Hampton's McDaniel has breakout game in Hamilton Ti-Cats win

Hamilton, Ontario Canada - Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille spent 30 minutes this week talking to his players about pressure. Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Greg Marshall may be asking for a copy of that speech.

The Ticats dominated the Roughriders 33-3 on Saturday in front of 22,245 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Hamilton improves to 1-2, while Saskatchewan falls to 0-3. It is first time the Roughriders have opened a Canadian Football League season with three consecutive losses since 2000, when they finished 5-12-1.

"We got our . hats handed to us," Marshall said. "I told the guys at halftime (that), if they weren't embarrassed by their performance in the first half, then they were in the wrong business. We have to do a better job of coaching, and they have to do a better job of playing." Hamilton led 23-0 at the break and did not let up.



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In addition to Hampton University's WR/KR Marquay McDaniel, other former HBCU players on the roster of Hamilton are: DB Marcell Young - Jackson State; DE Darius Power - Fayetteville State (Practice Roster); and DE Stevie Bragg - Bethune Cookman. For Saskatchewan, DL Remond Willis - Tennessee State and Patrick Brown - Bethune-Cookman made the Roughriders' practice roster.

Shrine All-Star game: Central valedictorian heading to Howard

EUREKA, IL — Travis Kellum of Peoria Central High will play in the 37th annual Shrine All-Star football game Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Peoria Stadium. In a few weeks he’ll head to Howard University, in Washington, D.C., with the opportunity to walk on the Division I-AA football program. A year ago today he had yet to play his first game of high school football.

“All through high school the coaches were always trying to get me to come out for football,” said Kellum, also a four-year basketball player at Central. “With the merging of (Central and Woodruff) last year, I thought it might be the right time to give football a shot.”


Travis Kellum (#42) will be a football "preferred walk-on" at Howard. The Peoria Central (IL) High School valedictorian is planning to major in mechanical engineering at the Mecca.

A 6-foot-5, 255-pound defensive end, Kellum ended up all-area with the Journal Star and first-team all-conference in the Mid-State 6. He set an unofficial state record with 6½ sacks in a win over Rock Falls. "When I look back, the whole thing was like a dream," he said.

What got him into Howard, however, was his 4.0 grade point average. Kellum was Central’s 2011 valedictorian.  “I’m definitely going to Howard for academics,” he said. “At first I thought I would try to walk on with the basketball team. Now I’m going to try and walk on in football.”

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Pay for play: Texas Southern

Houston, TX - For Texas Southern, the argument about whether to pay players is more or less a moot point. The athletic department doesn’t make a profit, nor does it expect to. That’s not a goal.

A historically black college located in Houston, Texas Southern originally got its university status in 1947. (At that time, the University of Texas in Austin still did not admit African-American students.) Texas Southern’s overriding mission has been trying to help a segment of the population that has been traditionally denied equal access to higher education.

“We try to serve those who are historically underserved,” athletics director Charles McClelland said. “When you look at what we’ve done with a smaller amount of resources, colleges like us do the country a big service. In many cases, we are taking students who are less prepared for college, getting them adjusted and then graduated to make a significant difference in their communities.

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Flagler Palm Coast hoops' Certain signs with Southern University

PALM COAST, FL -- Lawrence Certain Jr. went from a Flagler Palm Coast graduate to a freshman student-athlete at Southern University with a stroke of a pen Thursday.

"This is a dream come true," said the 6-foot-7 power forward, who averaged 16.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a senior. "It looks like a good fit for me. They want to make a big turnaround with their program, get into the NCAA Tournament, and I hope I can help."

Certain's parents -- Tina and Lawrence -- younger sister Taylor, along with FPC coach Gary McDaniel and athletic director Steve DeAugustino, joined friends and assistant coaches Mark Odle and Lloyd Finley for the ceremony at the high school.

Southern's new head coach, Roman Banks, sent the paperwork, which gives Certain a full scholarship -- tuition, room, board, books -- for four years. "I've known Coach Banks a while," McDaniel said. "He's a dynamic first-year coach, and I'm certain he will do a great job.

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Bethune-Cookman Wildcats football vies for 3 of state's top 160

Daytona Beach, FL - Rivals' FlaVarsity.com recently released its top 160 football prospects for the class of 2012. While several of the recruits have already verbally committed to colleges, many others are mulling their choices and waiting for more offers.

Three players on the elite list -- Dondre Daley, Chris Murray and Elijah McClendon -- say Bethune-Cookman is among their top choices. The Wildcats and coach Brian Jenkins do not shy away from recruiting the top prospects in the state and have achieved several recruiting victories over bigger schools. But once a smaller school ventures into this stratosphere, the competition is pretty tough.

"If Bethune-Cookman gets two of the top 100 players in Florida, that's awesome," Sporting News recruiting reporter Brian McLaughlin said. Before National Signing Day in February, the Wildcats may be in the hunt for more of the state's top prospects.

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Journey completed, Lewis inducted into Grambling Hall of Fame

Houma, LA - Frank Lewis started his journey to Grambling State University with a hopeful phone call. Now, 45 years later, Grambling has called Lewis back to be a part of its Legends Sports Hall of Fame.

After a standout football career with the Tigers from 1967-70 and a highly successful NFL career that followed, the Houma native was inducted into the Grambling Hall of Fame on Saturday. He said he cherishes the honor and shares it with his family and legendary Grambling coach Eddie Robinson for whom Lewis played.

"I am truly blessed to a part of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Southwest Athletic Conference Hall of Fame, but my heart is Grambling," Lewis, 64, said. "This is my greatest honor because I know so many of the guys who played with me and before me were so great. It's a great honor for myself, my family and for Coach Rob. This is the pinnacle. It's Grambling's Hall of Fame, so it's the greatest honor I can receive."

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Edward Waters College hires basketball coaches for men's and women's programs

Jacksonville, FL - Edward Waters College introduced its new men's and women's head basketball coaches on Thursday, with both coaches making a pledge to bring an exciting style of basketball back to the EWC campus.

Frank Burnell, formally the head coach at Daytona Beach Community College and a standout at Ribault High School 30 years ago, will take over as coach of the men's team. Charmaine Wilson, who was the top assistant coach at Bethune-Cookman University, will coach the women's team.  Burnell has been coaching men's college basketball for 25 years. While at DBCC, he led his team to four Mid-Florida conference championships, two tournament titles and a Florida Community College Activities Association state championship.

"We're going to work our tail off to try and bring in the best basketball players we can get and to bring an exciting brand of basketball back to EWC," Burnell said. Burnell is a four-year letterman and graduate of Stetson.

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