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Sunday, December 7, 2008

FAMU Marching 100 invited to U.S. President's Inauguration Parade

FAMU band must raise $100K to pay for travel expenses

Florida A&M University's Julian White received a phone call Friday evening during band rehearsal that he'll never forget. A man told White, FAMU's director of bands and music chairman, that his 420-member Marching 100 was selected to participate in President-elect Barack Obama's Inaugural Parade on January 20. White asked the man a quick question. "Would you mind repeating that?"

White turned on the cell phone's speaker and put the phone close to a neighboring microphone. Then, the news was repeated to hundreds of band students. "Pandemonium just broke out," White said. Students began pulling out their own cell phones to tell friends and family, White said. "Within 10 to 15 minutes, it was all over the United States," White said. White couldn't help getting euphoric from the news. He went to his office to place a call to FAMU President James Ammons. Ammons said, "This is definitely where we wanted to be. Of all the bands in this country to be selected . . . I think this reinforces that the 'Hundred' is truly America's band."

FAMU Marching 100 - 2008 Florida Classic Pre-Game Show

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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

FAMU Volleyball gets set for NCAA's and UF Gators

TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Florida A&M University Women's Volleyball team will make their eighth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division One Championships this weekend, as they take on the University of Florida in the first round of play on Friday, December 5 at the Stephen O'Connell Center. Match time will be 7:30 p.m. Florida A&M (14-12), recipient of an automatic tournament bid by winning the 2008 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship, will make their fourth straight appearance in Gainesville, and it will be the third time in five years that the Lady Rattlers will draw the University of Florida as an opening round opponent (2004, 2005, 2008).

Florida (25-3), ranked 14/12 in national polls, were winners of the Southeastern Conference title for the 18th straight year. They will be hosting opening round NCAA play for the 17th time in the last 18 years in Gainesville. Colorado State will face Florida International in Friday's 5 p.m. bout on Friday, prior to the FAMU-UF clash.
Friday's winners will play at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, with the winner of that second round match set to advance to regional play at Colorado State University.

Lady Rattler Jovana Blazeski #4 battles Florida State in FAMU season opener.

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Alcorn State fires assistant football coaches

Alcorn State University head football coach Earnest T. Jones, 2-10 record, first season has retained two lawyers.

LORMAN, MS — Alcorn State University has fired seven of its nine assistant football coaches, and the head coach said the move was made without his knowledge. Alcorn State head coach Ernest T. Jones said he was watching television at his home on Thanksgiving Day when he saw a report on the news that his coaches had been fired. Jones said he was never notified the firings would occur. “I got a message from (Athletic Director Darren) Hamilton that said, ‘Happy Thanksgiving, I’m on vacation and we’ll chat Friday.’ We never chatted Friday,” Jones said.

Jones said he did not plan to fire anyone and has received no explanation from Hamilton or the university. Alcorn State Sports Information Director LaToya Shields confirmed Monday night that assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Earnest Collins Jr., offensive coordinator Dino Dawson, running backs coach Terrance Robinson, special teams coordinator and linebackers coach Zach Shay, secondary coach Jack Phillips, defensive line coach Keith Majors and strength and conditioning coach Lorenzo Guess would not have their contracts renewed. Only offensive line coach Adam Shorter and wide receivers coach Michael Armour were retained by the university, Sheilds said.

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Sunday, November 30, 2008

Gay, Spain lead SDSU Aztecs in rout of Hampton Pirates in Great Alaska Shootout championship

Guard Vinny Simpson scores 15 points to lead Hampton University to a second place finish in the Great Alaska Shootout Tournament.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Setting a Great Alaska Shootout championship record for margin of victory, San Diego State pummeled Hampton 76-47 last night to win the title. D.J. Gay led San Diego State with 20 points, and tournament MVP Kyle Spain added 17. Ryan Amoroso, who joined Gay and Spain on the all-tournament team, joined Spain as high rebounder with eight. Hampton's Vincent Simpson scored 15.

Hampton coach Kevin Nickleberry said in Friday's news conference that he begged to get his team into the Shootout this year. With eight minutes left in the game, after Spain's three-pointer out the Aztecs ahead 62-32, Nickleberry was reminded of the adage that says be careful what you wish for. Aztecs coach Steve Fisher achieved a milestone that may be recited in a future hall of fame ceremony: 10th coach ever to win the Great Alaska Shootout and a national championship.

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Lone Star Classic: UAPB uses Mallett to batter opponent TSU

IRVING, Texas — Senior running back Martell Mallett ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns, powering Arkansas-Pine Bluff to a 28-7 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday at Texas Stadium. Mallett led a running attack that ran up 204 yards, giving the Golden Lions 319 yards of total offense. The victory ends the season for UAPB (3-9, 2-5 Southwestern Athletic Conference), which won two of its last three games.

Mallett’s 2-yard touchdown run capped a first-quarter drive that took 6: 08 off the clock. The Golden Lions scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, the first coming when senior quarterback Jonathan Moore scrambled for a 13-yard score. Moore connected with De’Vonte Whitmore on a 32-yard touchdown pass with 57 seconds left in the half, giving the Golden Lions just their fourth passing touchdown of the season.
Mallett scored from 4 yards out near the start of the fourth quarter, putting UAPB up 28-7. The Golden Lions entered Saturday with the top-ranked pass defense in the SWAC, and they built on those numbers against the Tigers (4-8, 1-6 ).

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Attendance: 14,522 at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas

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Appalachian knocks SC State out of FCS playoffs, 37-21

BOONE, N.C. -- All week long, South Carolina State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough had his mind on stopping Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards. Throughout the offseason, Pough will probably not stop thinking about the spectacular third-and-12 scramble Edwards turned into a first-down conversion which helped seal the Bulldogs’ fate Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Appalachian State held a tenuous 24-21 lead with less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and faced the prospect of punting the football back to a motivated S.C. State offense. Taking the snap from his own 23, Edwards was chased out the pocket and heavily pursued by three Bulldog players.

After scrambling backwards to avoid the tackle, Edwards lofted a pass in the direction of T.J. Courman. The senior broke his return to come back to catch the football at around the 30-yard line, then managed to fight off a couple of tacklers to pick up 13 yards and the first down. With the drive continuing, Edwards eventually found Ridge View graduate Brian Quick for the first of two fourth-quarter touchdowns which helped the defending three-time FCS champion Mountaineers put away the Bulldogs 37-21.

ASU QB Armanti Edwards was a one man wrecking crew in the demise of the SCSU Bulldogs.

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Attendance: 13,712 (47.7%) at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, N.C. (Capacity: 28,727).

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Photo Gallery: http://extras.journalnow.com/photogallery/2008/collegefootball/112908/slideshow.html