weeks with a No. 1 ranking 33 of those weeks.
• The Aggies won 46 straight games when leading at halftime under Broadway and were 53-1 when leading at halftime during his era. They were 52-2 when leading after the third quarter.
• Over seven years, the Aggies have had 67 All-MEAC recognitions including 36 first-team recognitions. Forty-seven different players have earned some type of All-MEAC recognition. Thirty different players have earned first-team All-MEAC honors. In 2017, N.C. A&T had a school-record 12 first-team All-MEAC selections.
• A N.C. A&T player has been named offensive player of the year in the MEAC four straight years. Five players have been named offensive player of the year in the MEAC under Broadway. The Aggies have had the conference’s offensive lineman of the year (Brandon Parker) three straight years. Two players (Tarik Cohen and Elijah Bell) were named rookie of the year under Broadway.
• Fifteen different players have earned some type of All-American recognition under Broadway including four Associated Press All-Americans (Brandon Parker, Tarik Cohen, Khris Gardin and Franklin (Mac) McCain III).
• Nathan Isles, William Ray Robinson, Wallace Miles, Mike Mayhew, Tarik Cohen, Deji Olatoye, and Tony McRae have all had NFL opportunities under Broadway. Brandon Parker is expected to be drafted in 2018.

 NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Howard-Hampton Postponed Until Feb. 8

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With infrastructure damage due to sub-zero temperatures, the Howard-Hampton basketball doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday (Jan.9) inside Burr Gymnasium has been postponed until Thursday, February 8.

The women's game is set for 5:30 pm, while the men are scheduled for a 7:30 start at The Burr.

Next up, Howard hits the road for a couple of league contests against South Carolina State (Jan. 13) and Savannah State (Jan. 15).

Saturday's matchup at the Lady Bulldogs start 2 p.m. while Monday night's showdown takes place at 6 p.m.

For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY BISON ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS 

Southern's swarming defense sends Jackson State to first conference loss in 10-point win

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- To topple the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s best, Southern needed to be as sharp as ever.

It's been a usual theme for the Jaguars this season. Three quarters of quality basketball and then a fourth frequently associated with drama. Monday against Jackson State, the SWAC's winningest club, Southern was forced to follow three quarters of stellar defense to shut the door and seal a win in yet another intense fourth.

For the second in-conference game in a row, Southern closed — and the Jaguars clipped the top-ranked Tigers 86-76 at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Jackson State (8-5, 3-1 SWAC) preferred leisure with its offense. With size and the SWAC’s No. 1 rebounding unit as a hoist, the Tigers wished to drop the ball inside and have their bigs operate against Southern’s undersized interior defense as starting forward Sarai Blissett was absent with a knee injury.

Makes or misses do not much matter for the Tigers. Jackson State, which has collected 16 or more offensive rebounds in 13 consecutive games, has a rebounding past sure to provide plenty of shot attempts. If that didn’t work, Jackson State’s bigs could kick it out for a good-looking 3-pointer.

CONTINUE READING

Delaware State Hornets Making Progress On Search For Football Coach -- Maynor and Milstead Leads the Pack

DOVER, Delaware — It’s been nearly a month and a half since Delaware State University decided to change football coaches.

The Hornets are making progress in the search for a replacement for Kenny Carter.

Delaware State hosted the first round of interviews for the open position in late December, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The new coach could be named later this month.

Two names that have come up in the coaching search are former DelState offensive lineman Rod Milstead and former Hampton University head coach Connell Maynor. Neither could be reached for comment for this story.

Milstead’s name was expected to be mentioned. He’s also the most familiar to Hornet fans.

He graduated from Delaware State in 1992 before being selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played eight years in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers.

CONTINUE READING

Virginia University of Lynchburg names new head football coach -- Bobby Rome

LYNCHBURG, Virginia -- Less than two months after the position became available, the Virginia University of Lynchburg announced the hiring of a new head football coach.

Bobby Rome, 31, was introduced to VUL staff Friday as the next coach of the Dragons.

“I have long-term plans to be here at this university,” Rome said in an interview Friday. “The moment when I walked through the doors at Humble Hall for the first time, it’s something that just grabbed me.”

Rome, a former college and professional football player and native of Norfolk, comes to VUL with about four years of head coaching experience.

Rome most recently was head coach of the UNC club football program. Prior to that, he was the head coach of Far Eastern Federal University in Russia, where he started the football program.

Rome was a four-year starter at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), where he played fullback. He graduated in 2009 and was in and out of the NFL and played in the now-shuttered United Football League, as well as the Federation of American Football of Russia league.

Rome will replace former coach Jimmy Joe, who was at the helm of the program for just one season until he and the school parted ways in November.

Rome was one of three final candidates interviewed for the position, according to VUL COO Jason Randoo.



CONTINUE READING