FAMU Athletics Announces Home Football Game Times

HEAD FOOTBALL COACH EARL HOLMES
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
Courtesy FAMU Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  – The Florida A&M University (FAMU) Athletic Department released the start times for the 2014 Rattler Football home games today.

This year’s five-game Bragg Stadium lineup includes three games kicking off at 5 p.m., and two November games at 3 p.m.

The early season home games with Coastal Carolina (Sept. 20), Morgan State (Oct. 4) and Savannah State (Oct. 11) will kickoff at 5 p.m.

The 2014 homecoming game against Norfolk State (Nov. 1), and home finale against South Carolina State (Nov. 8) will kickoff at 3 p.m.

The Rattlers averaged 11,170 in home attendance last season and are looking to improve on those numbers with a reinvigorated fan base, and an improved squad under the leadership of second-year head coach Earl Holmes and new athletic director Kellen Winslow Sr.

FAMU has been in the Top 25 of the NCAA FCS Division over the last five seasons, and the university hopes to exceed its banner campaign numbers from 2011, when the Rattlers ranked No. 8 in the FCS, drawing 74,985 fans in four games, averaging 17,846 per game.

Tickets are now on sale at the FAMU Athletic Ticket Office and can be purchased by payroll deduction for State of Florida workers.

FAMU 2014 Football Schedule (.pdf)

Opponent	Date	Location	Series Record	Time - ET
Jackson State	Aug. 30	Jackson, Miss.	7-8-2	6:00 pm
Univ. of Miami	Sept. 6	Miami, Fla.	1-8-0	TBA
COASTAL CAROLINA	SEPT. 20	Tallahassee, Fla.	0-0-0	5:00 pm
Tennessee St.	Sept. 27	Nashville, Tenn.	24-28-0	TBA
MORGAN STATE	OCT. 4	Tallahassee, Fla.	20-6-0	5:00 pm
SAVANNAH STATE	OCT. 11	Tallahassee, Fla.	6-0-0	5:00 pm
Howard Univ.	Oct. 18	Washington D.C.	27-9-0	1:00 pm
N.C. A&T	Oct. 25	Greensboro, NC	43-13-2	1:00 pm
NORFOLK STATE	Nov. 1	Tallahassee, Fla.	13-1-0	3:00 pm
S.C. STATE	Nov. 8	Tallahassee, Fla.	33-22-3	3:00 pm
Delaware St.	Nov. 15	Dover, Del.	22-9-0	2:00 pm
Bethune-Cookman	Nov. 22	Orlando, Fla.	48-18-1	TBA

Home games in bold caps.

VIDEO:  Highlights of  Florida A&M's 16-13 win over Miami in 1979.  (Note: there is no audio on the 2nd half of this highlight reel).  Video courtesy of the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame. Please save in your personal archives on disk.

FOLLOW THE RATTLERS AT: FAMUATHLETICS.COM AND FOR TICKET INFORMATION.
 

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

South Carolina State Wins 2014 MEAC Women's Tennis Championship

2014 MEAC WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONS
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
Photo courtesy of: MEAC Media Relations

CAYCE, South Carolina -- The South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs defeated the Bethune-Cookman Lady Wildcats, 4-2, to win the 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women’s Tennis Championship title on Sunday at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center. The title is the 10^th consecutive and the 11^th overall for the Lady Bulldogs.

 

“It’s really exciting, especially when we started four freshman, a sophomore and one junior,” South Carolina State head coach Hardeep Judge said. “We have such a young team to lead us to another MEAC title.”

 

In doubles action, the Lady Bulldogs captured wins at the number two and three positions. SCSU’s Viktoriia Khatcei and Marketa Marcanikova topped B-CU’s Elizabethe Nyenwe and Maria Dimitrova, 8-6, to earn the Lady Bulldogs’ doubles victory and first point of the day. In the other’s doubles win, Gabby Chinchilla and Chinatsu Kajiwara rallied from a 5-1 deficit to tie the match at 6 all, but Olesandra Filipova and Dakota Brown won the next two games to take the match, 8-6.

 

Bethune-Cookman tied the match at 1-1 after Mina Matsuba defeated Klara Dohnalova, 6-0, 6-3. South Carolina State answered with wins at the number five and six positions to grab a 3-1 advantage. Dakota Brown defeated Gaby Chinchilla, 6-2, 6-4, while Marketa Marcanikova got past Ancia Ifill, 6-3, 6-1.

 

The Lady Bulldogs’ Intissar Rassif won the winning point with a thrilling 7-5, 7-6 win over B-CU’s Maria Sablina. Rassif trailed 6-5 in the second set before rattling off two games to with the match.

SCSU’s Rassif was named the Outstanding Performer, while head coach Judge was named the Outstanding Coach.

 

Rassif recorded a 3-0 record in singles play and a 1-1 mark in doubles action to win the honor. Judge was named the Outstanding Coach for the 10^th time in his career on the women’s side.

 

With the win, South Carolina State (13-5) receives the conference's automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Women's Championship. The Division I Women's Tennis Selection Show will air Tuesday, April 29 at 5:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.

 

For more information about MEAC Women's Tennis, visit www.MEACsports.com

 

2014 Women's All-Tournament Teams:

 

Doubles:

1. Mina Matsuba and Maria Sablina, Bethune-Cookman

2. Viktoriia Khatcei and Marketa Marcanikova, South Carolina State

3. Oleskandra Filipova and Dakota Brown, South Carolina State

 

Singles:

1. Chinatsu Kajiwara, Bethune-Cookman

2. Mina Matsuba, Bethune-Cookman

3. Intissar Rassif, South Carolina State

4. Viktoriia Khatcei, South Carolina State

5. Brooke Hawthorne, Howard

6. Marketa Marcanikova, South Carolina State

 

Outstanding Performers: Intissar Rassif, South Carolina State

Outstanding Coach: Hardeep Judge, South Carolina State

 

Runner-Up Team: Bethune-Cookman University

2014 MEAC Women's Tennis Champion: South Carolina State University

 

COURTESY MEAC SPORTS RELEASE

South Carolina State Wins 2014 MEAC Men's Tennis Championship

2014 MEAC MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONS
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS
Photo courtesy of: MEAC Media Relations

CAYCE, South Carolina  -- The South Carolina State Bulldogs defeated the Norfolk State Spartans, 4-1, to win the 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Men’s Tennis Championship title on Sunday at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center. The title is the seventh consecutive and the 12^th overall for the Bulldogs.

“I am really excited for this group of players,” South Carolina State head coach Hardeep Judge said. “We’ve worked hard all season and I am just happy for them to experience this win and the championship.”

South Carolina State took an early 1-0 lead over Norfolk State with wins at the number one and two doubles positions. SCSU’s Martin Kobza and Jiri Stiburek knocked off Dzmitry Zyhmantovich, 8-3, while Daniel Vala and Martin Figura defeated Igor Braga and Robin Riethmueller, 8-3.

In singles play, South Carolina State grabbed the win with victories at the number four, five and six positions. Norfolk State picked up a 6-2, 6-1 win at number two as Pascal Domnik knocked off Jiri Stiburek, 6-2, 6-1.

The Bulldogs’ Soufiane Mouline defeated Igor Braga, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, while Vala topped Peter Pello, 6-1, 6-1. Martin Figura gave SCSU the win at the number six position with a thrilling 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory.

Vala, who tallied a 2-0 singles mark and 3-0 record in doubles, was named Outstanding Performer, while Judge was named the Outstanding Coach for the 10^th time in his career.

With the win, South Carolina State (10-7) receives the conference's automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Men's Championship. The Division I Men's Tennis Selection Show will air Tuesday, April 29 at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.

For more information about MEAC Men's Tennis, visit www.MEACsports.com.

2014 Men's All-Tournament Teams:

Doubles:
1. Martin Kobza and Jiri Stiburek, South Carolina State
2. Daniel Vala and Martin Figura, South Carolina State
3. Stanislav Baco and Soufiane Mouline, South Carolina State

Singles:
1. Rodney Carey, Florida A&M

2. Pascal Domnik, Norfolk State

3. Stanislav Baco, South Carolina State
4. Soufiane Mouline, South Carolina State
5. Daniel Vala, South Carolina State

6. Martin Figura, South Carolina State

Outstanding Performers: Daniel Vala
Outstanding Coach: Hardeep Judge, South Carolina State

Runner-Up Team: Norfolk State University
2014 MEAC Men's Tennis Champion: South Carolina State University

COURTESY MEAC SPORTS RELEASE

Plan to split FSU-FAMU engineering school stirs political waters

Sen. John Thrasher is chairman of Gov. Scott's re-election campaign and is widely considered a front-runner for president of FSU.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- An effort by Florida State University and its well-connected allies to get its own engineering school could be turning into an election-year liability for Gov. Rick Scott.

Not only would the plan cost millions of dollars, it also would mean splitting up FSU's joint school with nearby Florida A&M University, an idea that is stirring outrage among supporters of the state's historically black university and others worried about the fallout.

"Governor — you need to put an end to this idea," Duval County Republican Party Chairman Rick Hartley wrote in an email to Scott outlining his opposition to the engineering school split.

"We are trying to communicate your strong message of job growth to the black community, but this is seen as a direct slap in their face," Hartley wrote.

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TSU Football 5th Annual Golf Tournament Set For May 2

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tennessee State University football team will host the fifth annual "Tee Off With The Tigers" Golf Tournament on Friday, May 2 at the Ted Rhodes Golf Course in Nashville.

The golf tournament helps raise money for the TSU Tiger Paw Foundation, which helps maintain expenses for the Big Blue Football program.
 

Golf Tournament Registration

There are plenty of opportunities to take part in the golf tournament ranging from a title sponsor to individual contributions. Organizations can also contribute prizes for Hole-In One, Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive.

For more information about the costs of sponsorship or to register, click here for the brochure. For more information, call the TSU Football Office at 615-963-7562.

 

Golf Tournament Registration

5th Annual TSU Tiger Football Golf Tournament Sponsorship Information

Title Sponsor - $2,500

Hole Sponsor - $400

Contest Sponsor - $200

Individual - $125

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU hires ex-assistant as men's basketball coach

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  Illinois State associate head coach Dana Ford has been hired as Tennessee State's new basketball coach, according to a university source.

Ford will be introduced Monday at a news conference at the school.

He will replace Travis Williams, who was fired on March 11 after leading the Tigers to a 5-25 record in his second season.

Ford served as an assistant at TSU under former coach John Cooper from 2009-11. The Tigers posted a combined record of 33-39 while Ford was on the staff.

Ford was among six finalists for the position, which also included ...

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Williams steps up in Bethune-Cookman spring football game

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- Quentin Williams has been Bethune-Cookman’s primary starter at quarterback over the past two seasons. But in terms of experience, he has always been third on the depth chart.

Not anymore.

 

Seniors Jackie Wilson and Brock Waters have departed, and Williams, who will be a redshirt junior this fall, played like a veteran in the Wildcats’ spring game Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

 

“You kind of take on more of that leadership role being an upperclassman,” Williams said. “You just have to be more consistent. All eyes are on you. That’s what (assistant coach and former B-CU quarterback Allen Suber) tells me all the time.”

 

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