WSSU Rams' Johnson doing it all on special teams

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Just about every day, Winston-Salem State’s Will Johnson gets asked a simple question by fellow students.

“So, do you play on the baseball team?”

And Johnson, who is white, usually answers with a no, but sometimes he can’t resist.

“A few times I’ve said: ‘Yes, I’m a pitcher,’” he said with a smile.

That’s how life is for a kicker on the Rams’ football team.

Johnson is one of the more valuable players this season because he’s a rarity. He’s an actual returning starter for a team that lost close to 35 players off a 9-2 team from a year ago.

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Meet the Hampton Pirates Set for Saturday

HAMPTON, Virginia  -- University President Dr. William R. Harvey, Hampton University, and the Department of Athletics invite fans to the Hampton University football team's annual "Meet the Pirates" Day, which will be this Saturday.

The event will start at 9 a.m. with the team's final scrimmage before the start of the season.

"We would like to invite our fans to come out and support Coach Maynor and the football student-athletes as they wrap up their preparations leading up to the start of what should be a successful 2015 season," Dr. Harvey said.

Admission is free and open to the public.

The first 200 fans in attendance will receive something in a giveaway. There will also be a Quarterback Challenge and a bouncy house for children.

Players will also be available for autographs after the scrimmage.

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.


COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hampton Announces Time Change for Richmond Game

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

HAMPTON, Virginia --  Hampton University Director of Athletics Eugene Marshall, Jr. and athletic officials at the University of Richmond have announced a change in the kickoff time of the football game on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Armstrong Stadium.

Originally scheduled for 6 p.m., the game will now kick off at 12 p.m.

Marshall and Keith Gill, Director of Athletics at Richmond, mutually agreed that an earlier start time would be in the best interest of both parties, with Hampton holding a major event on campus the same evening as the game.

"We want to thank the University of Richmond, the Department of Athletics, Athletic Director Keith Gill and head coach Danny Rocco for accommodating Hampton on this time change," University President Dr. William R. Harvey said.

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Randall Kerrick, North Carolina Police Officer, Won't Be Retried For Killing Jonathan Ferrell

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The North Carolina police officer who shot an unarmed former college football player to death in 2013 won't be retried, an official said Friday, a week after a judge declared a mistrial in the case.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Randall "Wes" Kerrick, 29, killed Jonathan Ferrell, 24, after a traffic accident on Sept. 14, 2013, and was accused of voluntary manslaughter. Kerrick is white; Ferrell was black.

Prosecutors argued Kerrick should have used nonlethal force to subdue Ferrell, a former defensive back for Florida A&M, after Ferrell climbed out of his wrecked car and dragged himself to a nearby house to get help. The woman in the house called 911 to report a possible break-in.

North Carolina senior deputy attorney general Robert Montgomery said the case would not be retried after the jury deadlocked, with eight jurors voting for an acquittal and four for a conviction.



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FAMU’s defensive line coming together before season opener

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- All of Florida A&M’s defenders are getting used to a new scheme, but some players are working on getting used to entirely new positions.

Junior Calvin Darville will put his hand in the dirt as a defensive end for the first time this season, after playing outside linebacker to start his career at FAMU. Darville rounds out a starting defensive line of himself, sophomore Daikwon Fuse, senior Michael Lovejoy and redshirt sophomore Danzell Williams.

Darville said he’s looking forward to shining in his role in defensive coordinator Theo Lemon’s new 4-3 scheme.

“We’ve got what it takes up front,” he said. “It’s a different feeling (playing defensive end), but I’m getting used to it. Getting that pass rush is definitely important. It helps the linebackers, safeties and defensive backs out.”

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Preview: Alcorn State at Georgia Tech

LORMAN, Mississippi --  After winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) for the first time in over two decades, the Braves’ contest versus Tech will mark the beginning of their title defense. All three of the team’s 2014 losses were one-possession games, including a 20-26 defeat at the hands of FBS opponent Southern Miss. Since the SWAC chooses not to compete in the FCS playoffs, Tech’s Week 1 opponent capped off its season by defeating reigning champion Southern University 38-24 in the conference championship. With the Jackets as Alcorn State’s only FBS opponent this year, the latter will look to make a statement that it can compete with a nationally recognized program.

Alcorn State was an offensive juggernaut in 2014, finishing second in the FCS in points per game and tying for first with an incredible 6.91 yards per play. At its helm this season will be senior quarterback John Gibbs, Jr., the reigning SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Ted Roof and the Tech defense will be forced to respect the Houston native; he not only passed for 21 touchdowns to the tune of 8.77 yards per attempt but also rushed for more yards than anyone else on the team.

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Auntwan Riggins hired as Prairie View A&M's baseball coach

AUNTWAN RIGGINS
HEAD BASEBALL COACH
COURTESY PVAMU ATHLETICS

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The Prairie View A&M baseball team began its latest chapter Friday when the school announced it hired Auntwan Riggins as its head baseball coach.

Riggins comes to Prairie View A&M from the Warriors Baseball Academy in Houston, Texas. Prior to that, he spent 13 years with Houston's Proway Baseball Academy as one of its premier instructors and coaches. Both academies train baseball players ages 7 through 18 years old, and can claim numerous players who went on to play NCAA Division I baseball among its alumni.

"I'm very excited to join the Prairie View A&M family," Riggins said. "It's almost like the day of the draft for me. You wait and you know they are going to announce at some point; it's a feeling that you can't really describe."

Riggins has provided individual instruction to numerous players who have gone on to successful NCAA Division I careers, some of whom were also drafted professionally. His most recent alumnus to be drafted was Kyle Survance, who played collegiately at the University of Houston; Survance was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the eighth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft.

"I'm very happy to bring him on as our head coach, and am excited about his vision for the baseball program," Prairie View A&M Director of Athletics Ashley Robinson said. "He brings a wealth of experience, has a great knowledge of baseball, and can teach the game and its fundamentals."

Another player Riggins trained was Spencer Dennis, whom Prairie View A&M fans may remember as a key player on the Panthers' 2007 SWAC championship team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.

Riggins is no stranger to the Southwestern Athletic Conference, having played collegiately at Texas Southern, concluding his career at the close of the 1998 season. In two seasons with the Tigers, he hit .364, and knocked 19 doubles, 11 triples, and six home runs. In 1997, he was named the SWAC's Newcomer of the Year after hitting .341 with five home runs.

At the conclusion of his junior season in 1998, Riggins was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 20th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. He reached the AAA level in 2001 while playing with the Portland Beavers in the San Diego Padres organization.

After he retired from professional baseball, Riggins eventually returned to Texas Southern to receive his degree, graduating from the school in 2011.

A native of east Texas and a graduate of Houston's Madison High School, Riggins looks forward to being part of the Prairie View A&M community.

"I don't think I've ever encountered people who have so much love and passion for their university and alma mater as a whole, than I have seen with the Prairie View A&M community. I was drawn to that," Riggins said.

The Panthers qualified for the 2015 SWAC Baseball Tournament. Prairie View A&M has won three SWAC championships in the last 10 years, winning the tournament in 2006, 2007, and 2012.

Riggins will be the seventh head coach in Prairie View A&M's baseball history – which dates back to the 1925 season – and will be the Panthers' fourth coach since 1970. He and his wife, Deveka, have been married eight years, and they have a 5-year-old daughter, Masyn.

COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION