Doing his best to make NSU the best it can be

Marty Miller does his best thinking while tooling around in his little red Corvette. In those moments, Norfolk State's athletic director imagines a dynamic future in which the Spartans dominate the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Miller believes 2009 will be the football team's best season since joining Division I in 1997. Men's and women's basketball - both under upstart coaches - are two to three years away from separating themselves from the rest of the conference, he assures.

If NSU's major sports programs follow his lofty time line, it will largely be due to Miller's commitment to the program, which he took over on an interim basis in December 2004. He fashions himself a winner, and he has high expectations for the future. Whether it's Scrabble or any game the Spartans are involved in, Miller hates to lose - one reason the former Army lieutenant coached the Spartans' baseball team to 700 victories. "I'm always competing in everything I do," Miller says. "I wonder how I got to this point in life. But I'm like that at everything I do. In life, I want to be the best."

His wife of 35 years - and mother to their son, 33-year-old Marty Eric - confirms that. "He would come home after coaching, and I knew when he walked in the door whether he won or lost," Liz Miller says. "It's always been about NSU for him. "NSU is the other woman in my life."

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Hampton U. gears up for new transition

The Pirates move forward with Donovan Rose after the unexpected dismissal of Jerry Holmes.

Donovan Rose has known Jerry Holmes since 1986, when the two played against each other in the NFL. So when Rose learned that Holmes had been dismissed as Hampton University's football coach, and that he would be replacing him, he reached for the phone. "I wanted to call Jerry," said Rose, a defensive back with the Miami Dolphins when Holmes was a cornerback with the New York Jets. "It was in my heart. ... I said, 'You gonna be all right?' He said, 'Yeah. I'm good, I'm good.' Jerry, he's a realistic guy. He's fine. "I'm glad that I spoke to him. That took a load off, just being able to speak to him."

Rose, Hampton's secondary coach for 17 seasons before taking Holmes' defensive coordinator spot when Holmes became the Pirates' head coach last year, was introduced officially as Holmes' replacement Wednesday. Holmes, who went 6-5 in his one season, was fired Monday, after athletic director Lonza Hardy said his planned job interviews with NFL teams were hurting the program.

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Doing his best to make NSU the best it can be

FAMU baseball heads into season with reloaded roster

FAMU Coach Robert Lucas cleans Rattlers house; only 12 players return from last year's squad

With less than half of the players from last year's roster returning to FAMU's baseball team, coach Robert Lucas has reloaded the Rattlers with a mix of transfers and walk-ons. At least two football players are expected to join the team along with transfer outfielders Stavone Martin and Tobi Adeyemi. Their presence should bolster the Rattlers offensively, said Lucas, who has shaken up his team's personnel after they were unable to carry late-season momentum into the MEAC tournament.

"We talked about last year and the disappointment we had in the tournament for one day," Lucas said. "There is no point in us belaboring the fact that we didn't do what we were supposed to do. I think not bringing it up is going to help us focus on the things we need to do fundamentally." FAMU will have a much different look when the season starts with a doubleheader against Jackson State on Feb. 20. Only 12 players, including infielder/pitcher Tim Schalch and MEAC MVP pitcher Jared Jefferies, will return from last year's squad.

Of the 14 players who won't return, only two were lost to graduation, Lucas said. "After a while, you have to make some decisions on education and athletics," he said, explaining the cuts that he's made. "I felt from what I didn't see in their abilities that it was time for them to work on their academics."

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WSSU Athletics Releases 2009 Football Schedule

by WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations

Rams to play five home contests and UC Davis in California

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Winston-Salem State University Director of Athletics, Dr. Chico Caldwell officially released the 2009 Ram football schedule on Wednesday morning with several highlights of the 11-game slate being WSSU's five home games to take place at Bowman Gray Stadium, the Urban League Classic in East Rutherford, N.J. and a West coast road trip to Davis, Calif. to face the Aggies of UC Davis.

The Rams will play a full complement of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference games with only two non-conference opponents gracing the schedule in longtime rival, North Carolina Central University (November 14) and Great West Football Conference member, the University of California, Davis (October 17). WSSU, who will enter into their fourth year of a five-year transition to the NCAA Division I level in the fall of 2009, will play nine MEAC contests highlighted by MEAC home games against North Carolina A&T in the Battle of I-40 Classic (September 5), Florida A&M (October 10), Hampton for Homecoming 2009 (October 31), Delaware State (November 7).

The Rams will take to the road to face Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference member South Carolina State in Orangeburg (September 26) before traveling to the nation’s capital to kickoff versus Howard in Washington, D.C. (October 3) on back-to-back weeks. WSSU will also travel to points south as they visit Daytona Beach, Fla. to face Bethune-Cookman (October 24) before completing their road schedule in Norfolk, Va. against Norfolk State University in the final week of the season (November 21).

Highlighting the Rams’ games away from home marks dates at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. with the Bears of Morgan State University in the Urban League Classic and a cross-country trip to Davis, Calif. to face the Aggies of UC Davis. The Aggies, a team that recently completed a five-year transition to NCAA Division I will face the Rams in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

“We are extremely pleased with our 2009 football schedule” WSSU Director of Athletics, Dr. Chico Caldwell commented. “We have a good schedule with several highlights.”

“We’ll be in the Urban League Classic at Giants Stadium and we have Florida A&M coming into Bowman Gray Stadium, which is something that our fans are excited about. We have a very balanced schedule with five home games and six games away from home and we get to take our team out to California to play UC Davis as well as playing host to Hampton at Bowman Gray Stadium for Homecoming” Caldwell added. It's uncertain whether Florida A&M will bring its famous 424-member band to Winston-Salem. "I don't know if their band is coming, because I know we can't pay for it -- they have a big band," Caldwell said. "We're excited about them coming to Bowman Gray Stadium."

Season tickets for 2009 WSSU football will go on sale on Monday, July 6 at 10:00 a.m. at the WSSU Ticket Office. Tickets may be purchase in person, or by phone via credit card at (336) 750-3220. For additional information on WSSU football, log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at http://www.wssurams.com/.

Click here for 2009 Printable Schedule.

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Rams' football schedule has five games at home

Note to Dr. Caldwell... Great move scheduling a weaken Hampton for homecoming. The unofficial FAMU answer is no, the Marching 100 will not be coming to Winston Salem. The policy is simple--no Money, No Marching 100 Band. Nine buses, hotel and food is not free for 450 members of the hundred. Still, the price of admission is worth the trip to WSSU for the fans to see Joe Taylor's Rattlers steamroll the Rams on their way to the MEAC Championship.

Not sure who has the correct date for the Rams vs. Rattlers game -- FAMU schedule shows the game scheduled on September 12th, the Rams current OPEN DATE. The Rattlers plan to be at Miami on Oct 10 for a $400,000 payday and another demoralizing D-I flattening by the Hurricanes.

-beepbeep

UMES bowlers win Bulldog Classic title

(L) All-American Kristina Frahm with last season's All-MEAC senior Jessica Worsley during NCAA national championship tournament.

BOWIE, Md. -- The nation's defending NCAA champions, University of Maryland Eastern Shore headed to the Lady Bulldog Classic in search of their first title of the year. They got it, taking first place on pin fall, amassing almost 10,500 pins, 162 better than the next team. All-American Maria Rodriguez averaged a 240.1 and earned tournament MVP honors.

Rodriguez was unstoppable as she posted a pin fall of 1441 over six games including five games over 200. Her high came against the host Lady Bulldogs of Bowie State, as she roiled a 279, the highest game of her collegiate career. She went on to roll games of 224, 267, 257 and 233.

She wasn't the only Hawk to post an average of 200 or better. Kristina Frahm (Oswego, Ill.) tallied 1,226 pins and an average of 204.3. She finished ninth overall individually. New Hawk Paula Vilas was close with a 990 pinfall over five games.

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UMES Bowling Team 2008-09 Roster

NAME YR Hometown (Last School)
Benson, Christine FR Greensberg Pa. (Greensberg Salem H.S.)
Brown, Katherine SO Level Green, Pa. (Penn Trafford H.S.)
Culbreth, Jamie SR Hochspeyer, Germany (Kaiserslautern American)
Davis, Jennifer SR Severn, Md. (Meade H.S.)
DiScioscia, Sara SR Hampton, Va. (Poquoson H.S.)
Frahm, Kristina SO Oswego Ill. (Oswego East H.S.)
Perez, Martha SO Bogota, Colombia (English School)
Rodriguez, Maria SO Ibague Tolima, Colombia (La Presentacion)
Vilas, Paula FR Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep. (Univ. of APEC)
Young, Kaitlyn FR Sycamore, Ill. (Sycamore H.S.)

Coaches
Sharon Brummell - Head Coach
Doug Dukes - Assistant Coach
Vince Brummell - Volunteer Assistant Coach

Glades Central (FL) expects 12 football players to sign

Excerpt:

Last year Glades Central only needed one table on the stage for national signing day. The Raiders might need three or four for the football team when they sign letters of intent next Wednesday.No fewer than 12 seniors from the 2008 football team are expected to sign., and nine of them already are committed.

Alabama State has verbal commitments from defensive back James Melton (5-11, 200) and linebacker Emmanuel Rackard (6-3, 230). The Hornets got a verbal from Pahokee offensive lineman Jaquan Bentley during the season and have a shot at landing undeclared Raiders offensive lineman Vincent Harper (6-3, 285). Harper also has an offer from Hampton.

Hampton is one of several schools making a run at diminutive running back Antonio McCloude. McCloude is listed at 5-8, 165. Both of those numbers seem generous, but his speed and his elusiveness helped him pick up offers from Ball State, Alabama State, FIU and Hampton. McCloude is set to visit Hampton this week and there is a growing belief in Belle Glade that he will sign with the Pirates. Hampton has been one of the MEAC’s top teams this decade and sent five players to the NFL combine in 2007.

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Cubs to host Bethune-Cookman Invitational Games

The Daytona Cubs are excited to work together with Bethune-Cookman to bring exciting college baseball to the area. The Bethune-Cookman Invitational will bring teams from Georgia State University, Michigan State University, and Xavier University.

The Invitational will kick off with three games on Friday, March 6th and will end on Sunday, March 8th at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Game times will start at 11am, 3pm, and 7pm. Tickets for this exciting event will be $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children, seniors, and students. Make sure to come support the local students and see if they have what it takes to become the next Daytona Cub!

The Daytona Cubs will also host the MEAC Tournament in May. Games will kick off on Friday, March 15th and will go through Sunday, March 17th. Check the Daytona Cubs website as more information unfolds!