The "unofficial" meeting place for intelligent discussions of Divisions I and II Sports of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC).
America's #1 blog source for minority sports articles and videos. The MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, SIAC and HBCUAC colleges are building America's leaders, scholars and athletes.
Grambling State University and Washington Redskins legend Doug Williams has been named General Manager of the new Norfolk UFL franchise.
The United Football League board has agreed a conditional approval for Norfolk, Virginia, to host the league’s sixth team that will commence play in 2011.
Meeting at the Cornell Club in New York, the board agreed that Virginia businessman Jim Speros will become the provisional Tidewater region team’s owner. Speros was a founding owner of the Baltimore Stallions, the only American-based team to win a Canadian Football League Grey Cup in 1995.
From 1993 to 1997 he was the President and owner of the Stallions and the Montreal Alouettes and was the vice chairman of the CFL and chairman of its US expansion committee. Speros played college football at Clemson University and was the youngest full time assistant coach in the NFL under Joe Gibbs at the Washington Redskins before moving into team ownership.
Washington Redskins and Grambling State University legend Doug Williams, the MVP of Super Bowl XXII and the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, will take on the role of General Manager of the Norfolk team.
“I am very fortunate to be able to bring a pro football team to the state of Virginia and especially to the Tidewater region,” said Speros. “There is already a lot of football history in this area and I believe Norfolk will become the shining star of the United Football League.
“Virginia is a great state, but it does not have a professional sports team. It has the legendary 757 area code that has produced the likes of Bruce Smith and Michael Vick and is truly a hotbed for football. The fans are knowledgeable, there is a military presence here and I am sure they will all enjoy the opportunity to watch quality football.”
Williams, reached Monday night, said he has fond members of the Norfolk area, having played Norfolk State in football when he was quarterback at Grambling under the legendary Eddie Robinson. "It was like a rivalry when Dick Price was the coach there," William said of the former Spartans coach whose name now graces the NSU football stadium. Williams said that NSU also played Grambling in Louisiana as well in New York in the Urban League's Whitney M. Young Classic. "I also used to come to the Norfolk Scope for the CIAA all the time," Williams said, referring to the popular basketball tournament put on by the Hampton-based Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue added: “We are delighted to welcome Norfolk, Virginia, and the Tidewater region as our sixth city and are excited to have a successful team owner in Jim Speros and a proven winner in Doug Williams on board to lead the team.
“Like Omaha, which came on board as an expansion team in April and has already generated considerable excitement, Norfolk fits the ideal UFL model of having a passionate fan base that we believe deserves a professional football team.”
The Norfolk team will face the Florida Tuskers, Hartford Colonials, Las Vegas Locos, Omaha Nighthawks, Sacramento Mountain Lions and additional potential expansion teams when the third United Football League season kicks off in 2011. Football fans eager to learn more about the UFL and buy tickets for the 2010 season can visit the www.UFL-Football.com website.
Tuskegee University head basketball Coach Leon Douglas has big Clint Williams coming in from the Virgin Islands, as the Golden Tigers prepare to make another run on repeating as SIAC Champions.
St. Croix, Virgin Islands - Big Clint Williams has chosen a school. The 6-foot-10/330 pound post man has decided to play his final two years at Tuskegee University. Williams chose the Golden Tigers over NAIA powerhouse Mid Continent.
“It was a long process, and I took into consideration the name of the school and the coaching staff,” said Williams. “I love the atmosphere at the school, and coach Leon Douglas can help me become a better basketball player.” Tuskegee University is coming off its most successful season in more than three decades. The Golden Tigers finished the season 20-11 and received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division-II tourney by winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) title. TU lost in the first round of the brackets to No. 1 seed Arkansas Tech.
“Coach Douglas has turned the program around,” said Williams. “I hope, with me aboard, we can make the NCAAs every year.” Williams, a St. Croix Educational Complex graduate, played his last two seasons at Arkansas Baptist College, (a private, two year program located in Little Rock, Arkansas under the presidency of Dr. Fitzgerald (Fitz) Hill, a former professor at the University of Central Florida and the former head football coach at San Jose State University.)
“Coach Charles Ripley gave me an opportunity, when most did not,” said Williams. “I am thankful to him and the Arkansas Baptist College family. “In my two years at AB, it was nothing that I had expected,” added Williams. “I did not know I would have been tutored by a former NBA player in Corliss Williamson, and I did not expect that I would be so heavily recruited."
For all Hampton Roads/Hampton University Pirates football and Michael Vick/Philadelphia Eagles fans, the 2010 Michael Vick Football Camp Meet and Greet will be held tomorrow, June 22, 2010 from 4-6 p.m., at the NASCAR Sports Grille in Hampton, Virginia. The 2010 Michael Vick Football Camp will be taking place on the campus of Hampton University from June 23-25. The three-times NFL Pro Bowler and Hampton University's football Coach Donavan Rose will conduct a question and answer session regarding the camp.
