WSSU's first 'official' MEAC game is a big one

By John Dell, JOURNAL REPORTER

Any Winston-Salem State fans wondering why the school would jump from the comfortable world of the CIAA and Division II to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference might find their answer today at Bowman Gray Stadium.

WSSU will take on rival N.C. A&T at 6 p.m. in front of what is expected to be one of the largest non-homecoming crowds in school history. Bowman Gray’s capacity is about 18,000, and WSSU officials are hoping for a sellout.

The Aggies last played in Winston-Salem in 1999 and defeated the Rams 20-7 in front of 17,500. WSSU won the last game 41-14 in Greensboro last season.

Coach Kermit Blount of WSSU said that keeping his team from getting too excited about the game - the season opener for both schools - was a priority this week.

“It’s a huge game for us,” Blount said. “This is kind of our first official MEAC game, even though we don’t count in the standings yet. We want to come away with the win, not only because it’s A&T but because a win would get our season started in the right way.”

One of the byproducts of the Rams joining the MEAC is the renewed rivalry. The two schools are a little more than 30 miles apart, and they have one of the state’s longest rivalries. The series started in 1944, and the teams met regularly until 1999.

“We try to not listen to all the pregame talk and the hype,” Blount said. “There’s all that talk coming from both sides, but we don’t want to talk, we want to play. We are going to keep our kids settled down and keep them as focused as we can.”

Last season, Blount sold his team on the fact that he had never coached in a victory against A&T, and the Rams responded. Blount, now 1-7 against A&T, said he used other means to motivate his veteran team this time.

“What we are selling them now is we are building a program in this conference,” Blount said. “In order to build, we have to win games against MEAC teams. I think these kids have bought into that.”

Coach Lee Fobbs didn’t know much about the rivalry last year, his first season at A&T. He does now.

“We will tell our guys not to get caught up in the trash talking,” Fobbs said. “We’ll tell them to keep their heads during the game, but the back and forth (talk) is going to happen. There is nothing you can do about that.

“But I’ve discovered the person who says less is usually ready to play, and the one who talks the most really isn’t ready at all. We want our guys to be excited, but we want them to be smart, too.”

The Aggies lead the series with the Rams 35-10, but they have a 16-game losing streak that dates to the 2005 season, and they’ll be facing a deep and experienced Rams’ defense.

WSSU lost just one starter from last season’s defense - end Jason Holman - and coordinator Mike Ketchum says that the defense is “further advanced than we’ve ever been.”

Ketchum said it’s likely that all 11 of his starters today will have made at least one college start, a luxury he has never had before.

“I think the biggest thing now that we didn’t have when I first got here (three years ago) is we can replace guys and not lose much,” Ketchum said. “That overall depth really comes in handy.”

Senior Nate Biggs, who has roamed the WSSU defensive backfield for three years, started his career at Appalachian State. He smiles when he is reminded that he could have been on two national-championship teams had he stayed in Boone.

“I still keep in touch with some of those guys,” Biggs said. “But I made a good choice to come here.

“I’m really excited about this season because we’ve got most everybody back among the starters on defense. We are hoping to have a great year.”

Biggs said that the biggest change he has seen since arriving at WSSU has been an increase in team speed.

“Speed is our best friend, and we just try to get to the ball,” Biggs said. “We attack, and Coach Ketchum likes to blitz a lot, but that’s because of our speed.”

Blount said: “Our defense will be as good as William Hayes and Thad Griffin and some other veterans can be. With guys like Nate Biggs and DeRon Middleton and Dimetrius Rivers, they are going to have to anchor the defense.”

Hampton, S.C. State to jockey for MEAC

By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal

Hampton trying for fourth championship

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Their feeling of abandonment was palpable at July's preseason meeting of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football coaches.

And little old Winston-Salem State didn't even have a home to be abandoned from. Technically.

But there sat the school's football contingent, led by head coach Kermit Blount, ready to answer questions about his program's first year as a "member" of the conference. WSSU is now considered a provisional Division I program until 2010-2011.

Which means, according to a MEAC spokesperson, WSSU's football games against league opponents won't be counted toward the final standings for three more seasons. Nor will the team be eligible for the league's weekly awards and postseason honors.

For WSSU it all means one thing: forget about having to compete with South Carolina State and Hampton for the league championship and Division I-AA playoff berth.

Once again, the MEAC will mainly be a two-team race between defending champion Hampton and South Carolina State.

Hampton loses 13 starters but has more than enough talent -- like defensive player of the year junior end Kendall Langford -- to compete for a fourth-straight regular-season championship. Receiver Jeremy Gilchrist (Virginia Tech) and quarterback TJ Mitchell (West Virginia) will be a powerful tandem for coach Joe Taylor.

