Maryland Football: Season opener to kickoff at noon against Howard

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland -- The Maryland football team is set to begin the D.J. Durkin era in less than three months.

The Terrapins will take the field against Howard on Sept. 3 for a noon kickoff, according to a press release. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Maryland has never faced Howard despite the schools being separated by only six miles. The Terps have been victorious in their last six season openers, which have included wins against Florida International, James Madison, and Richmond over the past three seasons.

The matchup with Howard gets the Durkin era started with a relatively easy challenge. The Bison finished the 2015 season with a 1-10 record with their only triumph being a 55-9 rout of Savannah State on Halloween.

Howard plays in the MEAC conference and hasn’t had a winning season since going 6-5 back in 2004.

After facing Howard, Maryland will travel to Miami for a matchup with Florida International. The game will be played on Fri., Sept. 9 and will take place under the lights as kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.

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W. Eric Thomas: Bad parents and struggling colleges

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina -- THE GOVERNMENT of each state controls education in that state; this is true for K-12 as well as higher education. The states each have a system of public universities; that makes the state in a sense the owner of these institutions. Ownership means you can do what you choose to with that system. It’s yours.

Two universities in the Carolinas are experiencing especially rocky times, and they happen to be historically black schools.

Elizabeth City State University and South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C. are public institutions, essentially owned by the states.

At the root of ECSU’s problems is declining enrollment. This has caused severe budget reductions necessitating cuts in student services, closure of buildings, elimination of academic programs, and the most severe — faculty and staff layoffs.

The declining enrollment is no accident or happenstance; it is a direct result of state policies. The Board of Governors of the UNC system raised admissions requirements and requirements for continued enrollment knowing it would adversely affect the historically black college and universities in the state. The institution most affected is ECSU. The state knew this would happen.

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Virginia State University's Deshauna Barber Crowned Miss USA

PETERSBURG, Virginia -- Virginia State University is proud to congratulate graduate Deshauna Barber. On Sunday night, Miss Barber was crowned MISS USA 2016. The NC native graduated from the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business at Virginia State University in 2011 with a degree in Business Management and is an IT Business Analyst at the Department of Commerce in Washington D.C. In addition, Deshauna is a Company Commander in the United States Army Reserve. She represented the District of Columbia in the Miss USA Pageant.

“We are exceedingly proud to have a Trojan represent the USA in this capacity,” says VSU President Dr. Makola Abdullah. “Deshauna exemplifies scholarship, leadership, and inner strength. She is a role model for all students.”

Miss Barber beat out 50 other women to claim the title of MISS USA 2016. She secured her position as a top three finalist when she answered a question about the Pentagon's recent decision to open up all combat jobs to women. "As a woman in the United States Army, I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate into every branch of the military," said Barber. "We are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I'm powerful, I am dedicated, and it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States Army.”

In the final question, to secure the title, Miss Barber was asked to describe what it means to be Confidently Beautiful. "To me confidently beautiful means understanding that it's not always about your appearance. It's not always about who you're around and how they feel you look, where they feel you come from or your economic background," Deshauna explained. "Serving in the military has taught me that being confidently beautiful is about being able to earn respect from people regardless of what you look like. As a woman in the military, people associate beauty with weakness and they learn very quickly that I'm extremely strong, and although I'm small, I'm powerful and confidently beautiful is being myself and being very happy with who I've become."

CONGRATULATIONS Fellow Trojan DESHAUNA BARBER, MISS USA 2016.

SSU Raeburn Announces New Football Staff Hires

HEAD FOOTALL COACH ERIK RAEBURN
COURTESY: SSU ATHLETICS

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SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Savannah State head football coach Erik Raeburn has announced the hiring three new assistant coaches to the football staff.
 
The new staff members include: Bill Rychel, Chad Williams and Nathan Scola.
 
Rychel will be the offensive coordinator and coach the offensive line; Williams will serve as defensive coordinator and coach the linebackers; and Scola will oversee the defensive backs.
 
Prior to SSU, Rychel served as head football coach at Notre Dame College for the 2015 season. Rychel was promoted to head coach after spending six seasons as offensive coordinator/assistant head coach for the Falcons football program.
 
"I'm excited to bring Bill on the staff," said Raeburn. "He's been a head coach on the Division II level and having head coach experience will be an asset to our program."

Prior to moving to College Road, the Cleveland, Ohio native worked at Ohio Northern University, where he coached for three seasons (2006-08), finishing his time with the Polar Bear's as co-offensive coordinator.

Before his time at ONU, Rychel was the offensive line coach, offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for Tri-Sate (now Trine) in Indiana, in 2004 and 2005. Before that, he was the offensive line coach and assistant strength and conditioning coordinator for Coe College (Iowa).

Rychel graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education from Mount Union University in 2001 and received a master's degree in teaching from Coe in 2004.



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Williams, comes to Savannah State from West Alabama where he was named the special teams coordinator and secondary coach in March 2016.
 
"I'm really excited to have Chad in charge of our defense," stated Raeburn. "He has worked at some of the best programs in the state of Georgia. The relationships he has made will help our defense improve and play at a high level."
 
Prior to being hired at West Alabama, Williams spent the 2015 season as defensive coordinator at Valdosta State and before that, he spent the 2014 season as special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at West Georgia. The Birmingham, Ala., native has also had coaching stops at Middle Tennessee State (2013-14) where he was a graduate assistant linebackers coach, Jacksonville State (2013) where he oversaw the linebackers and Morehouse (2012-13) where he was the secondary coach.
 
Williams played in the National Football League as a defensive back with the Baltimore Ravens (2002-06), San Francisco 49ers (2006-07) and Kansas City Chiefs (2007).
 
Williams earned a Coaching and Sports Administration degree at Southern Mississippi, where he was a two-time All-Conference USA safety.
 
Scola, spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as an assistant coach at Wabash, working with the tight ends and also serving as the strength and conditioning coach.
 
"I'm really excited to bring Nathan to Savannah State," said Raeburn. "He played for me and was one of the very few players elected as captain for their junior and senior years. The energy he brings and his work ethic will be a great addition to our staff."

As a player, Scola earned All-America and North Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. He participated in the 2014 USA Football Bowl. He was named one of the team captains and the starting middle linebacker for the winning Admirals all-star team. Scola also received the London Fletcher Award as the Outstanding NCAA Division III linebacker participating in the game. The Apache Junction, Ariz., native finished his career in sixth place for all-time tackles for loss in Wabash history and was named the team MVP. Before that, he did several internships at his alma mater. He worked as a volunteer football coach, worked with the athletic equipment office, Dean of students and President's Office and the Admissions office.
 
Scola graduated Cum Laude from Wabash in 2014 while majoring in Rhetoric and minoring in English.
 
Raeburn has some history with Rychel and Scola.
 
Raeburn was an assistant coach at Mount Union while Rychel was a player and later hired him as an assistant when he became head coach at Coe. Raeburn was the head coach at Wabash while Scola was a player and later hired him as an assistant after he received his degree.
 
SSU's 2016 football season will kick off on Sept. 3 when the Tigers travel to Statesboro, Ga., to take on the Georgia Southern Eagles.

COURTESY SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Bowie State Football Hosts College Exposure Camp

BOWIE, Maryland -- Bowie State University will hold a "College Football Exposure" Camp - Monday, June 20th at Archbishop Spalding High School (Severn, Md.) from 5 - 8 p.m. Camp cost is $50 through June 19th and $60 on site (June 20th). This one-day camp is open to ANY and ALL entrants and enrollment is only based on age and grade level. For additional information, contact Antone Sewell at asewell@bowiestate.edu.

CLICK HERE FOR CAMP REGISTRATION FORM

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FAMU MARCHING 100: A call to honor, a call to greatness!

FAMU Wind Symphony, Conductor, Dr. Shelby Chipman; Alto Sax  BK Jackson

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The standing ovation began before President Elmira Mangum could finish her announcement. The national alumni audience in Tampa was on its feet with cheers and applause.

The cellphones came out and the news took a trip around the world as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and others spread the word that Dr. Shelby Chipman had become director of bands at Florida A&M University.

Sybil Wilkes, co-host of the Tom Joyner Show, informed her audience of more than eight million. Rattler Nation was abuzz with the news.



The reverence for Chipman was so overwhelming because it has been clear for sometime that he has the right stuff. As the new director of the Marching 100, Chipman has received a call to honor and a call to greatness.

A call to honor the past by preserving the signature instrumental expression known as the “FAMU sound.” That lilting combination of percussion, brass and woodwind tonal colors instantly recognized across the globe, mixed in with complex sophisticated forms of music, from concertos and symphonies to contemporary jazz and rhythm and blues, that always reminds us of the power of music to change the world.


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Jackson named new Athletic Director at Stillman College

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Just a few days after Cassandra Morrer announced her resignation from Stillman College to coach women's basketball at American Christian Academy, Stillman confirmed that head basketball coach, Donte Jackson, would replace her as the new athletic director.

"I just really appreciate the whole support from the institution, and I just want to make a difference and that is the bottom line," Jackson said. "You know my whole life has been about trying to make a difference and trying to make things better."

Jackson was named the head men's basketball coach before the 2014-15 season, and has led the Tigers to a 44-16 record over the last two seasons. In just his second season, Jackson's team won the 2016 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title for the first time in 10 years. He was named SIAC coach of the year. Jackson served as the assistant athletic director as well the past two years.

"We are extremely excited about having Mr. Donte Jackson take over as Athletic Director at Stillman College and building upon the good work that was done by Mrs. Cassandra Moorer," Stillman president Dr. Peter Millet said. "He is the right man, in the right place, at the right time. We are confident he will excel in this new role and we look forward to great things with Mr. Jackson and the Stillman athletic program."

Jackson said that he has many things on the horizon to get done. The first task he said will be hiring a new women's basketball coach to fill the vacancy that Morrer left.

"We are going to make sure we get the best person here that is qualified to coach women, win and compete at a high level," Jackson said. "No matter what we want our programs to reflect competing at a high level."

COURTESY STILLMAN COLLEGE ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS