SAU Releases 2017 Football Schedule

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- On Wednesday, Saint Augustine's University released its football schedule for the 2017 season.

Five home games highlight the Falcons' schedule including contests against CIAA champion Winston-Salem State University and CIAA runner-up Bowie State University. In addition to facing last year's top CIAA teams, the Falcons will host Johnson C. Smith University for Homecoming on Oct. 28. All home games start at the George Williams Athletic Complex at 1 p.m.

Their five-game road slate includes a matchup against archrival Shaw University on Nov. 4. Both teams square off in the second annual Raleigh Classic.

The Falcons open the season against Catawba College on Aug. 31 in their first Thursday game in the modern era. They hit the road again Sept. 9 against perennial power Carson-Newman University before hosting Bowie State in their home opener Sept. 16.

After making the trek to Lincoln (Pa.) University on Sept. 23, the Falcons will host three consecutive home games starting with Virginia Union University on Sept. 30. Southern Division competition begins Oct. 7 against Livingstone College followed by Winston-Salem State University on Oct. 14.

Two of their last three games are away from campus. The Falcons visit Fayetteville State University on Oct. 21 and Shaw in the final regular-season contest. Sandwiched between both games is the Homecoming contest versus Johnson C. Smith University.

Below is the 2017 Saint Augustine's University football schedule. It is also on the football page of saintaugfalcons.com, the University's official athletic website.

SAU FALCONS 2017 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Location Time
Aug. 31 at Catawba Salisbury, NC 7 p.m.
Sept. 9 at Carson-Newman Jefferson City, TN 1 p.m.
SEPT. 16 BOWIE STATE RALEIGH, NC 1 P.M.
Sept. 23 at Lincoln (Pa)* Lincoln University, PA 5 p.m.
SEPT. 30 VIRGINIA UNION* RALEIGH, NC 1 P.M.
OCT. 7 LIVINGSTONE* RALEIGH, NC 1 P.M.
OCT. 14 WINSTON-SALEM STATE* RALEIGH, NC 1 P.M.
Oct. 21 at Fayetteville State * Fayetteville, NC 2 p.m.
OCT. 28 JOHNSON C. SMITH*# RALEIGH, NC 1 P.M.
Nov. 4 at Shaw* Durham, NC 12 p.m.
Nov. 11 CIAA Championship TBA TBA

*CIAA Games
# - Homecoming
Home Games in BOLD CAPS at the George Williams Athletic Complex
Dates and times are subject to change



SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Albany State releases 2017 football schedule

ALBANY, Georgia -- The Albany State University Golden Rams have unveiled their football schedule for the 2017 season, ASU Director of Athletics Sherie C. Gordon announced on Friday.

Highlighting the 10-game slate are games with a familiar non-conference opponents, six SIAC conference games, two classics, and a first-ever meeting with an NAIA institution.

"We have a very competitive schedule which provides alumni, fans and supporters more opportunities to watch exciting football in our great stadium[SG1] ," Gordon said.

The Golden Rams, who finished their 2016 season at 5-4, will kick off the season on Sept. 2 in Albany, Ga against the Valdosta State University Blazers. Valdosta State, a member of the Gulf South Conference, went 8-3 and made the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs last season. Last year, ASU lost to the VSU 16-7 in Valdosta.

Albany State will open SIAC play and continue a rivalry when it faces the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers on Sept. 9 in the 4th Annual White Water Classic in Phenix City, Alabama. Tuskegee made an appearance in the 2016 NCAA Division II second round and finished last year with a 9-3 overall record. TU defeated the Golden Rams 28-18 in last season's classic. The Tuskegee game is the first of two SIAC West Division crossover games.

Albany State returns to action on Sept. 16 against North Greenville University in Albany. The Crusaders' program is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association. NGU finished with a 9-5 overall record last season and lost in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals.

ASU will have another road game on Sept. 23. Golden Rams will travel to Carrollton, Ga. to face the University of West Georgia. The Gulf South member registered a 7-4 record last year.

On Sept. 30, the Golden Rams will visit the Miles College Golden Bears Fairfield, Ala. Albany State defeated the SIAC West Division opponent 35-33 in last year's regular season meeting in Albany. MC finished the 2016 season with a 5-5 record.

2017 Golden Rams Football Schedule
Date Opponent Place Time
9/2 Valdosta State University@ Albany, GA 7 p.m.
9/9 Tuskegee University*^ Phenix City, AL 5 p.m. (EST)
9/16 Univ. of North Greenville Albany, GA 7 p.m.
9/23 Univ. of West Georgia Carrollton, GA 2 p.m.
9/30 Miles College* Fairfield, AL TBD (CST)
10/7 Univ. of Lincoln Missouri Albany, GA 2 p.m.
10/14 Morehouse College* ** Albany, GA 2 p.m.
10/21 Clark Atlanta University* Atlanta, GA 2 p.m.
10/28 Benedict College* Albany, GA 2 p.m.
11/4 Fort Valley State Univ.*# Columbus, GA 2 p.m.
11/12 SIAC Championship TBD TBD

@J.W. Holley Memorial Game *SIAC Game ^White Water Classic
**Homecoming #Fountain City Classic

Albany State will host University of Lincoln-Missouri for the first time in program history. The Tigers compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conferences in NCAA Division II and finished with a 1-10 overall record last year. ULM is now coached by former ASU offensive coordinator Steve Smith.

The Golden Rams will take on four SIAC East Division opponents beginning Oct. 14. They will battle with the Maroon Tigers of Morehouse College in Albany as part of ASU's annual homecoming celebration. Albany State defeated Morehouse 26-21 in the 2016 contest. The Maroon Tigers were 3-7 last season.

Albany State will then journey to Atlanta to take on the Clark Atlanta University Panthers on Oct. 21. In Albany, ASU beat CAU 17-7 in route to the Panthers' 5-5 overall record.

Albany State will back home on Oct. 28. ASU will host the Benedict College Tigers in Albany. The Golden Rams defeated Benedict 34-7 in last year's meeting, and the Tigers finished with a 5-6 overall record.

The two biggest rivals in the SIAC, Albany State and Fort Valley State University, will close its regular seasons in the 28th Annual Fountain City Classic on November 4 at the A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Georgia. The Wildcats defeated the Golden Rams 21-17 in the 2016 classic game. FVSU finished 5-6 overall, but beat Kentucky State in the 2016 SIAC Championship Game. The FCC is touted as one of the biggest and best HBCU football classics in the nation.

The winners of the SIAC East and West divisions will play for the 2017 SIAC Championship game on November 11.

For more information about the Golden Rams 2016 football schedule, contact Stan McCormick at (229) 420-7013 or stanley.mccormick@asurams.edu.



ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY RAMS SPORTS INFORMATION

Ryan Ridder Named Head Coach for B-CU Men’s Basketball

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  – Lynn W. Thompson, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, announced Friday, March 31, the appointment of Ryan Ridder as the next head coach for Bethune-Cookman Men's Basketball.

"I have watched and admired Ryan Ridder from his days as a stellar student-athlete in high school and college, and also witnessed his growth and success as a coach on the college level," said Thompson. "I know him. I know his family. His DNA is made up of integrity, passion and the ability to teach. He is an outstanding servant leader who just happens to be a phenomenal basketball coach. His progression as a college coach on each level has prepared him to accept this challenge. He is a local product with great knowledge and respect for our university and community, and we are proud to have one of the great young coaches in the nation to join the B-CU family."



No stranger to Daytona Beach area basketball as both a player and coach, Ridder comes to Bethune-Cookman after a four-year stint at Daytona State College. Ridder was successful in helping lead a resurgence of the Falcons program that produced 95 victories and four Mid-Florida Conference championships.

"I want to thank President Dr. Edison O. Jackson and Vice President Lynn W. Thompson for the unbelievable opportunity to serve as the Men's Basketball Head Coach at Bethune-Cookman University," expressed Ridder. "I'm excited to serve and make a positive impact on our student-athletes on and off the floor. The opportunity to lead a faith-based Division I program in my home town is a dream come true."

Additionally at Daytona State, Ridder coached 17 all-conference players, four all-region student-athletes, and one NJCAA Second Team All-America performer. Daytona State also finished the regular season ranked in the NJCAA National Poll in all four Ridder's seasons. Ridder was named Mid-Florida Conference Coach of the Year in each of his four seasons at the helm of the Falcons program.

Off the court, Ridder's student-athletes had a 100 percent graduation his first two years, and 96 percent overall across four years.

Daytona State was also the only team in its region to achieve a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and one of 12 teams in the country to hold a 3.0 cumulative GPA during the 2014-2015 academic and athletic year. Sixteen of his players have gone on to play basketball at four-year schools, including Tanksley Efianayi (UCF), Rashuan Stimage (DePaul) and Wesley Alcegaire (Bowling Green).

The son of legendary Embry-Riddle Men's Basketball Head Coach Steve Ridder, Ryan first made his mark as one of Volusia County's premier high school players under Ed Miller at Father Lopez High School. While playing for the Green Wave at Father Lopez, Ridder earned all-area accolades three times while scoring over 1,100 points and dishing out 300 assists. He was named an all-state honorable mention performer in both his junior and senior years, respectively.

After starting his collegiate career at Wooster, he transferred back home to play for his father at Embry-Riddle from 2006-08, starting at point guard and serving as team captain in his junior and senior season. He led the Sun Conference with a 4.24 assists average as a senior. He earned a degree in Aerospace Studies in 2008.

Upon graduation, Ridder moved to North Carolina where he remained involved with basketball on the skill development side. He trained players from youth to those with NBA aspirations while working for the Hoop City U basketball training academy. In addition, he was the head coach for a number of teams engaged in international competition with 365 Sports, and he served as the assistant boys' basketball coach at North Raleigh Christian.

He returned to Embry-Riddle, spending the 2009-10 campaign as a volunteer assistant, helping his father coach the Eagles to a 30-6 record and a quarterfinals berth in the NAIA National Tournament.

No stranger to the Division I level of athletics, Ridder served three years as an assistant coach at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. During Ridder's three years with the Fighting Camels, the program's recruiting classes were among the highest ranked in the Atlantic Sun Conference. He helped the Fighting Camels knock off power conference members Iowa and Auburn, as well as in-state rivals East Carolina, Appalachian State and UNC Wilmington. Three of Ridder's players earned all-conference honors and one Freshman of the Year award.

Ridder earned his Master's Degree in Sports Management from California University of Pennsylvania in 2009.

Follow Bethune-Cookman Men's Basketball on Twitter (@BCUHoops) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).

BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Defense, running backs shine in NCCU Eagles first scrimmage

DURHAM, North Carolina -- The defense flew around, and North Carolina Central football coach Jerry Mack liked that a lot. But there were too many penalties and pre-snap mistakes than he cared for during the Eagles first scrimmage of the spring.

The three-time MEAC champs went through a three-out, full workout, at O’Kelly-Riddick Saturday morning. N.C. Central has four practices completed, and Saturday was the first time the Eagles went 11-on-11 in game like situations. The offense was led by redshirt freshman quarterback Shaolin McGuire, who was picked off once and didn’t throw a touchdown. Redshirt sophomore Naiil Ramadan hit Jalen Wilkes for a long score towards the end of the scrimmage, while running backs Ramone Simpson and Torri Cotton each found paydirt for the offense.

“I thought the running backs played well,” Mack said. “They ran the ball tough in between the tackles and they got it out on the perimeter a lot.”

Isaiah Totten, a freshman running back from Apex, was also in the mix as Dorrell McClain got some rest for N.C. Central. With the passing game taking a while to gel with two young quarterbacks, the running backs were more than willing to lead the way. Simpson, an all-conference pick last season, said the backfield is more than willing to get the offense going. Simpson, a junior, and Cotton, also proved to be reliable receivers out the backfield for McGuire and Ramadan whenever they got in a jam.

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Rabalais: Ben Jobe was a great basketball coach, but so much more than that as a man

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Once during a basketball game Ben Jobe was coaching at Southern, a fan sitting behind the Jaguars bench called one of the referees “a blind S.O.B.”

The official wheeled around in the direction of the voice and gave Jobe a technical foul.

"After the game, I walked up to the ref and said, 'Mr. Official, someone sitting behind me called you an S.O.B,’ ” Jobe later recounted. “ ‘I do not use that vernacular. But I do agree with him.’ ”

That was Ben Jobe. Passionate. Direct. Intelligent, with a mind as sharp as the impeccably tailored suits he wore on the sideline. A basketball man, certainly, but a man of so many other talents and interests, a man who kept those passions alive until his death Friday at age 84.

"Ben Jobe could've been a success in anything," former LSU coach Dale Brown once said of his longtime friend. "He reminds me of an English teacher. Dignified, classy, a very good coach. He understands his ability to coach."

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Dawson Odums signs extension with Southern football, to receive 'modest raise'

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern coach Dawson Odums has signed an extension that will give him a slight raise and keep him in place as the Jaguars football coach through the 2019 season.

Although the deal is not technically official yet — Odums has not received a signed copy of the contract back from Southern — Odums' agent, Burton Rocks, said that should not stand in the way of the completed deal.

“We signed the contract; we just have to wait for the executed copy to come back,” Rocks said. “When the schools get all the signatures on the deal, they send a copy back to Dawson. But that's just a formality. The deal is now done.”

Odums' previous contract, which paid him $175,000 per year, was set to expire at the end of the 2017 season. His new deal is expected to pay him $180,000, according to the agenda from the Southern University System meeting last month, with a small raise at the end of each season.

“He's going to be getting a modest raise throughout the end,” Rocks said. “It's incremental each year. It's a good raise because of the economic situation Southern is in.”

The sides began negotiations shortly after Christmas, but the execution of the deal was delayed by a number of things, including a pause so Odums could put together his 2017 signing class.

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Southern's Roman Banks named Jaguars' long-term athletic director; Morris Scott named interim basketball coach

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern University dramatically simplified Roman Banks’ job title Friday.

Banks, who spent nearly two years serving in dual capacities as men’s basketball coach and interim athletic director, was named the university’s full-time athletic director.

“Having served in a dual role as interim athletic director and head men’s basketball coach during a particularly challenging period, coach Banks provided solid leadership and gained the respect and support of his colleagues, student-athletes, alumni, and stakeholders,” Southern University system president Ray L. Belton said in a statement. “His appointment will ensure a seamless transition to continue moving the department in a positive direction.”

The way Banks sees it, the challenging period is still ongoing, which is why he was the man for the job.

Banks will preside over an athletic department that is one false step shy of significant problems with the NCAA. Southern is in the early phases of a five-year probationary period, the result of an NCAA investigation that was made public in November.

The key word is continuity.

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