So far, two current NFL players with ties to Hampton University--Jacksonville Jaguars middle linebacker Justin Durant and Miami Dolphins defensive end, Kendall Langfordare confirmed for the event. Plus Aaron Brooks (University of Virginia), retired NFL quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and Vick's second cousin will be there.
Michael Vick and Coach Donovan Rose are hosting the meet and greet and it will be broadcast on the Tony Mercurio (aka "The Blastman") show as he will be at the Sports Grille too. The Blastman program is on ESPN Radio 94.1 FM(Hampton Roads) between 3 and 7 weekday afternoons, and is where listeners turn for sports talk.
The event is free and open to the public. The NASCAR Sports Grille is located at 1996 Power Plant Parkway, Hampton, VA 23666, Telephone:757.224.5802. Stop by after work for some sports talk and fun.
VANCOUVER, B.C. - Fans at Empire Field were pleased with the facility but not with the result of the game. In their first game in their new temporary home the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League lost 36-32 to the Edmonton Eskimos. It was a last second touchdown pass from Jason Maas to Skyler Green that proved to be the winner for the Eskimos. Overall, the Lions had a pretty good game as starting quarterback Casey Printers(Florida A&M University) got a feel for some of his new receivers and running backs. Printers hooked up with Jamal Robertson twice for a couple of scores.
Big plays also came from Printers as he connected with Jamall Lee for a 95-yard play that resulted in a touchdown. Eskimos linebacker T.J. Hill picked off a Casey Printers pass that went off of Jamel Robertson's hands and went 60 yards for a major score on just the second play from scrimmage for a 7-0 lead 54 seconds in. Printers guided the Lions through the first half and finished the day completing 13-of-22 passes for 263 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Attendance at the first ever game at Empire Field was 24,763. The B.C. Lions ended pre-season with a 1-1 record.
Next Game: SEASON OPENER - Sunday, July 4 at Edmonton Eskimos, 4 p.m.
President George E. Cooper, top S.C. State Bulldogs supporter.
The S.C. State University board of trustees voted Tuesday afternoon not to renew the contract of President George Cooper, according to a university spokeswoman. Cooper, whose contract ends June 30, became S.C. State’s 10th president after he was voted unanimously into the presidency in 2008. He has served in the role slightly less than two years. Cooper replaced Andrew Hugine, who was fired in December 2007 by the board before his contract ended. Hugine filed a lawsuit over his firing and eventually settled out of court.
The last five presidents at South Carolina State University have been fired or asked to resign. The average tenure of a university president is eight-and-a-half years, nearly double that of recent leaders at South Carolina State University. University spokeswoman Erica Taylor confirmed that the board decided not to renew Cooper’s contract, but she referred all other questions to the school’s board of trustees. Several messages were left with board members, who could not be reached this morning. During his time, Cooper faced a slate of problems, including declining state funds and stalled construction of the James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center.
Note:Dr. Cooper earned his Ph. D. in Animal Nutrition from the University of Illinois, Urbana; a master’s degree in Animal Science from Tuskegee University; and a bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry from Florida A&M University. Dr. Cooper is uncle to C. Houston Sr. (Videographer, Editor, Graphics) who has shared his video of football, family and fun in Orangeburg, S.C. with the Shaw Family. The Rattlers' sophomore Derrick Shaw (#14) was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 41st round of the MLB draft on June 9, 2010. Unknown at the time, this would be the last 'FAMU vs. SCSU' game in their present roles, as Rattler football player and SCSU president. Dr. Cooper is a native of Tallahassee, Florida.
C. Houston Sr.--Thank you for showing the world what FAMU vs. SCSU football, family and fun is all about! We are all connected...
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — There have been doubts about Avery Johnson at every level in his NBA career. Some felt he wasn’t good enough to be a player. Others said the Spurs would never win a title with him at the point guard, and there were many who felt he didn’t have the characteristics or the experience needed to be an NBA head coach. All Johnson, a former Southern University standout, did was play 16 years in the league, win a ring with San Antonio and post the NBA’s all-time coaching record in 3 1/2 years with the Dallas Mavericks.
Johnson took on a new challenge Tuesday, the job of turning around the league-worst New Jersey Nets, and there was a cockiness about him. He smiled broadly, spoke of optimism and gave off a feeling of confidence that one expects from someone expecting to succeed again. “I am all about the positive,” Johnson said after being introduced as the Nets’ 16th coach. “I am about hard work. I am about dreaming. I have a big dream right now in my mind in terms of where this franchise can go and where we can take it and I see all the possibilities.”
Teammates on Beach High School’s girls basketball and track and field teams, seniors Brianna Little and Alicia Champion sat side by side Thursday and secured their collegiate futures. Little signed to play basketball at nearby Savannah State University, while Champion will run track at Tuskegee University. “I’m very excited knowing that I will have the opportunity to play on the next level,” Little said. Champion received a greater financial package via a full academic scholarship, rather than accepting an athletic scholarship, to attend Tuskegee.
“I know without academics, you can’t go as far as you want in life,” Champion said. “Plus, running track is something I love. I try to do my best on the field and in the classroom.”
