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The former Atlanta Braves scout, Robert Lucus ends three stints with FAMU baseball with a 154-171-2 career record. The FAMU baseball program was provided below par support by the school's administration and less than six scholarships. The Rattlers are still operating without a permanent athletic director, since William "Bill" Hayes resigned from the post on October 2, 2009, that became effective on December 31, 2009. Hayes is now the A.D. at Winston Salem State University.
Florida A&M has fired Robert Lucas as head baseball coach, following the worst finish in the history of the program that left the Rattlers out of this week’s MEAC tournament. Lucas confirmed Sunday that he was put on administrative leave until August and said he was told his year-to-year contract won’t be renewed. Interim athletic director Mike Smith was in a meeting Monday and wasn’t immediately available to comment. Lucas, however, said that he was told his assistant Brett Richardson would stay on to handle the day-to-day operation of the program until a replacement is hired.
FAMU finished the season with a 10-31 record and 3-15 in conference play. One more conference win would have put the Rattlers into the tournament, but a 1-2 record against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore kept them out in favor of the Hawks, which also had a 3-15 conference mark. Lucas said he was on a recruiting trip when he was called by Smith, who later handed him his termination letter.
NFL Indianapolis Colts ProBowler Robert N. Mathis finally completed his degree requirements at AAMU and graduated with the Class of 2010. Mathis was drafted in 2003 in the 5th Round, Pick 138, after establishing himself as one of the most dominant defensive players in NCAA 1-AA history. The 4 year starter had 20 sacks at defensive end during his senior season with the Bulldogs.
Seven years after leaving Alabama A&M to get drafted in the 5th round by the Indianapolis Colts, Colts defensive stud and all-around cool guy Robert Mathis went back to college, finished his school requirements, and got his degree. "I always like to finish what I start," Mathis said in an interview with The Huntsville Times before walking with more than 500 other graduates. "It's been bothering me. I've been blessed enough to win the Super Bowl, go to two (Super Bowls) but you want that degree. "You were here four years, put in the work and the hard labor and you want to reap the benefits of your labor."
I hope we fans never get numb to this kind of stuff; seeing good guys do responsible, respectable things during a time of year while others are getting caught having sex with under-age hookers in a hotel room. It's just kind of cool to have a team full of players like Robert Mathis. Meet him in person and he's the nicest, most "real" player I've seen. He'll talk about anything, and loves to joke that his favorite thing to do in the entire world is sack Tom Brady.
Well, for one day at least, sacking Tom Brady took a back seat to getting a degree in Physical Education. Unlike the somewhat douchy guys who were my PE teachers in junior high and high school, I get the sense that if Robert Mathis ever had to run a class, it would be quite fun.
For more than a quarter of a century, University of Maryland Eastern Shore was recognized as a football powerhouse among Historically Black Colleges and Universities. From 1946 to 1970, UMES had a combined win-loss record of 142 wins, 36 losses and 7 ties or an astounding 76.8 winning percentage. In addition, UMES produced six (6) undefeated seasons during the period from 1947 to 1960. Then, UMES was known as Maryland State College from 1948 to 1970, and the name became the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, thereafter.
No one person was more instrumental in UMES’s success than Vernon “Skip” McCain. The history of UMES’s football program is inextricably linked to Coach McCain’s tenure. During his tenure Coach McCain had a phenomenal success record of 101 wins, 16 losses and 5 ties (1948-63). Those who knew him say Coach McCain was the embodiment of the teacher-coach. From 1948 to 1953, he was the most successful coach in the country. Coach McCain, himself a student of the game, did not miss many coaching clinics during his tenure.
In 1950, he was selected “Coach of the Year” by the Pigskin Club of Washington. Coach McCain’s dedication to understanding the deeper qualities and disciplines of the game laid the foundation for what many have called the “Golden Years of Hawk Athletics.” In addition to being head football coach, Coach McCain was also the head basketball coach and athletic director, thus, giving him almost total control over the UMES athletic budget and pool of athletic talent.
Vernon “Skip” McCain was inducted into the Hawk Hall of Fame in 1973. If only the ESPN television cameras and the national media had found their way to the eastern shore of Maryland and the tiny village of Princess Anne! What a story they would have uncovered!!! The entire nation would have discovered a football powerhouse that broke both racial barriers and the competitive spirit of the teams they played. Everyone would have known the name, Skip McCain. It is a shame that only a few do.
