BCSP: Ten years and counting
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LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
This edition of the Black College Sports Page begins our tenth year of publication.
Now, that's cause for celebration!
There have been 422 editions since then Alcorn State quarterback Steve McNair graced the top of our first page back in August 1994.
What an accomplishment!
Getting to this point is a tribute to black college sports which has continued to create the headlines and fascinating stories that captivate us, its fans, and it's a testament to the viability of black colleges, their student/athletes, alumni and supporters. It has been a pleasure to make them the focus of this endeavor. They all deserve a hand, and a heartfelt thank you.
While the BCSP has grown, matured and expanded, so has the black college sports landscape.
Over forty (40) nationally televised black college football games set to air in 2003 sounds more like ABC than MBC, the black network ambitiously putting on the great majority of them this fall. It's a bold move hoping to draw upon the two million fans that attend games each year and the millions more that can't find them on the tube. That's changing and that's good.
A black college football team scheduling major powers such as Oklahoma, Illinois and the like, was unthinkable in 1994. We now know Florida A&M will try and make it a reality with a daring jump to Div. I football in 2004. The FAMU brass is betting the tradition-rich school can pull it off and perhaps pave the way for others to follow.
Black college sports information was scarce and few knew what a website was in '94. Today, Onnidan's Black College Sports Online (Onnidan.com) is a one-click, comprehensive resource for the latest black college scores, news and gossip on the net while each black college conference and athletic program has a site of its own. The BCSP is a founding member and proud part of Onnidan.com.
Interest from radio, TV and internet folks and businesses is at an all-time high as entrepreneurs from every side of the tracks try to cash in on this untapped market.
The BCSP has played a small part in raising the profile of black college sports and hopefully can continue to do so in 2003 and beyond.
Count on the BCSP to provide the most up-to-date scores, stats, features and profiles to be found anywhere in print on the teams, coaches and individuals in black college sports.
Look for an in-depth series in early September entitled, "Must Be the Money," that looks at the college sports landscape and how black colleges and particularly Florida A&M's move to Div. I football fit into it.
Keep an eye out for this year's week-to-week gridiron schedules including homecomings, classics and TV games. (See team-by-team schedule below). The BCSP Top Ten will continue to rank the top black college teams in the nation towards crowning a national champion.
And don't miss the annual "NFL Black College Report" published during the week of Sept. 8-15 that will highlight each and every black college player that makes an opening day roster in the league.
Things have changed quite a bit since August 1994, but much has stayed the same.
There's still the same excitement and anticipation that comes with the beginning of a new season. There are still the stories to be told and battles to chronicle.
Let's get started.
© 2003 Azeez Communications, Inc.