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Former head coach Jerry Holmes finishes Hampton career with 6-5 record. Holmes replaced Joe Taylor, who left for Florida A&M after building the Hampton program into a MEAC powerhouse.
Athletic director Lonza Hardy fired Jerry Holmes as the Pirates’ head football coach after only one season, and Holmes’ interest in the NFL was a primary cause. In a statement released by the school Tuesday, Hardy indicated he and Holmes had differences on the direction of the program, and he questioned Holmes’ commitment to the team.
He also announced the longtime assistant Donovan Rose, a Norview High and Hampton U. grad, would be the new coach. “I felt a dire need to have atop our football program a coach whose commitment, loyalty and devotion to Hampton University were without question,” Hardy said.
Hardy told the Daily Press of Newport News that school officials had heard Holmes might be seeking jobs with NFL teams. Then, Holmes informed the school that he planned to interview with pro teams at this past Saturday’s Senior Bowl. “We could not approve that,” Hardy told the newspaper. “He felt the need to go and do those interviews anyway.”
CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE. Give it a break Hampton--you are not Boston College! Get ready to become the homecoming queen for entire MEAC. I know of no professionals that should not seek a higher office, a better paying job or greater job security, especially during a period of great economic depression for our country. How soon Hardy forgets--he jumped ship from Mississippi Valley on June 20, 2008 after a six year stint, to come to Hampton for more MONEY! Chump!!
Birmingham, AL - Midfield linebacker James Shackleford, number 51 on your roster, has committed to Mississippi Valley State. A good student, the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder plans to major in chemistry. "I love the atmosphere and I think it's a great school," Shackleford said. "I see how they've made Birmingham a big focus of their recruiting."
Under Willie Totten, the SWAC school has turned Birmingham into a cornerstone of recruiting. During his official visit to the school, Shackleford met Erwin quarterback Anthony Bowie, another Mississippi Valley commitment.
Classics, Five Home Games Highlight 2009 Golden Lion Football Schedule
PINE BLUFF, AR - A pair of exciting college football Classics and five home games highlight the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's 2009 Golden Lions' football schedule, which was released by the UAPB athletic department on Tuesday.
The Golden Lions are slated to take on fellow Southwestern Athletic Conference member Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 19 in the annual Chicago Classic and second-year head coach Monte Coleman's troops will once again travel to Dallas during the Thanksgiving weekend to battle SWAC nemesis Texas Southern in the Dallas Lone Star Classic on Nov. 28.
In addition, five home games are also on the Golden Lions' schedule for the upcoming season. Last year UAPB had six home games at Golden Lion Stadium. UAPB opens the season on Sept. 5 against long-time foe Arkansas-Monticello at Golden Lion Stadium, followed by Central (OH) State in Pine Bluff on Sept. 12. After the Chicago trip on Sept. 19, UAPB travels to Huntsville, AL to take on Alabama A&M on Sept. 26.
"We're extremely pleased with this year's football schedule," UAPB Director of Athletics Louis "Skip" Perkins said. "Our fans have asked us for more "Classics" and we've tried to accommodate that request with the addition of the game in Chicago and our return to Dallas."
UAPB returns home to take on Alcorn State (Oct. 3), before traveling to Jackson State (Oct. 10). The Golden Lions close out the month with a pair of home games: Edward Waters College (Oct. 24) which will serve as the annual homecoming contest and Southern University (Oct. 31). The Golden Lions will spend the entire month of November on the road as Grambling State (Nov. 7 in the annual Delta Classic 4 Literacy in Little Rock), Prairie View A&M in Houston (Nov. 21) and Texas Southern in the Dallas Lone Star Classic (Nov. 28) wrap up the Golden Lions' 11-game season.
UAPB 2009 Schedule Sept. 5 Arkansas-Monticello @ Golden Lion Stadium Sept. 12 Central State (OH) @ Golden Lion Stadium Sept. 19 Mississippi Valley @ Chicago Classic, Chicago, IL Sept. 27 Alabama A&M @ Huntsville, AL Oct. 3 Alcorn State @ Golden Lion Stadium Oct. 10 Jackson State @ Jackson, MS Oct. 24 Edward Waters College (Homecoming)@ Golden Lion Stadium Oct. 31 Southern University @ Golden Lion Stadium Nov. 7 Grambling State (Delta Classic 4 Literacy) @ Little Rock, AR Nov. 21 Prairie View A&M @ Houston, TX Nov. 28 Texas Southern @ Dallas Lone Star Classic, Dallas, TX
Atlanta, GA - As the curtain dramatically closed on the seventh annual Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase, 10 of America’s top Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands brought the house down, leaving themselves completely spent of energy, but their souls fulfilled. They brought their all, but left every bit of it on the field of the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, as the widely acknowledged “Super Bowl of Black College Marching Bands” concluded.
The 2009 Invitational Showcase, aptly themed “The Power of Dreams,” had special significance as the nation inaugurated its first African-American president. With one renowned HBCU band—the Florida A&M University “Marching 100”—just returning from having marched in the presidential inauguration parade in Washington, D.C., this year has already proven a dream come true for many HBCU student musicians.
More than 60,000 HBCU friends, fans, students and alumni traveled from all around the country to take part in the 2009 Honda Battle of the Bands. A virtual mosaic of music filled the Dome on Saturday as fans enjoyed everything from the latest chart-topping R&B and Hip-Hop hits, to contemporary, funk and classical music. Special guest host Rosci of Black Entertainment Television’s top-rated show, “106th & Park” and Atlanta’s WVEE evening drive time host, Ryan Cameron, introduced the bands while R&B artist Lloyd treated fans to a special performance of his hit single, “Girls Around the World.” To close out the show, the 150-voice Atlanta chapter choir of the Gospel Music Workshop of America took the field and helped the bands end on a reverent, inspirational note.
