TSU to Face Jacksonville State on ESPN 3, Sept. 19

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- On Tuesday the OVC announced the first game of the league's eight-game football "Game of the Week" package that will be carried exclusively on ESPN3 this fall.

The first game in the package will feature a match-up between Tennessee State and Jacksonville State on Sept. 19. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. at Burgess-Snow Field in Jacksonville, Ala.

The first four game matchups will be announced over the next two days via OVC social media outlets as well as OVCSports.com. Two games will be announced each day via the league's Twitter (www.Twitter.com/OVCSports) and Facebook (www.Facebook.com/OVCSports).

The final four games of the package (to be played on October 31, November 7, November 14 and November 21) will be "Wildcard" selections which will be announced roughly 12 days before the contest.

This marks the third-straight season the league has produced the Game of the Week package in conjunction with WebStream Sports.

WebStream Sports, an Indianapolis-based company which is a proven leader in video production, streaming video and content creation. The company, founded in 2006, produces more than 1,000 events annually and has also served as a web streaming consultant for the OVC for the past three years.

Kevin Ingram, host of "The Wake Up Zone" on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, will handle play-by-play duties while Bob Belvin, on-air talent and contributor at 100.7 FM/AM 540 (ESPN Clarksville), will provide analysis. The duo has worked together each of the past three years in the league's TV package.

The OVC Football Game of the Week package is part of an overall multiyear agreement with ESPN which was announced in October 2013.

ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The network is currently available to more than 99 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.

All other Conference football games and non-conference home contests (approximately 36 games) will be available on the OVC Digital Network, the League's web streaming platform that produces high-definition webcasts that are available at no cost on any computer, tablet or smart phone.

Courtesy Ohio Valley Conference

New state laws should help Grambling recruit

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- The 2015 Louisiana Legislature did something that can help Grambling State University, which has been struggling with declining enrollment.

Two new laws, sponsored by Rep. Patrick Jefferson and Sen. Rick Gallot Jr., are aimed at helping increase enrollment at historically black colleges and universities in Louisiana by reducing out-of-state tuition and allowing students to take remedial courses.

“We did a lot of things during this first rendition of the legislative session, none more significant than the possibility of enabling more students to attend Grambling State University, which is awe inspiring,” Jefferson said. “The hope is it will help us to compete with our peer institutions, and it will allow Grambling to do what it has done since the beginning, which is to educate our students.”

HB 129, which goes into effect Aug. 1, will reduce undergraduate tuition and fees for out-of-state students who want to attend Louisiana’s HBCUs, making it easier for these students to afford a four-year university outside of their home state.

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FVSU Head Women's Basketball Coach Erica Henry leaving for position at Division I PVAMU

COACH ERICA HENRY
Courtesy: FVSU Athletics

FORT VALLEY, Georgia -- Fort Valley State University women’s basketball coach Erica Henry has resigned as head coach.

Henry has decided to move on after two years and accept the position of Recruiting Coordinator/Assistant Coach at Prairie View A&M University.

“We thank Coach Henry for her time here and wish her much success in the future,” said Director of Athletics Joshua W. Murfree, Jr.

Henry’s record over two seasons was 22-35 and 16-17 in SIAC (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) action. The Lady Wildcats finished with a 9-20 overall record in 2014-15 and went 7-10 in conference play.

COURTESY FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU football coach Alex Wood: summer focus is on academics

 WALTER STEWART
Defensive Ends Coach
Florida A&M University Rattlers
Alma Mater: Cincinnati '12
 

Former Cincinnati DL Walter Stewart has join Alex Wood staff as defensive ends coach. Stewart served 2-years as a defensive graduate assistant under Coach Butch Jones at the University of Tennessee.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- It's been a busy summer for first-year Florida A&M head football coach Alex Wood, and he said academics has been the main focus for the team since the end of spring football.

"We just need our guys to do well in the classroom this summer," he said. "There's still a lot of development that needs to happen, but right now we're focused on finishing strong academically in summer school."

Wood – who will return to Tallahassee July 13 — said the academic focus is what the team needs to battle NCAA sanctions due to low APR scores. FAMU football is ineligible for the postseason for the second year in a row, and the team can't hold full spring practices until the sanctions are lifted.

Fall football practice starts Aug. 3 for the Rattlers.

"I knew APR scores were looming and I knew that would be a problem coming in," Wood said.

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Baltimore Legend, Retiring Bob Wade lauded for his leadership, ready to 'get a little rest'

The Morgan State University graduate was the first African-American men's basketball coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history when Maryland hired him in 1986.  Over his tenure at Baltimore’s Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Wade’s teams won 91.9 percent of its games.

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Having left an immeasurable mark on high school sports in the area, Bob Wade has retired as Baltimore City Public School System coordinator of athletics..

Wade, 70, began his tenure in 1996, bringing leadership, discipline and success to Baltimore City's athletic program, which had joined the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association three years prior.


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"I feel extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with all the student-athletes and coaches involved with Baltimore City public schools and also work hand in hand with the MPSSAA," Wade said. "I feel very good that during my tenure we made giant steps toward respectability as far as the state association and we gained a tremendous amount of credibility. I think we've come a long way. I'm happy to see the number of student-athletes being given athletic scholarships to further their education and academic scholarships as well."

In addition to strengthening Baltimore's ties with the MPSSAA, Wade was pivotal in adding softball, girls tennis and badminton programs during his watch to assure compliance with Title IX.

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After 2-year hiatus, UAPB returning to Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas -- The Arkansas-Pine Bluff football team is coming back to Little Rock.

At least for one day.

A group of UAPB officials that included Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander, Athletic Director Lonza Hardy and Coach Monte Coleman visited Little Rock on Wednesday to promote the school's football game this fall at War Memorial Stadium.

UAPB will host defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Alcorn State on Oct. 3 in its first visit to War Memorial Stadium since 2012.

"It's been a long time coming," Hardy said. "We didn't just want to play a game, we wanted to play a marquee game. We believe there is no better marquee matchup than the Golden Lions playing against the defending champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference."

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UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF 2015 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date	Opponent	Stadium	Location	Time
Sept. 6	vs. South Carolina State+	Florida Citrus Bowl	Orlando, Fla.	3:30 p.m. EST
Sept. 12	Morehouse College	Golden Lion Stadium	Pine Bluff, Ark.	6 p.m.
Sept. 19	Texas Southern*	Golden Lion Stadium	Pine Bluff, Ark.	6 p.m.
Sept. 26	at Alabama A&M*	Louis Crews Stadium	Normal, Ala.	1 p.m.
Oct. 3	vs. Alcorn State*	War Memorial Stadium	Little Rock, Ark.	4 p.m.
Oct. 17	Alabama State*	Golden Lion Stadium	Pine Bluff, Ark.	6 p.m.
Oct. 24	at Jackson State*	Veteran Memorial Stadium	Jackson, Miss.	2 p.m.
Oct. 31	at Prairie View A&M*	Waller Stadium	Waller, Texas	TBA
Nov. 7	Southern*	Golden Lion Stadium	Pine Bluff, Ark.	2:30 p.m.
Nov. 14	Grambling State* HC	Golden Lions Stadium	Pine Bluff, Ark.	2:30 p.m.
Nov. 21	at Miss. Valley State*	Rice-Totten Stadium	Itta Bena, Miss.	1 p.m.

Former Alabama linebacker Alex Watkins helps Stillman bulk up

COACH ALEX WATKINS

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Football stars aren't usually found in the offseason.

Stillman College coach Teddy Keaton believes he has found one, and he isn't even on the Tigers' roster.

Former University of Alabama linebacker
Alex Watkins is making a difference at Stillman as the strength and conditioning coach. He was hired a little less than a year ago.

Watkins, from Brownsville, Tenn., was a senior on UA's 2011 national championship team.

“This is his first offseason with our kids,” Keaton said. “You can see a big difference. I saw a big difference during the season with their bodies changing. The things he learned at Alabama, he brought to Stillman.”

Those things aren't just about getting bigger and stronger. Stillman emphasized bulk in the past, but Watkins is working to increase athleticism.

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