Little, a 5-foot-6 point guard, spent the first three seasons of her basketball career at Beach overshadowed by star teammates Khalilah Watson and Monique Willis. But in her senior year, Little flourished for the Bulldogs in a prominent role. Little averaged 18.3 points and 3.6 assists per game while using her speed and quickness defensively to disrupt and frustrate opposing teams while coming up with an average of five steals.
“Savannah State has come in and gotten, what I think is, a major D-I player,” Beach coach Ronald Booker said. “She has tremendous potential because you can teach a lot of things, but you cannot teach the quickness she possesses. And she finishes well at the basket and she shoots the ball well.”
University of Maryland-Eastern Shore Talvin Skinner is a MEAC Hall of Famer (2002), UMES Athletic Hall of Fame inductee (2010); an all-conference selection (72-73 & 73-74) as well as the MEAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Performer (1974) . Skinner led the Hawks in rebounding in his final two seasons; was the 1973 NAIA Tournament's leading rebounder, and totaled nearly 400 points and rebounds the same year. Skinner's final year saw him post 456 points and grab 353 boards. He still stands eighth all-time in NAIA rebounding. Skinner was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in 1974 in the third round and played under NBA Hall of Famer, (Coach) Bill Russell. The 6-5/195 forward is from Berlin, Maryland.
In the most recent installment of his series of interviews on players who are among the best pros to come out of their particular schools, CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) great Talvin Skinner. Skinner was the leader of a UMES squad in 1974 that led the nation in scoring with an average of 96.7 points per game without the benefit of a three-point shot, and they also became the first HBCU to take part in the NIT.
Jon Teitel: In 1974 your team went 27-2 and you were named conference tournament MVP. How were you able to play your best when it mattered the most?
Talvin Skinner: Now you are starting to get serious, because the team that we played for the championship was Morgan State, which was Marvin Webster's team (which is kind of touching, because we lost Marvin in 2009). They had beaten us earlier in the year when we were 20-0, and had just became nationally ranked as the #20 team in the AP poll as a Division II school. They played a hard road trip from North Carolina through DC and back to Baltimore (four games in five days), which is something that I do not think that many basketball analysts or fans are aware of.
Basketball history, baby; I do not know if that has ever happened before. As a team, we were determined that they would pay and pay dearly. We beat them twice in 2 weeks by convincing margins, and took the championship. It was not just me: our team does not get the credit that it deserves. We did something that may never be done again in the MEAC or at any level of basketball (leading the nation in scoring with 96.7 PPG despite no three-point shot), and they did not even give us an invite to the NCAA tourney. I guess to answer your question: my teammates needed me to play my best.
JT: You played for Coach John Bates, who was the first coach to take a Historically Black College to the NIT. What was it like to play for Bates, and how big a deal was it to go to the NIT?
TS: Going to the NIT was okay by me as a senior, as well as for the other five seniors on the team. Our eyes were on the BIG dance; we had already proved that we belonged by playing in the then-64 team NAIA tourney in Kansas City and going to the 1973 national championship game against Guilford College (who had World B. Free & ML Carr: you know their legacies). Although we lost by three points, we felt that we could play with anyone in the country, and our records spoke for themselves.
As far as Coach Bates is concerned, I have nothing but respect fro him as a man and as a person, because he understood talent and he trusted us. He did not try to restrain that "something special" that he knew we had; as a matter of fact, he pushed the envelope. However, I can honestly say that he loved us as people: we were not some meal ticket to him who he was trying to exploit for his future. The funny thing is that it just worked out that way for him: it could not have happened to a better person. He is genuinely a good and honest human being, and we all love him.
Former Mercer County Freeholder Tony Mack, was elected the next mayor of Trenton, New Jersey following Tuesday’s convincing runoff victory over Manuel “Manny’’ Segura. Born and raised in the Wilbur section of the city, Mack captured 7,257 votes (62.24 percent), compared to 4,375 (37.52 percent) for Segura.
Mack, a former three-sports student-athlete at Howard University graduated from the Hilltop in 1989, and was a member of the football, wrestling and baseball teams from 1984-88. The HU Hall of Fame inductee played baseball under former head coach Chuck Hinton. He wrestled under former wrestling coach and current Howard alumni trustee, Dr. Paul Cotton. Mack played football under former head coach and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Willie Jeffries. Mack was also a teammate of current Bison director of athletics, Charles Gibbs. He was a member of the 1987 football team that won the MEAC title and finished 9-1.
Mack will succeed Douglas H. Palmer, whose 20-year run as mayor officially comes to an end when Mack is sworn in July 1.
“I do not have the words to express my appreciation for the love and support I have received throughout this incredible journey,” Mack told his supporters at the Trenton Marriott Downtown. “The Wilbur section wasn’t New York, but the sentiment was that if you could make it there, you could make it anywhere. This is a humbling experience for me. We are going to put you first in everything we do … and I mean that. Things did not deteriorate overnight, and we can not fix it overnight. But we can get started right away.”
North Carolina Central University athletics directorIngrid Wicker-McCree, Ed.D., has been one of the driving forces behind the Eagles reclassification to NCAA Division I and membership in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The well-respected Wicker-McCree is a member of the NCCU Eagles Athletic Hall of Fame.
When LaVelle Moton was announced as N.C. Central's men's basketball coach in March 2009, it was his dream come true. The NCCU alumnus and third all-time leading scorer (1,714 points) had come full circle from NCCU, where he graduated in 1996; then overseas to play professional ball; back to Raleigh to coach at West Millbrook Middle before moving on to Sanderson High, where he led the Spartans to two straight Cap 7 tournament championships; and then back to the Eagles in 2007 as an assistant.
Now, just over a year after taking the head job, the honeymoon may be over. At press time, Moton was mulling over an offer from Xavier (Ohio) University to join the Musketeers coaching staff as an assistant. Six months ago, the mere thought of Moton leaving his beloved Eagles was as improbable as another gulf oil spill. But in the year since his hire, sources say his relationship with NCCU has been likened to dating a pretty woman. At first she looks good, talks good, even smells good, but the longer you get to know her, the uglier she gets. (And vice versa with men, of course).
LaVelle Moton, Men's Basketball Coach for NC Central University, speaks at the NC Center for After school Program...
Mississippi Valley State University Devilettes Softball Team ended the 2010 season with an overall record of 27-23. The Devilettes lost 6-3 in the SWAC Championship game to eventual champion Alcorn State University Lady Braves.
Mississippi State and Ole Miss will each spend about four percent more on athletics than they did a year ago, according to athletic department budgets approved Wednesday by the state College Board. Ole Miss has the larger of the two totals, checking in with a projected $43.7 million. Mississippi State's 2010-11 budget is $37.4 million. Both budgets are among the smallest in the Southeastern Conference. Southern Miss projects a $19.7 million budget, up 2.3 percent from last year.
Jackson State's $6.8 million, which increased by 3.3 percent, is the largest of the state's three Southwestern Athletic Conference teams. Budgets didn't rise everywhere, though. Mississippi Valley State's $3.3 million budget is 20 percent less than last year's edition. Alcorn State's $5.3 million budget stayed basically the same. Division II school Delta State has the smallest budget, at $2.7 million. That's down 2.5 percent from last year.
Florida A&M's Volleyball Coach Tony Trifonov has dominated the MEAC with nine consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championships. He has one of the smallest recruiting budgets in all of NCAA Division I, but the Lady Rattlers annually participate in the NCAA Tournament against teams with budgets at least one-hundred times greater.
While the two revenue-generating sports — football and basketball — have been able to weather the financial storm hovering over Florida A&M and stay in the recruiting hunt with their mid-major counterparts, coaches of Olympic sports have been finding ways to keep their programs competitive. From bowling to swimming, navigating the recruiting landscape could be a little bit of a landmine without enough full scholarships. But somehow bowling, tennis, softball and volleyball have done well enough to make it to the postseason in the face of cuts over the past three years.
Even men's and women's track have been able to get a handful of athletes into the NCAA regionals this past season, despite finishing in the bottom half of the standings at their conference meet. With that kind of success, there's a renewed emphasis to give more to non-revenue sports, said interim athletic director Mike Smith. "It ignites us to continue to look for ways to get them resources to enhance their recruiting effort to get the kind of athletes that we need," Smith said. "We are putting our efforts to give our coaches an opportunity to get out and recruit. They're doing a good job in looking at student-athletes that will bring success to the program.
It’s that time again, between spring training ending and just before fall practice begins, when you get those old pre-season jitters with anticipations of your team winning it all this year. Thanks to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon, and to all the college head football coaches and their players who attended the Pig Skin Preview media event last week, here’s a few hints, stats and innuendoes which might help you determine how your team will actually perform this fall.
Savannah State University seems to change head coach’s more often than most teams change quarterbacks. Interim Head Coach Julius Dixon will direct the team this fall after a 2-8 season last year. Even though the Tigers are returning eight offensive and seven defensive starters things won’t get much better this year. They begin the season by traveling to Statesboro on September 4 to face GA Southern, and things won’t get any better after that. The team could be hard pressed to match last year’s record.
Fort Valley State University, last year under second year Head Coach Donald Pittman, the Wildcats finished number one in total offense and third in total defense within the SIAC, and with most of last year’s team in tact, will probably win their conference and advance to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. It all starts on August 28 when they travel to Miles College.
Clark Atlanta University Panthers are scheduled for the Gateway Classic in St. Louis, Missouri facing the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions on September 25, 2010.
Clark Atlanta University Head Coach Daryl McNeill said, “Starting strong and finishing strong is not just a goal for each game, it’s the goal for the season and will commence with our first game.” They’ll attempt to resurrect their program on August 28 when they travel to Jackson TN to take on Lane College.
Albany State University continues to be guided by Head Coach Mike White in his 10th season with the Golden Rams. Coach White has led his team to appearances in the NCAA Division II Championships in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. With 14 starters returning on offense and defense, he may be poised to win the SIAC again this fall. The team begins play on August 27 versus Chowan University in Murfreesboro, NC.