The 2009 Invitational Showcase bands included: Edward Waters College, Fayetteville State University, Florida A&M University, Jackson State University, Kentucky State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Texas Southern University, Tuskegee University and Virginia State University.
Florida A&M University Marching 100 - 2009 Honda Battle of the Bands
Cheap Seats View--FAMU Part I
Cheap Seats View--FAMU Part II
Supporting HBCU Music Programs
The Honda Battle of the Bands not only showcases the pageantry and showmanship of HBCU bands, but also and more importantly, acts as the nation’s only HBCU music scholarship program of its kind. The ten bands selected to participate in the Invitational Showcase were awarded $20,000 for their music scholarship programs - a $10,000 increase over last year. They also received an additional $1,000 grant for their participation in the Celebration Tour, the Honda Battle of the Band’s pre-qualifying event. In all, a total of $244,000 in scholarship money will be given to HBCU music programs this year.
“We’re proud and humbled to continue for a seventh year as founder and principal sponsor of this one-of-a-kind event,” said Marc Burt, senior manager, Office of Inclusion and Diversity for American Honda. “What’s especially satisfying about this program is that, in the end, it’s a national scholarship program that will help incredibly talented young student-musicians realize their dreams.”
FOX MUSIC EXPERIENCE RETURNS
The winners of this year’s FOX MUSIC EXPERIENCE were Ralph Jean Paul from Florida A&M, and Kevin Greene from North Carolina A&T State University. Jean Paul, a senior at Florida A&M, is currently the band president and said that deciding to attend FAMU has been the best decision of his life. Through his involvement with the band he has had the opportunity to play in two Super Bowl half time shows, and most recently, at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Kevin Greene, a junior at North Carolina A&T acts as his band’s drum line captain. Greene, who started playing instruments when he was just five years old, is currently majoring in Music Education and one day hopes to be a high school band director and open his own school of arts and social science.
The FOX MUSIC EXPERIENCE is a unique music internship/immersion program that works in conjunction with the Honda Battle of the Bands to help expose HBCU student musicians to the broader world of music and entertainment. The program, launched last year, offers two lucky Invitational Showcase student musicians the opportunity to spend a few weeks in the summer working on the Twentieth Century Fox studio lot in Los Angeles learning film and television music production first hand.
Recruiting Future Generations
For the fourth year in a row the Honda Battle of Bands also hosted an HBCU Recruitment Fair. Designed to expose young people to opportunities historically black college and universities can offer, the Recruitment Fair allows prospective college students to meet with marching band and admissions recruiters to discuss admissions requirements and scholarship opportunities. This year, 32 schools exhibited and more than 3,300 young people attended.
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - No coasting this time around. After blowing out their previous Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent, the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions needed a last-second tip-in by Tavaris Washington to post a 58-56 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday at Clemmons Arena. Terrance Calvin and Savalance Townsend led UAPB (5-12, 4-2 SWAC) with 13 points each, while Gavin Montgomery added 10. UAPB forced 30 turnovers.
The Golden Lions lumbered through the first half, making 8 of 25 field-goal attempts. Most of those attempts came from long range, including 11 three-point attempts, only two of which were made. The Golden Lions entered Saturday making just over 27 percent of their threepointers. UAPB Coach George Ivory said he'd like to see better shooting numbers, but he'd also rather see aggressiveness, even if it backfires. "I was a little disappointed with them," Ivory said. "But we need to be coming with the shots. We need to take shots."
Young chose Alcorn State over Middle Tennessee, Marshall, Western Kentucky, Kentucky and Louisville.
Bowling Green H.S. (Kentucky) senior Elijah Young wanted to find a home away from home when deciding on a college choice. At Alcorn State in Mississippi, Young seems to have found just that. After making an official visit last weekend, the 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive tackle made his official verbal to the Braves this week. “Really what sold me was how personable they were when I was down there,” Young said today. “The coaches were very accepting of me and I really liked how they talked to me more like a person than other schools that I went to. “It was just really easy to get along with everybody and it just felt like a home away from home.”
A dominant force on the defensive front, Young finished last season with 54 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery before finishing the year on the Kentucky Associated Press’ first team all-state squad. For his career, Young posted 116 tackles, four sacks, three fumble recoveries and an interception. The Purples finished the '08 season with a 9-2 record.
Young chose Alcorn State, a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivison’s Southwestern Athletic Conference, over Middle Tennessee, Marshall, Western Kentucky, Kentucky and Louisville. In addition to enjoying spending time with fellow players and coaches, another selling point for Young was the chance to play early.
The Bethune-Cookman University Marching Wildcats will perform at Super Bowl XLIII. The band will take the field during the pre-game showFeb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The Marching Wildcats will perform eight to 10 songs at approximately 6 p.m., with kickoff set for 6:28 p.m. "For a marching band, there's no bigger stage to play on than the Super Bowl playing field," B-CU band director Donovan Wells said. "We're working hard to put on a great show for all the fans."
The band has 320 musicians, not counting members of the Sophisticat Flag Corps and the 14KT Gold Dancers. The Marching Wildcats have performed at halftime shows for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at the pre-race show of the Daytona 500 and on "The Ellen Degeneres Show."
Former head coach Jerry Holmes finishes Hampton career with 6-5 record. Holmes replaced Joe Taylor, who left for Florida A&M after building the Hampton program into a MEAC powerhouse.
Recruiting Future Generations
