UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
McLEESE OUT AS AD AT UDC: The Washington Post has reported that Michael A. McLeese has
resigned as
athletic director at the University of the District of
Columbia, effective September 16. McLeese will
continue to serve as the school's men's basketball coach. He had
served as athletic director and head men's basketball coach since 1999.
The resignation is part of a restructuring of UDC's athletic
department, part of which called for the athletic director to not have
coaching duties. The restructuring came following an investigation
into operations and compliance with NCAA rules within
the department. The NCAA is currently investigating
student-athlete eligibility concerns as a result of a self-report by
the school.
PIONEER BOWL TO MOVE: After six years at Atlanta's Georgia Dome, the 2004 Pioneer Bowl will be played in Mobile, Ala., it was announced last week. Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner Dr. William Lide said officials could not have found a better place for the game which matches a team from his conference against a team from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. It is the only NCAA-sanctioned Division II bowl game for historically black colleges and universities. "Atlanta is a wonderful city and we enjoy having events in Atlanta, but one of the major considerations in making a move was a city of good size, the quality of the facility and the support gained from the community for a bowl game as well as how accessible it would be for our fans to enter and exit the stadium," Lide said. "From the Mobile officials to the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the mayor himself, we were greeted so warmly, and with a population of over 350,000 and a stadium which seats over 41,000, Mobile was the exact replica of the type of city we would have outlined." Lide would not give specific details surrounding contractual issues between the city and game officials but said this will not be a one-year-and-out event. "We're looking for a long-term opportunity for us to have a home for an extended period of time and allow the Pioneer Bowl room to grow."
GAME RESCHEDULED: Officials at Alabama State University and the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff have agreed to reschedule their football game of Saturday, September 18 to Saturday, December 4. The game will be played in Montgomery, Ala., at the Cramton Bowl, Alabama State's home field, at 1:00pm CT. The original game date had to be postponed due to the uncertain conditions after Hurricane Ivan roared through the Montgomery area on Friday, September 17.
© 2004 Azeez Communications, Inc.