Finally!! FAMU's Bob Hayes named to Pro Football Hall of Fame

Bob Hayes had run a 9.1 100 as an 18-year-old freshman at Florida A&M; he later changed professional football forever, bringing speed into the game in a way it had never been there before. A four-time All-Pro, Hayes is the only man that has won an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl.

TAMPA, FL – Bob Hayes' wait is finally over. On Saturday, Hayes, the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and Olympic gold medalist, earned induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, nearly 30 years after he was first eligible to be selected and seven years after his death from kidney failure. "It didn't matter how long it took," his oldest sister, Lucille Hester, said not long after the announcement. "He's made it. This day is here

Hayes is joined in the Class of 2009 by Minnesota guard Randall McDaniel, Buffalo defensive end Bruce Smith, Pittsburgh cornerback Rod Woodson, Kansas City pass rusher Derrick Thomas and Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson. The induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio, will take place Aug. 8.

Hayes became the 11th member of the Cowboys' organization to earn induction, joining teammates Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Rayfield Wright and Mel Renfro as well as fellow Ring of Honor members Tony Dorsett, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Randy White, Tom Landry and Tex Schramm.

Had Hayes not been selected this time, it would have been highly unlikely for him to come through the Senior Committee a third time. He made it to the finals in 2004 only to miss the cut. Five years to the day of that disappointment, however, came elation. "I guess the only downside is that he's not here to enjoy this moment," Hester said. "It's such a wonderful moment for him, a wonderful moment.



Across the state in Hayes' native Jacksonville, (Florida) Charles Sutton, Hayes friend from elementary school and teammate at Matthew Gilbert High School and Florida A&M, got a phone call from their high school coach, Earl Kitching.

"He says, 'Your boy made it. Y'all played ball so you're a part of it,' and all I could think was, 'Thank you, Jesus, thank you,' " Sutton said. "I can see Bob now. He'd be hugging me and saying, 'I made it, roomie, I made it. Let me kiss you.' He would've been so happy he would've started crying and I'd say, 'Man, what are you crying for?' "

Hayes' stats with Cowboys
1,000-yard receivers Pro Bowlers

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Bob Hayes Letter:

October 29, 1999

Lucille,

You know I am not sure I am going to be around if I get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame so you must read this for me, I am not sure, I guess I am feeling sorry for myself at this time but you must remember everything I want you to do and say. Mother said you would do what I want because you always did. So read this for me.

I would like to thank everyone who supported me to get into the NFL Hall of Fame, the Dallas Cowboys organization, all of my team mates (sic) and everyone who played for the Cowboys, (thank the San Francisco 49ers too). Thank the fans all around the country and the world, thank the committee who voted for me and also the ones who may did not vote for me, thank Mother and my family, thank Roger Staubach and tell all my teammates I love them.

Thank the Pro Football Hall of Fame, all the NFL teams and players, Florida A&M University, thank everyone who went to Matthew Gilbert High School, thank everyone in Jacksonville and Florida and everyone especially on the East Side of Jacksonville. Thank everyone in the City of Dallas and in Texas and just thank everyone in the whole world.

I love you all.

Super Bowl XLIII: Bethune-Cookman Band to get 6 minutes of fame

DAYTONA BEACH -- Twenty-three minutes before kickoff Sunday at the Super Bowl, members of the Bethune-Cookman Marching Wildcats will be doing their thing. They get six minutes -- a performance condensed by about half -- to leave their mark on the celebrities and flashing bulbs at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium. Director Donovan Wells told the band it appears unlikely the show will be aired on NBC's pregame.

With NBC selling 30-second spots to advertisers for $3 million, even any exposure for this historically black university could be incalculable. Band members, though, were holding on to a four-letter word after practice. "Keep hope alive," Darius Hatcher said. "Maybe we'll get a clip," Kourtney Lewis added.



THE PREPARATION

Even still, Wells is sure the 320 musicians and dancers won't be star-struck. He's making sure with some 15 hours of practice in advance of the big six minutes. For about two hours Tuesday, band members played with precision, sprinted, marched and danced their routines over and over in search of perfection.

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Super Bowl: Hometowns of Boldin, Holmes falling victim to economy, violence

PAHOKEE, Fla. -- This is not a happy story. Maybe you heard otherwise, but if you did, you heard wrong. This story isn't happy. Dead teenagers don't giggle.

This story is about the two star receivers in Super Bowl XLIII who clawed their way out of the same nook of Florida, the Cardinals' Anquan Boldin and the Steelers' Santonio Holmes, but it's also about the death and destruction they left behind. People are dying. Towns are dying. So don't believe a damn thing you've heard about the reunion of Boldin and Holmes in this Super Bowl. Not if all you've heard is hokey happiness. Because this story isn't hokey. It isn't happy.

"Kids are getting killed," Holmes says. Yes they are. "Our towns ... they're in trouble," Boldin says. Yes they are. This isn't a happy story. But it should be.

Going home

On a per capita basis, no town in the United States has better football than Pahokee. Pahokee High has been to six straight state championship games, and won five. Pahokee products are all over college football, including Wake Forest All-American cornerback Alphonso Smith and starting defensive back Janoris Jenkins of national champion Florida. Pahokee has sent more than a dozen players to the NFL, a statistically staggering feat for a city of 6,000.

