Langston Football Ranked 14th in NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25

KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- The Langston University football team moved to the No. 14 spot in the third edition  of the 2018 NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced.

The Lions entered the 14th slot after tallying 173 total votes and are tied with Bethel (Tenn.); Langston is the highest Sooner Athletic Conference institution ranked, they trail No. 13 Cumberlands (Ky.) 176 votes to 173 votes.

Poll Methodology
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences.
• Each conference is given one rater for every four schools in the league.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 for second-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team's ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered "receiving votes."

For the complete NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll, click here.

2018 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Poll Three (Sept. 24)

RANK	LAST WEEK	SCHOOL	RECORD	TOTAL POINTS
1	1	Saint Francis (Ind.) [16]	4-0	366
2	2	Morningside (Iowa)	4-0	351
3	3	Southern Oregon	4-0	339
4	4	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	3-0	323
5	5	Northwestern (Iowa)	4-0	309
6	6	Marian (Ind.)	3-0	294
7	7	Reinhardt (Ga.)	3-1	281
8	10	Evangel (Mo.)	5-0	257
9	9	Georgetown (Ky.)	3-1	250
10	11	Grand View (Iowa)	2-1	237
11	12	Baker (Kan.)	3-1	216
12	14	Kansas Wesleyan	4-0	184
13	16	Cumberlands (Ky.)	5-0	176
14	13	Langston (Okla.)	2-1	173
14	17	Bethel (Tenn.)	4-0	173
16	15	Benedictine (Kan.)	3-1	169
17	8	Concordia (Mich.)	3-1	161
18	19	Dickinson State (N.D.)	3-1	131
19	21	Arizona Christian	4-0	121
20	24	Montana Tech	3-1	81
21	25	Faulkner (Ala.)	3-1	67
22	NR	Webber International (Fla.)	4-0	62
23	23	Rocky Mountain (Mont.)	3-2	47
24	22	Montana Western	3-1	33
25	NR	Siena Heights (Mich.)	4-0	30

Dropped from the Top 25: Southeastern (Fla.), Saint Xavier (Ill.)

Others Receiving Votes: Avila (Mo.) 25, Southeastern (Fla.) 20, Midland (Neb.) 17, Eastern Oregon 7, Doane (Neb.) 5, Saint Xavier (Ill.) 4, Tabor (Kan.) 3

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Game Day Central | Charleston Southern at Hampton

DATE/TIME: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 AT 2 P.M. ET

Tickets: General Admission | Ticket Policy
Location: Hampton, Va. | Weather | Radar
Stadium: Armstrong Stadium (Cap. 12,000) | Stadium Guide
Gates: Open at 12:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
Audio: Charleston Southern Sports Network (Stretch Internet)
Live Stats: HUPirates.comHistory: First Meeting

TEAM INFORMATION

Charleston Southern (0-2): Head Coach Mark Tucker | Roster | Schedule | Game Notes
Hampton (1-2): Head Coach Robert Prunty | Roster | Schedule | Game Notes

More Information: Follow us on Twitter @CSUSports and @CSUGameDay for up-to-date information on Game Day.

Gold Rush standout Roberts to lead Saginaw schools

NEW ORLEANS — Ramont Roberts, a standout guard for Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball teams during the 1990s, has been named superintendent of the Saginaw (Mich.) Public Schools district in his hometown.
     
Roberts was named interim superintendent in June. The Saginaw Board of Education voted 6-0 on Sept. 19 to remove the interim title and offer Roberts a three-year contract.
     
The board's vice president, Jason Thompson, told mlive.com that Roberts brought "some fresh ideas and some new innovative ways of reaching and assisting our children" since becoming interim superintendent.
     
"(Roberts) hit the ground running and made some major changes that's having a serious, positive impact on the district," Thompson said.
     
Roberts has worked in Saginaw schools since 2003, first as an assistant principal, then as principal at two different schools. Roberts moved to the central office in 2015 as assistant superintendent for human resources.
     
Roberts is one of 26 Gold Rush players to reach 1,000 career points. A 6-foot guard, he averaged double-figure points each of his last three seasons and finished with 1,176 points in 121 games. As a junior in 1995-96, he led the team with averages of 12.2 points and 3.5 assists and helped coach Dale Valdery's XULA team win the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. No Gold Rush team since then has won that tournament.
     
As a senior in 1996-97, Roberts was a member of the GCAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
    
Roberts received his bachelor's degree from XULA in 1998. He earned a master's from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, then a doctorate from Michigan State with a focus on urban education.
     
"We have an opportunity to reach each child," Roberts told The Michigan Banner in June. "Our responsibility as educators is to find that special way to reach each individual."

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Lincoln Announces 2018-19 Women's Basketball Schedule

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri -- Lincoln fans will have 16 chances to catch the LU women's basketball team at home as more than half of the Blue Tigers' games in 2018-19 will be played in Jason Gym.

Lincoln will tip-off the season at the MIAA/GAC Challenge in Magnolia, Arkansas with games against Southern Arkansas on Nov. 9 and Arkansas-Monticello on Nov. 10. LU will then be home for its next four contests, starting on Nov. 13, when the Blue Tigers host Stephens for a 6:00 p.m. CT contest. The Blue Tigers close the first month of the season by hosting McKendree (Nov. 21) and Blackburn (Nov. 26).

HEAD COACH MCWILLIAMS

Complete 2018-19 Lincoln Women's Basketball Schedule

The Blue Tigers will also be at home to open December, as LU welcomes Robert Morris-Springfield on Dec. 1, before opening MIAA play with road games at Northwest Missouri (Dec. 6) and Missouri Western (Dec. 8). Lincoln will also play games against William Jewell (at home, Dec. 15) and Upper Iowa (Dec. 18) before the holiday break, and will close out 2018 with a home game on Dec. 30 vs. the Saint Louis College of Pharmacy.
The remaining 17 games on Lincoln's docket will be MIAA contests, beginning on Jan. 3, when LU hosts Pittsburg State. Following a home game with Missouri Southern (Jan. 5), Lincoln will begin a season-long three-game road trip with stops at Lindenwood (Jan. 12), Central Missouri (Jan. 16) and Southwest Baptist (Jan. 19). The Blue Tigers return home to face Northeastern State (Jan. 24) and Central Oklahoma (Jan. 26) and will end the month with a contest in Topeka, Kan. against Washburn on Jan. 31.

The final month of the season for LU will begin in Kansas as Lincoln plays Emporia State on Feb. 2. Six of Lincoln's remaining eight games will be played at Jason Gym, starting with rematches against Missouri Western on Feb. 7 and vs. Northwest Missouri on Feb. 9. The Blue Tigers will play Nebraska Kearney (Feb. 14) and Fort Hays State (Feb. 16) in their final road games of 2018-19, then will begin a season-ending four-game homestand on Feb. 19 against Lindenwood. The regular season will conclude with games against Washburn (Feb. 23), Southwest Baptist (Feb. 27) and Central Missouri (March 2).

Lincoln is led by head coach Ayana McWilliams, who is in her third year with the Blue Tigers.

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI MEDIA RELATIONS

Another hall of fame for XULA alum Leonidas Epps

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana graduate Leonidas Epps will be inducted Friday (Sept. 28, 2018) into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame in Atlanta. He will posthumously receive the organization's lifetime achievement award.
     
Epps was a 1942 XULA graduate and a member of the 1940-41 Gold Rush basketball team that was 29-0 — the only Louisiana collegiate men's basketball team to finish unbeaten in a schedule of more than five games. He earned a master's degree from Indiana University.
     
Epps achieved fame as a coach in multiple sports at Clark College in Atlanta from 1949-83. His teams won Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's championships in football, basketball, golf and track and field. He also served as athletics director and taught physical education classes. (Clark College became Clark Atlanta University in 1988 after the merger of Clark and Atlanta University.)
     
According to the book "Louisiana Athletes: The Top Twenty," Epps during the 1940s coached Audrey "Mickey" Patterson-Tyler, who in 1948 became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic medal (bronze, 200-meter dash).
     
Epps was inducted into the Clark College Hall of Fame (1980), the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (1985), the SIAC Hall of Fame (1994) and the Clark Atlanta Athletic Boosters Hall of Fame. Clark Atlanta awards annually an endowed scholarship in his name. Clark Atlanta's gym was named in his honor upon his retirement in May 1983.
     
Clark Atlanta hosted a men's basketball tournament named for Epps in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
     
Leonidas Sondric Epps Jr. was born Oct. 5, 1918, in Hope, Arkansas, but grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois, and graduated from Lincoln High School. He died Jan. 5, 1997.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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FAMU Rattler Golfers Open Season At Thomas U. Invite

VALDOSTA, Georgia – The FAMU Men’s Golf Team opened their 2018 Fall Schedule with a seventh place finish in the Thomas (Ga.) University Fall Invitational at the Kinderlou Forest Club in Valdosta, Ga., Sept. 24 and 25.

FAMU shot an opening round 308, followed by a final round 292, for a two-round total of 600.

Coastal Georgia (565) and host Thomas University (578) took the top two spots in the 13-team tourney.

Redshirt sophomore Ethan Mangum (Atlanta, Ga.) led way for FAMU, tying for eighth place with a two-day total of 145, highlighted by a one-under 71 in Tuesday’s final round.

Junior Cameron Riley (Freeport, Grand Bahamas), placed 11th, carding a two-day 147, after an opening round even par 72. Sophomore Alejandro Toro (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico), placed 13th, with a 148, shooting an even par 72 in Tuesday’s final round.

Also in the hunt for FAMU were sophomore Mulbe Dillard (Chicago, Ill.), who fired a second round 72, finishing with a 152 for the tournament; junior Prince Cunningham (Jacksonville, Fla.), who shot a two-day 153; junior Mahindra Lutchman (Orlando, Fla.), who fired a two-day 159; and rounding out the FAMU contingent was freshman Logan Bryant (Miami, Fla.), who finished with a two-day 160.

WHAT’S UP NEXT: FAMU travels to Atlanta this weekend for the Black College Hall of Fame Tournament, beginning Friday, Sept. 28.

INDIVIDUAL RATTLER SCORECARD

Kinderlou Forest Club * Valdosta, GA * Sept. 24-25, 2018

Round One – Par 72 (7022 Yards) * Round Two – Par 72 (6935 Yards)

Place Player 1st 2nd TOTAL

T8 Ethan Mangum 74 71 145

T11 Cameron Riley 72 75 147

T13 Alejandro Toro 76 72 148

T30 Mulbe Dillard 81 72 152

T35 Prince Cunningham 79 74 153

T48 Mahindra Lutchman 82 77 159

T50 Logan Bryant 81 79 160

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

TSU Volleyball Opens OVC Road Play at Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech

TENNESSEE STATE NOTES

Social Media: #BigBlueRisingTwitter: @TSU_Tigers | Instagram: @TSUTigers
Facebook: Tennessee State University Tigers

Game 13: Tennessee State (4-8, 1-0 OVC) vs. Jacksonville State (7-8, 0-2 OVC)

Date: Friday, Sept. 28, 2018
Location: Jacksonville, Ala. 
Arena: Kennamer Hall
Time: 7 p.m. CST
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

Game 14: Tennessee State (4-8, 1-0 OVC) vs. Tennessee Tech (6-10, 0-2 OVC)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Arena: Eblen Center
Time: 2 p.m. CST
Live Stream: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

#BigBlueRising

QUICK HITTERS: Tennessee State volleyball hits the road for its first Ohio Valley Conference road matches this season. TSU will play the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State Friday at 7 p.m. at the Pete Mathews Coliseum. Then, Big Blue heads to Cookeville to play TTU Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Tigers are 10-23 in the all-time series against Jacksonville State. Last season, the Gamecocks defeated the Tigers in both meetings, 3-2. Against Tennessee Tech, TSU is 17-39 in the alltime series. The Tigers swept the Golden Eagles at the Eblen Center last season, and ended the season with a 3-2 loss to TTU at home.

TSU UPDATE: The win over Eastern Illinois served as the 250th program win for Tennessee State. JoJo Kruize led the Tiger offense with 15 kills, with junior Julia Pierson following close behind with 13 kills and 5 blocks. Rivera Ortiz held down the backcourt with 23 digs with help from JUCO transfer Destiny Washington who dug up 13 balls. Current head coach Donika Sutton has been a member of the program for 54 of the wins, and was at the helm of the Tigers for 11. After sweeping Eastern Illinois in the second conference match of the season, the Tigers are 2-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The last time TSU was 2-0 in the league was 2007 - the year TSU won its first OVC Tournament and NCAA bid. 

SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: The Gamecocks finished conference opening weekend 0-2 after going five sets against both Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky. Lina Kindermann leads JSU in kills with 169 while Lexie Libs facilitates the offense. 

SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: TTU is 6-10, 0-2 moving into week two of conference play. Rachel Thomas and Alice Verzani lead the offense while Kirsten Brugere holds down the back court. 

UP NEXT: TSU hosts its final non-confernce opponent of the regular season in MTSU in Kean Hall Tuesday, Oct. 2.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Norfolk State Basketball Announces Pair of Schedule Changes

NORFOLK, Virginia  – The Norfolk State men's basketball program announced today changes to a pair of games during the 2018-19 season, including one regular season contest and one exhibition.

NSU's exhibition game against Virginia State has been moved from Wednesday, Oct. 31 to Friday, Nov. 2. Game time is still set for 7 p.m. from Joseph Echols Hall. This will mark the third straight season the two teams will play an exhibition game prior to the start of the season.

In addition, NSU will now host Regent University on Tuesday, Nov. 20. Regent will replace NYIT, which was originally set to play NSU on that same day. Game time is still 7 p.m. on Nov. 20 at Echols Hall.

This weekend, the men's and women's basketball programs will hold their annual Spartan Madness at Echols Hall on Saturday, Sept. 29, beginning at 8:30 p.m. as part of Tip-Off Week. It was originally announced in early September that Spartan Madness would take place on Oct. 6 before a change of date occurred.

Along with Spartan Madness, the NSU Skate Party also was moved up a week. It will now happen this Sunday, Sept. 30, after an original announcement date of Oct. 7.



By: Mike Bello, Asst. SID
NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

GAME NOTES: NCCU Football Hosts Florida A&M

THE GAME                                                                                                                       
Florida A&M University "Rattlers" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"
 
THE KICKOFF                                                                                                                  
Saturday, September 29, 2018 – Kickoff at 4:00 p.m.

THE SITE                                                                                                                          
O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity / Mondoturf) - Durham, N.C.
 
THE RECORDS                                                                                                                
Florida A&M (2-2 overall; 1-0 MEAC); N.C. Central (1-2 overall, 0-0 MEAC)
 
MEDIA COVERAGE                                                                                                         
Audio: NCCU Sports Network "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (internet stream). Broadcast starts at 3:40 p.m. (Jonathan Duren, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, analyst).


Video/TV: ESPN3 (WatchESPN).



QUICK HITS                                                                                                                     
•   NCCU has won the last three games against Florida A&M by a combined 14 points, needing scores in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory each time.
•   Florida A&M leads the series with NCCU 6-4-1.
•   Saturday will be just the sixth gridiron meeting between the NCCU Eagles and the FAMU Rattlers in the past 45 years.
•   NCCU senior defensive lineman Darius Royster already has more tackles for loss than last season's team leaders (Roderick Harris and Antonio Brown with 8.5). Royster's 9.0 takedowns behind the line of scrimmage tops the FCS.
•   Since the start of the 2012 season, NCCU has scored 38 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including three defensive scores last year and two this season.
•   NCCU is under the direction of first-year head coach Granville Eastman, who accepted the interim role after Jerry Mack left to be the offensive coordinator at Rice.
•   NCCU senior safety Davanta Reynolds is the Preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team (Second Team) after recording six interceptions last year.
•   NCCU received votes in the STATS FCS Top 25 preseason poll, after finishing last season with a 7-4 overall record.
•   NCCU returns just nine starters (6 offense, 3 defense), but boasts nine members of the Preseason All-MEAC Team: First Team - DB Davanta Reynolds, RB Isaiah Totten, OL Nick Leverett, DL Kawuan Cox; Second Team - TE Josh McCoy, OL Andrew Dale, DL Randy Anyanwu; Third Team - WR Xavier McKoy, and DB De'Mario Evans.
 
ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL                                                                                            
NCCU won three consecutive MEAC championships from 2014-16, and represented the MEAC in the 2016 Celebration Bowl versus Grambling in the Georgia Dome.
NCCU Recent Records:
2017: 7-4 overall, 5-3 MEAC
2016: 9-3 overall, 8-0 MEAC – MEAC champions
2015: 8-3 overall, 7-1 MEAC – MEAC co-champions
2014: 7-5 overall, 6-2 MEAC – MEAC co-champions
 
