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BATON ROUGE, Louisianav -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference won the first NCAA tournament game it ever played in.
In 1980, back when the Big Dance wasn’t quite as big, No. 8 seed Alcorn State defeated No. 9 South Alabama 70-62 before losing to Dale Brown’s LSU Tigers in the next round.
The Braves won three tournament games in five years in what is undoubtably the most successful postseason run for a SWAC program.
A few years later, Southern became the first team to win a game in the round of 62 when the No. 13 Jaguars toppled Georgia Tech in one of the biggest moments in program history.
Since then, the SWAC has won one NCAA tournament game: a play-in contest between Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Winthrop in 2010.
In 23 years, no SWAC team climbed higher than a No. 15 seed, with nine teams competing in play-in games since the NCAA instituted the round in 2001.
DOVER, Delaware -- Visits to two Football Bowl Subdivision powers and the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion, along with four home games at Alumni Stadium highlight the 2017 Delaware State University football schedule announced today.
The Hornets will draw national attention next season during contests at West Virginia on Sep. 16 and Florida State on Nov. 18. West Virginia was 10-3 overall and 7-2 in the Big 12 in 2016. The Mountaineers fell to Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl, and were ranked 17th in the final FBS coach’s poll and 18th in the media poll this past season.
Delaware State will close out the regular 2017 season against the Florida State Seminoles. FSU was No. 8 in the final national polls after finishing with a 10-3 overall record and 5-3 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2016, which ended with a dramatic 33-32 victory over Michigan in the Orange Bowl.
The Hornets’ 11-game 2017 slate begins on Thursday August 31 at the University of Delaware in the debut of new Blue Hens head coach Danny Rocco. It will be the eighth meeting between the state’s two Division I football programs. Each of the previous games in the series has been played at UD’s Tubby Raymond Field. DSU is seeking its first win in the series. A member of the Colonial Athletic Association, Delaware was 4-7 overall and 2-6 in the CAA in 2016.
Delaware State’s 2017 home schedule begins on Sep. 23 against Norfolk State in the first meeting between the teams since 2014. The Hornets have won their last three games against the Spartans to open up a 16-6 series lead.
The annual homecoming contest is set for Oct. 14 against Howard. The Hornets and Bison have met each year since 1958, and a total of 73 times overall. Howard won last year’s meeting, although DSU is 13-5 in the last 18 battles to lead 37-35-1 in the series.
The Hornets will welcome South Carolina State to Alumni Stadium for the 45th meeting between the teams the following week on Oct. 21.
Delaware State will close out the 2017 home schedule on Nov. 11 against Morgan State. DSU will try to snap a four-game skid against the Bears, who hold a 36-24 lead in the series.
The Hornets’ 2017 road schedule also includes a visit to Hampton in the MEAC opener on Sep. 9.
DSU will also hit the road for MEAC contests against North Carolina A&T on Oct. 7, North Carolina Central on Oct. 28 and Savannah State on Nov. 4.
North Carolina A&T was 9-3 overall and 7-1 in the MEAC last season, coming up short of a third straight conference title with a loss to NC Central in the regular season finale. The Aggies were selected to compete in the 2016 NCAA FCS Playoffs, falling to Richmond in the opening round.
North Carolina Central won its first outright MEAC title in school history and competed in the second annual Celebration Bowl last season. The Eagles, 9-3 overall and 8-0 in the MEAC last season, shared the 2014 and 2015 league titles.
The Hornets and Savannah State renew their series after a two-year break. Delaware State is 4-0 all-time against the Tigers, including a 35-10 victory the last time the teams met in 2014.
Delaware State 2017 game times will be announced at a later date. 2017 Delaware State University Football Schedule Date Opponent Site
Aug. 31 Delaware Newark, Del.
Sep. 9 Hampton* Hampton, Va.
Sep. 16 West Virginia Morgantown, W.V. Sep. 23 NORFOLK STATE* HOME
Oct. 7 No. Carolina A&T* Greensboro, N.C. Oct. 14 HOWARD* HOME Homecoming Oct. 21 So. Carolina State* HOME
Oct. 28 No. Carolina Central* Durham, N.C.
Nov. 4 Savannah State* Savannah, Ga. Nov. 11 MORGAN STATE* HOME
Nov. 18 Florida State Tallahassee, Fla.
DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
GRAMBLING, Louisiana — New Grambling athletic director Paul Bryant felt something was missing as he perused the athletic department during the application process.
It centered around a philanthropic approach he felt was needed at Grambling to grow athletics. It was the missing link of sorts.
"Thank God that has been one of my strengths," Bryant said Tuesday at his introductory press conference.
For a university, along with an athletic department, often strapped for cash, Grambling's new leader in athletics has a lofty vision for improvements to be made in the future. They aren't limited to football, but Bryant, who was hired from South Carolina State, is keenly aware football is the crown jewel.
"Vision is to create a complex that will include an indoor facility, also include field turf for our field and also to include a Jumbotron," Bryant said of potential future upgrades. "When we talk about philanthropic thinking, having a Jumbotron is critical for our success and it's because we can sell sponsorship. People want to be a part of that.
NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State University director of track and field programs Kenneth Giles announced Tuesday that former Olympian and local track and field legend Yvette Lewis has been hired as an assistant coach for the Spartans.
Lewis will primarily work with the hurdlers, jumpers and sprinters on the Spartan women's track and field team.
"Yvette has a winning pedigree in her. She's won everywhere she's been, from high school to the professional level," Giles said. "I think that she'll provide a lot of experience and know-how to our women's program. We feel we hit a grand slam with this hire."
A two-time NCAA national champion and 2016 Olympian, Lewis spent the last four years as an assistant track and field coach at her alma mater, Hampton University. Lewis' main area of emphasis was Hampton's hurdlers, jumpers and multi-event athletes while also serving as the team's strength and conditioning coordinator. Lewis helped the Hampton women win a total of six MEAC indoor and outdoor titles while the Pirate men won two.
Lewis' stint at Hampton coincided with the final years of her own successful track career. Lewis competed primarily in the 100-meter hurdles as a professional. Her personal-best time was 12.76 seconds, which she clocked in 2011 – the same year she won a gold medal representing the USA at the Pan American Games. Later in her career, Lewis represented Panama, qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazil.
Lewis won NCAA Division I national titles during the 2006 indoor season and 2007 outdoor season in the triple jump while at Hampton. In all, she was a six-time All-American in the triple jump and 100-meter hurdles in a two-year span for the Pirates. She also won six Most Outstanding Performer Awards for scoring the most points at MEAC indoor and outdoor championship meets.
Lewis was born in Germany but raised in Newport News, Va. She attended both Denbigh and Menchville high schools. She was named the 11th-greatest athlete in the history of the Daily Press newspaper, and once won a state indoor high school championship for Menchville by outscoring every other team at the meet by herself.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Howard University President, Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick announced Mike London as the new head coach of the Howard University football team, during a press conference today on the campus of Howard University.
"After an extensive national search, we are especially excited to welcome Mike London to Howard University," said Dr. Frederick. "He joins our football program at an incredible time, and we look forward to seeing him build on the existent foundation that makes Howard University a great institution. The board of trustees and I believe he brings outstanding leadership and experience and is sure to be a tremendous resource to the entire Howard University community."
"We welcome Mike London and his family to Howard University," said Howard Athletics Director Kery Davis. "I believe Mike will be a strong leader and mentor for our student-athletes. He is a widely-respected coach with a resume full of achievements at the highest levels of college football and combines a drive to win with great integrity. We look forward to the future of Howard University football under his direction."
"I would like to thank President Frederick and Kery Davis for their confidence and belief in me," London said. "I am humbled that we have a shared commitment to take this university and this football program to greater heights. Some of the best football talent in the country is right here in the Washington metropolitan area, and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with the young men in the Howard football program and build on the strong heritage already in place."
London comes to Howard University after serving as an associate head coach/defensive line coach for the University of Maryland Terrapins. Before coaching the Terrapins, he was the head coach at the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond, respectfully for eight seasons. A highly-regarded recruiter, London helped bring in four top-35 classes during his tenure in Charlottesville and brought in two Virginia-bred five-star recruits in 2014 (247Sports). London led Virginia to an 8-5 season in 2011 and was named ACC Coach of the Year.
As the head coach at Richmond (2008-09), London captured 24 wins and led the Spiders to the FCS Championship in his first season. He helped 28 Spiders achieve all-conference honors in just two seasons.
London played defensive back at Richmond (1979-1982) before playing one season for the Dallas Cowboys.
MISSOULA, Montana -- The Montana Grizzlies will once again play a full Division-I football schedule in 2017, with the addition of Savannah State, an FCS program out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), to complete next season’s slate of games.
The addition of Savannah State on Sept. 16 completes the Grizzlies’ 2017 schedule, with UM playing a total of six home games. Montana opens the season on Sept. 2, hosting Valparaiso of the FCS Pioneer Football League.
The Sept. 16 game against Savannah State marks the first time the Griz have played a team from the MEAC, and only the second time UM has played one of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the regular season, after hosting Mississippi Valley State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in 2016. The Griz hosted Jackson State of the SWAC in the 1989 playoffs.
Savannah State, located in Savannah, Georgia, finished the 2016 season at No. 8 in the MEAC standings. North Carolina Central won the league at 8-0 and finished at No. 22 in the final STATS FCS media poll of the year.
N.C. Central lost to Grambling State 10-9 in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17, 2016, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in front of 31,096 fans. The Celebration Bowl is played annually between the winner of the MEAC & SWAC and is the de facto national championship for HBCU schools.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana got 20 points from Kelsee Singleton and 14 from Gina Smith, both career highs, in a 72-59 women's basketball victory against Tougaloo Saturday.
Singleton, a fifth-year senior center, made 7-of-8 free throws. Smith, a freshman forward, was 6-of-7 from the floor. Both players grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Maya Trench added 12 points and four assists for the Gold Nuggets (10-6, 1-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference), who won their fourth straight and their seventh in the last eight games.
Asia Thibodeaux and Jermani Thompson scored 19 points apiece for the Lady Bulldogs (4-4, 0-1), and Tynika Bender had 12 assists.
XULA led 38-34 at halftime and extended its advantage to 54-43 through three quarters. The Gold Nuggets outshot Tougaloo 50.9 to 42.9 percent from the floor and made eight 3-pointers to tie a season high.
BATON ROUGE, Louisianav -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference won the first NCAA tournament game it ever played in.