"That's what I respect about this conference," Taylor said. "It's gotten better and better. If we can lose that many starters and still be considered for a championship, that shows a lot of respect for our program."

South Carolina State, the preseason pick among coaches and school sports information directors, is a team that needs to win the championship outright. It hasn't done so since 1994 and coach Buddy Pough is feeling the pressure to deliver and get his team to the postseason under his leadership.

"We're at the point where we need to make the playoffs," Pough said. "It appears we have the staff to do it. This is a business of nerves."

Here are a few items to keep an eye on as the season begins:

Coach(es) on the run: Look out Pough and Alvin Wyatt. Pough's 40-17 record at SCSU won't help him if he misses the playoffs. Wyatt, who claims to be college football's best-dressed coach, might be shopping at the Goodwill store if his Wildcats finish in sixth place.

You'll hear from him again: Howard senior defensive lineman Rudy Hardy. With new defensive coordinator Andre Creamer (discarded from DSU's staff), the 6-1, 270-pounder should land an invite to the NFL combine.

Make the trip: South Carolina State comes to Hampton on Oct. 20, and at least one of these teams will be vying for a championship.

DSU Hornets QB never doubted comeback from leg surgery

By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal

After injury, Winton set to return for season opener

DOVER -- Hobbling off the artificial turf last November at Dick Price Stadium in Norfolk, Va., Vashon Winton never doubted himself.

When he heard the extent of his injury, Winton stayed strong.

In the operating room, before he was put to sleep and the surgeon carved into his left leg, Winton still exuded confidence.

Almost a year after season-ending surgery to repair a broken fibula, a fractured tibia and a torn ligament, Winton, a junior quarterback at Delaware State, says the only thing he wants to remember about his injury last November is his confidence to return just as he departed: as the most important player to the Hornets' success.

"Sometimes," Winton said, "I even forget which leg I hurt."

Winton, a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder from Chicago's Simeon High, holds a lot in his hands. With him, the Hornets -- who open the season tonight against nonconference Coastal Carolina -- could be among the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams vying for the regular-season championship.

Without Winton, the 2005 MEAC rookie of the year, DSU's season could be in doubt. But he had no doubts he would be on the Alumni Stadium field tonight.

For Winton, that realization was built one month at a time.

Nov. 11, 2006

"All I saw was the end zone. I just wanted to reach the end zone."

It was the Hornets' 10th game of the season. Two weeks prior, they celebrated one of the program's biggest wins under coach Al Lavan, a 10-9 victory over MEAC title contender South Carolina State.

Facing Norfolk State, DSU was closing in on a share of the school's first MEAC title since 1991. Winton had a lot to do with it.

"I've always been very pleased with Vashon," Lavan said. "One thing about him, he's always understood the game. He can absorb the game mentally very well."

On the Hornets' second possession, a play called for Winton to run the ball. As he broke for the sideline, Winton saw the end zone. He suddenly was met by Spartans freshman defensive back Terrell Whitehead.

Winton, a shifty runner, went right. Whitehead, Winton remembers, went left.

As the two crumpled to the ground, Whitehead rolled on top of Winton, forcing his ankle to twist awkwardly.

"I didn't think it was broken," Winton said. "It felt like a sprain."

As it turned out, DSU didn't need Winton against a young Norfolk State team and won, 33-10. But Winton's status, and perhaps his career, remained in question.

DSU quarterback Vashon Winton (with ball) runs through drills with his offensive teammates in Friday's practice. Winton has recovered from a serious leg injury last November to start tonight's season opener

Nov. 13, 2006

"I don't think there was any doubt I'd come back normal."

Two breaks. Both clean. Couldn't hope for anything better, Winton was told.

Fibula, broken. Tibia, fractured. One ligament, torn.

Winton points to just above his left ankle. He said the X-ray displayed a quarter-inch gap on his fibula where the actual break took place.

DSU's coaching staff initially believed Winton would be out a year. They said that if he stayed to his regimen of therapy, he might return sooner.

Winton said he instinctively knew he'd need surgery. But he had never had an injury that required an operation.

"I was nervous," he said. "It was just something I knew I had to do."

Lavan, whose NFL career ended due to an injury, understood.

"It's the unknown that can be very scary," Lavan said. "His was a leg injury. Those are your wheels, you know? Every step he takes is critical."

Winton said he constantly secured help from his teammates. Lineman Addison Wright, whom he knew from Chicago, would bus food to Winton from the school cafeteria.

Returning to the field was going to take time, however. With his focus squarely on playing again, Winton remained positive.

"Yeah, that's me," Winton said. "Everyone knows it's me. That's my confidence."






















January 2007

"I wanted to come back sooner. If the bone healed better, I would have."

By January, Winton was back at DSU, off crutches, for winter classes. Trainers let him lift weights and take part in a water therapy program.

Lavan believes DSU's success depends on Winton's recovery.

"The process of his rehab, its cumulative effects, it has all pleased me," Lavan said.

Last season, Winton completed 99-of-167 passes for 1,171 yards. He threw two interceptions. Most importantly, he rushed for 234 yards and seven touchdowns.

The play on which he was injured -- a basic quarterback keeper -- is something the Hornets need him to execute successfully if they are to compete for the MEAC title.

Spring practice, in April, is a crucial time for developing players or athletes recovering from injury. However, Winton was not allowed to participate in full-speed plays.

Sitting out led to something Winton didn't expect. He became more enlightened.

Ideas bounced in his head. He saw mistakes he was making. And he found solutions.

Just watching, Winton said, will make a noticeable difference this season. And it all started, he said, in November.

"I never doubted myself," he said. "I knew it was a season-ending injury, but luckily that only meant one game for me. I just kept believing."

Game Notes: Grambling State at Alcorn State

By GSU Sports Information

THE GAME:
When: Saturday, Sept. 1
Where: Alcorn State, Miss.
Stadium: Jack Spinks
Press Box No.: (601) 877-6520/6521
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m.
Series Rec.: GSU leads 36-18-3
Last GSU Win: 46-19, 2005
Last ASU Win: 21-14, 2006
Current Win Streak: ASU, 1
Biggest Margin of Victory (GSU): 53-0,1957
Biggest Margin of Victory (ASU): 34-6, 1996
Longest Winning Streak (GSU): 10 (1955-67)
Longest Winning Streak (ASU): 3 (1968-70) & (1991-93)

THE COACHES:
Rod Broadway (North Carolina ‘77)
GSU Record:………………..………..0-0 (1st year)
Overall:………………………..…...33-11 (5th year)
Broadway vs. ASU..……….………………..…..0-0

Dr. Johnny Thomas (Alcorn State ‘78)
ASU Record:…..…………..…..46-53 (10th year)
Overall:…………………………...46-53 (10th year)
Thomas vs GSU:….….…………………………...2-7

TELEVISION:
N/A

RADIO:
This weekend’s contest will be broadcasted by the Grambling Sports Radio Network (three stations) with KPCH Radio 99.3 FM in Ruston, La. serving as the flagship station. The radio crew consists of Santoria Black (pbp), Eric Lydell (sideline) and Ossie Clark (color commentator).

INTERNET:
Streamed live on
www.amistadradiogroup.com

THIS WEEK’S GAME
The Rod Broadway era officially gets underway on Saturday evening as the Grambling State Tigers travel east to the state of Mississippi for a match-up against the Braves of Alcorn State.
Saturday’s match-up also marks the first time since 2004 that both teams will open the season against each other after back-to-back December contests.

In 2005, both teams were scheduled to open the season against each other but the traditional opening month match-up was moved due to the effects Hurricane Katrina. Last year’s meeting was scheduled late in the year as GSU opened the 2006 season against Hampton in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Birmingham, Ala.

ABOUT THE TIGERS
Grambling State enters the 2007 season under the direction of new head coach Rod Broadway. The Tigers feature an abundance of youth on the roster in addition to 33 letterwinners and 13 starters.

Despite finishing 3-8 in 2007, the Tigers were picked to finish second in the SWAC West during the annual preseason poll in addition to four preseason All-SWAC Selections.
Leading the way for GSU offensively is 5-10 senior wide receiver Clyde Edwards and quarterback Brandon Landers.

Edwards is a third team preseason FCS All-American and is within several receiving records at GSU. Landers, a 6-0 junior from Monroe, will start at quarterback for the second consecutive season and looks to improve on a 2006 season that saw him throw for more than 2,000 yards.
On the offensive line, three starters return and they’ll be charged with providing protection for a very young backfield that features a depth chart which lists one redshirt and five true freshmen in the backfield.

Defensively, GSU returns seven starters under the scheme of defensive coordinator Cliff Yoshida. Preseason All-SWAC defensive back Zaire Wilborn leads the way along with defensive lineman Jason Banks, linebacker John Scroggins and rover Jeffrey Jack.

On special teams, Tim Manuel returns as the team’s punter and kicker for the third consecutive season. Due to the graduation of several specialists in 2006, GSU will feature several new faces returning punts and kicks in 2007.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
Alcorn State returns 16 starters (eight offense and eight defense) from a 2006 team that finished tied for second in the SWAC East with a 6-5 (5-4 SWAC) overall record.
Under the direction of 10th-year head coach Johnny Thomas, ASU was picked to finish third in the east and return four preseason All-SWAC selections.

Offensively, both of ASU’s top passers in Chris Walker and Tony Hobson return from 2006 and will have wide receiver Nate Hughes (40r) on the outside to throw to. In the backfield, senior Vernardus Cooper is back at running back and will have All-SWAC senior Justin Telemaque leading the way on the offensive line.

On defense, seniors Antonio Cooper and Lee Robinson will be expected to step up their play in 2007 while the secondary returns three starters.

FOUR TIGERS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-SWAC
The Grambling State University Tiger football team placed four players on the 2007 Preseason All-SWAC Football Team.

Named to the All-SWAC First Team were the tandem of Clyde Edwards and Zaire Wilborn. Edwards, a 5-10, 175-pound senior from Houston, Texas, finished as Grambling State’s top wide receiver with 56 receptions for 789 yards and 11 touchdowns. This marks the second preseason honor for Edwards as he was named to the College Sporting News 2007 Division I Football Championship Subdivision Preseason All-American Team.

Wilborn, a 6-2, 200-pound three-year letterwinner from Houston, Texas, played both defensive back and linebacker for the Tigers in 2006 and concluded the season as the second-leading tackler on the team with 80.

Earning second team honors for the Tigers were the duet of quarterback Brandon Landers and punter Tim Manuel.

Landers finished as the SWAC’s top passer with 2,138 yards and 17 touchdown passes last season. Named as the SWAC’s Player of the Week on two occasions in 2006, the Monroe, La. native ranked 35th nationally in total offense with 205.5 yards per game and 44th with a pass efficiency rating of 124.13.

Manuel, a New Iberia, La. native who serves as Grambling State’s kicker and punter, is the top returning punter in the SWAC with an average of 41.9 yards per punt. He also connected on 6-of-10 field goals and finished second on the team in scoring with 47 points.

THE LAST TIME
The last time Alcorn State defeated GSU in a season opener occured in 2004 by a score of 34-23 in GSU’s home opener and the debut for then-GSU interim head coach Melvin Spears. Prior to that, the last time both teams met in a season opener was a 37-22 victory by GSU in 2001.

FIRST-YEAR DEBUTS
Since former head coach Doug Williams took control of the program in 1998, Grambling State head coaches are 1-1 in head coaching debuts versus Alcorn State.

With both games played in the friendly confines of Robinson Stadium on campus, Williams blanked Alcorn State 11-0 in 1998 while former head coach Melvin Spears lost 34-23 to the Braves in 2004.

HISTORY NOT WORTH REPEATING
Grambling State’s 3-8 finish in 2006 marked its worst record since the 1997 season when the Tigers finished the season 3-8.

Losing seasons are rare as Grambling State hasn’t loss more than six games in a season since identical 3-8 seasons in 1996 and 1997. GSU has only posted eight seasons since 1950 with a losing record.

BROADWAY IN SEASON OPENERS
In season openers, head coach Rod Broadway is 3-1 with two shutouts. He has combined to outscore opponents 167-37 in season openers.

OPENING UP IN STYLE
Dating back to 1950, the Tigers are an impressive 41-15-1 (73%) in season openers with a 4-4 record since 2000.

BROADWAY IN SEPTEMBER
The month of September has been generous to head coach Rod Broadway as he’s 14-2 in the month.
Broadway posted back-to-back 3-1 September records in 2003 and 2004 before netting consecutive 4-0 campaigns in 2005 and 2006.

SPINKS JINX?
Since opening Jack Spinks Stadium in 1992, Alcorn State has proclaimed a “Spinks Jinx” as the Braves were pretty stout at home against their opponents.

However, Grambling State is one of few teams who’ve overcome the jinx as they’re 4-2 in the stadium.

CLYDE’S TIME TO GLYDE
Senior wide receiver Clyde Edwards is quietly closing in on several marks as he closes out his career at Grambling State.

The senior from Houston, Texas is tied for 11th among SWAC All-Time receiving leaders with an 11-touchdown performance last season and currently ranks 13th among the SWAC’s career receiving leaders with 2,412 yards. In addition, he has caught at least one pass in 26 consecutive games dating back to his freshman season and enters the 2007 season ranked as the 7th best receiver in the Football Championship Subdivision by The Sports Network.

An honor student in the classroom (3.9 GPA), here are the records Edwards is within reach of:

Needs 771 yards to surpass Scotty Anderson (3,182) as Grambling State’s all-time leader in receiving yards.

Needs 11 touchdowns to surpass Anderson (35) as the Tigers’ all-time leader for career receiving touchdowns.

Needs 54 receptions to become GSU’s all-time leader in receptions. Tramon Douglas leads with 193.

EDWARDS VS. ALCORN STATE
Against Alcorn State, Clyde Edwards has caught seven receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown. He also posted two tackles at defensive back during the 2006 campaign.

TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE REMIXED
While most teams in collegiate athletics struggle to find one quality quarterback, Grambling State had success at times last season with the quarterback tandem of Larry Kerlegan and Brandon Landers.

A senior from LaMarque, Texas, Kerlegan is the team’s top returning rusher with 30.7 yards per game in addition to throwing for 633 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions.
However, while Kerlegan may see time at quarterback, he’ll also spend time at wide receiver as the coaching staff made it a point during practices to find a spot on the field for the talented senior.

For the season, the tandem combined for 145-of-284 passes with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. They’ve also rushed for 310 yards and two touchdowns.

Grambling State was 1-5 when Landers starts on the season and is 2-3 in appearances off the bench while the team was 2-2 with Kerlegan starting and 0-3 in relief appearances.

ASU’S TWO-HEADED QB MONSTER
While GSU went back-and-forth with their quarterback situation this season, ASU encountered the same thing with Chris Walker and Tony Hobson.

Walker played in nine games with five starts while Hobson saw action in seven games with six starts. Walker threw for 1,233 yards and 10 touchdowns while Hobson passed for 669 yards and four touchdowns.

As a starter, Hobson holds a 3-3 record with Walker holding a 3-2 record. Hobson started the first six games of ASU’s season before giving way to Walker the past five games.

The quarterback situation at ASU was still up for grabs entering summer camp so it won’t be a surprise if both quarterbacks see playing time on Saturday.

ANOTHER JUNIOR HIGH?
For the past several Grambling State wide receivers that have posted incredible numbers, their junior year on the field has proven to be the most productive. Similar to Henry Tolbert’s 1,391-yard performance in 2005, senior Clyde Edwards caught a career-high 56 receptions and 11 touchdowns in 2006.

As a junior in 2005, Tolbert had a breakout campaign which saw him catch 74 passes for a total of 1,391 yards and 19 touchdowns. In 2002, then-junior Tramon Douglas had an outstanding season as he caught 92 passes for 1,704 yards and 18 touchdowns.

With Edwards headlining a young group of receivers this season, don’t be surprised if a receiver pops out of nowhere to have a productive junior campaign.

AN UNFRIENDLY PIT
Defensive back Zaire Wilborn enters the 2007 campaign as the team’s top defensive player.
The senior from Houston, Texas, known as “Pit Bull” to teammates, had a strong junior campaign as he posted a career-high 16 tackles in his hometown on Sept. 16 and was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 1 for his performance against Prairie View A&M.
He concluded the season as the Tigers’ second-leading tackler with 80.

HEAD COACH ROD BROADWAY
Grambling State‘s Rod Broadway, formerly of North Carolina Central University, is the ninth head football coach in school history. Broadway was recently selected as the 2006 “Sheridan Broadcasting Network Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year” and his North Carolina Central team was voted as the 2006 Sheridan Black College National Champions.

A native of Oakboro, N.C., the 28-year veteran of the coaching ranks wasted no time in putting his stamp on the NCCU program by posting three consecutive winning seasons of eight or more games after a 4-6 record in his inaugural campaign.

In the 2006 season, Broadway made history as he led the Eagles to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II’s Southeast Region, a No. 1 ranking in the SBN Poll and back-to-back CIAA titles for the first time since the 1953-54 seasons. In addition, the Eagles also fielded the CIAA’s top-ranked offense (345.1 ypg) along with the 15th ranked defense in NCAA Division II (250.7 ypg). Broadway’s 2006 team also featured four players who earned SBN All-American honors including the SBN’s Offensive Player of the Year in freshman quarterback Stadford Brown, 12 All-CIAA selections, 10 Daktronics All-Southeast Region honorees and two Associated Press Little All-Americans.

He closed out his four-year career at NCCU with a decorated resume’ that includes multiple honors by the Pigskin Club of Washington D.C., Inc., a 33-11 overall record, back-to-back CIAA titles, two consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II Playoffs, a 16-game regular season winning streak and a 29-4 record over the past three seasons. In addition, Broadway also collected the school’s first-ever victory over a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponent with a victory over Southern University in 2006.

Prior to his tenure at NCCU, Broadway honed his skills on the NCAA football’s highest level as the defensive line coach of the University of North Carolina (2001-02), University of Florida (1995-00), Duke (1981-94) and East Carolina (1979-80).

As an assistant coach at North Carolina, Broadway helped the Tar Heels to a No. 15 national ranking in total defense and an appearance in the Peach Bowl. While at Florida, he served as a member of Steve Spurrier’s staff and helped the Gators attain four SEC Championships, six bowl appearances and one national championship in 1996. Broadway’s defensive units at Florida led the SEC in sacks from 1996-99 with the 1997 team setting a school record for rush defense with 70.7 yards per game.

