Alabama A&M hires James Spady to Lead Football Program

JAMES SPADY
HEAD FOOTBALL COACH
AAMU BULLDOGS
(Courtesy AAMU Athletics)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Director of Athletics, Bryan Hicks, announced the hiring of Nevada assistant coach, James Michael Spady as the next Head Football Coach at Alabama A&M University.

He is in his fourth year as the Tight Ends and Co-Offensive Line coach with the Wolf Pack staff.  Spady was the Offensive Coordinator at Grambling from 2007-2009.  He also had coaching stops at North Carolina Central and South Carolina State.  He began his coaching career in 1995 at his alma mater (UTEP) where he started at center for the Miners from 1985-1988.

He also completed two NFL Minority Coaches Internships with the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles.  In 2008, the NCAA selected Spady to participate in the highly regarded Expert Football Coaches Academy, a program focused on assisting qualified, minority, assistant coaches with the skills and tools they need for career advancement.

"I am excited that Coach Spady has accepted our offer to join the Bulldog Family"! said Hicks.  "He represents another giant step on our journey toward excellence in athletics.  Many thanks to President Hugine, Dr. Kevin Rolle and the Board of Trustees for their continued support."

Brian Polian, Head Football Coach at Nevada had this to say about Spady, "Congratulations to James Spady and his family on this wonderful opportunity to lead the Alabama A&M football program.  James is a terrific football mind, teacher, and an exceptional recruiter who will no doubt raise the standard of Bulldog football.  I know that he will have a positive effect on every student-athlete he encounters and in the community as well.  We wish James and Barb nothing but the best as they begin this new journey."

A press conference to introduce Coach Spady will be held on Friday, January 3^rd at 11:00 am in T.M. Elmore Gymnasium.

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELEASE

Detroit Titans Host Bethune-Cookman Tonight at Historic Calihan Hall

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

DETROIT, Michigan – The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will continue its holiday home stand when it hosts Bethune-Cookman on Monday, Dec. 30. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and will be televised live on Comcast 900. The Titans women's team is also scheduled to play Madonna at 5:00 p.m. on Dick Vitale Court before the men's game against the Wildcats.

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Titan fans can follow every UDM game this season through men's basketball GAMEDAY CENTRAL page located on the Titans Athletic Website that will keep fans one click away from all the action. This page will feature links for live stats (audio and video when applicable) as well as links for all the latest info while also making it easy to find the Titans on social media and to purchase photos and game tickets. The Game Day Central page also carries all the information on each opponent from who is leading the all-time series to who won the last game.

LAST OUTING
Detroit went into the Holidays with a smile on its face as the Titans dominated from beginning to end in a 93-50 victory over the Indiana Tech Warriors on Monday at historic Calihan Hall.

Four Titans (6-8) scored in double figures as the team shot over 50.0% from the field (33-of-63), including 13-of-26 from behind the arc, and holding Indiana Tech (10-4) to just 26.7% (16-of-60).

Junior co-captain Juwan Howard Jr. led the way with a game-high 22 points, while sophomore Anton Wilson continued his torrid three-point shooting nailing six treys and finishing with 18 points. Junior Patrick Onwenu tallied his first collegiate double-double with a career-best 17 points and 12 rebounds, while freshman Matthew Grant added 10 points and five boards off the bench.

ABOUT THE WIDLCATS
Travis Elliott scored a career-high 14 points in Bethune-Cookman's 68-64 loss to North Florida Saturday (Dec. 21) in UNF Arena.

The Wildcats (2-13) tied it at 64 on Clemmye Owens's three-pointer with 10.6 seconds to play. UNF's Beau Beech and Jalen Nesbitt each hit two free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Ospreys (6-7) the victory.

Mikel Trapp leads B-C in scoring with 11.9 points per game, while Malik Jackson is averaging 10.3.

SERIES WITH BETHUNE-COOKMAN
This will be the third meeting between Detroit and Bethune-Cookman, with the Titans leading the all-time series 2-0. Detroit won the last meeting 84-50 at Calihan Hall during the 1998-99 season.

WILLIAMS FEATURED BACK HOME
Nick Gueguen recently featured Detroit freshman guard Jarod Williams in his hometown paper the Danville Register & Bee. Williams who was the 2013 All-Metro Boys Basketball Co-Player of the Year, has started 10 games for the Titans and is averaging 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Click Here to read the entire feature posted on GoDanRiver.com.

