Century of greatness convenes as JSU unveils all-time football team

Jackson, MS - A white visor pulled low shielding most of his face, Eddie Payton scans the packed locker room at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. His eyes fall on the greatest football players in Jackson State history.

There's Rodney Phillips, a two-time All-Southwestern Athletic Conference tight end, and Willie Richardson, a four-time All-SWAC receiver.

There's Jesse Griffin, who led JSU's 1977 defense that ranked No. 1 in the nation, and Mario Kirksey, the 1982 SWAC defensive player of the year. And there's Perry Harrington and Jeffrey Moore, the first pair of players on the same team to rush for 1,000 yards each in Division I-AA.

"You can't," Payton said, "put a price on this."

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Alcorn State seeks to add Marino Casem’s name to football stadium

Lorman, MS - Alcorn State University seeks to add Marino “The Godfather” Casem’s name to Jack Spinks Stadium. After conversations with alumni groups, university staff, and athletic stakeholders, Alcorn’s President M. Christopher Brown II hopes to bring good news on this agenda item request after next week’s Mississippi Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) meeting.

“Coach Casem is the Braves all-time leader in career wins,” explains President Brown. “He complied a 139–70–8 (86–48–7 in the SWAC) record, capturing seven (7) SWAC championships. His legendary legacy of leadership still demonstrates the highest level of professionalism and personal integrity. His achievements and courage serve as an inspiration for all student athletes in their pursuit of excellence on-and-off the field. This recognition is long overdue and the Alcorn family is honored to acknowledge the achievements of Coach Casem. It is important to note that Spinks and Casem were close friends and even coached together.”

If IHL approves the name change, new temporary signage will greet fans at the Braves first home game. The total renovation needs for the stadium are currently being assessed, in particular campus compliance with ADA, the ingress and egress of traffic during sporting events, and the audiovisual notification system given the University proximity to the Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Plant.

“One of the hardest parts of my job is walking into Alcorn’s stadium and not seeing Coach Marino Casem’s name anywhere,” says Braves Head Football Coach Melvin Spears ’83. “He was not only my coach, but whatever I or any of his players needed him to be. Coach insured we succeeded on the football field, in the classroom, and in life.” Numerous Alcorn alumni and friends agree with Coach Spears.



Coach Willie “Rat” McGowan ’61 added, “Coach Casem put Alcorn State University athletics on the map. This is a tremendous idea and no one deserves to have their name on a building at Alcorn more than Coach Casem. I am proud of our president and Alcorn State University for making this honor a priority.”

Alcorn State University alum and ASU Foundation Board member Nathaniel Hughes ’79 agreed. “This is the house that Coach Casem built and it is time to recognize his achievements.”

As Alcorn moves forward with repositioning the University and its programs, President Brown has reached out and engaged stakeholders. “This is one of the first steps in Alcorn’s new athletic development plan,” says Vice President for Institutional Affairs Marcus Ward. “Renewing relationships with alumni and professional athletes is a priority for our new director of athletic fundraising, Larry Smith. Alcorn will renew relationships and continue to raise funds to support student athletes.”

About Coach Marino Casem

Marino H. Casem is fondly known as “The Godfather of the SWAC” and the man who made the Alcorn Braves football program a household name during his over 20-year reign as head football coach and athletic director between 1964 and 1986. Coach Casem brought national acclaim to Alcorn when he assembled a winning team of coaches and staff members who made the University one of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s most revered powerhouses. As head football coach from 1964 to 1985, he captured seven SWAC Championships, seven national black college championships, and was named both the National Black College and SWAC Coach-of-the-Year a total of seven times. The University produced an Olympic Gold Medalist, a world record holder in the 100-yard dash, first round draft picks in basketball and football, and built a world-class athletics complex and arena under Coach Casem’s reign.

In 1984, Coach Casem led Alcorn to a perfect 9–0 regular season. The team was ranked No. 1 in the final NCAA Division I-AA poll, the first time a black college had ever finished the regular football season in that position. He ranks 5th overall in victories amongst Division II-A football coaches. Throughout his career in athletics, Coach Casem served on many national committees including: NCAA Special Events, NCAA I-AA Football, NCAA Football Television, NCAA Football Rules and the NCAA Executive Committee. Other committees include the U.S. Olympic Committee Minority Task Force and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Visiting Committee.

Coach Casem has received numerous awards and citations throughout his professional career. A few of his notables include: Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame (1992), Alcorn State University Hall of Honor (1993), Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (1994), All-America Football Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award (1994), Football Writers Association of America Citation of Honor (1994), Alcorn State University Sports Hall of Fame (1996), The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame’s Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award (1998), The Louisiana Association of Athletic Directors’ The Carl Maddox Award (1999), College Football Hall of Fame (2003), and the 28th NACDA/NIT Athletics Directors Award (2009).



About Jack Spinks Stadium

Jack Spinks Stadium is home to the Alcorn Braves football team, winners of nine SWAC championships with seven wins under the leadership of Coach Casem. The multi-purpose stadium seats 22,500 and opened its doors in September of 1992. The stadium is also the site of annual rivalry games between the Braves and its Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) foes including Southern University, Mississippi Valley State.

University, Grambling State University and Texas Southern University. The field inside the stadium is named after Dwight Fisher, the all-time second winningest football coach in Alcorn’s history who coached from 1948-1956.

The stadium was named in honor of Johnnie Robert “Jack the Ripper” Spinks (August 15, 1930- September 29, 1994), a Toomsuba, Mississippi, native who played fullback for Alcorn from 1948-1952. In 1952, Spinks graduated from Alcorn and became the first African-American Mississippian to be drafted and play professional football in the National Football League (NFL). Spinks was selected number 126 in the 11th round by the Pittsburg Steelers and went on to play fullback for five seasons with the Chicago Cardinals, the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants. In 1958, Spinks retired from the NFL and returned to Alcorn to serve nearly thirty years as an Offensive Line Coach and Assistant Head Football Coach under legendary coaches Frank Purnell, E.E. Simmons and Marino Casem until his retirement from the state of Mississippi in 1984.

By Alcorn State University, Office of University Relations
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Grambling hopes the second Doug Williams era is as good as the first

GRAMBLING, La. — If Doug Williams’ second time around as head coach at Grambling State is as successful as his first stint, the Tigers should be in good shape.

As the successor to Eddie Robinson, the Tigers’ All-America quarterback and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player helped his alma mater dominate the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with three league titles during that period.



After serving as a front office executive in the NFL with Tampa Bay, Williams is back at Grambling.

“There’s nothing like Grambling and I’m thrilled about being back home,” he said. “I enjoyed being in the NFL and working with some great people, but this is family. Hopefully, I can keep the family happy by winning.” If the Tigers fulfill preseason predictions of winning a Western Division title in the SWAC, they’ll have to do so without the team’s top two rushers of the past four years.

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WILD MOGUL$ was hanging with the world famous Grambling State Marching Band for a weekend in Louisiana while they recorded an original song for a PitBull Energy Drink commercial in which Grambling State Marching Band starred in.

Howard University Football starts on the Road to Redemption

Howard Bison 2011 Football Team
 (Click on photo enlarge)
(Photo Courtesy Howard University Athletics)

Washington, D.C. - The Howard University football began its two-a-day practices on Wednesday and according to Coach Gary Harrell, there were mixed reviews. “The offense got the upper hand early in the practice,” noted Harrell, who is in his first season as a head coach.

“Then the defense began to assert itself and from there, they dominated. Part of the offense’s slide could be attributed to the loss of starting center Terrell Hawkins, who injured his leg. Harrell says that it is only a minor injury and he should be back soon.

Another factor could be the installation of a new offense under Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Ted White. White is a former All American at Howard who owns most of the school passing and offensive records.

When talking specifically about the offense, Harrell was quick to point out that he is very pleased with the rapid progress of freshman quarterback Greg McGhee, who is projected as the starter.

“Greg McGhee is really picking up the scheme much quicker than we anticipated,” said Harrell, of the talented 6-3, 200-pound freshman from Pittsburgh, PA. “He is improving with each snap. Evan Pittman is also coming along very nicely.” Pittman is a 6-3, 195-pound freshman from Baltimore, MD.

The running back position may be the most competitive unit on the team. Red-shirt junior Jarren Brown, who showed well in the spring, is slated to start, but he is getting get stiff competition from red-shirt junior Charles Brice, senior Terrance Leffall, sophomore Andra Williams and freshmen Aquanius Freeman. Brice led the team in rushing last season with 462 yards and 6 TDs in 8 games. Leffall rushed for 84 yards last season in two games before being injured and missing the rest of the season. Williams missed all of last season due to personal reasons, but he was the team-leading rusher with 419 yards as a freshman in 2009. And Freeman created a lot of buzz during practice with his speed and explosiveness.

All-MEAC wide receiver Willie Carter looks in mid-season form but there is concern by Coach Harrell of the unit as a whole.

“I have not been pleased with the wide receivers,” says Harrell, the school’s all-time leading receiver with 184 receptions during his career. “We have a lot of young players there and there have been too many dropped balls. I know that they are young, but they are going to grow up fast if we are to improve in that area.”

Traditionally, the defense is ahead of the offense this early in the process, but Harrell feels that they may even be a bit ahead of schedule. The task of revamping a defense that allowed over 30 points per game last season has been handed to defensive coordinator Rayford Petty, a former head coach at Howard who is generally regarded as one of the best at the FCS level.

“The defense is jelling well under Coach Petty’s system,” says Harrell. “They look very solid in all areas and appear to be very comfortable in what they want to do.”

The defensive secondary, which was very young last season, has looked especially sharp early on under the coaching of secondary coaches Ron Bolton and Billy Jenkins and volunteer coach Vontae Long. Sophomore safeties Cam Long and Julian David came up with spectacular plays on several occasions and both appear prime for fine seasons.

“Coach Bolton, Billy Jenkins and Vontae Long are doing a good job of coaching those young guys up,” said Harrell.

Bolton, a former NFL performer, who is in his second tenure at Howard, is credited with the development of two former Bison standouts and current pros, Antoine “Deuce” Bethea of the Indianapolis Colts and Ronald Bartell, Jr., who is the starting cornerback for the St. Louis Rams. Jenkins is a former NFL performer, who was an All MEAC selection with the Bison. Long is also former Howard All MEAC selection, who was the conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman

Harrell added that he has been pleasantly surprised at the improvement of the kicking game, an area that has long been an Achilles Heel at Howard.

The Bison will continue two-a-day practices through August 20, just in time for classes which start on August 22. The season opener is September 3 against Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI at 7 pm.

By: Howard University Sports Information

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Norfolk State 2011 preview

Norfolk, VA - Head coach Pete Adrian begins his 7th season leading the green and gold. He has 14 starters returning from a team that was 6 and 5 overall and 4 and 4 last season in the MEAC. The biggest concern for the Spartans is depth along the offensive line.

Starting quarterback Chris Walley returns for his senior season. Last year Wally threw for 10 touchdowns and was picked off eight times.

Norfolk State 2011 preview : wavy.com

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New Coordinator Brings Winning Attitude to Hornets

Dover, DE - Delaware State University's new offensive coordinator is hoping the keys to success he learned with the NFL champion San Francisco 49ers in the early 1980s will pay dividends for the Hornets this season.

"The success of the 49ers was the result of a winning attitude in all areas," said DSU offensive coordinator Arrington Jones, III, who was selected by San Francisco in the fifth round of the 1981 NFL draft. Jones spent most of the '81 season with the 49ers, which defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.

"Everything about the San Francisco organization was geared toward winning; from camp, to practice, to our walk, talk, speech, dress and attitude," said Jones, who also played professionally for the United States Football League's Washington Federals from 1983 to '86.  Jones was tapped by new DSU head coach Kermit Blount to direct the Hornet offense. He served three years as Blount's offensive coordinator when the two men were at Winston-Salem State University.

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Transfers making impression at FAMU

Tallahassee, FL - From a distance, it was clear linebacker Kevin Nelson hasn't been in the Florida A&M system longer than the two days the team has been practicing. But Nelson demonstrated an eye for the ball Wednesday afternoon. It moved right, he headed in that direction. Left or up the middle, he was right there too.

"Be patient," FAMU defensive coordinator Earl Holmes pleaded. Nelson obliged.



On the opposite side of the field where the offense worked out, slot receiver Al-Terek McBurse was also trying to make plays. McBurse and Nelson are the latest transfers from Division I programs — Nelson from Miami and McBurse from Purdue. They don't have to sit out a year because they've transferred down a classification.

Both worked out with the second team, but FAMU coach Joe Taylor said they can expect plenty of playing time. They will fill voids that were created with linebacker Willie Ferrell and receiver T.J. Lawrence being academically ineligible to play this season.

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