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Alcorn State Names Interim Head Coach

By Alcorn State Media Relations

President George E. Ross has announced that Earnest Collins, Jr. is the Interim Head Football Coach. Coach Collins assumed his duties on January 29, 2009.

"We are pleased to have Coach Collins serve in this capacity. He is an exceptional leader, he’s student-athlete centered, and possess the knowledge base to lead our football program in a positive direction. The respect and support this young man has garnered from the ASU community is tremendous," says President Ross.

As Interim Head Football Coach, Collins will operate with all the responsibilities and authority of the head coach. "I want to thank Dr. Ross for the opportunity to become the Interim Head Football Coach. I believed when I came here that we were going to take this program to new heights, and that is still our plan."

Coach Collins brings over 13 years of coaching and teaching experience in athletics. He entered his first season as Defensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach at Alcorn State University last year. Prior to joining the Braves’ staff, Coach Collins spent a year coaching the Secondary for the University of Central Florida, where the Knights ranked 3rd in the C-USA defensive statistics.

Coach Collins began his collegiate coaching career at Northwest Missouri State University as a Secondary/Assistant Special Teams Coach from 1996-1999. During those three seasons with the Bearcats, they won two NCAA Division II National Champions 1998, 1999. After leaving Northwest Missouri, he returned to his alma mater, the University of Northern Colorado as the Coordinator-Secondary/Special Teams, Strength and Conditioning during 1999-2003. While there, he helped to shape a defense that was ranked nationally from 2000-2003.

When Coach Collins departed from the Bears, he became a part of the Jayhawks coaching staff. From 2003-06, he served in the capacity of the Special Teams and Cornerbacks Coach. During his tenure there, he organized the "Character First" and "Mentors" programs. Also, the Jayhawks’ defense was ranked 3rd in the Big12 and 20th in the nation.

Coach Collins began his collegiate playing career at the University of Northern Colorado 1991-94, as a defensive back and punt returner. He earned All-North Central Conference honors following his senior year. He currently holds the Northern Colorado records for career (967) and season (497) punt return yards.

Coach Collins received his B.A. in Kinesiology (Physical Education) from University of Northern Colorado. In 2000, he received his M.S. in Athletic Administration from Northwest Missouri State University.

He is a member of the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interest Committee. Collins’ professional memberships include the Black Coaches Association and the American Football Coaches Association.

He is married to Tabatha, and they have two daughters, Tayler and Marci.

FAMU bowling overcoming adversity to roll to second in MEAC

Jazmin Bingham was looking so much to the start of the bowling season with FAMU's team. She was finally going to get a chance to rejoin her former high school teammate Nina Gilbert on a college team. Then, the news came last summer that left Bingham numb. Gilbert had lost her life in an automobile accident. "I lost a teammate and I lost a friend," said Bingham, who played with Gilbert at Gwendolyn Brooks Preparatory High School in Chicago. "She was always very high-spirited and always looked out for me. It was sad. It was devastating to lose somebody like that."

The entire FAMU team was devastated, then just two months into the season more adversity came. Their assistant coach Paul Williams died unexpectedly; just a few weeks after the team had undergone a head-coaching change. But through their misfortune, the Rattlers found inspiration to roll to a second-place tie in the Southern Division of the MEAC. That secured a berth for FAMU in the conference championship as one of eight teams that qualified.

Photo Gallery: FAMU Bowling Team Practices

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N.C. A&T's Lee: We're selling a brand-new era

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Alonzo Lee's first two weeks as N.C. A&T's new head coach have been anything but quiet. Lee was introduced Jan. 16 and immediately met with recruits and current players while trying to fill out the rest of his coaching staff. Between meeting with recruits and trying to find a house in Greensboro, Lee sat down with the News & Record to talk about myriad issues surrounding Aggie football, next week's national signing day, A&T's recruiting budget and how long he thinks it will take to turn around a program that has lost 36 of its last 39 games:

Let's talk about recruiting. How much of a handicap is it when it's just you and two other coaches out there talking to players?

It's very much a handicap, but it's the way you look at things. It's definitely an uphill battle. You would love to have your entire staff, but I can't count anything that's not there.

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Tough non-conference benefits Prairie View women

Prairie View A&M women's basketball coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's philosophy has been to take life a game at a time.With a 6-1 record in Southwestern Athletic Conference play, life has been pretty good for the Lady Panthers, who host Alabama State Saturday afternoon (5:30 p.m.). The two-time defending conference champs have ripped off five straight wins since a 63-58 loss to Southern Jan. 5 and are reaping the benefits of a daunting non-conference schedule.

"Our biggest concern is that we don't want to peak too soon," said Cooper-Dyke. "We know everyone has been the aggressor against us, and that's something we need to change. We've worked on that in practice, so now we have to be able to turn the tables against our opponents." The Lady Panthers had their mettle tested in an 83-77 overtime win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff Monday, where Prairie View had to overcome a 17-point deficit with 12 minutes left. In Cooper-Dyke's eyes, the rally could serve as a turning point for the team.

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