Virginia State University Trojans coach Merrill Morgan has compiled over 100 wins and has guided VSU to four Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships, including three consecutive championships. Morgan is a 1986 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, and batted .308 in Rams baseball his junior season.
While high school baseball has ended, American Legion baseball has only just begun within the Tri-Cities for the Colonial Heights (Virginia) Post 284 Bucs and Pirates teams. For fourth-year Post 284 Bucs coach Merrill Morgan, also the head baseball coach at Virginia State University, he is excited to get going. "I just like helping young players develop. I love baseball and working with young players improve for college," Morgan said. "I get a chance to watch and follow many of the players because I coach at Virginia State and live within the area."
As a Dinwiddie native, both of Morgan's sons, M.L. (Merrill,Jr.) Morgan and Marcus have gone to play collegiate baseball. M.L. is currently on the Virginia Commonwealth baseball team and also graduated from Dinwiddie High School while Marcus went to VSU. Both sons last year coached with Morgan during the American Legion season and this year M.L. will join him again.
While at Virginia State, Morgan has coached six seasons - leading the Trojans to over 100 wins with four Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships, including three straight titles. He has also been named CIAA baseball coach of the year three times (2004, 2006 and 2007). Because of the good relationships that the Morgan family has developed over the years within the local community, it has only made the teams under the fourth-year coach that much closer.
"The kids that we get are pretty polished. All we try to do is give them the guidance and confidence to play college ball," Morgan said. "They already come from good programs so that experience certainly helps."
GRAMBLING, LA -- Jeremy Shelby saw a lifelong dream fulfilled when his name was called by the Baltimore Orioles during the 2010 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. Taken in the 38th round, Jeremy contends that playing in the MLB is a dream shared by his entire family.
The second oldest of six children, Jeremy proudly enters the rank of Shelby's to play in the major league. Jeremy now follows in the footsteps of his father, John "T-Bone" Shelby, Jr., who was drafted in the first round by the Orioles in the 1977 and his brother, John Shelby, III, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2006.
To say baseball is in his blood would be an understatement. Jeremy has been around baseball his entire life. By the time Jeremy was five, he and his brothers were out catching fly balls while his dad was coaching in the minor league.
The year after he was born was the year Kirk Gibson hit the walk off homerun for the Dodgers (Los Angeles) in the World Series. His dad was the centerfielder for the Dodgers in that game.
Jeremy, who is now 22, had not originally intended to go to Grambling. Instead, his journey to Tigerland began with a trip to a junior college in Tennessee. In fact, Jeremy was previously drafted in the 46th round by San Diego in 2000, but passed up the offer to attend Columbia State (TN) Junior College where his dad had also played briefly.
Jeremy's trek to Grambling did not happen by chance, but after a lot of encouragement by his teammate, Byron Huff. Byron thought Jeremy's speeding and hitting skills would be better showcased in the Southwestern Athletic Conference which he thought would also improve Jeremy's chances of being drafted.
GSU's 6-4/190 senior Jeremy Shelby
Jeremy says he didn't initially listen to his friend but finally decided to call Coach Barnett Rey (former GSU head coach) who offered him a deal he couldn't pass up. Right then, Jeremy verbally agreed to come to Grambling. He says that was the best decision of his life. Jeremy contends that the support he received from the coaches and the fans helped get him into the league.
The Kentucky (Lexington) native became the first Tiger to go in the MLB draft since current interim head coach James Cooper was taken in the 33rd round as an outfielder by the Houston Astros in 2004.
Named to the 2010 First Team All-SWAC, Jeremy had a career batting average of .314 in 112 games for the Tigers with 114 hits, 89 runs scored and 64 RBI's. He also recorded 19 doubles and 12 homeruns and was 26-of-29 in stolen bases.
Jeremy has followed in his father's footsteps, attending the same junior college, being drafted by the same team, and playing rookie ball at the same field. Now, Jeremy is looking forward to playing on the very same team where his dad is the first base coach.
This is truly a dream come true, not just for Jeremy but also for his dad.
According to theAtlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC),Dr. Claud Flythe, VP for Administration at SSU is leaving the school at the end of the month. Flythe is named in the Well's lawsuit and chaired the search committee that selected Robert Wells as the Tigers football coach.
The January firing of Savannah State University head football coach Robert Wells was one of “the most poorly handled situations,” one school administrator said. “This should have been addressed in January,” when Wells was given a “resign-or-be-fired” ultimatum from university officials after they called his coaching ethics into question two years after he was hired. Wells last month sued the school and several administrators, including the interim athletic director and administration vice president Claud Flythe. Wells, the first white football coach in the school’s history, said he coached the team to the most victories it has had in years and that he was fired because his fiancée is black.