America would have recognized that this humble, 5-foot-5 man, who never cussed or missed church, who also had a higher winning percentage (83.7%) for a 16-year period than some of his most famous coaching contemporaries recorded during the same era -- men such as Woody Hayes of Ohio State University (74.3%), Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama (72.7%), and Eddie Robinson at Grambling State University. But, the 1950’s were a time when news of the exploits of Historically Black Colleges and Universities rarely escaped the confines of their own communities. And the Internet was not invented, nor cable television, nor exclusive sports networks in radio and television that we take for granted today.
UMES achievements on the gridiron included six (6) undefeated seasons, four (4) of which were perfect seasons in 1949, 1950, 1952, and 1955. When Coach McCain came to Maryland State College (MSC) in 1948, he was to serve as the head football coach, head basketball coach and the athletic director. It became apparent that this man could build winners no matter what the sport. While concentrating on his football duties, he directed the basketball team to a record of 76 wins and 11 losses from 1948 to 1952.
In 2006, Coach McCain finally got his due when he was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana. Coach McCain touched the lives of hundreds of young men to whom he will always be remembered simply as “Coach.”
UMES Pro Football Hall of Famer, Art Shell
As a result, during the period from 1946 to 1970, over twenty-four (24) UMES student-athletes went on to pursue professional careers in the National Football League. In addition, several others went on to successful careers in the Continental and Canadian Football Leagues. The most notable of these athletes is Art Shell, eight (8) time Pro-Bowl player, NFL Hall of Fame Player, and the first African American head coach of the modern era of professional football with the Los Angeles Raiders (now the Oakland Raiders).
UMES Football Legends
Roger Brown, DT, Detroit Lions' Fearsome Foursome, Los Angeles Rams (1960-69), College Football Hall of Fame
Willie Belton, RB, Atlanta Falcons/St. Louis Cardinals (1970-74)
Earl Christy, CB/DB/HB, New York Jets (1966-68)
Moses Denson, RB, Washington Redskins (1974-75)
James "Jim" Duncan, CB/S, Baltimore Colts (1969-71)
Curtiss Gentry, CB, Chicago Bears (1966-68)
Douglas Goodwin, FB/RB, Buffalo Bills/Atlanta Falcons, (1966, 68)
Gerald Irons (M.B.A/J.D., Univ. of Chicago),DT/LB, Oakland Raiders (1970-79)
Arthur L. Laster, T, Buffalo Bills (1970)
Roy Kirksey, G, New York Jets/Philadelphia Eagles (1971-74)
Arthur "Art" Shell, OT, Oakland Raiders (1968-1982) Pro Football Hall of Fame
Robert "Bob" Taylor, DE/DT, New York Giants (1963-1964)
William Allen "Billy" Thompson, CB/S Denver Broncos (1969-1981)
Mack Alston, Jr., TE, Washington Redskins (1970-1980)
William Arthur "Bill" Belk, DE/DT, San Francisco 49ers (1968-1974)
Emerson Boozer, HB/RB, New York Jets (1966-1975), College Football Hall of Fame
Marsh Cropper, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (1967-69)
Charles Stukes, CB, Baltimore Colts/Los Angeles Rams (1967-74)
Carl Hairston, DE/DT, Philadelphia Eagles/Cleveland Browns/Phoenix Cardinals (1976-1990)
Ray Hayes, FB, Minnesota Vikings (1961)
Anthony Jones, HB/TE, Washington Redskins/San Diego Chargers (1984-88)
Tennessee State University Male Athlete of the Year, Chris Seibel is one of five non-black players on the Tigers Golf Team.
Chris Seibel prefers blending in. He doesn't like standing out in a crowd. On the golf course it's benefited the Indianapolis native, who says he's developed a knack for sneaking up on opponents and catching them off guard. Not being noticed in school hasn't come so easy. He is a senior at Tennessee State and the first white male athlete of the year at the historically black university since the award was established in the 1950s. TSU's only white female athlete of the year was softball pitcher Shannon Hicks of Smyrna in 2004.
TSU senior golfer Chris Seibel
"I don't like to be noticed, I'd rather fly under the radar," Seibel said. "I like going into a golf tournament where nobody really knows who I am and then surprising them." At TSU, 72 percent of the undergraduate students are black and 21 percent are white. Seibel, whose stroke average is 72.8, was named to the All-OVC team after posting four top-five and six top-10 finishes in eight events. He shot 70 and took the first-round lead Monday in the OVC Championships at GreyStone Golf Club. He finished tied for 24th. Siebel is one of five white players on TSU's golf team. There is one black player.
When Robby Wells was hired at Savannah State in 2007, he became the first white head football coach in the school's 98-year history. Wells enjoyed moderate success in his first two seasons at the HBCU, but claims that he was forced to resigned in 2009, citing racial discrimination as the reason for his dismissal. "Outside the Lines'" Jemele Hill investigates the allegations of racism at Savannah State. Wells says he was fired earlier this year because he is white -- a charge the school, a historically black university, denies.
Dr. Earl G. Yarbrough Sr., President, Savannah State University president responds to ESPN “Outside the Lines” broadcast ...
Following his resignation from Savannah State University (SSU), former Head Football Coach Robert “Robby” Wells very regrettably leveled negative and false allegations of “ racism and lies” at the university and its administration. These false allegations formed the basis of an episode of the ESPN show “Outside the Lines,” which aired this morning. Several SSU staff members and I spoke with ESPN regarding Wells’ comments and our policies at SSU and, it is our hope that in the interest of balanced reporting, ESPN will have chosen to include these interviews in the Wells segment. Nevertheless, I want to re-state the university’s expectations and set the record straight for our supporters, alumni, friends and the community.
As university president, I have committed this administration to abide by all SSU academic policies and procedures, those of the University System of Georgia as well as NCAA Rules and Regulations. As SSU Athletics prepares to enter the national stage via our membership in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, as well as this ESPN airing, we must re-affirm these fundamental principles.
At Savannah State University:
1. We believe in diversity, as is amply demonstrated by a workforce that remains among the most ethnically and culturally diverse within the University System of Georgia and in the city of Savannah. 2. We firmly believe that our athletes must first be students and demonstrate character and integrity. 3. We insist that student athletic recruitment be a shared activity where ALL recruits are known and vetted by ALL involved coaches, the athletic and NCAA compliance directors as well as the administration. 4. We also insist, and have always insisted, that all student athletes being recruited to SSU receive fair and equal treatment regardless of race, color, gender or family background. discriminatory treatment of any kind has never been, nor will ever be, tolerated by this administration. Any claim of unjust treatment related to admission and/or scholarship offers must be reported immediately to the administration.
In light of the national broadcast concerning Savannah State University and its football program, the university must affirm that it acted legally and within the guidelines of the policy of the University System of Georgia with regard to the separation of former head football coach, Robert “Robby” Wells. With concern to not damage Mr. Wells’ future professional opportunities, however, the university has withheld specific information regarding his performance or any violations of department, university, University System of Georgia, and NCAA rules, procedures and/or guidelines. While SSU bears Mr. Wells no ill will, we will not waver from protecting the reputation of this university - its Athletic Department, student-athletes and alumni - regardless of the forum.
Former Savannah State University football coach Robby Wells is in the spotlight Sunday morning at 9 a.m. on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines”. Wells “resigned” from the Tigers program, but later says he was forced to resign. He accuses school officials of racism and lies. ESPN producer Arty Berko and reporter Jemele Hill interviewed Wells twice for the story and visited Savannah on two different occasions. They go in-depth looking for answers.
Release sent from ESPN: In 2007, Savannah State, a historically black university, hired Robby Wells as their first white head football coach in the school’s 98-year history. In his first season, Wells led Savannah State to a 5-7 record, the most wins since the program joined Division I in 2002. The team managed only 2 wins in 2009, and after just two seasons, Wells says he was forced to resign, even though he thought he had the confidence of the administration.
ORMOND BEACH, FL -- Five years ago, Bethune-Cookman was the darling of college softball. But when the Wildcats' head coach left for greener pastures shortly after they became the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team to reach the NCAA super regionals, they fell off the map. Now they're back.
B-CU defeated North Carolina A&T 7-3 on Saturday at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex to win the MEAC softball championship and qualify for regional play for the first time since its amazing run to the Super Regionals in 2005. "I'm so glad we got this for the program," said B-CU pitcher Allison Garcia, who was named the tournament's outstanding player. Fourth-year coach Chris Cochran was named outstanding coach of the tourney.
"I'm so happy for Chris," B-CU athletics director Lynn Thompson said amid the Wildcats' celebration, noting B-CU was caught off-guard when former coach Laura Watten left the program for the University of Maryland just as the 2005-06 school year was about to begin. After a season under an interim coach, Cochran, a former head coach at Brown University, was hired in August 2006. "She had to come in here and rebuild it," Thompson said. "When we hired her we knew it would be a good fit, and it was. I'm just so proud of what Chris and what these kids have accomplished."
The former Atlanta Braves scout, Robert Lucus ends three stints with FAMU baseball with a 154-171-2 career record. The FAMU baseball program was provided below par support by the school's administration and less than six scholarships. The Rattlers are still operating without a permanent athletic director, since William "Bill" Hayes resigned from the post on October 2, 2009, that became effective on December 31, 2009. Hayes is now the A.D. at Winston Salem State University.