UP NEXT
Detroit will tip-off Horizon League play on Saturday, Jan. 4 when it hosts Wright State at historic Calihan Hall. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. and will be televised live on WADL TV 38. The game can also be heard on 97.1 The Ticket's webstream with Dan Leach the voice of Titans Basketball.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY MEDIA RELATIONS

Selling Out Black College Football to Make a Buck

Florida A&M's legendary football coach Alonzo Smith "Jake" Gaither watches Bob Hayes before the 1964 season.  Hayes is the only man to win both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring. 
(COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS) 

Looking back at 2013, we view this article to be the top story of 2013, written by George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine; is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA), and author of “Jake Gaither: America’s Most Famous Black Coach.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. --  I cringed as the scores came in over a recent weekend. Ohio State 76, Florida A&M 0. Florida State 54, Bethune-Cookman 6. Miami 77, Savannah State 7. Our HBCUs have traded their proud, rich football heritage for money. And I don’t think it’s worth it.

There’s only one reason our HBCUs schedule games against schools whose head coaches make more than their entire athletic budgets: they earn a big payday, even if that means being publicly humiliated along the way.

The irony is that the SEC wouldn’t continue to have a lock on national football championships were it not for their Black players. And it wasn’t all that long ago that Blacks were as unwelcomed in the SEC as they were at KKK rallies.  But when Sam Cunningham ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in 1970 when the University of Southern California routed Alabama 42-21 in Birmingham, the conference got the message that they couldn’t win without Black talent.

Until then, if Black athletes wanted to play in the South, they had to attend HBCUs. It was never a question of talent. More than 1,200 players from Black colleges have played in the NFL, including 150 who have made it to the Super Bowl. NFL stars from HBCUs include ...



CONTINUE READING

Unsportsmanlike Conduct: The Exploitation of Black Athletes

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNPA) -- Under its television deal, each Big-10 university will receive $24.6 million annually. The Pac-12′s new television deal will pay each member $22 million a year. Each member of the Big 12 will get $20 million and ACC universities will receive $17 million when each academic year kicks off.

To put those figures in perspective, the annual payout for a single institution in those conferences is larger than the combined gross revenue ($16 million) of four Black conferences—the CIAA, MEAC, SIAC and SWAC.

The salary of a football and a basketball coach, Alabama’s Nick Saban ($4.8 million) and  Kentucky’s John Calipari ($3.7 million base/$31.65 million deal),  is greater than the combined salaries of the 96 head coaches of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Division 1AA and Division II basketball and football teams, and nearly 50 percent of their combined $16 million revenue. And that’s the income of just two coaches.

Although almost all of the head coaches at major universities are White, most of the money is generated by Black athletes.

CONTINUE READING

Vikings Relieve Leslie Frazier of Coaching Duties

Former Alcorn State University legend is out as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minnesota – The Minnesota Vikings have relieved Leslie Frazier of his head coaching duties.

“We have tremendous respect and appreciation for Leslie and what he has done for the Minnesota Vikings,” said Vikings owner Zygi Wilf. “He stepped in and established a strong positive culture here and he has been the consummate professional as our head coach and in this community. Making this change is difficult, but what we determined is best for the organization.”

“Unfortunately, we did not achieve consistent success and did not achieve the progress we expected,” said Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman. “We believe a coaching change is needed to help build a successful team moving forward.”

There will be a 2:00 p.m. press conference held at the Winter Park Fieldhouse.

Video: NFL Network: Frazier Out In Minnesota

Frazier, who has a year left on his contract, was 21-33-1 after taking over for Brad Childress with six games left in the 2010 season. The team weathered adversity that included the collapse of the Metrodome roof late that season, and Frazier was named permanent coach following it.

 

The Vikings were 3-13 in 2011, but made the playoffs at 10-6 last season. Rather than extend Frazier’s contract, the team picked up an option for 2014, making this season make-or-break.

 

The Vikings finished 5-10-1, losing four games despite leads late in the fourth quarter, and tying another under the same circumstances. Quarterback Christian Ponder was ineffective and eventually benched, and the team’s defense came within four points of setting a Vikings record for most points allowed in a season.

COURTESY MINNESOTA VIKINGS MEDIA RELEASE

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Hawaii Men's Basketball Hosts Norfolk State Monday Night

Game 13 Tip-off Notes
Who: Hawai'i (9-3, 0-0 Big West) vs. Norfolk State (8-5, 2-0 MEAC)
Date: Monday, Dec. 30, 2013
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) - Honolulu
Television: Live on OCSports – Channels 16 (SD) and 1016 (HD). Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) Tony Sellitto (color) and Artie Wilson (color) on the call.
Streaming Video: BigWest.tv
Radio: Live on ESPN 1420 AM with Bobby Curran and Jeff Portnoy. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona and KTOH on Kaua'i.
Audio Webcast: Live audio streaming on espn1420am.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats are available at HawaiiAthletics.com
Ticket Information: $26 (lower); $18 (upper-adult); $16 (upper-sr. citizen); $5 (upper-youth, ages 4-HS); UH Manoa students free with validated ID. Parking $6.
Promotions: The Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa is the game sponsor and will award a two-night stay in an Ocean Front Junior Suite during the halftime contest.
Coaches: Gib Arnold is in his fourth year at UH (61-47). Robert Jones is in his first season at Norfolk State (8-5).
Series Information: UH leads, 2-0.
  
Game Notes

HONOLULU, Hawaii  –  The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is back in action at the Stan Sheriff Center when it hosts Norfolk State in a non-conference tilt on Monday, Dec. 30.  Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a 2-1 performance in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, including wins over Saint Mary's and Oregon State. UH has won seven of its last eight games with its sole loss a one-point setback to Boise State on the opening night of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The team's 9-3 start matches the best start for UH since head Coach Gib Arnold's debut season (2010-11).     

All five starters are averaging double-digit scoring for a Rainbow Warrior offense that leads the conference and ranks in the top 25 nationally. Senior Christian Standhardinger is the team's top scorer (17.5 ppg) and rebounder (7.1 rpg), while junior point guard Keith Shamburger is averaging close to 5.0 apg, including a career-high 10 assists in UH's last win versus Oregon State.

UH will play Norfolk State, an NIT squad last year, for just the third time ever and the first time in a dozen years. UH won the previous two meetings in Honolulu.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

SSU Women's Basketball Ties School Scoring Record With 93-84 Win Over Troy University

SAVANNAH, Georgia  -- After a season long 10-game road stretch, the Savannah State Lady Tigers returned home on Sunday to tie a school record for scoring in a single game with a 93-84 win over the Troy Trojans in Tiger Arena.

The single game scoring record was set on February 26, 2007 against Allen University. SSU was led by senior Ezinne Kalu who scored 22 points and grabbed a career-high 9 rebounds. Junior transfer Bria Dorsey was on Kalu's heels with 20 points.

The Lady Tigers offense was balanced outside the top scorers, as Jasmine Norman and Jasmine Kirkland each had nine points, Tiyonda Davis and Kenyata Hendrix each had eight points, and Jerryshia Williams added seven points.

This is the sixth game this year in which the Lady Tigers have scored more than 70 points. They are averaging 63.2 points per game. They scored 64 of their points in the paint. They improve their overall record this season to 6-7. Troy falls to 4-7 overall.

For the Trojans, Joanna Harden led the field with 27 points, Ronita Garrett put up 21 points and grabbed 19 boards and Brooke Bowie added 10 points.

Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field, but SSU was dangerous from the charity strip, hitting 23-of-36 attempts (61.1 percent), to Troy's 57.6 percent (19-for-23).

Teams got off to a slow start in the high scoring contest. Norman opened up with a 3-pointer at the 18:26 mark, and was answered from Garrett with a 3-pointer at the 18:10 mark.

With 12:13 to play, Troy took their largest lead of the game, 17-12, behind a layup from Brianna Lancaster.

SSU fired back with a 6-0 run capped by a layup from Williams for the Lady Tigers second lead of the game, 18-17. With 10:35 to play, Kourtney Coleman tied the game for the third time with a good free-throw.

SSU responded midway through the opening period with a 7-0 run. Dorsey capped the run with a layup with 7:29 to play for a 25-18 SSU advantage.

In the final minutes of the first half, SSU pushed out to their largest lead of the half, 35-23, behind a layup from Charmaine Green with 2:14 to play.  SSU maintained a 39-30 lead into the locker room.

Teams turned on the steam in the second half. SSU improved their shooting from 34.3 percent from the field to 50 percent (17-for-34). Troy improved from 34.7 percent in the first half to 59.4 percent (19-for-32). Both teams scored 54 points in the second period and both shot better than 50 percent from the charity strip.

Kalu sank a layup on a fast break to lift SSU to a 10 point, 47-37 lead with 16:46 to play. SSU held a double-digit lead for the subsequent two minutes.

Troy opened a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Bowie, to cut the Lady Tigers lead to 51-47 with 13:57 to play.

Minutes later, the Lady Tigers regained a double-digit lead behind a layup from Kalu for a 61-51 advantage. With 7:36 to play, Kalu lifted SSU to their largest lead of the game, 69-53, with a layup.

Troy responded with a 9-0 run, again capped by a 3-pointer from Bowie, to cut the home team's lead to 69-62 with 5:56 to play.

In the final minutes, Troy managed to get within four points of SSU's lead, but was never able to take a lead. Norman sank two good free-throws with 5 seconds left, and Harden drained a free-throw in the last second for the final score.

The Lady Tigers scored 38 points in the paint and never gave up their lead. They are 6-2 this season when leading at the half and 6-0 when leading with three minutes left.

Savannah State returns to action on January 4 with their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener, against Maryland Eastern Shore. Tipoff in Tiger Arena is set for 6 p.m.

Box Score            

COURTESY SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION