Throwback: Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, Coach Archie "the Gunslinger" Cooley

COACH ARCHIE "THE GUNSLINGER" COOLEY
SWAC HALL OF FAME 2007

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- Long before there was a gulf coast offense, the pistol, the west coast offense, the spread and the 2-minute drill, there was Archie Cooley -- a gunslinger of a football coach at Mississippi Valley State.  Some described his coaching style as gimmicky, suspect and unorthodox. 

That was the published opinion of the mainstream coaching establishment, but those that played black college football knew that Cooley's wide-open offense was light-years ahead of all others.  Knowledgeable football experts would later say, the gunslinger was an offensive genius who never received full credit for his offensive creations. 

Cooley was noted for designing the "Satellite Express" passing offense, which was a 60 minute no huddle offense, featuring five wide receivers and a playbook with over 200 plays. This was all before the invention of slow motion video, HD-TV, flat screen televisions, i-phones, tablets, ipads and laptop computers.

Cooley produced the greatest player in NFL history -- wide receiver, Jerry Lee Rice and a "Satellite" quarterback --Willie Totten, who set eighteen NCAA passing and offensive records. In the 1984 season, Totten threw for 5,043 yards and 58 touchdowns and then threw for 39 touchdowns in 1985, without Rice, averaging 51 points per game.

Legend has it that in 1984, Totten and the Delta Devils team of hard working country boys bused 21 hours from Itta Bena to Topeka, Kansas to play Washburn University. It was a no-contest with the Delta Devils demolishing the Ichabods 77-15.

 

Prior to arriving at MVSU in 1980 as the head coach, believe it or not, the gunslinger had been a defensive assistant at Alcorn State and Tennessee State. Within three years, Valley was the number one team in all of 1-AA (FCS) Football. 

 

One of our all-time favorite game was The Day The Godfather Did In The Gunslinger, i.e., Alcorn State vs. Mississippi Valley State before 63,808 at Mississippi Memorial Stadium in Jackson. The atmosphere was set--with two undefeated teams, ranked No. 4 and 5 in all of 1-AA football, offense vs. defense, and the Gunslinger vs. the Godfather.  Here is what Sports Illustrated (SI) had to say about this game and the Gunslinger.

We were very lucky to find a video of this 1984 contest that is described as one of the best SWAC football game ever, with commentary by JSU legendary coach W.C. Gorden. 

In 2007, Archie "the Gunslinger" Cooley was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame.



VIDEO: PART 2 OF 3

VIDEO: PART 3 OF 3

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TSU Mourns the Loss of Olympian Eleanor Montgomery

Eleanor Inez Montgomery
(November 13, 1946 - December 23, 2013)
Cleveland, Ohio
(Courtesy Greater Cleveland Hall of Fame)

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- The Tigerbelles lost one of their greatest athletes as 2013 came to a close.

 

Tigerbelle Eleanor Inez Montgomery passed away on Dec. 23, 2013. Montgomery was a member of the legendary Tigerbelles that took the Olympic Games by storm as a member of Ed Temple’s team.

 

The Cleveland, Ohio native wasted little time making the national stage, as she took home her first national title at 14-years-old in the long jump. Montgomery qualified for the 1964 Toyko Olympics in the high jump, where she finished eighth, with a jump of 1.71 meters.

 

The Tigerbelle returned to the games in 1968, competing in the high jump at the Mexico City games, finishing tied for 19^th.

 

Overall Montgomery won 13 AAU indoor and outdoor titles during her career, as well as taking home the high jump crowns at the 1963 and 1967 Pan American Games. In the 1963 event she set the meet record in the event.

 

This past November Montgomery was elected to the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame becoming the 10^th member of the Tigerbelles to receive the honor. The high jumper was also inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.

 

The viewing is this Friday from 5-8 p.m. at Calhoun Funeral Home in Bedford Heights, Ohio. Montgomery’s funeral service is set for following day at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, beginning at 10 a.m.

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

UC Irvine Hosts Morgan State Thursday Night

Tickets | Audio | Video | Live stats |

GAME #15
Morgan State (3-9) at UC Irvine (7-7)
Thursday, January 2, 2014 – 7:30 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000) – Irvine, California
Series Record:  First meeting
Radio:  KUCI/88.9 FM (Mark Roberts, 20^th Season, & Steve Henkle)

UC IRVINE LOOKS TO SETTLE IN AT HOME AS 2014 BEGINS
● UC Irvine, which has played six of its last seven games on the road, hosts Morgan State Thursday night to begin a stretch of five of the next seven contests at home.

● Fourth-year head coach Russell Turner's Anteaters host San Diego Christian Saturday evening in the last non-conference game before opening Big West play next Thursday at Long Beach State.

● Thursday night marks the first meeting between UCI and Morgan State.  The Bears, coached by Todd Bozeman, are coming off recent West Coast losses to Cal State Northridge, 86-80, last Friday and Oregon, 97-76, on Sunday.

● UCI, 7-7 on the season, lost 74-61 at Arizona State last Saturday in the Anteaters' fourth meeting against a Pac-12 school this season.

● Junior forward Will Davis II and 7-6 freshman center Mamadou Ndiaye each recorded a double-double at ASU.  Davis had 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and eighth of his career. Ndiaye registered his first double-double with 12 points (5-of-8 shooting) and 12 rebounds, plus he added four blocked shots, giving him 49 on the season.  Freshman guard Luke Nelson also scored 12 points and he had a game-high five assists.

● The 'Eaters, who trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, cut the margin to six on two occasions within the last four minutes.

● UCI is 3-3 at home and 4-4 on the road this season.



UC IRVINE NOTES
● UCI is 127-51 (.713) in the Bren Center dating back to February 2000.  UCI is 208-148 all-time in the Bren and 3-3 this season.

● The Bren Center marks its 27^th anniversary in January. The center opened Jan. 8, 1987, when the 'Eaters defeated Utah State, 118-96, on the strength of 43 points by Scott Brooks, the current head coach of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder.

● UCI is 6-0 this season when the opposition shoots under 40 percent from the field.

● UCI is 5-2 when shooting at least 50 percent from the field this season.  The Anteaters shot a season-best 61.5 percent in the Dec. 21 victory at Denver.

● UCI is 7-3 when outrebounding its opponent this season.

● Senior guard Chris McNealy has scored 987 points in his career as he closes in on becoming the 23^rd player in Anteater history to score 1,000 points.  He is averaging 11.9 points on the season.

● McNealy is tied with Stanislav Zuzak for 14^th in UCI history with 109 career threes and he is 15^th with 235 assists.

● Junior forward Will Davis II leads the Anteaters in scoring (12.1) and rebounding (7.2).  He is UCI's career leader in blocked shots with 160, including a school single-season record 88 last year.  He ranks first in the Big West Conference this season with a field-goal percentage of .609.

● Davis is 19 of 28 (.679) from the field in the last three games.

● Davis was named MVP of the 2K Sports Classic Irvine Subregional (Nov. 22-24) after averaging 11.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in three games.

● Davis earned last season's Big West Conference's "Best Defensive Player" Award and was named to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Defensive All-America team.

● Freshman guard Luke Nelson is averaging 12.0 points and he leads UCI with 28 threes and 16 steals.  He has 47 assists for the season, including 15 in the last three games.

● Sophomore point guard Alex Young is averaging 9.4 points and he leads UCI with 57 assists.  Young broke UCI's freshman single-season record with 144 assists last season when he was named Big West Conference co-Freshman of the Year and also was selected to the Mid-Major Freshman All-America team.

● Freshman center Mamadou Ndiaye, the nation's tallest player at 7-6, leads UCI and the Big West with 49 rejections.  He ranks sixth in the nation as of Monday in total blocks (49) and is 11^th in blocked shots per game at 3.5.  He is shooting 72.9 percent on 51 of 70.

● Ndiaye is 18 of 22 (.818) from the field in the past four games.  After averaging 17 minutes of playing time in the first 10 games, he has averaged 26 in the last four contests.

● Ndiaye had a school and Big West-record 10 blocked shots in the 81-58 win over Eastern Washington Nov. 24.  He had nine blocks, along with 18 points and eight rebounds, in the 86-72 victory at Washington Nov. 14.

● Junior guard Travis Souza is shooting 45.2 percent (19/42) from three-point range to rank fourth in the Big West.

● UCI ranks first in the Big West in field-goal percentage defense (.405) and blocked shots (6.21 per game).

● The Anteaters are 18^th in the nation in assists per game (16.79) and 21^st in blocked shots per game (6.21).

ABOUT MORGAN STATE
● Morgan State, under eighth-year head coach Todd Bozeman, is located in Baltimore, Md.

● The Bears, 3-9 this season, competed in the 2009 and 2010 NCAA Tournaments, and the 2008 NIT. The Bears have advanced to the championship game of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament five times in the past seven seasons.

● Senior guard Justin Black leads the Bears in scoring at 19.0 points per game and he has 26 steals in 12 games.  Ian Chiles, a 7-2 senior center, is averaging 14.7 points and 5.3 rebounds.  He has 33 blocks on the season.

● Senior guard Anthony Hubbard is averaging 10.4 points and he leads Morgan State in rebounding at 5.5 boards per game.
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COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Mississippi State Back At Home Thursday To Face UMES Hawks

STARKVILLE, Mississippi  -- After having its four-game winning streak snapped in the finals of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic against UNLV last week, Mississippi State returns to Humphrey Coliseum to face Maryland Eastern Shore at 7 p.m. on Thursday.


It’s the first meeting between the two, while MSU is 6-0 all-time against foes from the MEAC. Early this year, the Bulldogs beat league member Florida A&M, 78-65.

Tickets can be purchased at a special price of $5.

The Bulldogs sport a 9-3 ledger and with a victory would match last year’s win total. The Hawks enter the contest 2-9 after losing at Virginia Tech on Dec. 31.

Craig Sword, who has scored in double-digits the last 11 games, leads MSU with 15.3 points and 1.8 steals. On the boards, Gavin Ware paces the Bulldogs with his 8.3 clip. The sophomore from Starkville is also second in scoring at 10.4.

Kyree Jones leads UMES in scoring at 16.2.

This game is also the final non-conference outing for the Bulldogs, who open SEC play on Jan. 8 at Kentucky. Tip is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.

MSU Game Notes

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Game Notes: Gardner-Webb Men Travel To Delaware State Thursday

THE GAME Gardner-Webb will return from a 12-day break to take on Delaware State at 7:00 pm in Dover, Delaware. The meeting is a return game for the Hornets visit to Boiling Springs for the now defunct ESPN BracketBusters series in 2012. Live stats for Thursday’s meeting will be available at DSUHornets.com.

SERIES NOTES
Gardner-Webb holds a 1-0 lead in the series by virtue of a 57-56 win on February 18, 2012 in Boiling Springs ... Donta Harper knocked down two free throws with 10 seconds left to complete a comeback win for the Runnin’ Bulldogs ... Tashan Newsome led the squad with 13 points in a low-scoring affair ... GWU’s last meeting with a school from the MEAC came in Cancun, Mexico in November 2012 – a 10-point win over Howard at Moon Palace Resort.

THE COACHES
Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft is in his first season with the program and is off to a 7-7 start. Delaware State head coach Greg Jackson is 198-211 in his time with the Hornets, and 361-289 overall for his career. 

  GAME NOTES (PDF)

 THE LOWS AND MIDS
In its six games against members of low-mid major conferences, Gardner-Webb has forged a solid 4-2 record that includes wins over IUPUI and Morehead State in Las Vegas. GWU is averaging 71.2 ppg in those six games, placing five men in double figures scoring. GWU is shooting 45.9 percent in those games from the floor and 71.1 percent from the free throw line. Naji Hibbert (13.6 ppg), Jerome Hill (12.5 ppg), Donta Harper (11.4 ppg), Tyrell Nelson (10.8 ppg) and Tyler Strange (10.5 ppg) are each averaging more than 10 points against low-mid major foes this season.

HIBBERT HAS HELPED
Transfer guard Naji Hibbert (6-5, 190, RSr.) has provided needed scoring punch in his first, and only, season with Gardner-Webb. A three-year performer at Texas A&M, Hibbert helped the Aggies to a pair of 24-win seasons and two NCAA Tournament appearances during his time in College Station. Hibbert is averaging a team-high 12.8 ppg for Gardner-Webb, and has topped the 20-point mark twice – both GWU wins.

OPPOSING TIDBITS
Delaware State has dropped five games in a row and is 2-10 so far this season against a brutally tough schedule ... The Hornets have played road games at Georgia Tech, Clemson, Dayton and Oklahoma State – and a total of seven games away from home ... DSU averages just 58.6 ppg as a team, but gets more than 10 ppg from center Kendall Gray (10.3 ppg), guard Kendal Williams (10.3 ppg), forward Casey Walker (10.3 ppg) and forward Tyshawn Bell (10.6 ppg).

DEFENDING THE ARC
Gardner-Webb ranks first in the Big South Conference and among the best in the nation (25th) in 3-point field goal defense through 14 games. GWU has allowed just 59 made 3-pointers in 209 attempts this season (28.2 percent), with its toughest defensive outing coming against one of the nation’s top shooting teams – 7th-ranked Duke (9-of-22 from 3-point range).

THAT’S STRANGE ...
Point guard Tyler Strange (5-10, 180, Jr.) has been exceptional for GWU this season, ranking 22nd nationally in assists per game (5.9 apg), 24th in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.19) and second in the Big South Conference with 2.1 steals per game. Strange ranks 13th nationally according to stats guru Kenneth Pomeroy in assist rate – currently assisting on 23.7 percent of Gardner-Webb’s made field goals so far in 2013-2014.

PRESEASON RESPECT
Gardner-Webb was picked second in the preseason South Division poll by the Big South Conference’s head coaches and select media members, falling just behind defending division and overall regular season champion Charleston Southern. GWU finished a game behind the Bucs last season, but picked up a pair of overtime wins over Charleston Southern during the regular season. GWU lost just twice against South Division teams last season, falling on the road at Winthrop and Presbyterian and finishing with a 8-2 mark against Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, UNC Asheville, Winthrop and Presbyterian.

HILL CLIMBING
South Georgia native Jerome Hill (6-5, 210, So.) performed at his best at #7 Duke, matching up nicely on the offensive end against projected NBA Lottery pick Jabari Parker. Despite giving up three inches and nearly 30 pounds, Hill went to work for a career-high 22 points (9-of-10 shooting) and pulled down nine rebounds. Hill had another strong performance against Hiwassee (Tenn.), going for 19 points and a career-high 17 boards in a blowout win.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Gardner-Webb will play its eight true road game of the season Thursday night, and has won just once in its first seven games this season. GWU is 2-0 in neutral court games (Las Vegas Invitational). Five of Gardner-Webb’s six road losses this season have come to “high major” conference teams.

BIG SOUTH PLAY BEGINS SOON
Gardner-Webb will get into the meat of its most important season segment next week, hosting UNC Asheville (Jan. 8) and Coastal Carolina (Jan. 11) to open Big South Conference play in Paul Porter Arena. Gardner-Webb is one of only two teames (Winthrop) with a record of .500 or better heading into Thursday night’s action in the South Division. Asheville has won three in a row, however, and sits just behind those two at 6-7 overall – tied with Coastal Carolina’s .462 winning percentage (6-7). Both games next week will air live on the Big South Network and WGWG-FM (88.3).




COURTESY GARDNER-WEBB UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

FIU at Florida A&M: Game Notes

Teams - FIU Panthers (8-6 overall, 2-2 away); Florida A&M Rattlers (3-10 overall, 2-0 home)
Date - Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014
Location - Tallahassee, Fla
Arena - Al Lawson Center (9,639)
Tickets - (850) 599-3141
Television - N/A
Twitter - @FIUMensBBall
Facebook - FIUMensBBall
Live Video Streaming - N/A
Live Stats - www.famuathletics.com
Records - FIU enters Thursday’s game with an overall record of 8-6 following a 92-57 loss at Georgetown on Saturday, Dec. 28. Florida A&M enters Thursday’s game with a 3-10 record following a 75-70 win over Sacred Heart on Monday, Dec. 23.
Rankings - FIU is not ranked in either poll. FAMU is not ranked in either poll.
FIU Head Coach Anthony Evans - Coach Evans (St. Thomas Aquinas ‘94) enters Thursday’s contest with a career record of 107-100 (.517 - seventh season overall) and 8-6 at FIU (.571 - first season).
FAMU Head Coach Clemon Johnson - Coach Johnson (FAMU ‘78) enters Thursday’s contest with a career record at FAMU of 15-30 (.333 - second season).
Series History - Thursday’s game between FIU and FAMU will mark the 11th meeting all-time between the two teams with the FAMU leading the series history, 5-4 (actual on-court record is 5-5 - FIU vacated one victory due to NCAA sanctions). The last meeting between the two squads resulted in an 88-72 win for FIU on Jan. 2, 2013 in Miami, Fla.
Officials - Announced on game day - See more at: http://www.fiusports.com/Sports/MensSports/MBasketball/Article/tabid/417/article/20665/FIU-at-Florida-A-M-Game-Notes.aspx#sthash.QmtEbTNb.dpuf

FIU Game Notes (PDF)

 

 

FIU Tips Off 2014 in Tallahassee to Face FAMU

 

Coming off back-to-back losses, the FIU men’s basketball team (8-6) will travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on the Florida A&M Rattlers on Thursday, Jan. 2. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.

 

The Panthers are coming off a 92-57 loss at Georgetown on Saturday, Dec. 28. Redshirt junior Dennis Mavin led all Panthers with 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor, while draining a career-high four 3-pointers. Seniors Tymell Murphy and Rakeem Buckles added 15 points each. Buckles also grabbed a team-high six boards. Redshirt sophomore Cody Mann recorded a game-high six assists.

 

The Panthers struggled in the first half, shooting 25.0 percent (5-of-20) from the floor. A scoring drought of over 11 minutes resulted in a 24-0 run by the Hoyas. The Panthers trailed 6-4 with 17:16 left in the first half. However, GU’s run put FIU down 31-4 with 6:57 left in the half.

 

Sophomore Jerome Frink and Mavin led all Panthers in the first half with five points apiece.  

 

FIU came out in the second half outscoring the Hoyas, 23-12, including a 14-2 run through the first 12 minutes of the second half. The Panthers’ offense found its stroke in the final 20 minutes, shooting 55.6 percent (15-of-27) while holding a 43-42 edge over GU on the scoreboard.

 

FIU finished the afternoon shooting 41.3 percent (19-of-46) from the floor, including a 5-of-13 performance from beyond the arc (38.5 percent). The Panthers were out-rebounded by the Hoyas, 33-22, as GU out-scored FIU in the paint, 58-26. 

 

FIU comes into Thursday’s contest averaging 70.1 points-per-game, while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from 3-point range. The Panthers are converting 68.1 percent of its attempts from the free-throw line. Defensively, FIU is allowing 69.3 points-per-game as the opposition is shooting 41.7 percent from the floor. The Panthers are out-rebounding their opponents 553-463, averaging 39.5 boards-per-contest. 

. 

FIU – Florida A&M Series History 

Thursday’s game between FIU and Florida A&M will mark the 11th meeting all-time between the two teams. 

- The series is tied, 5-5

- The last meeting between FIU and Florida A&M resulted in an 88-72 win for FIU 

on Dec. 2, 2013, in Miami, Fla.

- FIU is 12-9 all-time versus teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

- FIU has won three-straight versus the Rattlers.

- FIU is 1-4 all-time versus FAMU in Tallahassee.

- FIU will be looking for its second-straight win over FAMU in Tallahassee.

- See more at: http://www.fiusports.com/Sports/MensSports/MBasketball/Article/tabid/417/article/20665/FIU-at-Florida-A-M-Game-Notes.aspx#sthash.QmtEbTNb.dpuf

COURTESY FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Southern White Teams Just Didn’t Play Black Ones, but One Game Ended All That

FLORIDA A&M  COACH JAKE GAITHER
(Credit: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory)

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- On a Saturday night 40 football seasons ago, just before kickoff of the penultimate game in his career, Coach Jake Gaither of Florida A&M strode toward midfield of Tampa Stadium. There he extended his hand to the opposing coach, Fran Curci of the University of Tampa, and they strained to speak above the din of a capacity crowd.

“Jake, this is bigger than I thought it would be,” Coach Curci recently recalled saying. “Not me,” Coach Gaither responded.

Both men were trying to fathom the event they had set into motion, the first interracial football game in the South, a landmark in sports and civil rights that has gone relatively uncelebrated. It pit the Florida A&M Rattlers, long one of the dominant teams among black colleges, against the Tampa Spartans, a rising power that was overwhelmingly white.

What was at stake that night was twofold. The match-up would prove whether a black team with a black coach from a black school really could compete with a white one. And, in a city that suffered a race riot two years earlier, the stadium was divided racially into its Tampa and A&M rooting sections, and the spectators had to demonstrate that they could peaceably coexist.

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