UAPB Hires New Assistant Coaches for 2010

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Head Football Coach Monte Coleman has announced the additions of Jerry Mack, Vernon Dean and Dennis Winston to the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff coaching staff. Jerry Mack will serve as Offensive Coordinator and coach quarterbacks at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Arkansas native spent the previous two seasons as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Central Arkansas. In his first season at UCA, the Bears had one of the Southland Conference's most potent offenses and had two receivers named All-SLC Honorable Mention - including Eric Ware, who was later signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL.

Dean arrives to Pine Bluff after spending last season at Fort Valley State where he coached outside linebackers. The Houston, Texas native spent seven seasons in the NFL tallying 22 interceptions and winning two Super Bowls with the Redskins. Winston spent a total of 10 seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints winning two Super Bowl rings with the Steelers. The Arkansas native spent the 2009 season at Mississippi Valley State where he served as defensive line coach under former MVSU head coach Willie Totten.

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Morgan State -- Maryland Agree in Principle to Meet in 2010 Football

COLLEGE PARK, MD - Maryland and Morgan State have agreed in principle to meet in football during the 2010 season, officials from the schools said Tuesday. It would be the first time the universities - located just 36 miles apart - have played in football. The game, which would be played at Byrd Stadium in College Park, would mean that Maryland's non conference schedule would include two in-state schools. The Terps are already scheduled to face Navy next season at M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore).

Maryland is also scheduled to renew its rivalry with West Virginia next season in Morgantown. No announcement has yet been made by Maryland or Morgan State pending the signing of contracts. Reached by The Baltimore Sun, two Morgan athletic officials and a Maryland official said Tuesday that an agreement had been reached in principle and that details could be completed soon. They all said the game would be played in September.


Playing Maryland would give Morgan State, a Football Championship Subdivision team that plays in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, a chance to gain valuable media exposure. The men's basketball team upset Maryland last season and later reached the NCAA tournament. The Bears began 5-1 in football last season and finished 6-5, 4-4 in the MEAC. The team's toughest non conference game last season was against Akron, which won, 41-0. Morgan State football coach Donald Hill-Eley declined to comment. "As soon as the school has a signed contract, he'll be the first one to speak with you," Morgan State athletics spokesman Leonard Haynes IV said.

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Morgan State is scheduled to play the following programs listed below in 2010. The Bears are seeking one out-of-conference money game to replace Akron. Local rival Towson is not on Morgan's schedule for 2010 and the Tigers are scheduled to play at Indiana in a Thursday night, Sept 2, money-game opener. Expect MEAC newcomer North Carolina Central University Eagles to replace Towson and to play the Bears in Baltimore. Winston-Salem State University Rams drops from the Bears schedule as they move back to the CIAA and Division II.

Morgan State 2010 Football Schedule
At University of Maryland
Home Bethune-Cookman University
At North Carolina A&T State University
At Howard University
Home Delaware State University
At Florida A&M University
At Norfolk State University
Home South Carolina State University
Home Hampton University

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Feeling of urgency grips Jackson State's Coach Comegy, staff

New recruiting class could be pivotal one for program

Rick Comegy sat at his desk Thursday afternoon surrounded by papers, binders, phone numbers and other files. The rest of his coaching staff sat in a meeting room just outside the door, phones nearby and video of players showing on a projector screen. It must be recruiting season. Comegy has cut off most contact with the outside world as he focuses on what could be the most important recruiting class of his four-year tenure at Jackson State.

An unexpected 3-6 record, 3-4 in the SWAC, in 2009 created a state of unrest around the program. Fans were irate with a scoring offense ranked No. 109 in the Football Championship Subdivision and it showed at the gate; JSU has had a lower home attendance just once since 1978. Offensive coordinator James Woody and offensive line coach Bruce Johnson were relieved of their duties.

Now, there's an unquestioned sense of urgency among the coaching staff to prove naysayers wrong. "I don't want people to misconceive what we do at Jackson State and the type of football that we have," Comegy said. "I think people look at that 3-4 record and think it's dead around there. "We're winners around here. I'm not used to losing. That's why I'm emphasizing so hard."

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Defensive Slate for Mississippi Valley Delta Devils Football

Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils new head football coach Karl Morgan brings 21 years of coaching experience to Valley.

Miss. Valley tabs Morgan as coach

ITTA BENA, Miss. — Mississippi Valley State on Monday named Karl Morgan as its new head football coach. Morgan, a native of Houma and a former defensive line coach at both Nicholls State and Southern, spent the past five seasons as defensive coordinator at North Alabama. Morgan replaces Willie Totten, who stepped down Nov. 30 after eight seasons as the head coach of his alma mater. Morgan was introduced Monday on campus. A standout defensive lineman at Vandebilt Catholic and UCLA before playing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Oilers and the Saskatchewan Rough Riders, Morgan has 21 years of coaching experience, including stints as defensive line coach at Nicholls State, Southern, Purdue and Arkansas State and as defensive coordinator at Alcorn State, Hampton and North Alabama.

UNA was a Division II semifinalist in 2005 and 2008 and a quarterfinalist in 2006, 2007 and 2009. Morgan got his start in coaching as the head football coach at Central Catholic High in Morgan City from 1989 to 1992. After spending the 1994 season as the defensive line coach at Nicholls State, Morgan spent 1995 as the defensive line coach at Southern. That year, SU went 11-1 and won the black college national title.

Valley introduces new football coach

Mississippi Valley State University’s new football coach, Karl Morgan, has “experience, professionalism, discipline, energy and a demonstrated winning attitude,” Interim Athletic Director Donald Ray Sims said Monday. The selection of Morgan, the former defensive coordinator at the University of North Alabama, was announced at a press conference. Morgan, a 48-year-old Louisiana native, will replace Willie Totten, who resigned after eight years as head coach. Valley has had only 13 winning seasons in its 58-year history. Morgan said he actively pursued the position.

“I went after this job full of energy and excitement,” he said. “I heard about all the things about consolidation, scholarships and all that kind of stuff. It did not deter me. I saw potential and I saw opportunity here.” After cleaning out his office at North Alabama, he plans to return to Valley on Wednesday. He said he already had a prospective staff put together and plans to serve as defensive coordinator as well as head coach. “The staff has been put together for the most part, but everybody has to now get away from where they’re at,” he said. “Some are going to take some time, as far as two-week notices and all that kind of stuff.”

Morgan has 21 years of coaching experience including stints as defensive line coach at Nicholls State, Southern University, Purdue University and Arkansas State University. He has also served as defensive coordinator at Alcorn State University, Hampton University and North Alabama. North Alabama, an NCAA Division II program, was 55-10 during Morgan’s five years as defensive coordinator. This past season, his defense led the Gulf South Conference in scoring defense, total defense and passing defense.

Valley fans ready to support new football coach

Greenwood-area Mississippi Valley State fans are excited about their new coach, and most of them hope Karl Morgan will recruit the Mississippi Delta more heavily. Morgan, a 48-year-old Louisiana native, replaces Willie Totten, who resigned Nov. 30 after eight years as head coach. Valley had a 3-8 record this year this past season. It was the sixth losing season for Totten, who went 31-58 at the helm of his alma mater. Morgan spent the past five seasons as the defensive coordinator at North Alabama, one of the nation's top NCAA Division II programs. The Lions went 55-10 during Morgan's stint as defensive coordinator. This past season, Morgan's defense led the Gulf South Conference in scoring defense, total defense and passing defense.

Greenwood High School football coach and athletic director Clinton Gatewood, a former Valley player, is excited about meeting Morgan and learning how the new coach plans to turn things around in Itta Bena. "One of our former players, Leroy Collins, played under Morgan at North Alabama, and he loved him as a coach," Gatewood said. "I would love to see coach Morgan recruit the talent in the Delta a lot more because we have a host of talent in this area." Fred Ford, an assistant football coach at Amanda Elzy and a former player at Valley, believes his alma mater selected the right man for the job.

New hire embraces task

ITTA BENA, MS - Karl Morgan knows exactly what he's getting into as the new coach at Mississippi Valley State. He knows that the program can't fill the 63 scholarships allotted to Football Championship Subdivision teams. He knows Gov. Haley Barbour has proposed consolidating Valley and Alcorn State into Jackson State. He knows some of his assistant coaches will have to teach classes. Morgan, formerly the defensive coordinator at North Alabama, doesn't care about any of that.

"It wasn't a deterrent because I think I can be successful raising money," he said. "We're going to be proactive. We're going to hit everybody that we think has some money. If you ask, you can find. "We just need the basics so we can compete. There's a lot of things we need that we probably don't have. But there's not going to be any buyer's remorse. We're going to get it done." The first words out of Morgan's mouth after being introduced by interim athletic director Donald Sims were, "I want to be here." He needed the Valley faithful to understand that he actively pursued the job, looking for an edge by calling several contacts and even getting some help from his two sons to put together a PowerPoint presentation for his interview. A collegiate assistant coach since 1993, this is the head coaching opportunity Morgan has been looking for.

MVSU names new head football coach

Former UCLA standout Karl Morgan has been named the new head football coach at Mississippi Valley State. Morgan, who has served as defensive coordinator for NCAA Division II powerhouse North Alabama for the past five season, was announced as the man to replace MVSU legend Willie Totten on Tuesday. Totten, who starred as a quarterback for Valley during the 1980s, went 31-57 during his eight seasons as the head coach in Itta Bena. The Delta Devils were 3-8 last season. Morgan was defensive coordinator at Alcorn State in 2001 and also coached at Southern University in 1995. He played two years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was captain of UCLA's 1983 Rose Bowl Championship team.

NOTE: Valley brought five candidates to the campus last week for interviews and public forums. In addition to Karl Morgan, the university interviewed Charlie Brown, ex-head coach at Savannah, Ga., High School; Sam Washington, Grambling State assistant and a former MVSU defensive coordinator; Richard Wilson, head coach at Arkansas Baptist; and L.C. Cole, head coach at Stillman College.

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New Beginning for Southern Jaguars Football

Southern University Coach Lyvonia ‘Stump’ Mitchell: "Football games aren’t won in that September, October and November. They’re won in that spring and summer workout programs," Mitchell said. “That’s something the guys are going to have to understand. But that’s all secondary to getting their butts to class.”

Stump has big shoes to fill

Wednesday marked a new day in Southern's football rich history. A day the school hadn't seen in 17 years. At 9:30 that morning, inside the J.S. Clark Administration Building, when new Jaguars coach Stump Mitchell stepped to the podium and adjusted the microphone to fit his 5-foot-9 frame, a new era begun. It was the first time a football coach other than Pete Richardson had addressed the schools administration and alumni in almost two decades. It was Mitchell's first time on campus. As a matter of fact, it was the first time Mitchell had ever seen the campus.

To be clear, leadership atop the SU football program changed hands not because Richardson was 6-5 the past two seasons with consecutive losses in the Bayou Classic. Not because he had gone ringless since 2003, by far his longest drought without a Southwestern Athletic Conference championship during his time. But because he wasn't producing at, well, a Pete Richardson-like pace. From 1993-2009, Richardson stockpiled a hefty 134-62 record, claiming five SWAC titles and four Black College National Championships. Three of those championships came in a three-peat from '97-99. Since then, things changed.

Mitchell begins to woo critics

Complaints? Concerns? Criticism? Even before Stump Mitchell became Southern University’s new football coach, he heard about them all. Oh, did he hear about them. Over the phone. Over the Internet. From overhead, down below and every other angle. Mitchell said he heard all the stories about upset fans: about the crowd that said his hiring was an outright tragedy, about the groups of alumni who threatened to not renew their season tickets, about the people who said he’ll wind up begging for work in a few years.

To sum it up, Southern’s choice of Mitchell wasn’t roundly accepted. In time, he said, he will win over the critics. “That’s another thing I have to do, and I understand that,” he said. “I’m excited to be here. And trust me: You all are going to be excited to have me here. That’s just the bottom line. I came here to do a job, and I’m going to get the job done.” Mitchell started the campaign that first day, attempting to pound out the dents in his armor, doing his best to please the crowd. He said that as a high-school recruit, he simply wasn’t tall enough or strong enough to earn a scholarship offer from Southern. Heck, he barely earned a scholarship offer from anywhere.

Mitchell says it starts in classroom

He rose from his chair, walked toward the lectern and adjusted the microphone to suit his 5-foot-9 frame. He rested his hands on either side of the wooden box. All the while, a smattering of Southern University fans, alumni and faculty members clapped, quietly and politely. Then Stump Mitchell started to speak. He praised his predecessor, Pete Richardson, noting all the success Richardson had in 17 seasons. “I don’t have to create history,” he said. “I just to have to try to repeat history.” Then Mitchell got to brass tacks.

A mere 14 seconds into his first public speech as the Jaguars’ new football coach, he outlined what seemed to be his first priority within the program. It had little to do with recruiting, video equipment, or so much as a new set of hip pads. “More than me trying to repeat history is the players on this football team,” he said. “(They) have to try to repeat history — not necessarily on the football field, but in the classroom. “I’ve got problems coming in here. I’ve got 12 guys who are trying to learn a new system who won’t be able to participate in spring ball. That’s a problem. We’ve got to fix that. It’s got to start with discipline.”

Southern introduces Mitchell as new coach

Ricky Diggs was thrilled. No, Southern University officials weren’t there to introduce him. Alumni weren’t there for him. None of the fans had come to inspect Diggs, size him up, to judge for themselves if he was a good fit for the program. On Wednesday morning, those people gathered on the second floor of the J.S. Clark Administration Building to see and hear Stump Mitchell, who, at long last, addressed a crowd as Southern’s new head football coach.

Still, Diggs sat quietly, a few feet to Mitchell’s right. A full head of snow-white hair sat atop his head. He wore a sharp suit, a fedora and a grin that doesn’t come with a price tag. This wasn’t his day. But it sure felt like it. More than 30 years ago, Diggs was a running backs coach at The Citadel, where a certain 5-feet-9 ball of energy — Mitchell — was on his way to becoming the school’s all-time rushing leader. “He’s a far better person than he’s ever been as a football player. That comes across immediately,” Diggs said. “Sometimes people can put on a façade. And eventually, their true colors are going to show. But Stump was always the same.”

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Chicago Bulls -- Lindsey Hunter

Chicago Bulls guard Lindsey Hunter, a SWAC Hall of Famer who played basketball at Alcorn State and Jackson State, is defying the odds. The average NBA career is just five years, but Hunter is in his 17th season. Only Shaquille O’Neal, in his 18th season, has been in the league longer. This season, the average NBA player is 27.71 years. Hunter celebrated his 39th birthday on Dec. 3 and is the oldest player in the league.

The Detroit Pistons used the first of their back-to-back first round picks to select Hunter 10th overall in the 1993 NBA Draft, one spot ahead of University of Tennessee guard Allan Houston. Everyone else in 1993 draft class has moved on. Most notably No. 1 pick Chris Webber is an analyst on TNT’s NBA telecasts; Houston works in the New York Knicks’ front office, and Sam Cassell, the 24th pick, is an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards. Not Hunter, even though he said two years ago that he planned to retire at the end of the 2007-08 season. “I say that every year,” says Hunter, who is in his second season with the Bulls. “The biggest reason (for continuing to play) is I love the game. I really love the game of basketball.”

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3-Time BCU All-American Ash moves to Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma hurdler Ronnie Ash and triple jumper Will Claye have been named to the pre-season watch list for the 2010 Bowerman Award, collegiate track and field's top individual honor. With only 10 individuals named to the watch list for the award that is the equivalent to the Heisman, the Oklahoma Track and Field program is one of only two in the nation to have multiple athletes on the watch list joining the University of Oregon with two athletes.

Both athletes enter the 2010 season with NCAA titles to their name as Ash, a junior and recent transfer from Bethune-Cookman, won both the 60-meter hurdles and 110-meter hurdles NCAA titles in 2009 and Claye, a sophomore, claimed the NCAA outdoor triple jump title. A newcomer to the OU program, Ash arrives in Norman as the nation's top-ranked collegiate hurdler having won the 2009 NCAA titles in the 60- and 110-meter hurdles. The junior from Raleigh, N.C., was a three-time MEAC Champion while at Bethune-Cookman and earned three All-America honors as well.

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