2010 Honda Battle of the Bands

ATLANTA, GA - Set against a colorful backdrop of dynamic performances by eight of the nation’s top Historically Black College and University [HBCU] marching bands, a reverent marching band tribute to the late music icon Michael Jackson, and all the hype of a live performance from hip-hop artist, Ludacris, the 2010 Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) Invitational Showcase had a crowd of more than 55,000 “shaking their bodies down to the ground.”

In the end, the 2010 Honda Battle of the Bands concluded with the message of unity for humanity, evident in much of the “King of Pop’s” music and in several marching band dedications to the Haitian relief effort. The 1,800 student musicians and 55,000plus fans were inspired to reflect on the role they play in making the world a better place. HBCU friends, fans, students and alumni traveled from all over the United States to enjoy the 2010 Honda Battle of the Bands, the lineup of which included:

Albany State University “Marching Rams” (Albany, Georgia)
Clark Atlanta University “Mighty Marching Panthers” (Atlanta, Georgia)
Florida A&M University “Marching 100” (Tallahassee, Florida)
North Carolina Central University “Marching Sound Machine” (Durham, North Carolina)
Prairie View A&M University “Marching Storm” (Prairie View, Texas)
Southern University “Human Jukebox Marching Band” (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
Tuskegee University “Marching Crimson Pipers” (Tuskegee, Alabama)
Virginia State University “Trojan Explosion Marching Band” (Petersburg, Virginia)

The multi-faceted show was a virtual musical menagerie, blending the latest chart-topping R&B and Hip-Hop, pop, rock, funk and more. And, as a special treat, Atlanta-native and award-winning Hip-Hop artist and actor Ludacris was a featured special guest, performing his latest single “How Low”, from his highly-anticipated new album, Battle of the Sexes, before his hometown crowd.

We now take you to the Georgia Dome, Atlanta for yestersday's big show. Enjoy!

Jackson State Tigers get pledge from Yazoo City's King

JSU Coach Rick Comegy is snatching his share of blue chip players on the "must have lists" of 1-A programs.

Jackson State landed a TKO on Thursday night. No, really. Yazoo City linebacker Taurice King, nicknamed "TKO" for his vicious hits, visited the JSU campus in the afternoon and had verbally committed by the time the day ended- giving the program its biggest name of the recruiting season. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder will bring 4.5 40-yard dash speed to the rover position. The second-team All-State selection chose JSU over Alabama, Memphis and Alcorn State (where his dad played basketball). Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss had offered scholarships.

"The school compares to a (Division I) SEC school to me," King said. "(I go) sideline to sideline and hit hard. "TKO, baby. They call me the 'Gridiron King' around here." King was given a three-star rating by Scout.com and received two stars from Rivals.com. He finished the season with 132 tackles and played in the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Classic.

READ MORE, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

JSU Tigers 2010 Commitments
1. Taurice King, LB, 6-2/230, 4.5/40 dash, Yazoo City, MS 3-Star
2. Torrey Harkness, QB, 5-11/186, Los Angeles Southwest Junior College
3. Chris Gilzeane, LB, 5-11/225, Stone Mountain High School, Georgia
4. Thurman Byrd, Jr., DT, 6-2/263, 5.36/40 dash, Seminole High School, Sanford, Florida (Ranked No. 35 in the Orlando Sentinel's Central Florida Top 100). Byrd collected 52 tackles and a season high nine during a 21-20 win against Mainland Sept. 25. Seminole (9-3) advanced to the 6-A region semifinals where it lost a 31-10 contest to Winter Park.
5. William Golston, WR, 6-3/185, 4.4/40 dash, Murphy High School, Mobile, AL

Tennessee State 2010 Football Schedule Announced

TSU head football coach Rod Reed














The Tennessee State University football team will return to the Circle City Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN for the 2010 season. TSU will be matched against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foe North Carolina A&T University. The Aggies will replace Southern University on the Tigers 2010 schedule. TSU’s last appearance in the Circle City Classic was in 2005 when they dropped a16-3 decision to North Carolina A&T in the RCA Dome.

The Tigers will again participate in four “Classic” games against traditional rivals from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Coupled with their seven game Ohio Valley Conference schedule, the Big Blue will play an eleven-game schedule including four games on their home turf, LP Field in Nashville, TN.

The “Classic” match-ups begin on Labor Day Weekend, September 4th with the John Merritt Classic in Nashville, TN against Alabama A&M (SWAC), then on to Memphis, TN, Sept. 11th against Jackson State (SWAC). On September 25th the Tigers travel to Atlanta, GA to face off against Florida A&M (MEAC) and on October 2nd to Indianapolis, IN to battle North Carolina A&T (MEAC).

In Ohio Valley Conference play, TSU will host Austin Peay State on September 18th in the annual Bikers’ game. Road trips to Southeast Missouri State and Jacksonville State follow on October 9th and 16th respectively. The Tigers end the month of October hosting Tennessee Tech on October 23rd, followed by an open date on October 30th. The Big Blue finishes their regular season schedule hosting Eastern Illinois for Homecoming on November 6th and finishing with road games at Tennessee Martin and Murray State on November 13th and 20th respectively.

Tennessee State University -Tentative 2010 Football Schedule
Date Opponent Location Time
9/4 Ala. A&M Nashville, TN 6 pm John Merritt Classic, LP Field
9/11 Jackson State Memphis, TN 6 pm So. Heritage Classic, Liberty Bowl
9/18 Austin Peay Nashville, TN 6 pm Bikers’ Classic, LP Field
9/25 Florida A&M Atlanta, GA TBA Atlanta Classic, Georgia Dome
10/2 N.Carolina A&T Indianapolis, IN TBA Circle City Classic, Lucas Oil Stadium
10/9 SEMO* Cape Girardeau, MO TBA
10/16 Jax State* Jacksonville, AL TBA
10/23 Tenn. Tech * Nashville, TN 6pm LP Field
10/30 O P E N
11/6 Eastern Illinois * Nashville, TN 5 pm, Homecoming, LP Field
11/13 Tenn.-Martin* Martin, TN TBA
11/20 Murray State * Murray, KY TBA

Savannah State Football Coach Robby Wells Resigns

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Robby Wells announced that he is resigning from his position as head football coach at Savannah State University for personal reasons. Wells’ resignation will be effective immediately. “I have decided to resign as head football coach at Savannah State University for personal reasons,” Wells said. “At this point I have to think about my family and my health before I can think about anything else. I wish the players well as they pursue their dreams on and off the field. My thoughts and prayers will be with them as they continue to progress in their collegiate career.”



Marilynn Suggs, interim athletics director, has appointed Julius Dixon to serve as interim head football coach. Dixon served as the Tigers defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for the past two seasons. He was recently moved to defensive line coach. “SSU’s athletics department has accepted Coach Wells’ resignation and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Suggs said. “We are confident that Coach Dixon will do a great job in the interim as we begin our search for a head football coach. Coach Dixon will have the full support of the athletics administration as we move forward into signing day and spring practice.”

Wells became SSU’s 21st head football and compiled a 7-15 record over the span of two seasons. The Tigers finished with a 5-7 record in 2008 and a 2-8 record in 2009. Wells came to SSU after serving as defensive coordinator and football marketing director for one season at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. Prior, Wells served as the General Manager for the Augusta Spartans Arena Football Team in 2006. Wells got his first coaching job at an HBCU in 2002, serving as the defensive coordinator at South Carolina State University from 2002-2005. SSU will begin a nationwide search to find a replacement immediately.

Opinion on Robby Wells' departure

"The Ayatollah" -- SSU Vice President for Administration, Dr. Claud Flythe

I think Savannah State University Vice President for Administration Claud Flythe made a good decision. I don't know the specific reason behind Robby Wells' resignation as SSU's football head coach Thursday after two seasons at the helm. Wells is saying it's for personal reasons, and that he's going to focus on his health.But read between the lines. Flythe is supporting Wells' explanation. But I believe with all of my heart that Wells was given a choice to either resign or be fired. Theo Lemon was given the same choice. He told SSU to fire him.

I believe Wells sealed his fate when it was revealed publicly last Friday night that 28 players will not participate in spring practice (15 players quit the team, 13 players are ineligible). Once Flythe (whose nickname is "The Ayatollah") learned about this, I believe he offered Wells the choice of either resigning or being fired.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Opinion on Robby Wells' departure
Savannah State football coach Robby Wells resigns after two seasons
SSU football coach Robby Wells resigns after 2 seasons

Gaither, Galimore Among Black College Football Hall of Fame Inductees

Former Black College football standouts Walter Payton and Jerry Rice and coaches Eddie Robinson and Jake Gaither are among the 11-member inaugural induction class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame. The Black College Hall of Fame, established last year by former quarterbacks James Harris and Doug Williams to honor the greatest players and coaches from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), will honor the inaugural class at its first enshirement ceremony Feb. 20, 2010 in Atlanta. The class of eight players, two coaches and one contributor was selected from a field of 260 nominees and 35 finalists.

Payton played at Jackson State from 1971-74 and later finished his pro career as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. Payton is already a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Rice had an All-American career at Mississippi Valley State and went on to set several receiving records in the NFL. Rice is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and a finalist for this year’s Pro Football induction class.


Chicago Bears RB Willie Galimore (Florida A&M Rattlers)

Robinson spent 56 years as the coach at Grambling State University, winning 405 games and nine Black College championships while sending more than 80 players to the NFL and AFL. The award presented annually to the top coach in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) is named in his honor. Gaither won 203 games and six Black College titles during his 25 seasons at Florida A&M. Gaither was famous for saying he wanted his players ‘agile, mobile and hostile.’

READ MORE, CLICK BLOG TITLE.
--------------------
From: http://www.blackcollegefootballhof.org/

WILLIE GALIMORE
Willie “Gallopin’ Gal” Galimore, as a running back at Florida A&M University from 1953 to 1956, was all-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference choice four times and was named a Black College All-America by the Pittsburgh Courier three times. The Rattlers won four conference championships while Galimore was at FAMU and one Black College National Championship. He played for the Chicago Bears from 1957 to 1963, before passing away tragically at the age of 29 in an auto accident in Rensselaer, Indiana, on July 27, 1964. As FAMU’s all-time leading rusher, Galimore averaged 94 yards per game and was the Rattler’s first 1,000-yard runner (1,203 yards in 1954).



JAKE GAITHER
Coach Alonzo “Jake” Gaither spent 24 years at Florida A&M University, from 1945 to 1969, amassing an astonishing record of 203-36-4. His teams won 18 Conference Championships and were Black College National Champions six times. In a 10-year streak, from 1953 to 1962, his teams went 87-7-1. His “split line T” offense was adopted by several major college programs, and he retired in 1969 with a .844 winning percentage, the best ever among all NCAA coaches. In 1975 he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
TU's Stevenson joins Rice, Payton in Black College Football Hall of Fame
Black College Hall of Fame finalists announced
Black College Football Hall of Fame
Plans for Black College Football Hall of Fame announced - Atlanta ...

Alabama State Hornet's Barlow shakes up staff

Alabama State football coach Reggie Barlow has again made significant changes to his coaching staff, including replacing both coordinators. Former Grambling State head coach Melvin Spears has been hired as the Hornets' new offensive coordinator. Cedric Thornton, who served as ASU's linebackers coach last season, has been promoted to defensive coordinator. Barlow confirmed the hiring of Spears, who will be ASU's fourth offensive coordinator during Barlow's three-year tenure, but said he wasn't prepared to discuss other staff changes.



















ASU Hornets head football coach Reggie Barlow.

Jo Nixon, who told the Montgomery Advertiser that he recently resigned as ASU's defensive coordinator to become the defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator at Texas Southern, said Thornton had been promoted to coordinator before his departure. Thornton becomes ASU's third defensive coordinator under Barlow. Nixon also confirmed that offensive line coach Kenneth Ray has been terminated. "I am very excited to have Melvin Spears joining our coaching staff," Barlow said in a statement released by ASU's sports information department. "He is an outstanding coach and will be a big asset to our program."

READ MORE, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

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.

READ MORE, CLICK BLOG TITLE.