UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
UAPB TABS FORTE: Arkansas-Pine Bluff Monday named former
Norfolk State and North Carolina A&T
head coach, Maurice "Mo"
Forte, as the Golden Lions' new head football coach. "We
looked over the other candidates, but in the end, Forte's experience gave him
the advantage," UAPB Athletic Director Craig Curry
said Monday. Curry interviewed Forte along with
UAPB assistants Marty Steward and Willie Fulton
for the vacancy created when 11-year coach Lee Hardman
resigned following the 2003 season. According to Curry, both Fulton
and Steward will be interviewed for jobs on Forte's
coaching staff. Considering the criteria set, Curry was impressed
with Forte's time as an assistant on the college and
professional level, as well as his tenures as a head coach at NC A&T
and NSU. Forte was fired from Norfolk State in 2002 after
back-to-back 5-6 seasons. Prior to NSU, Forte was an assistant
in the NFL, coaching running backs and wide receivers for
the Detroit Lions (1995-96) and the Denver Broncos
(1988-94). Forte's other coaching stint was during the 1980's when
he coached at A&T, leading the team to a Mid-Eastern
Athletic Conference in 1986. At N.C. A&T, Forte finished
27-36-1. For the Spartans, Forte finished 15-29.
SUPER BOWL BOUND: Texas Southern's Ocean of Soul Marching Band has won a
chance of a lifetime a halftime performance with Janet Jackson
at Super Bowl XXXVIII Sunday in Houston and has its
sights set on turning Reliant Stadium into a rocking, rhythmic
realm of excitement come February 1. The band won't be
alone, through; Ocean of Soul is collaborating with the
University of Houston's Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band.
A total of 360 students from TSU and UH will take to the field.
Since early December 2003, this plan has been in the
works, with e-mails and telephone calls bounding from time zone
to time zone. Richare Lee, Ocean of Soul director, has been
in touch with MTV, the network producing the halftime
show. Salli Frattini, a senior vice president of MTV, and
other network executives, visited TSU's campus in December
to audition Lee's band. A camera crew was in tow and
captured footage of the entire audition in order to produce a
"Making of the Half-Time show" program to air on MTV in
February after the big game. According to Lee, Ocean of Soul had
a number of prepared pieces to show off for the audition.
The drumline performed a litany of funk routines and the
entire band performed several songs, including TSU's fight
song, "Crazy Love" by Beyonce' and "I Like the Way you
Move" by the rap duo Oukast. Weeks later, MTV decided that
both TSU and UH should be featured during the Super Bowl.
The producers were eager to capture the unique styles and
sounds of both bands. Rehearsals will continue throughout the
week with a full run through on Thursday, January 29 at
Reliant Stadium. Band directors Lee and David Bertman of
the University of Houston have partnered in every aspect of
the routine, going so far as to fly to Los Angeles to meet
and discuss ideas with Janet Jackson. Moreover UH's
Kevin Erickson and TSU graduate student Brian
Pierre collaborated on the music for the drum feature. TSU's
percussion section designed dance movements for the drum
performance. "We are very excited to get this opportunity,"
Lee said. "I'm sure we'll work well with them (University
of Houston). This is fantastic not only for our band
members, but also for Texas Southern University."
© 2004 Azeez Communications, Inc.