UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
PRAIRIE VIEW FIRST: Prairie View A&M University
is the first black college this year to fill its head
football coaching vacancy naming Bowie State
head coach Henry Frazier Monday as its new
head man. Frazier, a former quarterback at BSU who led the Bulldogs to
their only CIAA title in 1989, took over at his
alma mater in 1999 after a successful five-year run
as head coach at Central High School in the Washington, D. C. area.
As head coach at Bowie State, he has returned the Bulldogs to respectability, compiling a 26-23 record in
his five years including winning the CIAA East Division
title and earning a spot in the conference's championship game
in 2002. This year his Bulldogs finished 6-4 overall and
in second place in the CIAA East Division at 5-2. Frazier
is replacing Prarie View graduate C. L. Whittington
who was let go after completing his first year on the job.
Whittington's team this year finished at 1-9 overall, and at the bottom of
the Southwestern Athletic Conference's West Division
with an 0-7 record.
DEBACLE AT FAMU: The pressure is mounting at Florida A&M. A series of stories published in the Tallahassee Democrat and the St. Petersburg Times have chronicled a number of troubles involving both the school and its athletics department that are bringing into serious jeopardy whether the Florida school is ready to make the jump to Div. IA football that it got NCAA approval for this summer. Among the controversies is the school's internal books which are reportedly off some $1.8 million. Charges of mismanagement and even theft are swirling amongst some former employees and administrators. The school is also reportedly late turning over crucial financial records that's caused the state's financial chief to halt pay to FAMU's presidents and 18 top administrators. Add to that, Florida A&M athletics and its TV partner, New York-based Urban Broadcasting Company, are apparently at odds. UBC president Peggy Dodson, who signed a five-year deal with FAMU which was to bring $1.5 million to the school this year and as much as $7.5 million over the life of the contract, says the school did not meet its contractual obligations and is threatening to sue. UBC produced six FAMU football games this season and was also scheduled to produce a number of basketball games. Dodson has said she will not do any more games until FAMU lives up to its obligations. FAMU for its part, says they have lawyers reviewing both sides of their contract. The school says it has not been paid a penny so far, and according to other published reports, neither have the vendors who produced the six games for UBC this fall. The Rattlers also were given this week, a deadline of March 15 by the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference to either return its football program to the conference or have all sports expelled from the conference by June 30, 2004.
FOILED AGAIN: Grambling State quarterback Bruce Eugene has again come up short in voting for the Sports Network's Walter Payton Award given to the best offensive player in NCAA Div. I-AA football. Eugene, who finished third in 2002, was announced Friday as the second-place finisher this year behind Colgate running back, Jamaal Branch. Payton Award voting is open to I-AA media and sports information directors. From the SWAC, only the conference office participated in the voting. Eugene passed for 3,805 yards and 35 touchdowns this year while leading Grambling to a 9-3 overall mark and a 6-1 finish behind Southern in the SWAC West Division. Eugene passed for 4,042 yards and 40 TDs last year while leading GSU to its third straight SWAC title. Ironically, Eugene did not make either the first or second team in All-SWAC voting this year. SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, QB Quincy Richard of Southern and Alcorn State junior QB Donald Carrie were SWAC first and second team selections.
© 2003 Azeez Communications, Inc.