The "unofficial" meeting place for intelligent discussions of Divisions I and II Sports of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC).
America's #1 blog source for minority sports articles and videos. The MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, SIAC and GCAC colleges are building America's leaders, scholars and athletes..
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State head football coach Buddy Pough and his offensive staff have spoken highly of the Bulldogs’ potential on offense for the 2017 campaign, giving thumbs up on the team’s talent at quarterback, its stable of running backs, as well as the wide receivers corps. But for those groups to deliver, the all-important offensive line must be productive.
Pough and his staff will have to fill two positions along the interior line, that of All-MEAC tackle Javarius Leamon, one of eight Bulldogs on current NFL rosters, and Eric Dickerson, a one-time All-MEAC performer who missed the team’s first four games last year before settling in with a strong showing at guard down the stretch.
The absence of those two veterans looms big for the S.C. State interior line. But three starters from the group return, giving the Bulldogs some key experience as Pough’s team seeks to bounce back from a 5-6 campaign. Pough will have to rely on inexperience and youth to establish the depth along the offensive line that will be needed to compete against improved MEAC competition. CONTINUE READING
NORFOLK, Virginia – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference released its 2017 Preseason All-Star Football Team here Friday, and nine (9) FAMU student-athletes were named among the selected performers announced at the annual Football Media Luncheon at the Marriott Waterside Hotel.
Heading the list of Rattler All-Stars was senior wide receiver Brandon Norwood of Atlanta, Georgia, who was named to the All-MEAC First Team. Norwood had a team-high 51 catches for 458 yards and four touchdowns a year ago.
Second Team selections included offensive linemen Osman Aguilera and Loubens Polinice, along with defensive backs Orlando McKinley and Terry Jefferson, who each had four pass interceptions in 2016.
Third Team selections from FAMU were quarterback Ryan Stanley, tight end Desmond Noird, offensive tackle Obinna Nwanko and defensive end Elijah Price. 2017 FAMU Preseason MEAC Football All-Stars First Team Offense
WR* Brandon Norwood Sr. Florida A&M Atlanta, Ga. Second Team Offense
OL Osman Aguilera Sr. Florida A&M Miami, Fla.
OL Loubens Polinice So. Florida A&M Palm Coast, Fla.
Second Team Defense
DB Orlando McKinley Jr. Florida A&M Atlanta, Ga.
DB Terry Jefferson So. Florida A&M Miami, Fla.
Third Team Offense
QB Ryan Stanley So. Florida A&M Pembroke Pines, Fla.
TE Desmond Noird Sr. Florida A&M Atlanta, Ga.
OL Obinna Nwanko So. Florida A&M Miramar, Fla.
Third Team Defense
DL* Elijah Price Sr. Florida A&M Jacksonville, Fla.
The nine players was the most from Florida A&M since early 2000s.
NORFOLK, Virginia -- Well, N.C. Central can no longer consider themselves the Rodney Dangerfields of the MEAC. Friday at MEAC Media Day, the Eagles finally got some respect.
At the league’s annual preseason gathering, N.C. Central was picked to win a fourth straight MEAC title. The coaches and sports information directors in the conference vote, and the Eagles finished one spot ahead of rival North Carolina A&T, who were picked to win it all in 2016. South Carolina State, Bethune-Cookman, Hampton, Florida A&M, Norfolk State, Morgan State, Howard, Savannah State and Delaware State round out the predicted order of finish. It was the first time since Jerry Mack took over in 2014 N.C. Central was predicted to finish first in the conference. Mack’s first season, the coaches predicted the Eagles to finish No. 8. That season Mack’s squad won the share of the MEAC title.
N.C. Central, which finished a perfect 8-0 in the MEAC last season, will play each of the remaining four teams in the top five predicted order of finish. The Eagles didn’t play South Carolina State or Hampton last season, who replaced Morgan State and Savannah State on N.C. Central’s schedule. CONTINUE READING
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As a RICHMOND police detective, Mike London escaped death only by chance. He was working an undercover beat, wearing a beard, long hair and an earring when he jumped into a van full of young men suspected of pulling off a series of robberies.
A juvenile put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed. That’s the only reason London is alive today.
In 2003, when London’s daughter, Ticynn, was 7, she was suffering from a rare genetic blood disorder called Fanconi anemia. Without a bone marrow transplant, she would almost certainly die, doctors said, adding there was one chance in 10,000 that Mike London’s bone marrow would match hers.
He beat the odds, donated bone marrow to her at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and his daughter is now a senior at Old Dominion University.
London, a Hampton native and graduate of Bethel High School, has seven children and two grandchildren. He won a Football Championship Subdivision national title at Richmond in 2008. He’s mentored hundreds of football players who have become successful businessmen and fathers.
So don’t feel sorry for him that he didn’t quite cut it as head coach at the University of Virginia, where he was fired in 2015 after winning just 27 games in six seasons.
Wins and losses don’t mean nearly as much to London as life and death and family. CONTINUE READING
JACKSON, Mississippi – Alcorn State University football legend Leslie Frazier will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (MSHOF) on Aug. 4-5, 2017.
The MSHOF weekend begins with the "Drawdown of Champions" Friday, Aug. 4 at 6:30 p.m. to honor Frazier as one of six new inductees. The party offers food from Jackson area restaurants, libations, a silent auction and a chance to win cash in the drawdown. Tickets are $50 each and additional numbers for the draw are $25 each. Dress is casual for the evening and is held at the museum.
Saturday, Aug. 5 from 10-11:30 a.m., the class of 2017 and other Hall of Famers will be back at the museum to sign autographs and meet fans. Regular museum prices of $5 for adults, $3.50 for students and kids 5 and under are free will apply.
The Induction Banquet, presented by Sanderson Farms and the Sanderson Farms Championship, begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex and includes an open bar reception for the Inductees prior to the dinner at 7 p.m. Individual tickets are $125 each for the reception and banquet.
Frazier will be honored along with former Clarion-Ledger sports columnist Rick Cleveland, former Jackson State baseball coach/athletic director Bob Braddy, former Ole Miss women's basketball player Eugenia Conner, who was inducted posthumously, former Oklahoma and Southern Miss running back Marcus Dupree, and former Mississippi State baseball player Jay Powell, who coaches at Jackson Academy.
For more information on the MSHOF induction ceremony, contact executive director Bill Blackwell at 601-982-8264.
About Frazier
Frazier has excelled in athletics at every level starting early in high school earning nine letters at Stephen D. Lee in Columbus, three each in baseball, basketball and football.
Highly recruited, Frazier chose Alcorn and was an All-SWAC selection in baseball and in football under Hall of Fame coach Marino Casem. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears in 1981 where he teamed up with fellow Hall of Famers Walter Payton and Tyrone Keys to win Super Bowl XX.
His coaching career began at small Trinity International University and has been extremely successful including winning Super Bowl XLI as a coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Frazier served as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2010 to 2013 and currently works for the Buffalo Bills as the defensive coordinator.
Frazier at Alcorn
Frazier made an immediate impact as a freshman at Alcorn in 1978. Playing for Coach Casem, he intercepted six passes and wrapped-up 62 tackles to help the Braves finish with a winning record.
Frazier had a breakout season the next year as he picked off a school-record nine passes, a record that still stands. He was part of a defense that limited the opposition to just 108.7 yards per game and 10.7 points per outing. Frazier ended with 44 tackles and 26 pass break-ups. He helped lead the Braves to the 1979 SWAC Championship.
In his final season as a Brave in 1980, Frazier led the team in interceptions with a total of five and recorded 49 tackles. He also returned 14 punt returns and scored one for a touchdown.
Frazier ranks second in school history in interceptions with 20 which is also sixth in the SWAC record book.
Frazier's Postseason Football Accolades at Alcorn
• 1978 All-SWAC Honorable Mention
• 1979 All-SWAC First-Team
• 1979 NCAA All-America First-Team
• 1979 AFCA All-America First-Team
• 1979 NAIA All-District Team
• 1980 All-SWAC Second-Team
• 1980 NAIA All-District Team
• 1980 SBN All-Star Game Participant
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin -- One of the most successful graduates in the history of Alcorn State University athletics, football standout Donald Driver was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame over the weekend at Lambeau Field.
Driver graduated from Alcorn in the spring of 1999 after playing three seasons with the Braves from 1996-98 as a wide receiver. Even as a three-year letterman, Driver ranks top-10 in school history in both receiving yards (1,933) and touchdown receptions (17).
Driver played for coach Cordell Jones his first two years and Johnny Thomas the last. The big-play threat hauled in an astounding 19.69 yards per catch over his career.
As a freshman, Driver recorded 12 catches for 249 yards and a touchdown. The following season, he reeled in 21 passes for 556 yards and six touchdowns. His breakout year came in 1998 where he caught a team-high 55 passes for 1,128 yards and scored 10 touchdowns in 11 games. He averaged 20.5 yards per catch and 5.0 catches per outing that season.
In addition to football, Driver was a part of the track & field squad at Alcorn. He was a five-time Athlete of the Year winner in conference between the two sports over six seasons total.
Upon graduation, Driver was selected as the 213th pick in the seventh round by the Packers of the 1999 NFL Draft. He spent 14 seasons with Green Bay and became the team's all-time leader in both receptions (743) and receiving yards (10,137). He also caught 61 career touchdowns.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
• Four-time Pro Bowl selection (2002, 2006, 2007, 2009)
• Won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Tallied seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons
• Grabbed at least five touchdown passes in seven different seasons
• Averaged at least 10.0 yards per catch in 13 of his 14 seasons
• Played in 205 career games including 14 in the playoffs
• Set his career-high in receiving with 191 yards against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 12, 2006 which included an 82-yard touchdown
• When Brett Farve broke Dan Marino's all-time passing mark of 61,361 yards, it came on a seven-yard completion to Driver
• Scored the longest played in Green Bay's postseason history with a 90-yard touchdown catch against the New York Giants on Jan. 20, 2008 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON DRIVER
• Dancing with the Stars champion, season 14
• New York Times bestselling author for his official memoir, Driven, which included personal stories about his childhood and football career
• Olympic-Class high jumper with a personal-record of 2.30m
• Qualified for the 1996 Olympic Field Trials in the high jump
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The Southern football team’s offseason reading assignment was due Friday, when it reported for the start of preseason camp.
The task? Finish the book “Chop Wood, Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great” by Joshua Medcalf.
“The deal with this generation is they want things right now, and they don’t understand that it’s a process in becoming great,” coach Dawson Odums said. “The only way to become great is to fall in love with the process.”
Odums assigned the book to his entire program in the spring, from the coaching staff to the players at the bottom of the depth chart.
The summary, according to Odums: A man dreams of becoming a samurai archer, enrolls in a training school and looks for the quickest way to achieve that goal. He is told not to focus on the end result but instead to focus on accomplishing what seem to be the most minute tasks, like chopping wood to burn for heat and carrying water to the village. CONTINUE READING
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State head football coach Buddy Pough and his offensive staff have spoken highly of the Bulldogs’ potential on offense for the 2017 campaign, giving thumbs up on the team’s talent at quarterback, its stable of running backs, as well as the wide receivers corps. But for those groups to deliver, the all-important offensive line must be productive.
