NSU football: Blackwell speaks about his departure

Coach Joe Blackwell (bio)

NORFOLK, Virginia - Norfolk State offensive coordinator Joe Blackwell said he was surprised that his contract with Norfolk State won’t be renewed after the Spartans’ championship season, but he was not angry about it.

“One thing I learned long ago,” Blackwell said. “Coaches were hired to be fired. It’s (Pete Adrian’s) program and he has a right to do what he wants with it. I don’t have hard feelings. I’m thick-skinned. I’m thankful he gave me the opportunity to be a coordinator.”

Blackwell said Adrian called him Monday to tell the former offensive coordinator about his decision. Blackwell had asked for the week off and was at the hospital with one of his daughters ...

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Hampton Pirates struggle; lose MEAC opener to Savannah State

HAMPTON, Virginia - The Pirates of Hampton University men’s basketball team did not open conference play the way it hoped Thursday night at the HU Convocation Center, falling 65-49 to conference newcomer Savannah State.

The Pirates, who seemed like they couldn’t get anything going throughout the game, made just 14 shots, shooting 30 percent from the floor and going 0-for-12 from 3-point range. Savannah State picked up its first-ever win over Hampton in three meetings. Hampton (3-4, 0-1 MEAC) went almost 15 minutes in the second half without making a field goal. After being down 39-26 at the half, the Pirates battled back to within three points when senior Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) nailed a jumper at the 15:56 mark to cut Savannah State’s lead to 39-36 and cap a 10-0 run to open the second half.



But the Pirates would get no closer. The Tigers (3-5, 1-0 MEAC) would extend their lead back to as many as 18 points. Hampton would not get another field goal until the final seconds of the game, when senior Mike Tuitt (Bronx, N.Y.) made a floater in the lane.

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FAMU Band Director: 'He looked like he had passed out'

ATLANTA, Georgia -- For the first time since the death of Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion, director Julian White is giving more details about what happened that day.

11Alive's Blayne Alexander is the only Atlanta reporter to speak with Dr. White. During the interview, he described the moments after Champion collapsed.

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FAMU dismisses 4 students connected to death 
Florida A&M expels four students in wake of suspected hazing death

Hundreds attend funeral for FAMU drum major Robert Champion

DECATUR, Georgia -- Mourners filled a church in Decatur, Georgia, Wednesday for the funeral of a Florida university drum major who died this month in what officials have called a hazing-related incident.

A line of people -- some of them wearing band uniforms -- filed past Robert Champion's open casket. He was wearing his Florida A&M University Marching 100 uniform and holding a baton.

As the service began, a group of drum majors draped his coffin with the university's flag.

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Fla. university system to investigate FAMU over hazing
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Scott wants universities to review hazing and harassement policies

Postseason drive filling WSSU bandwagon

WINSTON SALEM, North Carolina -- Everybody loves a winner. So it's no surprise that Winston-Salem State's 12-0 football team has received extra love and attention.

"I was in the store the other day, and I was wearing a Winston-Salem State sweatshirt, and three people told me 'Go Rams,' " said punter Landen Thayer, who is from Clemmons and played at West Forsyth High School. "That's pretty cool when you hear stuff like that."

No. 3-ranked WSSU, which defeated California (Pa.) 35-28 in last week's second round of the Division II playoffs, will be at home again Saturday, against No. 5 New Haven in the quarterfinals. Kickoff is set for noon.  Even though WSSU's first playoff game came over Thanksgiving weekend, it drew a crowd of nearly 8,000 — the third largest crowd of the season at Bowman Gray Stadium.

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VISIT: WINSTON SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: WSSURAMS

XU Gold Nuggets are a finalist for the 2012 HBCU Awards

Xavier's women's basketball accomplishments in 2010-11 helped
the Gold Nuggets become a finalist for the 2012 HBCU Awards.
Head Coach: Robert "Bo" Browder (13th Season)
Associate Head Coach: Darrilyn Broussard

(Click on photo to enlarge)

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's women's basketball program is a finalist for the 2012 HBCU Awards.

The Gold Nuggets are one of four finalists for women's team of the year — the others are Maryland Eastern Shore bowling, Florida A&M volleyball and Shaw basketball. Criteria for the finalists were winning a conference championship, maintaining good standing with graduation and academic progress rates and serving as a goodwill vehicle for their institutions during the 2010-11 academic year.

Winners will be announced at an April 20 ceremony at Bowie

Xavier's women's basketball accomplishments in 2010-11 helped the Gold Nuggets become a finalist for the 2012 HBCU Awards.

State University in Bowie, Md. A panel of chancellors and presidents from HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) named the finalists and will select the winners.

This is the second year of the awards, which are sponsored by the Center for HBCU Media Advocacy Inc. Awards also will be presented for leadership, arts, research and community engagement.

Bo Browder is in his 13th season as the Gold Nuggets' head coach, and associate head coach Darrilyn Broussard is in her 11th season on the staff. During their time together they've compiled a 266-79 record with five Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championships, five GCAC Tournament championships and nine appearances at the NAIA Division I National Championship. (Browder is 304-105 overall at Xavier.) Of the 39 senior student-athletes to play for Browder at Xavier, 38 received degrees from Xavier or are still enrolled.

Xavier, 6-3 and ranked 16th in NAIA Division I, will play 21st-ranked Shorter at 2 p.m. Saturday at The Barn in a PSBlive.com webcast.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS 

VISIT: GCACSPORTS 

This Week

at The Barn

Saturday, December 3 — Women's Basketball vs. Shorter, 2 p.m. live webcast • live stats 

Saturday, December 3 — Men's Basketball vs. Concordia (Ala.), 4 p.m. live webcast • live stats

Charlotte 49ers add JCSU to football schedule

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- The Charlotte 49ers and Johnson C. Smith will face off in football in 2014 and 2015.

Charlotte, which launches its Division I football program in 2013, announced the addition of the Division II Golden Bulls to its schedule on Oct. 30. Both games will be played at McColl-Richardson Field on University of North Carolina-Charlotte's campus.

The 49ers and Golden Bulls will play home Sept. 6, 2014 and Sept. 19, 2015. JCSU is scheduled to play Division I Davidson in 2013 in Charlotte.

The 49ers’ 2014 schedule has ...
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