SWAC Football Media Day Set for July 15

Courtesy SWAC.org

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) will hold its annual Football Media Day on Monday, July 15 at the Birmingham Marriott. The event will be streamed live on the SWAC Digital Network beginning at 10:00 a.m.

The annual kickoff to the SWAC football season, this year's media gathering will feature all 10 head coaches and selected student-athletes in an on-line video format.

The SWAC will announce the 2013 All-SWAC preseason teams and predicted order of finish during the occasion as well as the fall conference ESPN broadcast schedule.

To apply for credentials to the event, visit the Sports Systems request link at http://www.sportssystems.com/clients/swac/. Requests will be accepted through 5:00 p,m. on Thursday, July 11.

 

 

COURTESY SWAC.org

With major games gone, Birmingham mayor tries salvaging what's left with SWAC

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Birmingham Mayor William Bell will meet with officials from the Southwestern Athletic Conference in a late attempt to salvage Birmingham's relationship with the group.

The meeting next week comes after SWAC announced it is taking both its football and baseball championships to Houston.

In response, several Birmingham City Council members are calling to sever financial ties to the organization in the 2014 budget.

The city last year spent $500,000 on SWAC and is set to increase the amount to $550,000 under Bell's proposed 2014 budget. Now, the council is set to hack that funding after SWAC announced plans to move its major events away from Birmingham.

Terry Burney, Bell's chief administrative analyst, said the Bell is scheduling a meeting with SWAC commissioner Duer Sharp to discuss Birmingham's relationship with the college league and the possibility of bringing other SWAC events here.

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UNC’s Hairston facing drug charge; ECSU's Faulcon involved

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina —  Durham police have charged North Carolina leading scorer P.J. Hairston with marijuana possession following a traffic stop, along with passenger and Elizabeth City State freshman Miykael Faulcon.

In an email Thursday, Durham Police Department spokeswoman Kammie Michael said officers stopped Hairston at a license checkpoint Wednesday night.

Police also arrested Faulcon and a second passenger, Carlos Devone Sanford, both of Durham, and charged all three men with possessing a half-ounce of marijuana or less.

They were released on $1,000 unsecured bonds.

Faulcon, 20, just finished his freshman season with the Vikings, and was used ...
 

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Former TSU Player Will Wynn Passes Away

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- Former Tennessee State football player Will Wynn died on June 4th at the age of 64.

Wynn, born January 15, 1949 in Apex, North Carolina, played for five seasons in the National Football League as a defensive end.
 

A seventh-round draft pick, Wynn played four seasons for the Eagles (1973-76) before moving on to play one more year with the Washington Redskins. Wynn, a 6-4, 245-pounder, wasn't noted as much for inflicting punishing tackles as he was for having a nose for the ball. He finished his Eagles career with eight fumble recoveries for 119 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Patriots (1973) and the Packers (1974).

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Will Wynn, 64, Eagles defensive end in the '70s

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania  --  OLD-TIME EAGLES fans might remember that Green Bay game in a driving rainstorm at the Vet on Dec. 1, 1974, when the Eagles kicked the Packers' butts, 36-14, and one of those scores was made by defensive end Will Wynn on an 87-yard fumble recovery.

It was one of the games in which Will became an unlikely hero. Remember the Dallas game in 1971 when the Eagles trounced the Cowboys, 30-16, and Will Wynn demoralized his opponents by blocking a field-goal try?

William Wynn, who played for the Birds from 1973 to 1976, and finished out his National Football League career with the Washington Redskins until 1977, died Tuesday of heart failure at age 64. He had lived in West Oak Lane for the past 20 years.

"He was one of the fastest defensive linemen I have ever seen, and he played the game hard," said former teammate Harold Carmichael, now the Eagles' director of player programs. "He was just a great guy. He loved living in Philadelphia and being part of the community. The fans loved him and he loved them. It's a big loss."

Will played 54 games for the Eagles. He was a seventh-round selection from Tennessee State who had eight fumble recoveries for 119 return yards and two touchdowns in his Eagles career, which included 27 starts.

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Athletics Director Shakeups At FAMU and FSU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Athletics directors at both Florida A&M and Florida State are out.

FAMU did not renew its contract with Derek Horne, largely because of the continued budget deficit in the athletics program. Horne has been placed on administrative leave with pay until his contract expires at the start of September.

FAMU’s athletics department has been plagued by a $7 million dollar deficit, incurred over several years.

Horne inherited the deficit when he accepted the job of athletics director in 2010, but he was never able to solve the athletics budget problems. Horne made $200,000 a year as athletics director. FAMU’s associate Athletics Director, Michael Smith, has been appointed as interim A.D. until a replacement is named.  The university says it’s looking for someone with experience in fundraising and finance.

Meanwhile, Florida State University’s athletics director is also out of his job.

Randy Spetman has been reassigned to an advisory position in the athletics department.  He had been scheduled to present a five-year plan for athletics to ...

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ASU's Cooper Named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- Alabama State baseball outfielder Dillon Cooper has been named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team, selected by Collegiate Baseball.

Cooper (5-11, 200, Palm Bay, Fla.) hit .301 with three home runs and 26 RBI this season. He was the 2013 Southwestern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and named to the SWAC's All-Tournament team. Cooper was fourth on the team in batting average, third in hits (59), first in doubles (12), third in home runs and sixth in RBI.

He went a perfect 5-for-5 against Florida A&M on April 16, with three singles and a pair of doubles in scoring three runs. He had eight assists this season, and perhaps his most dramatic putout vs. IPFW on March 23, making a leaping catch over the wall denying a two-run homer for the final out in a 2-0 victory.

In four games in the SWAC Tournament, Cooper hit .333 (5-for-15) with three doubles and three runs scored.

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NCCU's Michael Romano Signs Pro Baseball Contract With Taos Blizzard

Taos, New Mexico —  North Carolina Central University baseball senior pitcher Michael Romano (Spotsylvania, Va.) has been picked up by the Taos Blizzard of the Pecos League, becoming the first Eagle at the NCAA Division I level to sign a professional baseball contract.

“As cliché as it may sound, to sign with the Blizzard means that dreams do come true,” Romano said. “When you have dreamt your whole life and it suddenly becomes a reality it’s pretty overwhelming. It also shows that hard work and dedication truly does pay off. I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by some amazing people and I could not have done it without them. The Blizzard is giving me an opportunity to live out my dream and I am forever thankful.”

Romano was signed by the Blizzard after attending the Northeast Pro Showcase in Torrington, Conn.  The Blizzard organization is run by officials from the New York State League.

“We really liked what we saw out of Michael,” said General Manager of the Taos Blizzard Jay Acton.  “We liked his aggressiveness and willingness to challenge hitters during the showcase and our team needed another lefty out of the bullpen.”

The 6-1 lefty logged 84.0 innings in his final season at NCCU ending with a 3-9 record overall and an ERA of 5.25 with 37 strikeouts and 20 walks.  His final performance donning a maroon and gray uniform was one of his finest as he came on in-relief allowing only four hits and no earned runs with five strikeouts through 7.0 innings in the 12-6 victory over Norfolk State to eliminate the Spartans from the 2013 MEAC Tournament.

“We are very proud of Michael’s accomplishment,” said NCCU head coach Jim Koerner.  “He has worked hard and earned the opportunity to play professional baseball.  For me, it adds some significance knowing that he was one of the first players we recruited during the coaching transition.”

The Pecos League is a professional independent baseball league headquartered in Houston, Texas, which operates in cities in desert mountain regions throughout New Mexico, Southern Colorado, and West Texas.

For more information on the Pecos League and the Taos Blizzard, check out the website www.pecosleague.com

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