SportsGroove Presents CIAA 2011 Football Media Day

Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN) Mark Gray report from the CIAA 2011 Football Media Day as the conference prepares for its 100th season of intercollegiate athletics with the start of the gridiron action.

HSRN Announces 2011 Football Broadcast Schedule

Hartly, DE – The Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN) will broadcast 23 exciting football games including the Super 7 Series of classic events. The broadcasts will be national on Sirius XM Satellite Radio and on local stations across the country. “This will be our most exciting broadcast schedule yet. The staff is proud to present the HBCU community a national radio platform that will give all fans and alumni consistent coverage,” said HSRN CEO Omarr Bashir.

HSRN will kickoff the schedule on (Sept. 1) with the Division I FBS vs. Division I FCS match-up in Piscataway, NJ, N. C. Central and Rutgers.

The highlight of the schedule is the “Super 7 Series” which includes seven events that will bring the Major Classics to the HBCU national community. The series will open on (Sept. 3) in Nashville, TN with the John Merritt Classic featuring Tennessee State and Southern. The “Super 7 Series” will also feature (Sept. 10) Cleveland Classic – N.C. Central vs. Central State, (Sept. 24) Atlanta Classic – Florida A&M vs. Southern, (Oct. 1) Circle City Classic – Albany St. vs. Kentucky St., (Oct. 29) Magic City Classic – Alabama A&M vs. Alabama St., (Nov. 19) Florida Classic – Bethune Cookman vs. Florida A&M and (Nov. 26) Bayou Classic – Grambling St. vs. Southern.

HSRN will feature three additional classic games (Sept. 3) Battle of the First/Wade Wilson Classic – Lincoln vs. Cheyney, (Sept. 10) Nations Classic – Morehouse vs. Howard, (Oct. 1) and (Oct. 8) Morehouse/Tuskegee Classic. There will also be four double header weekends including the championship games for the CIAA and SIAC (Nov. 12).

Top non-conference match-ups this season will be the Hampton Roads, VA CAA vs. MEAC rivalry (Sept. 17) between Hampton and Old Dominion, FBS/FCS match-up (Nov. 3)) between Mississippi Valley St. and South Alabama, and (Nov. 24) Annual Turkey Day Classic – Alabama St. vs. Tuskegee.

Conference rival match-ups will include (Sept. 17) Bowie St. homecoming vs. Livingstone (Oct. 15), N.C. A&T homecoming vs. Delaware St., and (Oct. 22) Florida A&M vs. S.C. State.

Founded in 2006, HSRN was created to provide a sports voice for the HBCU community. For over 100 years HBCU's have participated in collegiate athletics with little to no media coverage. Stars like Walter Payton, Doug Williams, and Michael Strahan are just a few of the many superstars who were HBCU athletes. There are approximately 7 million fans of HBCU sports who were media orphans in search of a home. HSRN is the only national radio network dedicated to HBCU sports. Our goal is to fuse the greats of the past with the stars of today to showcase the significance of this unique colorful and underserved sports community.

HSRN 2011 Football Broadcast Schedule

Date	Game	Site	Time
09/01	N.C. Central vs. Rutgers	Piscataway, NJ	7:30pm
09/03	Lincoln @ Cheyney Battle of the First/Wade Wilson Classic	Cheyney, PA	1:00pm
09/03	$ - Southern vs. Tennessee St. John Merritt Classic	Nashville, TN	6:00pm CT
09/04	Bethune Cookman vs. Prairie View MEAC/SWAC Challenge	Orlando, FL	12:00pm
09/10	$ - Central St. vs. N.C. Central Cleveland Classic	Cleveland, OH	12:00pm
09/10	Howard vs. Morehouse Nation’s Classic	Washington, DC	3:30pm
09/17	Bowie St. vs. Livingstone	Bowie, MD	1:00pm
09/17	Hampton vs. Old Dominion	Norfolk, VA	6:00pm
09/24	$ - Florida A&M vs. Southern Atlanta Classic	Atlanta, GA	3:30pm
10/01	$ - Albany St. vs. Kentucky St. Circle City Classic	Indianapolis, IN	2:30pm
10/08	Morehouse vs. Tuskegee Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic	Columbus, GA	2:00pm
10/15	Delaware St. vs. N.C. A&T	Greensboro, NC	1:30pm
10/22	Florida A&M vs. S.C. State	Orangeburg, SC	1:30pm
10/29	$ - Alabama A&M vs. Alabama St. Magic City Classic	Birmingham, AL	3:30pm
11/03	Mississippi Valley St. vs. S. Alabama	Mobile, AL	TBA
11/05	Albany St. vs. Ft. Valley St. Fountain City Classic	Columbus, GA	2:00pm
11/12	CIAA Championship Game	Durham, NC	TBA
11/12	SIAC Championship Game	TBA	TBA
11/19	$ - Bethune Cookman vs. Florida A&M Florida Classic	Orlando, FL	2:00pm
11/24	Turkey Day Classic	Montgomery, AL	1:00pm
11/26	$ - Grambling vs. Southern Bayou Classic	New Orleans, LA	3:00pm
12/03	Pioneer Bowl	Columbus, GA	2:00pm
12/10	SWAC Championship Game	Birmingham, AL	2:00pm
	$ - Super Seven Series Schedule is Subject to Change

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Aycock predicts success, but can JCSU back it up?

The guarantee: 3-1

Charlotte, N.C. - Johnson C. Smith football coach Steve Aycock went out on a limb at last week’s CIAA roundup.

He guaranteed – twice – that the Golden Bulls would start the season 3-1, a bold prediction given JCSU’s combined 5-15 over Aycock’s first two seasons. The league’s coaches weren’t impressed, however, picking the Bulls to finish fifth in the six-team South Division.

But Aycock stands by his pronouncement.

“It’s not from an arrogance standpoint, it’s not being cocky,” he said Tuesday. “It’s just that I feel good about the young men who are coming back and the way they’ve dedicated themselves over the last six months. We’ll see a difference come Sept. 3.”

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Jason Beverlin to succeed Melendez at Bethune-Cookman

Daytona Beach, FL - Bethune-Cookman University Athletic Director Lynn W. Thompson announced today, July 26, that an agreement in principal has been reached with Jason Beverlin to become the Wildcats' new Head Baseball Coach.

Beverlin, 37, was the pitching coach at the University of Tennessee and played professionally with the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers after being selected by the Oakland A's in the fourth round of the 1994 Major League Draft.

"We have a championship caliber team returning, and we wanted to make sure that we placed significant attention on the pitching aspects of our program." Thompson said. "New bat regulations in college baseball have made pitching and defense more important than ever, and to have a new head coach with extensive knowledge of pitching, professional experience and upper Division I recruiting savvy is the right combination for us to continue our quest to reach the College World Series."

B-CU Head Coach Jason Beverlin
 with his wife, Heather,
and sons Cole and Lucas
(Courtesy B-CU Athletics)

Beverlin replaces Mervyl Melendez, who accepted the head coaching position at Alabama State after 12 seasons with the Wildcats.

"I think it's an extreme honor to join the Bethune-Cookman Athletic Department family," said Beverlin. "Coach Melendez did an unbelievable job here; and while we hope to continue the tradition of success he started here, we want to take that to the next level in getting this program to a Super Regional and the ultimate goal of going to the college world series."

VIDEO INTRO - COACH JASON BEVERLIN

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RELATED ARTICLE: Bethune-Cookman Announces Jason Beverlin as New Head Baseball Coach

FSU announces football ticket package

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Perhaps the most appealing games on the Fayetteville State Broncos 2011 football schedule this season will be the ones right at home in Luther “Nick” Jeralds Stadium.

And now that Fayetteville State has released its 2011 football season ticket package, the Broncos’ most faithful fans can reserve their place at those games as the Broncos prepare to make a run at their fourth CIAA Championship in the last nine years.

Fayetteville State is offering a wide variety of season ticket packages for the five home football games this season.

The Family Package includes general seating tickets for two adults and two children for $200, which gives the buyer a savings of $100. The Half Family Package costs $175 for the full season (a savings of $65), and can be purchased as one adult and two children tickets or two adults and one child tickets in general seating.

Fayetteville State also is offering the Reserve Adult Package...

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Hampton Pirates vs. Florida A&M Rattlers Football Game Moved

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University football team’s contest against Florida A&M at Armstrong Stadium will be played on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

The contest, the Pirates’ first MEAC game of the season and Joe Taylor’s second trip to Hampton as coach of the Rattlers, had been originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at http:/// .

Where Are They Now? UAPB's Sidarren Freeman/Jackie Skipper

Newly-wed Sidarren Freeman now living by Madden rules

Bastrop, LA — Sidarren Freeman, Bastrop High’s co-offensive line coach, married the former Tonia Madden on Friday, July 22.

Balancing football and marriage is no easy feat, especially with the long hours coaches put in during the season. Freeman says he did his explaining before saying “I do,” and that his bride fully understands what she was getting into by marrying a coach. “I explained that to her,” Freeman laughed.

Freeman “celebrated” his one week anniversary by joining the Rams at the National Select 7-on-7 Championships in Hoover, Ala. Freeman is sharing the offensive line duties with former college teammate Jackie Skipper. A former Ram and Division I-AA Rimington Trophy winner, Skipper has rejoined the Bastrop High staff after a couple of years away.

“Jackie and I have been friends...

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Chasing Respect: SWAC schools hopeful its players can again be selected at NFL draft

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Forty years ago, three of the top 15 picks in the National Football League draft - Grambling's Richard Harris and Frank Lewis and Southern's Isaiah Robertson - were products from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Look a little deeper and you will find that eight of the first 46 players selected that year came from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

These days, players from HBCUs and particularly the SWAC are rarely taken in the NFL Draft anymore despite a long history of success.


Videographer: hbcusportsonline

Since 2005, the SWAC has had five players drafted, and none were taken in 2009 and 2010 according to league officials.

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Florida A&M Rattlers swim team closer to getting own pool

Tallahassee, FL - A portion of one side of its walls is ripped out with steel rods dangling all around as a demolition has its way with the 25-meter pool that for years sat abandoned behind Gaither Gymnasium.

Within three to four months the face-lift is expected to be completed, marking a high-water mark for the Florida A&M swim teams. For the first time in more than five years the Rattlers will have a home pool. Meanwhile, they've been working out at Florida State's pool.

They've been waiting for work to begin on the pool, too.  For more than a year, there have been...

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10th Annual Palmetto Capital City Classic - BC vs. VUU

Columbia, SC - Benedict College will kick off the 2011 season Saturday, September 3, when it hosts Virginia Union in the 10th annual Palmetto Capital City Classic.

Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.

Benedict is coming off a 5-6 season, but the Tigers rallied to that finish after starting off the year 0-4. Head coach Stan Conner says a win to start off the new year would be tangible evidence that the team's hot finish to 2010 had carried over into 2011.

The events leading up to the game include a golf tournament, high school band challenge, pre-game parade featuring high school and college bands, a gospel concert and a game-day concert.

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University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff to play in NIT Season Tip-Off

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas-Pine Bluff has been invited to play in the 2011 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off, one of the tournaments that serves as a kickoff to the college basketball season.

The Golden Lions will take on Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. in the Midwest Region of the bracket. The Cowboys are a no.2-seed against the unseeded Golden Lions.

Oral Roberts and Texas-San Antonio round out the four-team pod in Stillwater. Dates and times will be determined in the coming weeks.

The 14-team field also includes Virginia Tech, George Mason and Stanford. The four teams to advance out of their regionals will play at Madison Square Garden in New York City November 23-25.

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Ties that bind abundant in Southwestern Athletic Conference

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Wearing a purple necktie to go with his dapper gray suit, Prairie View’s Heishma Northern, flanked by two players, strolled into a ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel on Tuesday morning, making his big debut as a head football coach.

Northern, the former Glen Oaks standout and Southern safety, took a seat and took in the scene at the annual Southwestern Athletic Conference media day.

This, he thought to himself, is really something else.

Directly across the room, there sat the one and only Doug Williams, back for his second stint at Grambling. Northern used to work for Williams - first at Morehouse, then at Grambling.

Next to Williams was the man in shades, Melvin Spears, who’s now at Alcorn State. Spears and Northern worked together at Grambling, and Spears was head coach there from 2004-06, after Williams left.

In the far corner was Houma native...

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FVSU Lockette could use speed to land NFL roster spot

Fort Valley, GA - Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. Take the case, for instance, of undrafted free-agent wide receiver Ricardo Lockette of Fort Valley State.

Generally regarded as one of the most attractive players who went unselected in the NFL lottery nearly three months ago, and likely to be a so-called priority free agent when teams begin to sign players next week, Lockette acknowledged this week that he has "really no idea at all" what confronts him once summer training camp begins. Nonetheless, the speedy wide receiver is ecstatic about the prospect of being able to play football again after several months in free agent limbo.



"Since I haven't been through it before," said Lockette of training camp, "it's hard for me to say what it will be like. I do know, though, that it will be hard. And I know that, without any of the other [offseason] stuff, I'm going to have to learn everything a lot faster than I normally might."

To Lockette's advantage, faster -- and sometimes fastest -- is the manner in which he is most accustomed to operating.

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Bill Dooley Pigskin Preview lifts optimistic NCCU Eagles

DURHAM, N.C. -  Bill Dooley says this event is the biggest of its kind in the South.

And there’s no reason to doubt the Ol’ Trench Fighter, the legendary former coach at UNC, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech on that one.

Over 300 college football fans were on hand for a fancy lunch, a few jokes and plenty of information about the upcoming season on Thursday, at the Ninth Annual Pigskin Preview by the Bill Dooley Triangle/East Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.



Five Division I coaches — UNC’s Butch Davis, Duke’s David Cutcliffe, N.C. State’s Tom O’Brien, East Carolina’s Ruffin McNeill and N.C. Central’s Henry Frazier III — were on hand to swap stories and answers to sometimes off-the-wall questions and generally be loose for one of the last times until fall practice starts in earnest.

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Savannah State University scrambles to meet MEAC stipulations

SSU Football Coach Steve Davenport

Savannah, GA - A point of pride for Savannah State University over the past year has been its acceptance into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

When Cheryl Dozier arrived as interim president on May 9, she found that acceptance in jeopardy. Reports had been written but not implemented, and she wasn’t sure where she and the university stood.

So she turned to former University of Georgia athletics director Damon Evans to find answers.

“I knew that I needed to move us forward in the MEAC, and I decided to hire a consultant,” Dozier said. “I knew he had been doing some consulting at institutions. I gave him a call, and he said he would be willing to do that. I can’t think of a more professional and knowledgeable person that I know who would be able to do a better job than Damon Evans.”

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Bernard Griffith chosen as Dillard University basketball coach

The legendary Bernard Griffith developed
current New Jersey Nets head coach
Avery Johnson and served as an
assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks.

New Orleans - Dillard University’s search for a new men’s basketball coach began and ended inside of its own zip code with the hiring of former Saint Augustine coaching legend Bernard Griffith.

Griffith, 63, spent the past school year serving as basketball coach and athletic director at L.B. Landry High School in Algiers, but recently resigned from that position to accept the Dillard job, Dillard Athletic Director Kiki Baker Barnes and Landry Principal Lee Green said Thursday.

Griffith replaces Dale Brown, who resigned from Dillard to take the men’s basketball coaching position at Clark Atlanta University, a NCAA Division II school in Atlanta.

“He is a phenomenal coach, absolutely phenomenal,’’ Barnes said in confirming Griffith’s selection. “That’s my word for him.’’

Dillard has scheduled a press conference to announce Griffith’s hiring for next Thursday at its Gentilly campus, Barnes said. Griffith could not be reached for comment, but his move places him almost within walking distance (less than two miles) of Dillard from his Gentilly home.

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Alcorn Braves anxiously await Bridge's sophomore season

Birmingham, AL — New coach Melvin Spears' recipe for Alcorn State football success: Something old (Marino Casem's old-school fundamentals) and something new (Brandon Bridge, Alcorn's 18-year-old sophomore quarterback).

Spears talked about both Casem and Bridge at length here Tuesday during SWAC Football Media Day in downtown Birmingham. Spears played for Casem, known as The Godfather of the SWAC, from 1978 to 1982. During that time, Alcorn won one SWAC championship and had four winning seasons.



"We played Alcorn football, Godfather football," Spears said. "We were fundamentally sound. We played hard and practiced hard Monday through Thursday and then Saturday took care of itself. That's what we want to bring back."

But Spears, a wide receiver at Alcorn, never played with a teammate with the skills of Bridge, the Canadian who is nicknamed Air Canada. Bridge threw for more than 2,600 yards and 26 touchdowns as a freshman when Alcorn finished 5-6.

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