A 1977 graduate of the University of North Carolina, Broadway played on the defensive line from 1974-77 and helped lead Carolina to the 1974 Sun Bowl and the 1977 Liberty Bowl. Among the honors he earned were the team’s “Outstanding Freshman” in 1974 and “Most Outstanding Senior” along with All-ACC honors in 1977.

EXCELLENCE OFF THE FIELD
Two members of the Tiger football team are playing the 2007 season with their degrees already in hand.

Playing the season as graduate students are tight end Tim Abney and defensive back Brandon Logan. Abney earned a degree in business management in 2006 and is pursuing another bachelor’s in marketing while Logan earned a business degree in 2006 and is pursuing a master’s in sports administration.

HONORING GSU LEGENDS
The past two years saw Grambling State lose two of its biggest athletic program ambassadors in former head football coach Eddie Robinson and former Sports Information Director Collie J. Nicholson. The Tigers will wear a patch on their jerseys honoring Coach Robinson this season and donned the letters CJN in honor of Nicholson last season.

Coach Robinson, who passed away on Apr. 3, 2007, spent 57 seasons consistently fielding stellar football teams and guiding his young charges to successful lives both on and off the gridiron. His unprecedented 408 college football victories set the NCAA’s benchmark for wins in Division I. Coach Robinson retired with an overall record of 408 wins, 165 losses, and 15 ties.

More than 200 of his players went on to play in the National Football League, including Super Bowl XXII MVP quarterback Doug Williams, who would ultimately succeed Robinson as Grambling's head coach in 1998.

Coach Robinson finally relinquished his reigns to the Tigers following the 1997 season, but his contribution to the game will be remembered forever. Also during the same year, he was officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Nicholson, the former SID who helped make Grambling State a household name, was fresh out of the Marines following a three-year stint during World War II, joined the Grambling State University staff in 1948 under former president Dr. Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones.

During his 30-year tenure at Grambling State, Nicholson put the Grambling State name on the map as he helped arrange for the band and football team to appear in venues across the world. He also arranged for the first-ever televised game between two black colleges on ABC in 1968 and was the brainchild of the highly successful Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern.

In addition, Nicholson’s legacy was honored at Grambling State in the summer of 2006 as the pressbox at Robinson Stadium was renamed in his honor. He passed away in Shreveport, La. on Sept. 13, 2006.

RADIO
Fans can follow the Tigers’ progress under first-year head coach Rod Broadway all season long in Ruston on KPCH 99.3 FM (flagship), KSYB 1300 AM in Shreveport, La. and KTGV 105.1 FM in Jonesville, La. with the pregame show beginning one hour before kickoff.
Santoria Black serves as the voice of the Tigers. Ossie Clark will handle the color commentating duties and Eric Lydell patrols the sidelines.

In addition to the weekly broadcasts, the Grambling State University Coaches Show airs live on ESPN Radio 97.7 FM beginning at 7:00 p.m. each week.

The show, which will feature Broadway and an assortment of special guests, will broadcast live from various locations on the I-20 corridor throughout the season.

Fans who can’t attend the live event can log on and listen to the show live via the World Wide Web at www.espn977.com.

Saturday’s game will be broadcasted live on the Grambling Sports Radio Network with ESPN Radio 99.3 FM in Ruston, La. serving as the flagship station.

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
Doug Williams was the first African-American quarterback to start in the NFL’s Super Bowl.

Grambling State was the first historically black college to play a game on national television. (ABC in 1968)

Running back Paul “Tank” Younger was the first player from a black college to make it in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams in 1949.

Junious “Buck” Buchanan was the first Grambling State football player to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Grambling State has four players inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame (Willie Brown, Junious (Buck) Buchanan, Willie Davis and Charlie Joiner).

There were five head football coaches at Grambling State before Eddie Robinson assumed control from 1945-1997.

Grambling State entered the SWAC in 1958.

Grambling State has had five name changes since being founded in 1901. From 1901 to 1904, GSU was known as the Colored Industrial and Agricultural School. In 1905, the name was changed to North Louisiana Agricultural and Industrial School before being changed to Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute in 1928. In 1946, the school was known as Grambling College before changing to its present name of Grambling State in 1974.

Game kicks off historical season for SCSU

By THOMAS GRANT JR., T&D Senior Sports Writer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - There’s an added pride quarterback Cleveland McCoy and BANDIT Marshall McFadden take in wearing a South Carolina State uniform.

Each time the two Bulldog leaders suit up, they see themselves as carriers of a proud legacy of football which for 100 years has produced not only three NFL Hall of Fame players (more than all the other Palmetto State colleges combined) but legendary head coaches and future leaders on and off the gridiron.

"It’s very important that we uphold the SCSU name and title because you’ve got guys like Harry Carson and Robert Porcher," McCoy said. "Those guys set the tone for us. We’re just trying to follow in their footsteps."

"There’s so many people that wore number 42 (McFadden’s freshman year number) and number 5 and this year’s our 100th year," McFadden said. " With the history behind those people who have worn number five, it’s now on me now to make big plays and make history."

Today at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time at Falcon Stadium, the Bulldogs will begin another historic chapter in their long, illustrious history when they face Air Force Academy. The matchup is the first of an unprecedented two contests against Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams, with the second game two weeks from now against the University of South Carolina.

"It means a lot for the program," McCoy said. "Air Force is a pretty good team and it’s a great honor to be able to play those guys. It’s a great honor for the team and a great thing for me, especially the competition level."

From afar, former SCSU head football coach Willie Jeffries can only look with pride how much the program he turned into a national power during his 19 seasons as head coach has grown under his successor Oliver "Buddy" Pough. The winningest head coach in school history with 122 wins, Jeffries is also part of a committee which plans to hold several activities commemorating the 100 years of football.

Such commemorations can be seen at the 128 marker on Interstate 26 where a sign saluting SCSU’s 100 years of football is posted behind one displaying the school’s new slogan "A New State of Mind"

"I think it’s at another level where we’re playing 1-A schools and I think we’re going to fare well against those 1-A schools," Jeffries said. "With 16 wins in the last two years, we’ve never been at this level. I remember my first six years, we won the championship five of the six years and went to a bowl game every year. It has gotten so now that people like to go to the Division I-AA playoffs.

"I think (Pough’s) taking it to a new level. Not only is he competing well in the (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), we have a chance to get into these large stadiums where you have a lot of writers, a lot of media and we’re going to get a lot of exposure. So I really think he’s done well and taken us to another level."

McCoy credits Pough with running a first-class organization which models itself after other elite Division I-A programs.

"Coach Pough and took over from Coach Jeffries ... and he set the tone," McCoy said. "Coach Pough is a real good guy and he changed the program and put it in a positive direction."

. When asked about why the football program has had sustained success over the years through the different coaches, Jeffries said it’s because of the integrity of the coaches and players.

"We’ve never had an problem NCAA-wise or anything like that," Jeffries said. " Just to be a former player and a former coach, it gives me a lot of pride that we’ve had football for 100 years. The program has progressed so much. I think now it’s just going so well now and everybody’s proud of it and I think it adds to the flavor that we’re doing after 100 years, we’re finally playing a 1-A school and we’re playing the University (of South Carolina). It’s a lot going on and I’m proud to be a part of it."

Photo: From left, South Carolina State head coach Oliver 'Buddy' Pough, quarterback Cleve McCoy, defensive back Marshall McFadden and formal SCSU head football coach Willie Jefferies pose inside Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. The Bulldogs are celebrating 100 years of football in 2007 by opening the season against their first Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Air Force, Saturday.



Much as John Martin, Roy D. Moore, George Bell and Oree Banks built upon the success established by predecessor Oliver C. Dawson, Pough has managed to, in Jeffries’ words, "continue to move the graph up" in terms of expanding on what Jeffries as well as Bill Davis accomplished during their tenure. .

"I had a part in the inside of both of those guys’ operations," Pough said. "I got a chance to play for and coach for Coach Jeffries. I got a chance to coach for Bill Davis. Both of them were magnificent human beings and really good football coaches. A lot of what I am, probably most of what I am I patterned after those guys. Anytime you think of guys being your mentors, you look back at the kinds of things that you’ve seen them done and try to see if you can do some things that are just as good or better."

Although Pough’s winning percentage (40-17) his first five seasons is almost comparable to what Jeffries accomplished during his first tenure (50-13-4) and he’s starting the first year of an extension which will pay him a school-record $1 million over the next five years, reaching the post-season remains the elusive goal.

It’s something Pough hopes to change this season, appropriately during the 100th season of celebration.

"I think you’ve got all types of things you can say would be reasons why we want to do what we want to do," he said. "I think more than anything else, I just think it’s time. I just think it’s a piece of the puzzle in that progression of us getting to where we want to get to that we want to reach now."

"This year, to me, is one of the biggest years," McFadden said. "Just look at our offense. Just look at our defense. We have no holes. We have no holes nowhere. That just comes to show what it means by the 100-year history. I think everything happens for a reason and this is the year to make history on top of history."

South Carolina State is celebrating its 100th year of football in 2007. A look at the program by the numbers:

Division I-A teams the Bulldogs played during the first 99 years: 0

Number of losing seasons under current head coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough: 0

D-IA teams they play this season (Air Force, USC):2

Number of players in the Collegiate Hall of Fame (Harry Carson, Donnie Shell):2

Pro football Hall of Famers (Marion Motley, Harry Carson, Deacon Jones):3

10-win seasons, the last coming in 1994:4

Number of Bulldog players and coaches in the MEAC Hall of Fame:5

Games coached by W.C. Lewis, 10 of which were shutouts (6 wins, 4 losses):11

Number of victories without a loss in nationally televised games on cable under Pough:13

Number of SCSU players named MEAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year:14

Undefeated conference seasons since joining MEAC in 1971:18

Victories against Bethune-Cookman, Howard and Morgan State, the most against any single team:26

Losses against Florida A&M, the most against any single team:30

Points scored against N.C. Institute in 1926 during a 99-0 romp: 99

Bulldogs who reached the NFL:109

Total victories under Willie Jeffries in 19 seasons (a school record):122

SCSU Bulldogs wrap up final practice before Air Force game

By THOMAS GRANT JR., T&D Senior Sports Writer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - For all the talk about the disadvantages South Carolina State faces playing in the thin air of Falcon Stadium, Friday’s final preparations confirmed a major asset.

Place-kicker Stephen Grantham booted a 60-yard field goal a couple of yards beyond the center post and had several kick-off land in the end zone during a brief 45-minute walk through.

He did carom a couple of kicks off each of the uprights, but Grantham showed enough to give the coaching staff the confidence of using him for long field goal attempts Saturday against Air Force Academy.

"It’s a whole lot better than kicking in South Carolina," said Grantham, who’s making his return after sitting out last season. "I guess the altitude’s a whole lot higer, the ball travels a whole lot further. You get a bad hit, it’s still going to go to the goalline."

"I think it's psychological as much as physical," Pough told the Denver Post. "We're trying to treat it as just another game."

Yet it is a big deal for SCSU as it’s facing a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent for the first time. It’s also the first of two FBS opponents in the first three games with a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener at Bethune-Cookman squeezed in between.

According to SCSU Sports Information Director Bill Hamilton, the school has sold at least 250 tickets for the game, which also coincides with "Parents’ Weekend" at the Academy.

Today also marks the Falcons’ head coaching debut of Troy Calhoun. The former Houston Texans’ offensive coordinator will try to revive a program which has posted three straight losing streaks and enter the game on a four-game losing streak.

Air Force Academy is 11-0 against Football Championship Subdivision teams, while SCSU is 3-2 in season-openers under Pough.

Local knows what SCSU is up against

By THOMAS GRANT JR., T&D Senior Sports Writer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Daniel Yawn is still "flying high" two years after earning his commission at the Air Force Academy.

Now a first lieutenant completing Pilot Instructor Training at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, the former Holly Hill Academy graduate and a three-sport athlete still has fond memories of his days as a cadet.

An Air Force tradition, Yawn most enjoyed was "Parents’ Weekend." Usually taking place the weekend of Air Force Academy’s first home game, it was a time where Yawn could spend time with his visiting parents and attend a football game at Falcon Stadium.

"Parents get to tour the grounds, see what kind of classes they’re taking," he said. "You get to sit in on a class with your parents and take them to the different monuments and stuff and they come to see the football game which is always a highlight."

While not exactly as loud or festive on Gameday as the University of South Carolina or Clemson University, Yawn said a spirited student section and large military presence around Colorado Springs still provide a somewhat intimidating presence for opponents.


"For one, there’s usually a ton of local fans," he said. "It’s a rowdy student section. You kind of feel outnumbered out there, at least from what I saw, because there’s so much military down there."

There’s pre-game traditions which include flybys and the cadets storming the field after each Falcons’ score to do pushups. And the, there’s the altitude. South Carolina State will see a new sign standing above the bus entrance at Falcon Stadium which reads ‘Welcome to 6,621 feet’ - referencing the stadium’s elevation level in the Rocky Mountains.

"That’s a huge thing that (South Carolina) State will definitely feel, because you’re just not used to it," he said. "You just can’t get use to it in a day."

"You get short of breath just walking up the stairs. An athletic person feels very non-athletic at the time. It takes a couple of weeks to acclimate. So just showing up for the weekend doesn’t give you time to do that, no matter how good of shape you’re in. You’ll still feel short of breath."

And what does Yawn expect from his alma mater and new head coach Troy Calhoun? "From what I can tell, Air Force has always been a running team," he said. "With the new coach in place, it opens up for maybe more of a balanced attack."