Norfolk State holds off Jacksonville State

The Jacksonville State men’s basketball team’s furious comeback effort fell short on Saturday afternoon, when Norfolk State escaped Pete Mathews Coliseum with a 76-72 win over the Gamecocks.

The Spartans also had four players with 10 or more points, led by Corey Lyons’ 21 and Tony Murphy’s 19. Brandon Monroe’s nine rebounds led the Spartans, who won the battle on the glass, 38-35. The Spartans turned their advantage on the glass into an 18-point advantage in points in the paint. NSU shot 79 percent (15-of-19) from the free throw line, while JSU hit just 55 percent (17-of-31) of their charity attempts.

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Hampton beats William and Mary for third CAA win

The Pirates used a strong second-half surge to build a lead that stood up to William and Mary's late rally for a 70-63 victory at the HU Convocation Center. Hampton ran its record to 6-6 going into a break until its Jan. 12 game with Bethune-Cookman, its second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the start to the full conference schedule.

The Tribe, falling short of coach Tony Shaver's 400th career victory, takes a 3-7 mark into Colonial Athletic Association play. It had won the last three meetings with HU.

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Jerry Holmes named Hampton University head football coach

Photo: Hampton University Pirates head football coach Jerry Holmes

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Jerry Holmes was named Saturday evening as the new head football coach at Hampton University, HU athletic director Lonza Hardy said. Holmes, the Pirates' defensive coordinator the past three seasons, replaces Joe Taylor, the Pirates' head coach the past 16 seasons.

Taylor has accepted the job as head coach at Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Florida A&M, according to a story posted Saturday on Tallahassee.com. Taylor compiled a record of 136-49-1 at Hampton, guiding the Pirates to five MEAC and three CIAA titles. He is the winningest coach in school history.

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Coach Holmes is well qualified for the position with 10 years NFL experience as a player and five years as a NFL position coach. He has served 10 years combined at both West Virginia University and Hampton University as a linebackers coach/co-defensive coordinator, defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator.

Holmes is a graduate of Chowan Junior College where he earned an associate degree in business administration before transferring to West Virginia University. There he was a two-year Letterman in football, earning his degree in business administration in 1979. He is also an inductee in the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame.

You got to give Hampton University credit for having a succession plan for the future College Football Hall of Famer, Joe Taylor who will be welcomed to Florida A&M University in a Monday press conference.

This is amazing--two head football coaching hires in the same evening in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. This has never happen before in MEAC history.

Florida A&M gets blown out by bored Texas A&M

Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon thinks his team is getting bored after five straight wins by 20 points or more. Josh Carter scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half and the 14th-ranked Aggies beat Florida A&M 83-54 Saturday in their latest blowout victory.

"I think our guys need competition," Turgeon said. "We've been a little bit bored out there and we're playing that way. We need a stiffer test."

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The Rattlers have dropped five of their last six, including losses at Connecticut, Florida and Kansas State.

"Playing against very good players, it really helps us to try to build a team where maybe someday we can be ranked," first-year Florida A&M coach Eugene Harris said. "We were around a good basketball atmosphere. This will help us in the long run if we get to the conference tournament and have this same type of atmosphere."

Note to FAMU Coach Harris:

Coach Harris, we understand that you are working with the players that were left when you were hired by Florida A&M, so please go out and recruit the type of Division I players that will allow FAMU to beat the Texas A&Ms, Florida, Kansas State and others.

It's real simple--the FAMU fans goals are to get ranked, win more than 22 games every season, sell out our new 9,000 seat arena, lead the MEAC in home attendance and go to the big dance (NCAA Tournament) and get past the first round each season. We recognize you are undermanned in 07-08, but don't expect the same results in '08-09 from Rattlers basketball.

Let's make a run in the MEAC as we still have an opportunity to make it a good season. Go Rattlers!

Joe Taylor accepts Florida A&M offer

Photo: Former Hampton University head football coach Joe Taylor has accepted offer to become Florida A&M University head football coach, replacing Rubin Carter that was fired on November 20, 2007.

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One of the most reliable sources in the FAMU football universe, Heath A. Smith of the Tallahassee Democrat has published the linked report this evening indicating that Florida A&M University has hired Joe Taylor, current head football coach at Hampton University to head the Rattlers football program.

Heath states:

Hampton head football coach Joe Taylor has accepted an offer from Florida A&M President James Ammons to become the school's next head football coach, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

The source said Taylor and his wife are expected to fly down to Tallahassee on Monday for an official announcement.

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This is no rumor--this is the real deal with the information being provided to the Democrat from official sources in the Ammons administration.

This is an excellent selection for FAMU as he is one of the most respected coach in the Football Championship Subdivision. Taylor has been a head coach for 25 years and has won 75 percent of his games with a career record of 136-44-1 at Hampton.

He has served the past 16 years heading the program at Hampton University and has made the FCS playoffs three of the past four seasons.

As the winningest coach in Hampton University football history, Taylor has won four Black College Championships, eight conference titles, a Heritage Bowl Championship and seven trips to the NCAA playoffs, where his record is 0-7.

However, Coach Taylor has been placing more players in the NFL lately than any other FCS program. He has a proven record of recruiting Division 1A level talent in both Florida and the Tidewater regions to Hampton University. He has had a player drafted by the NFL in 12 of his previous 15 seasons at Hampton.

Coach Taylor is past president (2001) of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is the chairman the AFCA Minority Issues Committee and the Board of Directors of the American Football Coaches Foundation.

His career mark of 197-78-4 (.706) places him on the national level as the third winningest active coach in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) when ranked by total victories and fifth when ranked by winning percentage. Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore is tied for fourth with 194 wins and three consecutive FCS National Championships.

Coach Taylor has served as a head coach at Howard University, Virginia Union University and Hampton University in his 25 year career.

His contract will require the approval of the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees before the hire is finalized on Monday.

Taylor also interviewed for the vacant head coaching position at Western Carolina University and was reported to have been offered the position. However, North Carolina state law preclude university personnel from public discussion/confirmation until the contract has been ratified by their board of trustees. Coach Taylor declined this offer to accept the position at Florida A&M University.

On an ironic twist, last season Joe Taylor offered former FAMU head coach Billy Joe, the position of offensive coordinator for the Hampton Pirates. Billy Joe declined but the other Joe (Taylor) accepts the offer for College Football Hall of Famer Billy Joe's old head coaching position. Life does come full circle.

MEAC/SWAC Clip Board: MEAC/SWAC shorts

Compiled by beepbeep

Norfolk State University football program is making a strong scheduling move to position themselves for a NCAA FCS playoff position if the Spartans improve upon their 8-3 record of last season. NSU has a money game scheduled with the University of Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference for their second game in history with a football bowl subdivision(Division IA) program.

The Kentucky game is scheduled for September 6, 2007, at 67,606 seat Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, Kentucky in the home opener for the Wildcats. The Spartans will earn $250,000 for this match up.

Athletic director Marty L. Miller has also addressed the strength of schedule issue by setting up a I-64 rivalry game with Colonial Athletic Conference local, the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia. W&M holds a 2-0 advantage in the series with the Spartans, though the teams haven’t met since 1985. W&M and the Spartans will play on September 20, 2008 at Walter J. Zable Stadium at Cary Field. The Tribe has fallen on hard times and has had a losing record for the past three seasons.

This should be an interesting battle for tickets as Zable Stadium seating capacity is 12,259. However, in the 1985 Homecoming victory over Richmond, a record crowd of 18,054 packed the stadium and grounds.

The Spartans were ranked #7 in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision ("FCS"), with 103,320 accumulated attendance for six home games. NSU average game attendance was 17,220 and leads all HBCUs in accumulated home attendance. Last season, NSU home games with in-state rivalry Virginia State and Hampton University had 26, 970 and 27,756, respectively.

The W&M campus is located only an hour or 45 miles from NSU campus. This sounds like University of Delaware vs. Delaware State with a Colonial Athletics Conference in kicking distance of a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 1-AA program. W&M opens their season on the road at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, in a money game.

It would be great if W&M, Hampton University and NSU setup a rotating schedule to play a home and home schedule as a threesome. This would be great for the home gate, strength of schedule, and would reduce transportation costs for both the fans and the teams.

Grambling State University head coach Rod Broadway is making the appropriate steps to be a major force in Louisiana football recruiting. The Tigers coach recently made a scholarship offer to Louisiana's 'Mr. Football', standout Bastrop quarterback Randall Mackey. He is the state's Class 4A most-valuable player and the state's 'Mr. Football' for 2007. He has been offered by several programs, including Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State and University of Louisiana - Monroe.

As a senior, Mackey threw for 3,103 yards and 33 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,087 yards and 17 scores, to complete a perfect 36-0 record on the field as a starter.

Norfolk State University September 20, 2008 opponent, the College of William and Mary has an achievement that no other 1-AA program can touch.

William & Mary holds the distinction of producing twelve professional football coaches, such as Mike Tomlin ('95) - Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach; Michael "Pinball" Clemons ('87) - Toronto Argonauts (CFL) Head Coach; Brian Daboll (Former Assistant Coach, 1997) - New York Jets Quarterbacks Coach; Mark Duffner ('75) - Jacksonville Jaguars Linebackers Coach; Ivan Fears ('76) - New England Patriots Running Backs Coach; Hal Hunter - San Diego Chargers Offensive Line Coach; Marv Levy (Former head coach, 1964-68) - Buffalo Bills General Manager (Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee); Kevin Rogers ('74) - Minnesota Vikings Quarterbacks Coach; Jim Ryan ('79) - Denver Broncos Defensive Assistant Coach; Rip Scherer ('75) - Cleveland Browns Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Coach; Danny Smith (Former Assistant Coach, 1980-83) - Washington Redskins Special Teams Coach; and Alan Williams ('92) - Indianapolis Colts Defensive Backs Coach.

This is an amazing accomplishment for a 1-AA football program.

Jackson State University coaching staff has been selected to head a team in the inaugural American Heritage Bowl. Rick Comegy and his assistants will coach an all-star team of players from the SWAC and SIAC.

Delaware State University's Al Lavan has agreed to coach the opposing team, made up of players from the MEAC and the CIAA. The game will be played Jan. 26, 2008 at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Field. Rosters will be released after Christmas. Television details have not been finalized.

"It's a great honor for our school and this coaching staff," said Comegy, who hopes to get seven Tigers on the team. "It's going to be shown in front of 31 million ... on ESPN. "They want to keep this game going and make it a historical game for black college."

Newly hired Alcorn State University coach Ernest Jones will not retain any of the assistants who worked under previous coach Johnny Thomas. The former Cincinnati running backs coach made the decision Wednesday. "I interviewed everyone," Jones said. "Then I looked at some guys I was able to get and decided to go in another direction."

Jackson State University alumnus Fred Jackson was brought back as Michigan's running backs coach on Friday, a day after new coach Rich Rodriguez fired all the assistants on Lloyd Carr's staff. "Rich spoke with everyone individually last night and did not want to hold them up in exploring other options," said school spokesman David Ablauf. "He has rehired Fred Jackson as an offensive coach."

FAMU 0-2 in head football coaching search

Photo: John Eason, University of Georgia Associate Head Coach Wide Receivers, will remain with Bulldogs.

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Florida A&M University's William "Bill" Hayes era is getting off to a shaky start in the selection of a new Rattlers head football coach to replace Rubin Carter.

Carter was fired by FAMU on November 20, and placed on administrative leave until April 22, 2008. His assistant coaches are on paid administrative leave until February 12, 2008.

Former athletic director Nelson Townsend resigned November 20, and will be on administrative leave with pay until February 12, 2008, his last day of employment.

The University of Wyoming hired Bob Cole as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Cowboys football team. Cole, formerly the Rattlers offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach under Carter, was selected "sole source" by head coach Joe Glenn at the Football Bowl Championship Subdivision (Division 1A) Western Athletic Conference school. Cole's salary as the offensive coordinator of the Cowboys will be $123,480 per year for two years.

Rubin Carter was a finalist last week for the head coaching position at Savannah State University. Carter was not selected by the Tigers administration to lead the woeful 1-AA Independent football program that has not had a winning season since 1998. Savannah State has had 9 head football coaches in the past 13 years. Theo Lemon was fired after two seasons and a 3-18 record.

First year Grambling State University head football coach Rod Broadway turned down an offer by Florida A&M to lead the Rattlers program on December 18, when he decided to accept a matching offer from the Tigers administration and remain in his present position. Prior to the new deal with Grambling State, Broadway's base salary was $156,000, plus bonuses of $13,000 for winning the SWAC West division title ($3,000) and playing two 1-A schools--Pittsburgh and Louisiana Monroe ($10,000) for a $169,000 salary. He also gets additional bonuses based on the net revenue Grambling receives from those Football Bowl Subdivision contests.

Yesterday, Georgia associate head coach John Eason admits being flattered by the attention from his alma mater, Florida A&M. But in the end, Eason decided that he wanted to remain a Bulldog, rather than accept the opportunity of becoming the Rattlers' head football coach.

"I really wanted to do it," said Eason, 62, who also serves as Georgia's receivers coach. "It was something that I wanted to do and I just felt like I could not. I just felt like I had to stay here. I was looking at what I've got coming back and what I've got coming in and it's a treat."

"It was just a situation where it was just not meant to be."

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So, the big question--who's next on the Rattlers short list of candidates? May be a full and open coaching search with the submission of applications/resumes' by interested applicants may be the best approach at this time. This is not an easy task fans, so let us all be patient with the process.

If Florida A&M had a new coaching staff in place with assistant coaches, the staff would not be able to go see kids again until Jan. 14, 2008, when the dead period ends, and can recruit all the way to February 3, 2008. National signing day, the first day that a high school athlete can sign a binding letter of intent to play college football is February 6, 2008. These are the real time-lines that the administration is working with in hiring a new coaching staff.