CIAA Player of the Year and Black College All-Star Classic MVP Antwain Smith from St. Paul's College was picked in the second round of the NBA Draft by Vancouver. He was the first Black College player chosen and the 51st pick overall.
Former S.C. State standout and NFL Hall of Famer, Marion Motley has died. He passed away Sunday morning at his son's home in Cleveland, apparently of prostate cancer.
One of the first black NFL players of the modern era, Motley started his career at SCSU before transferring to Nevada. He spent nine seasons in the pros as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference and the NFL. Motley was the AAFCs career rushing leader and led the Browns to the league championship all four years that the AAFC existed. He later led the league in rushing in 1950 during the Browns' first season in the NFL.
Alfonza (Al) Carter has been named athletics director at Shaw University. He coached the Bears basketball team from 1988-91 before moving into an administrative position at the school. Carter succeeds Rudy Williams, who had been in the position since 1997.
June 20, 1999
Former Howard University sports information graduate asssitant William Bryant has joined the public relations staff of the St. Louis Rams. Bryant will serve full-time following an internship with the Denver Broncos.
State Farm has renewed its title sponsorship of the Bayou Classic. The deal includes an additional three years of coverage by NBC and the selection of the Historically Black Collegiate Coalition (HBCC) as promoters of the game.
Here's how The Baton Rouge Advocate reported the story.
June 14, 1999
Alphonso Scandrett
North Carolina A&T has filled two positions in its athletic department.
Dr. Alphonso Scandrett has been named athletics director and Karen Hall has been named women's basketball coach.
Scandrett comes to Aggieland from New York where he was director of athletics at Buffalo State University.
Hall left Wayne State University in Detroit to take the position in Greensboro.
Six more Black College products were picked during the second day of Major League Baseball's Amateur Draft.
Southern's Alva Thompson was picked by Atlanta, Florida A&M's Sherwin Lockridge was picked by Minnesota. Jackson State outfielder Christopher Mills was picked by Anaheim. The Angels also selected North Carolina A&T shortstop Garry Templeton.
Norfolk State outfielder Enrique Mendieta was selected by Florida and Howard first baseman Byron Ewing was picked by the Cleveland Indians.
June 2, 1999
Four Black College products were selected during the first day of the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.
SSU outfielder
Brandon Jackson
Harold Featherstone, a right-handed pitcher from North Carolina A&T was selected in the 15th round (#468) by the San Francisco Giants. Savannah State's Brandon Jackson, an outfielder, was picked in the 16th round by Anaheim.
West Virginia State's Justin Graham (CF) and Howard's Aaron Warren (SS) were picked in the 20th round. Graham was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks while Warren was taken by Colorado.
A total of 684 players were drafted on the first day.
More rounds are scheduled for Thursday.
Lincoln University of Pennsylvania has captured BOTH the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In a meet held at Baldwin-Wallace College, May 20-22, Lincoln's men topped second place Pacific Lutheran 62-47. Stillman College finished tied for 16th.
The Lincoln women's team edged Wheaton (Mass), 54-48, for the team championship.
Here are the complete results from the Baldwin-Wallace web site.
Three Savannah State baseball players have earned regional honors. Matt Devlin, Bret Higgins and Matt Hoffman were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association NCAA Division II All-South Region Team.
Devlin, a native of Brunswick, GA, finished the season with a .413 batting average and was named 1st team first baseman. Higgins, a Cleveland, Ohio native, batted .410 this season and was named 1st team catcher. Hoffman, who calls Euclid, Ohio home, who finished the season with a 10-2 record and was named 1st team pitcher.
Grambling State has named Larry Wright as men's basketball coach. Wright, 44, is a native of Monroe, LA and was an All-American guard for the Tigers from 1972-76. He was a first-round draft choice of the Washington Bullets and played on their NBA championship team in 1978.
He replaces Lacey Reynolds who had a 44-66 record in four years at GSU. Wright was picked from a field of nearly 35 applicants. Other finalists for the position were Mississippi assistant Wayne Brent, Southern assistant Roman Banks and Grambling registrar and former basketball player Martin Lemelle.
May 10, 1999
Darrell Armstrong of the Orlando Magic has been named the winner of the 1998-99 NBA Sixth Man Award. The former Fayetteville State standout was honored as the league's premier player who served as a reserve in more games than he started.
Here's how NBA.com reported the achievement.
SIAC Champion Savannah State University has earned a bid to the NCAA Division II baseball playoffs. The Tigers have been selected to play in the South Regional Tournament at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL, May 13- 15. SSU is seeded #4 in the four team double elimination tournament and will face the #1 team in
Div. II, Florida Southern, winner of the Sunshine State Conference, Thursday, May 13. The other two participants are Carson Newman, regular season champion in the South
Atlantic Conference and Saint Leo the runner up in the Sunshine State Conference.
The Tigers, having captured their fifth straight SIAC title, enter the playoffs with a 38-10 record.
The Birmingham News - Alabama Live reports that the City of Birmingham has offered free space for the Southwestern Athletic Conference headquarters and free use of Legion Field for a championship game if the conference relocates to the city.
Langston University and Lincoln (MO) University have joined Northwestern (OK) State and Haskell Indian College to form the Central States Football League (CSFL). The league will compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference has apparently been in the works for the past year. The new league will be the first NAIA football conference in Oklahoma since four Oklahoma schools left the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference in 1995 to join NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference.
Langston has competed as an independent for the past three seasons. Lincoln is fielding a team for the first time since 1989.
The CSFL will petition the NAIA for an automatic berth in the playoffs next fall.
It appears that the SWAC Championship Game will be in Birmingham. Sources on the OnnidanBlack College Fan Forum and The SWAC PageSports Forum have indicated that Birmingham beat out Memphis for the right to host the first-ever championship football game.
It also appears that the A.G. Gaston Building in Civil Rights Square will become the new home of the SWAC Office and Hall of Fame.
Barber-Scotia College (Concord, NC) is exploring the possibility of fielding its first football team.
The College's governing board is scheduled to make a final decision during its June 1, 1999 meeting. BSC has formed an exploratory group and one of the members is Bill Davis, former head coach of South Carolina State, Savannah State, Tennessee State and Johnson C. Smith University.
Jackson State University athletic director Paul Covington is scheduled to retire on June 30, 1999. The former men's head basketball coach has served as AD since 1996.
For the record, seven Black College players were picked during last weekend's NFL draft.
The first HBCU player selected was Kentucky State defensive lineman Cletidus Hunt, picked in the third round by Green Bay.
Hunndens "Peppi" Zellner, a defensive lineman from Fort Valley State was selected in the fourth round by the Cowboys.
Antico Dalton, a linebacker from Hampton was picked in the sixth round by Minnesota.
Four players were selected in the seventh, and final, round. Chris Akins (DB - Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and Donald Driver (WR - Alcorn State) were picked by the Packers. Noel Scarlett (DL - Langston) was picked by Minnesota and Chris White (DL - Southern) was drafted by Jacksonville.
Coaching legend Billy Nicks and Florida A&M running back Willie Galimore have been selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Galimore led the Rattlers to four SIAC conference championships from 1953-56 and was an NAIA All-American in 1954. He played for the Chicago Bears in the NFL from 1957-63.
Nicks coached at Morris Brown from 1930-42 and at Prairie View A&M from 1945-47 and 1952-65. His career record was 189-55-9.
Galimore and Nicks join eight players and coaches from non-Division I programs to be named to the Hall of Fame this year.
Johnny "Ballpark" Franks has returned to Tennessee State as assistant athletic director for media relations and marketing. Franks had served as sports information director for 10 years before resigning in February, 1998 to "pursue other opportunities, including establishing his own multi-service
marketing and public relations firm".
Franks replaces Ed Atlas who had replaced interim SID Wallace Dooley who had taken the positon following Franks' resignation.
In only his third year, Savannah State Head Baseball Coach Jamie Rigdon is just one victory away from the 100 career win mark. Coach Rigdon's Tigers (29-9, 10-1) are also just one victory away from their third straight 30 win season.
The Tigers will face conference
rival Paine College for four conference games with two on Thursday April
1 in Savannah and two on Saturday April 3 in Augusta.
SSU is shooting for its third straight SIAC baseball title under Coach Rigdon.
Virginia State University has named Bob Booker at its new men's basketball coach. Booker travels down the interstate from Richmond where he was the longtime coach at George Wythe High School. He follows a path similar to VSU head football coach Lou Anderson, who also came to Petersburg direct from the high schools ranks.
Booker, 56, brings 28 years of coaching experience to the position. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Booker's high school record was 443-209. His last team went 26-2 and reached the Virginia Group AAA quaraterfinals after wining the Central Region championship.
Booker replaces Ralph Traynham, whose contract was not renewed after three seasons and a 19-62 record at Virginia State.
March 23, 1999
Rosters for the 1999 Black College All-Star Basketball Classic, April 10 in Baltimore have been finalized. Target Sports Marketing and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) formally announced the players selected at a press conference, Tuesday morning in The Atrium at the Baltimore Arena, site of this year's game.
Pairings have been announced for this year's NAIA Men's and Women's Division I Tournaments.
The men get underway Tuesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma with Black College representation from Voorhees, Wilberforce and Edward Waters College.
Tuesday, Voorhees meets Georgetown, KY at 11:45a and Wilberforce faces Incarnate Word, TX at 3:15p. Edward Waters meets Azuza Pacific, CA, Wednesday evening at 7:15p.
Xavier, Langston, Morris College and Central State made the women's 32-team tournament being held in Jackson, Tennessee.
Wednesday Xavier faces Oklahoma City at 3:15p and Langston meets Union, TN at 9:30p.
Thursday Morris College opens against Georgia Southwestern at 9:00a and the Lady Marauders of Central State play at 1:30p against East Texas Baptist.
Virginia State University has announced that it will not renew the contract of head basketball coach Ralph Traynham. Reasons cited for his release included issues surrounding ineligible players and "evaluation and program modifications".
Traynham's contract ends June 30, 1999 and the search for his successor will begin immediately.
March 2, 1999
North Carolina Central University freshman Angela Brown
(Abilene, Texas/Cooper High School) has qualified in the women's long jump
for the 1999 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, to be held
Friday-Saturday, March 5-6, at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Brown placed 10th out of 13 national qualifiers with a leap of 19-feet,
which earned the freshman conference champion honors at the 1999 CIAA Indoor
Track & Field Championships on Feb. 9 in Richmond, VA.
The preliminaries of the women's long jump will get underway on Friday
(March 5) at 11:35 a.m.
Virginia State University Head Baseball Coach Terrance Whittle has resigned to take a positon as head coach of the Regensburg Legionnaire baseball team in Regensburg, Germany. His resignation is effective March 12.
As head coach, Whittle will manage a premier team of the Bavarian Baseball Federation and also assume responsibility for player development in the Regensburg organization through clinics, camps and scouting.
February 26, 1999
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is investigating a fight between the women's basketball teams from Hampton and Florida A&M. Here's the scoop from the Tallahassee Democrat.
There were apparently twenty-four (24) reasons why Tennessee State President James Hefner chose to fire Vivian Fuller as athletic director. Here's the story from the (Nashville) Tennessean.
Although there probably won't be any black colleges present, there will be a black college flava at this year's NCAA Final Four. Veteran broadcaster Jackie Bowe has been selected to be the public address announcer during the final days of March Madness in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Bowe brings a wealth of experience to the task having covered college athletics for the past 26 years. In addition to his broadcast activities as a sports reporter, he has been public address announcer at the CIAA and MEAC tournaments as well as announcer at Norfolk State and Hampton University games.
Bowe may be the first African-American ever to serve as PA announcer at an NCAA Division I Basketball Championship.
February 11, 1999
The NCAA has sent a 15-page letter of inquiry to Tennessee State University alleging what are termed "major" violations in the school's football program.
Here's how the Nashville Tennessean reports the story.
Norfolk State University has named Mo Forte as its head football coach. Although out of coaching for two years, Forte has been head coach at North Carolina A&T and an assistant at Duke, Arizona State and Minnesota. He has also served as an asssitant coach with the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions.
Forte beat out Texas Southern's Bill Thomas for the job.
Here's how the Virginian Pilotcovered the press conference introducing Forte.
Texas Southern University's Board of Regents has fired President James M. Douglas, just seven months after it had extended his contract for two years. Mr. Douglas had been president of the university since 1995.
February 7, 1999
Livingstone College has named Gregory Richardson as its new head football coach. Richardson comes to Salisbury from Virginia Union where he was defensive coordinator for the past two years. He is familiar with the Livingstone program, having served as defensive coordinator for the Blue Bears from 1994 to 1996.
Richardson replaces Rudy Abrams who departed a week ago to take the head job at North Carolina Central.
The Consolidated Media Group, publishers of the Triangle (NC) Tribune and Charlotte (NC) Post, is reporting that Johnson C. Smith University has named Tim Harkness as its new head football coach. Harkness was assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Golden Bulls for the past two years.
J.C. Smith President Dorothy Yancy has called a press conference for February 11 to formally introduce a new coach. Her only comment to CMG reporter Herb White was that "it'll be an internal promotion " among current assistants.
Johnson C. Smith University has fired head football coach Bill Davis. Davis was let go Friday by school President Dorothy Yancy, a Johnson C. Smith classmate who recruited him to rebuild the program. Davis was removed as athletic director in September after he exceeded the scholarship budget for football. Here's how Herb White reported the story in the Charlotte Observer Online.
Vivian Fuller has been dismissed as athletic director at Tennessee State University. Here is how the The (Nashville) Tennesseanreported the outster of the Fayetteville State University alum.
Morgan State University has announced the resignation of head football coach Stump Mitchell. Mitchell will become the running backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks.
January 26, 1999
The Raleigh (NC) News and Observer is reporting that N.C. Central is set to announce its new head football coach on Friday. There are apparently four finalists: Livingstone head coach Rudy Abrams; South Carolina State defensive coordinator Ben Blacknall; Tennessee State offensive coordinator Johnny Cole and NCCU interim coach and former defensive coordinator Sam Washington.
Southern University broke a two-game losing streak with a 92-68 victory, at home, over Texas A&M, Monday night (12/28). Here's how Scott Gremillion of the Baton Rouge Advocate reported the story.
Bethune-Cookman head coach Alvin Wyatt and Florida A&M Quarterback Patrick Bonner have been selected to receive the inaugural Street and Smith's Eddie Robinson Awards. The Awards are presented to the top coach and player in black college football.
Named for lengendary Grambling State football coach Eddie Robinson, Wyatt and Bonner will be honored at a $125 per plate dinner, Saturday, December 26 following the McDonald's Heritage Bowl. Coach Robinson will be present to personally present the awards to Wyatt and Bonner at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta.
Jackson State's men's basketball team gets "biggie" recognition. The Tigers beat Southern Mississippi, 64-63, on the road in Hattiesburg, Thursday night.
Howard's women's basketball team has accomplished another "biggie". The Lady Bison knocked off the visiting Lady Gophers of Minnesota, 53-51, Wednesday.
A Biggie: Although we are still catching up with basketball, we are pleased to report that Howard University's Lady Bison defeated Maryland (yes, the ACC's University of Maryland) 65-47, Saturday night in Howard's Burr Gymnasium. Here's how the Washignton Post reported the story.
Coaching Changes: Norfolk State University and North Carolina Central University have announced that they will not renew the contracts of their football coaches.
NSU fired Darnell Moore on Monday, Nov. 16 while NCCU gave Larry Little the boot on Thursday, Nov. 19.
Fort Valley State University has been selected to participate in the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs. The Wildcats will face Delta State, Saturday November 21 in Cleveland, MS.
In what was described as a "miscommunication" by the media relations director Bradford Evans, MEAC Commissioner Charles Harris has said that four football officials were "suspended" rather than fired as a result of their work in last week's Hampton vs. William & Mary game.
Evans had said earlier in the week that four officials were fired and two others reassigned.
Harris stated that his office did not use the word "fired". The official release from the conference office used the term "diciplined".
SportsView Magazine is off the presses.
Publisher Bret Moore was seen delivering copies of this year's magazine to selected individuals at the Magic City Classic in Birmingham.
Check your local newsstand periodically to determine the actual arrival date in your area.
By a unanimous vote, the Appeals and Constitutional Compliance
Committee of the Southwestern Athletic Conference has upheld the league commissioner's
September 21 ruling suspending the marching band of Prairie View A&M University for two
consecutive games following a September 19 altercation in Beaumont, Tex.
In upholding the commissioner's ruling, the Appeals and Constitutional Committee
unanimously found that the commissioner acted properly and within the scope of his authority.
Prairie View A&M's appeal went before the committee in New Orleans on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) has issued public
reprimands against three football coaches at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff for comments made about the officiating in the September 12, 1998 game between Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The game was played in Little Rock, AR.
The coaches reprimanded were head coach Lee Hardman, defensive back coach Ricky Parks, and
running backs coach David Jordan. The coaches' comments violated provisions of the SWAC
Constitution and Bylaws against publicly criticizing officials. The three have received letters from the league office officially reprimanding them for their actions.
September 17, 1998
Ed Huckaby and James Wilhelm have been named men's assistant basketball coaches at Hampton University.
Charles Ward is the new Director of Public Relations for the SIAC. The FAMU alum has a diversified background in broadcasting and will continue to serve as the play-by-play voice for Clark Atlanta University sports broadcasts.
Fayetteville State has delayed the announcement of its new basketball coach. Athletics Director Horace Small indicted that background checks need to be completed on the four finalists before an offer can be made. The school conducted a public forum for its four finalists, last Wednesday night, at the school's basketball arena. Former Norfolk State coach Michael Bernard, former Winston-Salem State coach Sam Hanger, current Elizabeth City State head coach Barry Hamler and Fayetteville E.E. Smith High School coach Roy McNeil (an FSU alum) met with about 100 people to respond to questions and present themselves to local community.
August 20, 1998
Savannah State has named Jerome Fitch as Director of Athletics.
Morgan State has named Dexter Davis as defensive backs coach for the Bears football team.
Former Governor Douglas Wilder has withdrawn as president-elect of Virginia Union University. Wilder stated that he cannot assume the post given "unresolved" concerns regarding financial, legal and management issues at the university.
July 27, 1998
After 52 years of service, Dr. William Foster, Florida A&M Director of Bands, is retiring.
Here's how the Tallahassee(FL) Democrat is giving props to "Doc". [TDO Story]
St. Augustine's College provided half of the record breaking 4 X 400 meter United States relay team at the Goodwill Games. St Aug assistant coach Antonio Pettigrew and junior sprinter Jerome Young joined Tyree Washington and Michael Johnson to set a new world record of 2:54.20. Pettigrew ran the first leg and Young, the current NCAA D2 and USA titleholder, ran the second leg. They broke the 1993 record by .09 seconds.
Daily newspapers in Winston-Salem and Fayetteville, NC are reporting that Fayetteville State head basketball coach Rick Duckett will accept a similar position at Winston-Salem State. Duckett, a Winston-Salem native, is scheduled to resign his position at FSU Monday and be introduced at WSSU on Wednesday. Duckett was apparently offered the WSSU position last week and made his decision to leave following conversations with FSU Chancellor Willis McLeod and Athletics Director Horace Small. Apparently Fayetteville State was not able to counter the multi-year contract and increased recruiting budget offer which Duckett received from WSSU.
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has named Bradford (B.J.) Evans as Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations effective August 1. He replaces Larry Barber who announced is retirement this summer. Evans comes to the MEAC office from N.C. A&T where he was sports information director. He has also been SID at Maryland-Eastern Shore.
SportsView Magazine is off the presses.