Southern University's Kevin Manns named SWAC SID of Year

The Southwestern Athletic Conference Sports Information Directors Group recently named Kevin Manns, Southern University, the 2007-08 SWAC SID of the Year. The award is given annually to the sports information person during the Conference's Spring Meetings.

Kevin Manns is in his eighth season on "The Bluff" as sports information director at Southern University. As the director, Manns's office is responsible for the dissemination of information concerning Southern University athletics, which serves as the curator of the University's athletic records and as the liaison between the department, various media entities, professional athletic organizations, among other responsibilities.

In 2003, Manns was instrumental in promoting SU star baseball player and current Milwaukee Brewer, Rickie Weeks, for National Player of the Year.

Before arriving at Southern, Manns was instrumental in providing stability to the sports information office at Alabama State, while directing the school in the right direction with their athletic website and various media guides. He has also spent stints at Winston-Salem State University, where as SID, he worked alongside legendary basketball Coach, Clarence "Big House" Gaines.

Manns is a 1986 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, West Virginia, where he was a three-year letterman and two-year starter on the Eagle football team. He also was a two-time high school All-American in track. He continued his collegiate football play at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. In 1990, Manns earned his bachelor's degree in Accounting.

After graduation, he went on to do PR work for Craig Hodges, who was a member of the Chicago Bulls. Manns served as Assistant to the President of Pro-Exec Manage Group in Chicago.

Manns is a member of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors Association), BCSIDA (Black College Sports Information Directors Association) and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.

TSU Athletic Director: The new guy on the team

Suit jacket flapping behind him, Charles McClelland swooped into the basketball arena at Texas Southern University, a dapper presence in a world of tank tops and gym shorts. The coaches snapped to attention, but McClelland focused on two familiar players hot-dogging on the floor.

"Daddy, daddy," one called to McClelland. "I want to do a jump shot." Seven-year-olds, it turns out, aren't quite ready for jump shots. But sometimes you have to take a risk, as McClelland demonstrated when he became TSU's new athletic director last month.

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Bethune Cookman's Ash finishes third in NCAA's

DES MOINES, Iowa - After finishing fourth in the semifinals Friday evening, Bethune-Cookman University freshman track runner Ronnie Ash took third place in Saturday men's 100-meter hurdles finals at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Ash turned in his second-best performance of the season with a time of 13.59 seconds.

File photo courtesy of Nigel Cook/News-Journal.

The third-place time was also good enough for Ash to collect All-America honors. He is the first recorded freshman All-American in Bethune-Cookman history. The last All-American performer for Bethune-Cookman was at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships when Lewis Brown earned the award following an eighth-place finish in the triple jump.

Ash's time of 13.59 was behind second-place competitor Ty Akins (13.46) of Auburn and the winner Jason Richardson (13.40) from South Carolina.

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ASU Hornet football players hard at work this summer

The summer days are a little different around the Alabama State football complex of late. There's a little life around the place. Throughout the morning and into the afternoon on most days, dozens of players are on the Hornet Stadium practice field, going through drills and battling the summer heat.

Last year, which was the first time ASU paid for all players to attend summer school, Bruce said around 25 players showed up to workout in the 6 a.m. group. This year, there are routinely more than 40 in that group, and there are two additional groups (at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.).

The Alabama State Hornets will open the Coach Joe Taylor era at Florida A&M University on August 30 at Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, FL. This game will be the season opener for both the Hornets and Rattlers.

"Having so many guys on campus during the summer is a huge advantage for us," said ASU head coach Reggie Barlow, who is currently attending the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' training camps. "They are getting together on their own. They're planning workouts and 7-on-7 themselves, and doing everything possible to make the most of the summer." During these summer workouts, the coaches can have no input. They can't even watch.

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Valley already getting ready for football season

You won't find Willie Totten vacationing during the dog days of June. The Mississippi Valley State head football coach and the rest of his staff are hard at it preparing for the 2008 season. Each of the coaches will get a short break in early July, but for now, they are busy checking on players and newcomers making sure they are doing what they need to do to be eligible in the fall.
"It's constant phone calls and paper work," said Totten Thursday during an interview in his office on the Itta Bena campus. "June is a time to get organized for when everyone comes in early August. "We've got four new coaches in the (Southwestern Athletic Conference), so we're looking at film trying to pick up some things they might do against us this season."

The Delta Devils report to campus Aug. 3 and will begin two-a-day practices five days later in preperation for the Aug. 30 season opener at home against Texas College.

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Hampton's Alonzo Coleman hoping to be an eye-opener for Dallas Cowboys

IRVING, TX – This was before Marion Barber signed his seven-year extension and while first-rounder Felix Jones and fourth-rounder Tashard Choice were practicing for the first time with the Dallas Cowboys. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones reminded any and all of No. 30.

"Did you see No. 30 out there with that 4.3 speed?" Jones said. No. 30 is Alonzo Coleman. His name might not ring a bell because he spent last year on the practice squad and got all of eight carries for 27 yards in the preseason because of a sprained left ankle.

Coleman signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2007 draft. Former vice president of college and pro scouting Jeff Ireland liked his potential. Coleman left Hampton University as the school's all-time leading rusher with 4,707 yards and 62 touchdowns. He was named the MEAC offensive player of the year as a junior when he ran for 1,326 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also had a five-touchdown effort against Gardner-Webb.

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Father, Can You Hear Us?

Father Can You Hear Me - (Tyler Perry)

Alvin Ailey's "Revelations," Fix Me Jesus

Amazing Grace - Wintley Phipps

Obama & Brighter Day by John P Kee

Smokie Norful - I Need You Now

MEAC Football Press Luncheon Scheduled July 25

Courtesy MEACsports.com

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will host the annual MEAC Football Press Luncheon, Friday, July 25 at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel (777 Waterside Drive, Norfolk, Virginia 23510/757-640-2754). MEAC head football coaches and various players from each team will be on hand to offer an inside view of the upcoming 2008 football season.

A limited number of tickets are available to the public for the press luncheon and can be purchased by calling Stacey Kiger at (757) 416-7100. Tickets are $30 per seat or $300 per table (10 persons) and must be purchased before 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 18.

Media members may obtain a credential for the luncheon and/or one-on-one interview sessions by completing an application found on http://www.meacsports.com/ or by contacting Patricia Porter at porterp@themeac.com or (757) 416-7100. One-on-one interviews with various offensive and defensive players from each team will begin at 9:30 a.m. followed by head coaches beginning at 10:30 a.m.

In addition to the press luncheon, the MEAC will host the 2008 Woman of the Year ceremony on Wednesday, July 23 beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Sheraton. Sponsored by the conference’s Senior Woman Administrators, the Woman of the Year ceremony honors female student-athletes for their collegiate achievements in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.

The 2008 MEAC football season kicks off on Saturday, August 30 featuring five MEAC football teams in action, including two classics. The Hampton University Pirates highlight the opening day list, as they face Jackson State University in the fourth annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge beginning at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcasted live on ESPNU.

The annual Virginia Lottery Labor Day Classic kicks off at 6 p.m. featuring the Norfolk State University Spartans against NCAA D-II non-conference opponent Virginia State University Trojans.

Florida A&M University hosts Alabama State University and Johnson C. Smith University will travel to North Carolina A&T State University as the Rattlers and Aggies kick off their home openers beginning at 6 p.m. The South Carolina State University Bulldogs will travel to Orlando, Florida to face Conference USA’s University of Central Florida at 6 p.m.

For more information about the MEAC, log on to http://www.meacsports.com/

B-CU baseball loses 4 recruits to pros

Bethune-Cookman's 2008 baseball signing class has become less crowded since last week's major league draft. Of five Wildcat recruits who were drafted, four have signed or have agreed to sign with their teams, B-CU coach Mervyl Melendez said Thursday.

Bethune-Cookman shortstop Jose Lozada, drafted in the 17th round by the Nationals, has signed and will be a teammate of Pruitt's with Vermont. Pitcher Joseph Gautier, taken in the 19th round by Arizona, has not yet signed. The B-CU recruit rated highest going into the draft, right-hander Ryan Gonzalez, who was selected in the 18th round (544 overall) by the Oakland Athletics, will likely be at school this fall, Melendez said.

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Work ethic to remain high for FAMU transfer Bryant

Brandon Bryant had no clue that Florida A&M would be the Division I school where he'd play college basketball. He just knew wherever he ended up that he'd be prepared.

Bryant also knew his 6-foot-3 frame was a little too lean at 160 pounds. So he spent the past two seasons honing his skills, working with what he had. He also gained 20 pounds in the process while playing at Snead State Community College in Alabama.

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For FAMU football's Taylors, no separating father-son

Joe Taylor planted the seeds early. He didn’t get to every one of his sons’ pee-wee games, but they talked a lot of football at home. He was at more of their youth baseball games and occasionally he’d get to a basketball game. Taylor’s wife, Beverly, always made sure the boys got there. As they got older with their own issues, Taylor was never too busy to get involved, Aaron said.

He didn’t coach his sons in football. His job conflicted with their season, but dad was there when Aaron made a play that’s still vivid almost 20 years later.


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JSU Comegy signs contract extension

Jackson State University head football coach Rick Comegy signed a contract extension through 2011 after winning the 2008 SWAC championship. The deal is worth $186,000 annually, including bonuses based on ticket sales, academic achievements, Coach of the Year honors and winning the Black College National Championship.

The third-year coach will receive an extra year and $15,000 for winning additional SWAC championships.

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DSU Football Game Times Announced

Photo: DSU quarterback Vashon Winton, 6-2/195, Senior, Chicago, IL (Simeon HS).

Courtesy: DSU Athletic Media Relations

DOVER (June 12, 2008) – The Delaware State Athletic Department has announced the times for the 2008 football season. Comprised of 11 games, the 2008 schedule has the Hornets hosting six home games in defense of their 2007 MEAC Championship.

The Sept. 6 contest between the Hornets and the Florida A&M Rattlers will be start at 7:30 p.m. to kickoff the 2008 campaign. Two weeks later, DSU will host the Central Connecticut Blue Devils on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7:00 p.m.

A 1:00 p.m. kickoff is scheduled for the remainder of DSU’s slate – Hampton (Oct. 4), North Carolina A&T - Homecoming (Oct. 18), South Carolina State (Nov. 1) and Winston-Salem State (Nov. 8).

Tickets for the 2008 DSU football season can be purchased by calling (302) 857-7497 or toll free at (866) 378-2845. Season ticket packages are available for purchase with Early Hornet discounts for any packages purchased before July 25. Season tickets include parking, reserved seating for all six home games, a 2008 DSU Football media Guide and first priority for post-season ticket purchases. Single-game tickets go on sale on August 11. Tickets can also be purchased by logging on to the team’s official website http://www.dsuhornets.com/

Carver’s Coleman signs with North Carolina Central

Carver baseball standout Cedric Coleman has played more baseball games than anyone he knows at Carver. As a matter of fact, he finished his prep career second on the all-time list of games played at CHS.

“He’s played in just about every game,” said Carver head baseball coach Melvin Palmer. “He’s been a tremendous impact player for us for four years. Anytime you lose a four-year starter it’s big. He impacted the team in every game. We’re also losing a leader. He’s the type of guy that motivated other players to play hard.”

Coleman played rather well for the Yellowjackets too. He finished with a .410 batting average. Coleman had a .640 slugging percentage, to go along with a .450 on base percentage. He also finished with 37 RBIs, 12 triples, 32 doubles, 54 runs scored, 24 steals and 22 strikeouts in four years. Those numbers, as well as a few other things helped Coleman get a scholarship to play baseball for North Carolina Central University. He signed his letter of intent in front of family and friends last Friday — one day before graduating from Carver.

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UAPB Golden Lions Roaring Abroad for Track Signees

The Arkansas Pine Bluff men’s and women’s cross country track-and-field squads recently signed eight student-athletes, according to Golden Lions’ head coach Curtis Pittman. Kenyan natives Magabo Damasin (Thika, Kenya) and Boniface Yator (Kabarnet, Kenya) will be joining UAPB men’s cross country teams in the fall. Both athletes specialize in the 1,500- and 5000-meter runs and cross country.

Pittman also signed Mathias Haller of Badeu-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Haller is expected to run the 400-meter, 800-meter and cross-country.

For the women’s team, Shelleyka C. Rolle of Freeport, Bahamas signed to run the 400 and 800. Kericho, Kenya native Gladys Cheronah Rob rounds out the Kenyan natives, while Papua, New Guinea’s Betty Burua signed to run the 400 and 800. Rob will run the 1,500-meter, 5,000-meter and cross country.

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Giants' Strahan sacks his 15-year career

Photo: Former Texas Southern University defensive end and NFL future hall of famer, Michael Strahan retired after 15 seasons with the N.Y. Giants.

Any of the people Michael Strahan reached out to yesterday morning - team management, players, owners and coaches - must have known what was up when they saw their caller ID or the sender of the text message.

This is it, they undoubtedly thought.

Strahan had been mulling retirement ever since the Super Bowl - since last summer, really - but the 36-year-old's announcement that he'll hang 'em up still caught many off guard. The news was made public early in the day in a report by Foxsports.com in which the unsubtle Strahan subtly stated: "It's time. I'm done."

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Southern University's House setting bar high at championships

In the two most important meets of the season, Southern high jumper Jason House has added a certain dramatic flair to the end of his performance. But it’s not the kind of dramatics House, a sophomore, wants in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which begin Wednesday at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

In the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships in April and the NCAA Mideast Regionals two weeks ago, House had to come up with a clutch jump just to stay alive in the competition. House, a native of Laurel, Miss., was down to his final try at 6 feet 10 inches when he cleared the bar. He went on to win the title at 7-1, which turned out to be the second-best jump in the NCAA Mideast Region this spring.

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WSSU Lady Rams Volleyball sign four to National Letters of Intent

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The 2008 Winston-Salem State University volleyball team will welcome some new faces this fall as WSSU head coach Douglas Hunter announced the signing of four prospective student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The four signees will strengthen the Lady Rams in every area on the court.

A pair of talented players will fill the team's needs at the setter position, which was hampered by injury last season. Setter Asia Carr from St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. will join the Lady Rams at the setter position as well as Alexandria Brown from Harris County High School in Hamilton, Ga.

The Lady Rams will also add to its front line with the addition of middle hitter/blocker Jasmine Frazier from Chancellor High School in Fredericksburg, Va. and outside hitter Kameryn Craig from Apex High School in Apex, N.C.

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The Natural: B-CU star has found competitive spirit

DAYTONA BEACH -- Ronnie Ash can't really explain his reluctance to play organized sports. Like a homecoming queen playing hard-to-get, he rebuffed his high school suitors year after year.

Basketball coaches, football coaches -- you name it -- they all drooled when they saw the lithe 6-foot-3, 190-pounder ambling down the hallways. They all recruited. They were all rejected, until Knightdale, N.C., High School track coach David Castell finally got a bite in Ash's senior year and was able to reel him in.

Now a freshman at Bethune-Cookman, Ash's rapid rise in track and field might even astound all of the spurned coaches who envisioned greatness for this young man. Ash will compete in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division I track and field championships this week at Des Moines, Iowa.

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Houston Texans cut QB Quinn Gray

Photo: Former Florida A&M University star quarterback Quinn Gray may have to go to the CFL to get a legitimate opportunity to develop his NFL caliber skills. Gray was the Jacksonville Jaguars #2 quarterback last season.

The Texans released free-agent quarterback Quinn Gray, making the decision instead to work to develop Shane Boyd and rookie Alex Brink. "I just think that from a fit standpoint with our football team, it made more sense for us to let (Gray) go now," general manager Rick Smith said. "I still think this guy's a quality NFL quarterback, and I think he's going to have a good career. It's just not a fit here.

"My philosophy is if I've got a veteran player playing in this league and I don't see the opportunity or feel like I can give them a fair opportunity to make a football team, then I want to give them a fair opportunity somewhere else," coach Gary Kubiak said. "I felt that way with both those players and with where they are at those positions. Mainly at the quarterback positions, I made a decision to work with those two young players."

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Big Shoes to Fill, Ti-Cats taking a big step forward

QB Casey Printers (Florida A&M University) rivals some of his offensive linemen. He wears a size 15 shoe, as well.

CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats starting quarterback Casey Printers


Say this about Hamilton Tiger-Cat offensive line prospects, they certainly have big shoes to fill. Literally. One common trait among six-foot-five-inch pass blockers who tip the scales at 325 pounds is huge feet. We're talking human aircraft carriers here. And a size 15 or 16 football cleat takes an inordinate amount of shoe leather.

Ticat offensive line coach Jeff Bleamer, a former offensive lineman himself and a size 15, said those who ply their trade in the trenches need a set of flatbed trailers to carry the load. "They need big feet for a good base. You don't see too many offensive linemen walking around with a size 10. Most offensive linemen have size 14 and up," Bleamer said, adding the big cleats are a source of power.

Bleamer said the biggest feet he ever saw belonged to one-time Tiger-Cat, Alouette and Philadelphia Eagle offensive lineman Ed George. Size 17. "You could probably fit a small family into size 17," Bleamer quipped.

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QB Casey Printers, 2004 CFL MVP (Age: 27, 5 Year CFL/NFL Veteran)

New men's hoops coach Rick Duckett settles in at GSU

Rick Duckett has found his place in Grambling's Assembly Center. Now he wants to fill the rest of the seats. Named the new Grambling men's basketball coach in May, Duckett arrived on campus last week to revive a program in a slump.

Grambling has not won a Southwestern Athletic Conference championship since the 1988-89 season. After the men's team finished the 2007-08 season with a dispiriting 7-19 record in the SWAC — losing 12 of its first 13 games — Grambling released ninth-year head coach Larry Wright on April 1. Duckett acknowledged he'll have to get players and fans to buy into a new system to turn the program around.

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South Carolina State University Trustees Selects New President

Photo: Tallahassee, Florida native George Everett Cooper, Ph.D., earned his Bachelor’s degree, Florida A&M University; master’s degree, Tuskegee University; doctorate, University of Illinois, Urbana. Dr. Cooper currently serves as the deputy administrator for Science and Education Resources Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

South Carolina State University's Board of Trustees voted unanimously Friday to hire George Cooper as the school's next president. Cooper, deputy administrator for Science and Education Resources Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was selected from among three finalists for the top post at the state's only public historically black university. Cooper has worked in various positions for the Department of Agriculture since 1991.

The board discussed the finalists for about 90 minutes Friday in a closed-door session at a retreat in Charleston. "There was lots of discussion" among board members about the finalists, "but Cooper was the clear front-runner," Chairman Maurice Washington said.

"I am honored to be selected as the 10th President of S.C. State University," Cooper said in a news release from the school Friday. "I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and stakeholders as we together movetowards academic excellence. It is my intent to establish a creative and participatory campus environment as we embark on defining S.C. State's future."

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THE COOPER PROFILE

At the USDA: Coordinates $140 million in grants in education, research and extension for land-grant universities and other institutions; held several positions at the Department of Agriculture since 1991.

Previous career: Professor of animal science, Alabama A&M University, Normal, Ala., where he taught graduate students and supervised graduate research in animal science; executive assistant to the president of Alabama A&M, 1988-89; vice president for academic affairs, 1985-88; taught and was a dean at Tuskegee University in Alabama, 1978-85.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry, Florida A&M University; master’s degree animal science, Tuskegee University; doctorate, animal nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana. Dr. Cooper graduated from Tallahassee's Lincoln High School and his parents were educators in Leon County (Florida) schools.

Family: Wife, Diane Delois Shaw; children, Nikki Angela Cooper, Carey Allison Cooper. Dr. Cooper is the oldest of three boys.

Hobbies: Photography, cooking, golf, reading and genealogy.

Community: Vice-chairman of the deacons board and Sunday School teacher, People’s Community Baptist Church, Silver Spring, MD.

Why UNCG doesn’t have a football program – and why it doesn’t need one

by Allen Johnson

Should there be helmets and shoulder pads in UNCG's future? It's a tempting thought. As someone who has taught there off and on, I've heard students grumble that the school lacks a football team -- and that a homecoming soccer game just doesn't cut it.

I've heard them call UNCG a "suitcase school" and suggest that college football could be the remedy. I don't know about that. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy college football on sunny fall afternoons as much as the next guy -- especially at UNCG's crosstown sister campus, North Carolina A&T State University, where the battle of the bands at halftime can be as compelling as the games themselves.

UNCG is almost close enough to A&T that you can hear the drumbeat of the Aggie marching band. And I can understand the sibling envy that probably stirs.

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UCF Football Preview vs South Carolina State Bulldogs

The UCF football team will open its second campaign at Bright House Networks Stadium on Aug. 30, against South Carolina State. The contest will serve as the season opener for both squads.

Here is an early look at UCF's contest with South Carolina State:

Experienced Squad
Forty-four letterwinners from South Carolina's State 2007 squad are back this season. The Bulldogs went 7-4 a year ago. With a 6-2 mark, the team finished tied for second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Seventh year head coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough has seven starters back on offense and nine starters returning on the defensive end.

Ground Attack
Tailback Will Ford is back to lead the ground attack for South Carolina State. Last year, the Bulldogs ranked ninth nationally, averaging 260.2 rushing yards per game. Ford, an All-MEAC First Team selection, was 11th in the country on the ground (125.18). He found the end zone four times. Against South Carolina, Ford carried the ball 17 times for 112 yards.

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SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS.