Changes are coming under former Grambling State's Robert Smith

Houston, Texas - Clear Lake Christian’s football program is about to get a different look. New head coach Robert Smith is setting his sights on lifting the Eagles from 6-man to 11-man football, upgrading the playing field and the bleachers. If anyone can do it, Smith can. He knows football inside, outside and sideways – offense and defense.

Smith played professional football in the NFL and USFL under three coaching legends: Tom Landry with the Cowboys in Dallas, Bud Grant with the Minnesota Vikings and George Allen with the Arizona Wranglers. Smith was drafted in the first round by the Wranglers in 1984 when Allen, the former coach of the Washington Redskins, was at the helm. He also played for Ray Perkins at Tampa Bay. His Tampa Bay and Detroit playing days included winning divisional championships in 1992 and 1993.

In college, Smith played for another football legend. During his four years at Grambling State University (1980-83), he was a starter at defensive end for Eddie Robinson. Before you ask the big question, yes, Smith knows coaching – a lot.

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Savannah State changing attitudes

SAVANNAH, GA -- The Savannah State Tigers will begin a new era under coach Robby Wells.

As they get prepare the new season... the Tigers have signed a pair of new recruits. Wide receiver Alakan Thomas... A 6-3, 190-pounder from McDonough... and Jordan Monico from Hawaii... a fullback and linebacker who stands 6-feet and weighs in at 225-pounds.


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B-CU hurdler to compete in track championships

Freshman Ronnie Ash has been selected to represent Team USA for the 110-meter hurdles in the NACAC under-23 Championships in Toluca, Mexico.

Ash, 19, is the first runner in Bethune-Cookman history to represent the U.S. The NACAC is the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association. The event takes place every other year, and involves teams comprised of the best athletes under 23 from the United States, Canada and Caribbean.

"This is a truly a huge honor for Ronnie," head coach Garfield Ellenwood said. "He worked extremely hard all season, earned All-America status for himself and the school, and now represents not only B-CU but also Team USA in the NACAC games. What a huge, huge honor for a freshman."

BCU Freshman Ronnie Ash (Lane #6) has All-American race for third place finish in NCAA Outdoor National Championships and does not get his name called once by TV announcers.


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Prairie View baseball coach going to TSU

Michael Robertson resigned Monday as Prairie View A&M baseball coach after six seasons, saying he has accepted an offer for the same position at Texas Southern.

Robertson said TSU athletic director Charles McClelland, who served as Prairie View's AD from 2001-08, offered him the job Wednesday. A person familiar with the situation said that Candy Robinson, who just completed his 19th season as TSU's coach, would be promoted to director of baseball operations.

Robertson, who went 163-171 with the Panthers and led them to back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament championships in 2006-07, said...

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Capital City Football Classic: Texas Southern vs. Shaw University

Shaw University, the reigning 2007 CIAA Champions, will face Texas Southern University on the gridiron in the Capital City Football Classic in Sacramento, California on Sept. 13 at Hughes Stadium. Game time is set for 4:05 p.m. and will be broadcast live via Comcast Sports Net.

Events will begin on Sept. 11 with the United College Action Network, Incorporated 20th Year Anniversary United Scholarship Gala. We are extremely excited about this incredible opportunity to be a part of the Capital City Football Classic and face Texas Southern; one of the premier athletic programs in the nation,” said Dr. Clarence G. Newsome, President of Shaw University.

File Photo: Texas Southern Tigers vs. University of Texas at El Paso Miners in a 2007 regular season game.

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Former Kentucky player named head basketball coach at MVSU

JACKSON, Miss. -- Former Texas Christian University assistant Sean Woods was chosen as the new head basketball coach at Mississippi Valley State University on Tuesday.Woods replaces James Green, who left earlier this year to become the new coach at Jacksonville State in Alabama.

Woods, a former college basketball standout at Kentucky, served two seasons at TCU as director of basketball operations and then assistant coach. Prior to his time at TCU, Woods spent one year as an assistant coach at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

The two other finalists for the MVSU job were Texas Southern assistant Lacey Reynolds, a former head coach at Grambling State and Harvey Wardell, an assistant at Tougaloo College.

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Mitchell back home at Southern University

There was always an air about Jackie Mitchell. That maturity level melded with athleticism to drive him into being a two-sport standout at Southern. Now, in returning to his alma mater after a successful run in the Canadian Football League, Mitchell’s aura — a seamless blend of easy confidence, attention-grabbing command and seriousness — remains one of his biggest assets.

“I truly felt I just had a different agenda,” Mitchell said of his time at SU. “I knew what I wanted to do, and I wasn’t going to be deterred by anything to get there.” The Canadian experience has added another layer of polish for Mitchell, who will be SU’s defensive backs coach.

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Sprinter headed to Olympic time trials

Since the seventh grade, Romulus' Landria Buckley has been excelling in track. Now this soon to be junior at Howard University in Washington D.C. is headed to the July 6 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. "In the beginning of the year my goal was to run under 13.3 seconds and qualify for regionals," Buckley said. "I surprised myself and made to nationals and ran 13.24 in the 100-meter hurdles."

She said that the adjustment from high school to college was different. For her she had to continue to work hard and really hit the weight room. The workouts are a lot harder and a lot more," she said. "The competition ends up being the best in the country."

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DSU football opener moved to Sept. 4 for TV

Delaware State University's season-opening football game against Florida A&M has been moved to Thursday, Sept. 4, and will be telecast on ESPNU.

The home game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ESPNU also will carry two other Delaware State games during the 2008 season. The Nov. 1 matchup with South Carolina State (1 p.m.) at Alumni Stadium and the Nov. 15 game at Norfolk State (1 p.m.) will be shown on tape-delay on ESPNU at a time to be determined.

The DSU-FAMU game was previously scheduled for Sept. 6.

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Big challenge for SSU coach

Robby Wells says he likes a challenge. He’s got one, all right. Wells was named head coach of the Savannah State University football team on Dec. 22, 2007, taking over one of the most maligned and moribund football programs in Division I. The Tigers have not had a winning season since 1998. They haven’t won more than two games in a season since 1999, and they went 1-9 in 2007.

“We’re doing the same thing Georgia State is doing,” Wells said, noting the Atlanta university’s plans to start a football program. “We’re doing it from scratch.” Problem is, Georgia State doesn’t plan to put its first team on the field for another two years. Savannah State’s been playing football since 1915. They are 7-47 since moving up to Division I in 2002.

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FAMU seeks kicking coach

All-American Vasquez favored to land position

FAMU's kicking game continues to be a major concern for football coach Joe Taylor. Just as soon as he found a seasoned kicker to add experienced depth with signee Trevor Scott, Taylor finds himself searching for a special-teams coach to replace J.B. Gibboney after he unexpectedly took another job.

Taylor said he'll have a replacement hired within the next two weeks. Former FAMU kicker and two-time All-American Juan Vasquez is the leading candidate among applicants for the job.

Gibboney spent spring practice working with freshman Troy Walker, a kicker from Wakulla High School. But Gibboney left FAMU for Purdue about two weeks ago, following his former boss Danny Hope, who is associate head coach for the Boilermakers. Gibboney's departure ironically came just weeks after Orlando Mitjans resigned as defensive coordinator to pursue a business venture. Both Gibboney and Mitjans came from Eastern Kentucky and were the last two hires for Taylor's staff in January (2008).

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FAMU football coach Taylor reaches out to alumni

GAINESVILLE — Recruiting in Alachua County and surrounding areas should be a lot easier for Florida A&M — at least that's the impression that a lively gathering of alumni gave football coach Joe Taylor last weekend.

Taylor's offseason speaking tour made its stop in Gainesville on Saturday, where the Alachua chapter of the FAMU Alumni Association is being revived after a two-year hiatus. The group also promised to help FAMU's recruiting efforts in an area where Rudy Hubbard was the last FAMU coach to seriously recruit during the 1970s.

"There's going to be more competition (for athletes) because he has shown up," said Jesse Heard, a retired football coach at the old Lincoln High School in Gainesville. "He's been tremendously received and it's going to be a lot of energy here."

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Winnipeg Blue Bombers axe SCSU's Cleve McCoy

The axe came down hard on a number of Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday afternoon as the Canadian Football League club made its final cuts.

Sent packing were punter Brian Monroe, quarterback Cleve McCoy, defensive backs Greg Moss, Willie Amos, Kevin Garrett, Sebastian Clovis and Marc Beswick; linebackers Dwayne Slay, Brad Newman, Art Thomas, Jordan Matechuk and Joe Lobendahn...

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McCoy does have a slim opportunity of being signed to the Bombers practice roster.

Ex-NFL linebacker, Disney Sports exec Reggie Williams fighting to save his leg

Battling infection takes ex-NFL star to New York

NEW YORK - Reggie Williams got in his car two months ago and headed north. He said goodbye to the swans and almost nobody else. He'd come to know them on his walks around Lake Eola. They'd take his mind off the pain as he circled the lake. Now the gnawing in his right knee had become too much.

Williams packed his Lexus with a few clothes and an iPod loaded with 18,226 songs. He did not know when he'd get back to Orlando, but the ex- NFL linebacker was certain of one thing. "This was all or nothing," Williams said.

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Hampton U's Briggs jumps to title at Nike Outdoor Nationals

Recent Booker T. Washington graduate DeShana Briggs,will attend Hampton University this fall, won the high jump at the Nike Outdoor Nationals.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - DeShana Briggs and Marlena Wesh came to Nike Outdoor Nationals this weekend hoping to make a statement. Both dominated opponents in Virginia but they wanted to see how they would fare on the national level. Both left satisfied.

Briggs, a recent Booker T. Washington grad, won her first national title when she cleared 5 feet, 8 ½ inches to win the high jump.

“She made goals for herself all season,” Booker T. Washington coach Yolanda Penn said about Briggs. “She got the district title, the region title, the state title and placed third at the indoor national meet. But this was her last time competing as a high school athlete. And I told her it was now or never for a national title and she went out there and competed.”

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Ex-Clemson RB McElrathbey to play for Howard

Southern Pigskin writer B.J. Bennett reports that former Tiger running back Ray Ray McElrathbey will play for Howard University. McElrathbey became famous in 2006 after it was discovered he took custody of his younger brother, Fahmarr, while is mother struggled with a drug addiction and his father with a gambling problem. The younger McElrathbey will accompany Ray Ray to Washington, D.C.

It wasn't a hard decision to pick Howard because I graduate from Clemson with a degree in Sociology on August 9th and Howard has a tremendous Master's Degree program in communications," McElrathbey told Bennett in the Southern Pigskin.com exclusive interview. "Howard is also in a huge market in Washington D.C. It was a no brainer."

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Ray Ray was a reserve running back for the Clemson Tiger, but will become the featured back in Coach Carey Bailey's spread offense. The 5-11/207 back runs a 4.36 40 yard dash with 38 inch vertical. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. Coming out of Atlanta's Mays High School, the three sport star was a Rivals.com 3 star rated running back.

Ray Ray will join Howard incoming Division IA transfers Xavier Rucker (Nebraska) and Oscar Gonzales (Auburn) on Bailey's second Bison team. The Bison season opener against Georgetown just became worth the price of admissions and Metro subway fare to Georgia Avenue.

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Bright showcases talent at 76ers workout

Ex-DSU standout hopes for a shot to realize dream

PHILADELPHIA -- Roy Bright knows his name won't be called when the NBA draft comes around Thursday night and that he has a "long road" ahead of him in order to fulfill his dream of playing in the NBA. Bright just wants a chance.

That's why Bright, who spent his final two seasons of college eligibility at Delaware State, was more than happy to work out for the 76ers on Saturday. It was his first workout for an NBA team, although he said scouts from a few other teams saw him recently in Atlanta.

"He's not ready right now," 76ers president and general manager Ed Stefanski said. "This kid has an NBA body and size (6-6/225), and if he works at his game, you never know. But it's going to take him a couple of years."

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JSU alum Johnson to join NBA Bucks' summer team

Former Jackson State star Trey Johnson has been invited to play with the Milwaukee Bucks' summer league team in Las Vegas starting July 11. But the Murrah High graduate isn't waiting to get started. Johnson plans to travel to Milwaukee next week and start working with the organization.

Johnson averaged 27.1 points as a senior and led JSU to a 2007 NCAA appearance, losing to eventual national champion Florida. He played with the Hemofarm Stada in Serbia for three months at the end of last year. Johnson has been putting his communications degree to work in Jackson with a morning segment "The NBA according to Trey" on WJMI 99.7 and has a blog on the station's website at http://www.wjmi.com/.

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Broadway, Grambling prepare for 'bottom heavy’ season

In his first year at the helm of the venerable program at Grambling State, Rod Broadway guided a young Tigers team to an 8-4 record, a Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division title and an appearance in the SWAC championship game.

Heading into his second year, the veteran coach is faced with the challenge of meeting the always high expectations in the program made famous by the late Eddie Robinson with an even younger, though highly regarded, group of players.

"We're bottom heavy right now," Broadway told the fans and friends of Tiger football who attended the 2008 Tiger Round Up sponsored by the Mildred S. Jones Alumni Chapter at the Martin Community Center in Alexandria Saturday.

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Wait a minute! How can Coach Broadway make this statement...""A few years down the road, we're going to have a team that should be a little better than just OK and a team that should be able to compete for a national championship."

Did I miss a key announcement by the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) while I was out sick for the past four days? If you don't participate in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, how can any SWAC team talk about competing for a national championship? We certainly would like to see the SWAC back into the FCS playoff picture and it can be done with a little schedule rearranging of the Bayou Classic.

Broadway, hopefully, isn't speaking out the side of his neck and there is some internal movement a foot to get the SWAC back into the FCS playoffs as a regular participant.

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Q&A: ASU football coach Barlow tries to move forward

The last few months have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Alabama State's Reggie Barlow. Unfortunately, there have been far more deep plunges than nice, slow uphill rides for the Hornets' second-year head coach.

The trip started just after last football season, when he fired a friend -- offensive coordinator Maurice Harris. That was followed by the hiring of current OC Ben Noonan to completely revamp ASU's offense. That was followed by the release of an NCAA notice of infractions that detailed 668 violations committed by the Hornets from 1999 to 2003. Then came the debacle that was Barlow's interview on Paul Finebaum's radio program.

All in all, he would probably just as soon forget the last half-year. But first, he has to talk about it.

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