During his first year as coach, the team won five games -- equal to the total amount of victories during the five previous seasons. It was the school’s best season in 11 years, the lawsuit said. In Wells' second season, the Tigers were 2-8. In speaking with the AJC, Flythe called Wells a “pathological liar” and is adamant that race had nothing to do with his dismissal. “It’s ludicrous that someone would make those accusations,” a heated Flythe told the AJC. Wells was given a one-year contract extension in December 2009. The university confirmed other news reports that 13 of the players were ineligible to participate in spring practice and that 20 players had either quit or were dismissed from the team.
SACRAMENTO, CA - State funding cuts and tuition increases are forcing California students to look out of state when it comes to attending college. Texas Southern University brought a team of enrollment workers to Sacramento Wednesday for a mini-orientation camp for incoming students. They were able to arrange class schedules and sign up for students housing and financial aid according to TSU vice-president of enrollment Hasan Jamil.
Jamil said the number of California students attending TSU has grown over the last few years because tuition at the University of California and California State University have jumped. Last year the two school systems raised fees by 32 percent and CSU is considering bumping them up by another 10 percent. "I think it's a loss for California to lose these bright students," Jamil declared. "If they do not have access to higher education, what are these students going to do? They're options are limited. And California's workforce is going to suffer."
Shantell Phillips of Elk Grove was excited to learn TSU is offering her a $40,000 scholarship. When she adds in a grant and money from the school's work-study program, her father will only have to pay $110 a year for her to go to school. "Words just explain how this makes me feel. I'm just so happy," Phillips said.
Brian Kennedy is a native of the Charlottesville, Virginia area and is a rising junior in political science at North Carolina Central University. He was recently elected vice-president of the NCCU Student Government Association. Brian qualifications could have easily gotten him into University of Virginia, or any university for that matter, but he chose only to apply to Howard University and NCCU.
Brian gave the lunch address in a session entitled, "Student Matters: Manifestations of the HBCU Experience." Brian was swamped with attention following the session but he took time later in the day to share the highlights of his talk in this video.
The Golden Bulls JUCO transfer, Terrell Barrett is a rugged 6-6/225 athletic player who has a Division-I body, possesses the ability to put it on the floor, post up and shoot from beyond the arc. The All-Panhandle conference player also made the conference All-Academic Team. Barrett originally signed with Gardner-Webb University out of high school, a NCAA Division I, Big South Conference program.
Johnson C. Smith's basketball overhaul has seven new parts.
The biggest prize in the class of seven signees is Providence High forward Terrance Hampton, who averaged 22.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks as a senior. Hampton, 6-6, was the fourth Providence player to break the 1,000-point barrier with 1,115. He played in the Charlotte Pro-Am All-Star Classic and was named MVP in the Lindberg Moody Holiday Classic. Hampton also earned All-District honors from the N.C. Basketball Coaches Association. “We expect Hampton to be one of our instant contributors,” Golden Bulls coach Steve Joyner said in a statement. “He has good size, scoring ability, and awareness in the low post; he has the potential to be All-CIAA.”
JCSU recruited frontcourt help, adding Zachary O’Brien from Watchung Hills (N.J.) Regional High, Terrell Barrett of Farmville Central, Antwan Wilkerson of Western Guilford and Robert Williams of Sandy Creek (Ga.) High. The Bulls signed guards Richard Daniels from Winston-Salem Carver and Charlotte transfer Trevin Parks. Barrett (6-6, 225) is transferring from Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College, where he was all-conference for two consecutive seasons. He averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in his senior season at Farmville Central.
Fifteen contributors from Grambling State University lore – including Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams – have earned 2010 induction into the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame.
This year’s honorees also include two-time American Football League all-star Garland Boyette, 400-game winning women’s college basketball coach Patricia Bibbs, hall of fame trainer Eugene “Doc” Harvey, 1950s-era basketball standout James Hooper, former Grambling school president Joseph B. Johnson, two-time NFL Pro Bowler Roosevelt Taylor, and former NFL rookie of the year Sammy White.
“There is such a legacy at Grambling,” said Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Brown, part of last year’s inaugural Grambling Legends Hall of Fame class. “We have so many great athletes to come out of Grambling, and this is a way for those athletes to be recognized because of the things they have done.”
The second annual Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 17, 2010, at the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, LA.
The 2010 class is rounded out by Jerry Barr (former all-conference basketball honoree), Adolph Byrd (ex-football player and valued scout), Mary Currie (women’s basketball standout), Mackie Freeze (two-sport athlete and mentor of future Grambling stars as a high school football coach), Melvin Lee (two-way player on Grambling’s undefeated 1955 football team, then longtime offensive assistant), Jerry Robinson (two-time rushing leader) and Robert Williams (former Grambling baseball player).
Tickets are $60 each, and $500 for a table of eight, with all proceeds going to the non-profit Legends group for distribution in support athletics at Grambling. Tickets can be purchased at the Monroe Civic Center box office. Call 318-329-2837.
“It says a lot,” said Williams, who followed his standout playing career with a six-season stint as Grambling’s head coach that included three Southwestern Athletic Conference championships. “Grambling will always be home.”
A special reception is also scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, July 16, 2010, at the just-opened Eddie G. Robinson Museumon the Grambling campus. Robinson, the winningest coach in Division I college football history, was inducted into the Legends Hall during last summer’s inaugural event.
The Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame was founded by former NFL Pro Bowl MVP James “Shack” Harris, a four-time championship-winning Grambling quarterback from 1965-68, and a host of GSU greats who say they want to help ensure that their alma mater’s most storied athletic accomplishments are remembered into posterity.
“The Legends Hall of Fame provides the recognition and notoriety that should have come to those individuals who made great contributions to the university a long time ago,” said Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Davis, also a previous inductee. “There’s nothing in life more gratifying than being recognized and honored for those things they did on the field.”
Expanded bios on this year’s Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame inductees:
JERRY BARR: Part of a 1958-59 squad that won 28 games in a row before falling to Lenoir Rhyne in the NAIA finals at Kansas City, Barr ultimately netted 1,656 career points. He was All-Midwest Conference honors during Grambling’s final season before joining the Southwestern Athletic Conference, then was NAIA All-America in 1958. Inducted into Grambling State University’s Gallery of Distinction in 1988.
GARLAND BOYETTE: Helped Grambling to its first-ever SWAC football championship in 1960, then earned first-team All-SWAC honors in 1961, as well as Little All-America honors as the Tigers won 17 games over his junior and senior seasons. An American Football League All-Star in 1968-69, Boyette played for the Houston Oilers from 1966-72, as well as NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals (1962-63), the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes (1964-65) and in the World Football League’s Houston Texans and Shreveport Steamer (1974-75). A versatile athlete, Boyette played guard, defensive end, outside linebacker, and middle linebacker. He even tried out for the 1960 Olympic U.S. decathlon team, but barely missed qualifying.
PATRICIA CAGE-BIBBS: Coached the women’s basketball team to six championships over a 13-year tenure at Grambling – including three over a four-year span that included the first-ever undefeated season in SWAC conference play. She has added six more league titles during subsequent stops at Hampton and North Carolina A&T. Bibbs just completed a record-breaking year with A&T, where she led the Lady Aggies to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s regular-season title with a 14-2 mark, then became the first HBCU (historically black college or university) to make it to the Sweet 16 of a Division I postseason event – advancing to the third round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. A SWAC Hall of Famer, Bibbs was inducted into Grambling State University’s Gallery of Distinction in 2008.
ADOLPH BYRD: Served as a tackle on Grambling’s 1940s teams before becoming one of the football program’s most important talent scouts in south Louisiana. Amongst the players he directed to GSU were Leroy Carter, Henry Davis, Henry Dyer and both Doug and Mike Williams. A football, track and basketball coach between 1950-66 at Baton Rouge’s McKinley High, Byrd was inducted into Grambling State University’s Gallery of Distinction in 1984.
MARY CURRIE: Finished her career at Grambling with 2,256 points and 905 rebounds over the 1983-87 seasons, averaging 20.7 points and 8.3 rebounds. A prolific shooter, Currie once scored 52 points in a single game for Grambling. She would become the first female player to score more than 2,000 points in a career at GSU, averaging 51.9 percent from the field and 74.8 percent from the free-throw line. Named All-America by Black College Sports Information Directors Association in 1986, she died at age 34 in 2000 after a bout with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
MACKIE FREEZE: A two-sport star who played football and, as a standout pitcher, helped Grambling win 120 of 137 baseball games over his final three college seasons. He signed a 1950 contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers before coaching at Richwood from 1954-67. There, he earned victory in 116 of 139 football games – including a run of 66 in a row – on the way to four consecutive state titles. Freeze sent guided scores of youth to Grambling, and had 11 players who were drafted or signed to pro football contracts.
Honorable Eugene "Doc" Harvey
EUGENE “DOC” HARVEY: A trainer for the Dodgers over four seasons in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles, Harvey subsequently served as Grambling’s trainer and physical therapist for 32 seasons, joining the staff in 1959. He then worked part time as a coordinator of sports medicine until last season, and continues to operate a private clinic. Harvey was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers Association’s Hall of Fame in 1986, and was the first African-American to be named to the Louisiana Trainers Hall of Fame, in 1982. He received NATA’s 50-Year Award in 2005.
JAMES HOOPER: Averaged 25 points per game in 1957, as Grambling entered the SWAC, and was named NAIA All-American 1958, then led the Tigers to an undefeated season in 1959 while averaging 29 points per game. “James Hooper Day” was proclaimed later that summer by then-Mayor W.P. Seiver, of Tallulah, LA, Hooper’s hometown. Inducted into the Grambling State University’s Gallery of Distinction in 1989, and named a starter on the Tigers’ all-time team in January 2010 by The Bleacher Report.
JOSEPH B. JOHNSON: A former basketball player, Johnson served as president at Grambling from 1978, when he succeeded Ralph W.E. Jones, until 1991. He earned the Thurgood Marshall Educational Achievement Award and Ebony’s American Black Achievement Award during a career that also included stops as an assistant to the president at the University of Colorado (1969-77) and Talladega College (1991-98). Johnson has been inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame and, in 1986, Grambling State University’s Gallery of Distinction.
MELVIN LEE: A quarterback of the offensive line at center and team captain on Grambling’s undefeated 1955 black college championship squad, Lee ultimately had an astonishing impact on future generations of young men as a 37-year offensive assistant coach to Eddie Robinson. Credited with perfecting the program’s fabled Wing-T offense that would contribute to a record-breaking 408 career wins for Robinson at Grambling.
JERRY ROBINSON: Nicknamed “Ghost,” Robinson was a two-time first-team all-conference halfback beginning in 1960 as Grambling won its first-ever SWAC title. He led all Grambling rushers over through 1962, gaining 1,300 yards. Robinson played in the Senior All-American Bowl, then joined the AFL’s San Diego Chargers where he claimed three championships on a team that included fellow Grambling Legends Hall of Famer Ernie “Big Cat” Ladd. Robinson held the school record for career touchdowns until Frank Lewis set a new mark in the early 1970s.
ROOSEVELT TAYLOR: Part of Grambling’s staggeringly talented SWAC championship defense in 1960 – the group boasted four future All-Pros – Taylor went on to lead the NFL with nine interceptions in 1963, on the way to 32 career picks. In 1968, he scored 6 TDs, including 96-yard interception return. Twice selected to the Pro Bowl, Taylor never missed a game in nearly nine seasons with the Chicago Bears and later appeared in Super Bowl VII with the Washington Redskins. He is a member of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame, and was named among The 50 Best Bears earlier this year by the Chicago Sun-Times.
SAMMY WHITE: A former three-time SWAC champion receiver and 11-year assistant football coach at Grambling, White won both football and basketball state titles in high school before twice being named all-conference (1973, ’75) as a wingback at Grambling. After college, White went on to become an integral part of a Minnesota team that reached the Super Bowl after the 1976 season, the 1977 NFC championship and then the divisional playoff round both a year later and in 1982. White was named All-Pro three times. He is also a member of the Louisiana Sports and SWAC halls of fame.
DOUG WILLIAMS: After winning two SWAC titles at Grambling from 1974-77, the Heisman Trophy finalist became a groundbreaker in the NFL as the first African-American quarterback to start in a Super Bowl. He’s still the only one to win the game, as Washington topped Denver after a record-smashing second-quarter performance by Williams, and still the only one to be named Super Bowl MVP. Previously, Williams led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFL Championship Game, then later succeeded Eddie Robinson as coach at Grambling – winning a trio of league titles in 2000-02. He has been inducted into the Louisiana Sports and SWAC halls of fame and, in the 1985, to Grambling State University’s Gallery of Distinction.
ROBERT WILLIAMS: A standout pitcher as Grambling completed a run of four straight SWAC titles in 1960-64. Needing three wins for the 1963 crown and facing rival Southern in the final series, Williams started Games 1 and 3, and was the closer in Game 2 – and the junior won them all. The Tigers were also national runners up in the 1963-64 NAIA championship tournaments. Williams shone as a reliever in the ’63 tournament, and was approached about a contract by Gene Autry, then owner of the Los Angeles Angels. He ultimately signed with the Cleveland Indians, but his pro career was cut short by a rotator cuff injury in 1968. Elder brother of 2010 Legends inductee Doug Williams, who has always called Robert Williams his greatest inspiration.
OWINGS MILLS, MD – Baltimore Ravens rookie offensive tackle Ramon Harewood’s patience has been tested as he continues to recuperate from an injury to his right knee suffered last month during Mini-Camp. The sixth-round draft pick from Morehouse College incurred soft tissue damage. Although Harewood has returned to individual drills, he hasn’t been cleared medically for the passing camp.
“I feel a lot better,” Harewood said. “I have decent range of motion back. I can put weight on it now. We’re just waiting until it’s 100 percent. I don’t think it’s quite there yet.” The 6-foot-6, 341-pound Barbados native has been putting in extra time rehabilitating his knee and studying his playbook, remaining at the Ravens’ training complex until 5:30 p.m., every day to go over the plays with offensive line coaches John Matsko and Andy Moeller.
Harewood is the first NFL player from Barbados.
“It’s easy to learn it in the classroom,” said Harewood, an honors student at Morehouse. “It’s different under fire on the field. I guess that’s what the biggest setback for me. I’ve been in the books. I’m doing what I need to do. Right now, it’s a little bit of hard work and perseverance."
“Ramon Harewood is a huge man,” said Ravens director of college scouting Joe Hortiz. “He’s a giant. He can knock down his side of the line of scrimmage. He’s raw, and he needs a lot of developmental work with technique, but he’s got foot speed – he ran a 5.08 [40-yard dash] at his pro day. He’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s got the passion and drive to get better.”
See the incredible CNN story of Ramos Harewood, who came to Morehouse College on an academic scholarship, majoring in Engineering--having never played American football to becoming a 6th round NFL draft pick from the Division II, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Morehouse honors student.
Grambling State University and Washington Redskins legend Doug Williams has been named General Manager of the new Norfolk UFL franchise.