THE SERIES                                                                                                                     
This will be the 12th meeting in the series between the NCCU Eagles and the FAMU Rattlers since the teams first played in 1939. FAMU leads the series against NCCU, 6-4-1. NCCU has won the last three match-ups with the Rattlers.
9/28/2017 - NCCU 21, FAMU 14 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
10/8/2016 - NCCU 17, FAMU 13 (Durham, N.C.)
10/10/2015 - NCCU 27, FAMU 24 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
11/10/2012 - FAMU 22, NCCU 21 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
11/12/2011 - FAMU 31, NCCU 10 (Durham, N.C.)
9/15/1973 - NCCU 9, FAMU 3 (Atlanta, Ga.)
12/7/1957 - FAMU 14, NCCU 0 (Miami, Fla. / Orange Blossom Classic)
9/22/1956 - FAMU 25, NCCU 0 (Durham, N.C.)
12/1/1951 - FAMU 67, NCCU 6 (Miami, Fla. / Orange Blossom Classic)
11/9/1940 - NCCU 7, FAMU 7 (Durham, N.C.)
11/11/1939 - FAMU 20, NCCU 7 (Tallahassee, Fla.)
 
THE LAST MEETING                                                                                                       
(NCCU 21, FAMU 14 - Tallahassee, Fla. - Sept. 28, 2017) NCCU scored the only points in the second half on a 9-yard rushing touchdown by running back Isaiah Totten with just 2:02 left in the contest to give the Eagles a 21-14 road victory. NCCU collected 130 rushing yards in the game and held Florida A&M to only 73 yards on the ground. NCCU also had a total of 110 passing yards, while the Rattlers posted 185 yards through the air.
 
THE LAST MEETING IN DURHAM                                                                                
(NCCU 17, FAMU 13 - Durham, N.C. - Oct. 8, 2016) With heavy rain and wind gusts from Hurricane Matthew limiting the offense of both teams most of the day, NCCU rallied for two lead-changing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to claim a 17-13 victory over Florida A&M inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
 
LAST WEEK                                                                                                                     
Duke 55, NCCU 13 (Durham, N.C.) - NCCU was within one score of its ACC foe late in the second quarter, but Duke University pulled away from the Eagles after halftime for a 55-13 victory in the seventh edition of the Bull City Gridiron Classic.
 
FAMU 31, Savannah State 13 (Tallahassee, Fla.) - The Florida A&M Rattlers scored 28 points in the second half to stymie the resilient Tigers of Savannah State 31-13.
 
THE COACHES                                                                                                               
NCCU: Granville Eastman (Saint Mary's, 1992) is in his first season as a college head coach. With 20 years of collegiate coaching experience to his credit, Eastman joined the NCCU staff in January 2014, serving as assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and safeties coach until his promotion to interim head coach on Dec. 8, 2017. Prior to joining NCCU, Eastman spent nine seasons (2005-13) as the defensive coordinator at Austin Peay State University in Clarkesville, Tennessee. During his 11 total seasons at APSU, he coached defensive backs and linebackers, and also served as special teams coordinator (2003-04) and interim head coach (winter 2013). Eastman coached four seasons (1999-2002) at Tiffin University in Ohio, including the last three seasons as defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator, while working with defensive backs and defensive line during his tenure. A native of Toronto, Canada, Eastman secured his first coaching position at York University in his hometown, where he spent two seasons (1994-95) working with defensive backs. He then served as a defensive graduate assistant for three seasons (1996-98) at Arkansas State University, earning a master's degree in sociology in 1999. Eastman was a two-time all-city defensive back at Stephen Leacock High School in Toronto before attending Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he was a three-year letterman as a defensive back. Twice Saint Mary's played in national title games while he was there. Eastman earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's University in 1992.
Florida A&M: Willie Simmons (Clemson, 2002) Simmons, who had a stellar collegiate football playing career that featured stints at Clemson University and The Citadel (S.C.), is in his first season at Florida A&M University after spending the last three seasons (2015-2017) as head football coach at Prairie View A&M University.

EAGLES TURN DEFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS INTO POINTS                                    
Since the start of the 2012 season, the Eagles have demonstrated a knack for finding the end zone when the offense is off the field. In the past 72 games, NCCU has scored 38 touchdowns on defense and special teams, including two this season, three in 2017, three in 2016, six in 2015, five in 2014, nine in 2013 and 10 in 2012. In that time, the Eagles have made trips to the end zone on 14 punt returns, six kickoff returns, three blocked field goal returns, 11 interceptions and four fumble recoveries.
 
NINE NCCU EAGLES VOTED TO PRESEASON ALL-MEAC TEAMS                      
Nine NCCU Eagles were voted to the Preseason All-MEAC Football Teams. Earning All-MEAC First Team honors for NCCU are Preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year senior defensive back Davanta Reynolds, sophomore running back Isaiah Totten, junior offensive lineman Nick Leverett, and junior defensive lineman Kawuan Cox. Three NCCU Eagles on the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team are senior tight end Josh McCoy, sophomore offensive lineman Andrew Dale, and senior defensive lineman Randy Anyanwu. Receiving Preseason All-MEAC Third Team honors are junior wide receiver Xavier McKoy and senior defensive back De'Mario Evans.
 
THREE NCCU EAGLES ON HBCU PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST             
Three NCCU Eagles – senior safety Davanta Reynolds, sophomore running back Isaiah Totten and freshman running back Jamal Currie-Elliott - are among the 52 student-athletes from 25 different HBCUs to be named to the 2018 Watch List for the Black College Football Player of the Year Award, the Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) announced Wednesday. The Award is presented annually to the most outstanding football player from a Historically Black College & University. The winner of the 2018 Black College Football Player of the Year Award will be honored with the Deacon Jones Trophy during the Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which takes place on Feb. 16, 2019 in Atlanta. Four finalists will be unveiled on Nov. 29.
 
FOUR EAGLES ALREADY EARNED UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES                     
Four NCCU student-athletes on this season's football team have already earned their undergraduate degrees: OL Nick Leverett, LB King Kiaku, DB Jamarcus Johnson, and WR Marvin Zanders (graduate transfer from Missouri).
 
ABOUT NCCU FOOTBALL                                                                                            
North Carolina Central University is in its eighth season of full NCAA Division I (FCS) athletics competition as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles have won 13 conference championships as members of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1953, 1954, 1956, 1961, 1963, 1980, 2005, 2006) and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (1972, 1973, 2014, 2015, 2016), and have made three appearances in the NCAA playoffs (1988, 2005, 2006). The Eagles won back-to-back football conference championships and a Black College National Championship in their final two years in the Division II ranks (2005 and 2006) before starting the transition to Division I in 2007. During its storied gridiron tradition, NCCU has produced 140 all-conference selections (first team), 67 all-Americans, 41 NFL draft picks, 13 conference championships and two Black College National Championships (1954, 2006). Two Eagles have represented NCCU on the National Football League's grandest stage - the Super Bowl. The first NCCU Eagle to make a Super Bowl appearance was Richard Sligh, who was a reserve tackle with the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II against the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 14, 1968. Sligh, who holds the distinction as the tallest player in NFL history (7'0"), played at NCCU from 1962-64 and was later drafted by the Raiders in the 10th round of the 1967 NFL draft. On Jan. 24, 1982, former NCCU Eagle Louis Breeden was a starting cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI against the San Francisco 49ers. Earlier in the season (Nov. 8, 1981), Breeden intercepted a pass thrown by San Diego Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts and returned it a team-record 102 yards for a touchdown. The following year, he was selected as a First-Team All-Pro. He completed his 10-year NFL career with 33 interceptions for 558 return yards and two touchdowns. The first Eagle selected in the NFL Draft was Matt Boone, who was taken by the Giants with the eighth pick in the 18th round in 1956. The latest Eagle announced during the NFL Draft was Ryan Smith, who was chosen by the Buccaneers in the fourth round in 2016. NCCU's highest draft pick was Doug Wilkerson, who was selected in the first round with the 14th overall pick of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Oilers. The Eagles have also had three second-round NFL draft picks, including Robert Massey in 1989 by the Saints, Charles Smith in 1975 by the Broncos and Chuck Hinton in 1962 by the Browns. HBCU football pioneer John Brown, who represented NCCU (then North Carolina College) on the gridiron in the 1940s, was one of the first to play professional football out of a historically black college or university. Brown shares the honor with Ezzret Anderson of Kentucky State and Elmore Harris of Morgan State, who all began their professional football careers in 1947. Brown and Anderson were teammates on the Los Angeles Dons, while Harris was a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. According to NCCU records, Brown was the first of the three to sign a professional football contract. He played center and linebacker with the Dons from 1947-49, before moving to the Canadian Football League.

NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

UAPB "The View At The Top" Episode 1