BCSP Notes . . .
Who's on top?Virginia Union (11-1), now down to fourth in the NCAA Div. II basketball poll, retains its spot at the top of the BCSP Top Ten as it heads into its first showdown at home against CIAA E. Div. rival Bowie State on Tuesday (Jan. 25).
The Panthers easily handled St. Paul's 93-68 Saturday and dusted off Virginia State 80-66 Sunday. They had a return meeting at home vs. St. Paul's (0-11) Tuesday.
Winston-Salem State (10-4), the only team to defeat VUU so far, stayed at No. 2 after squeaking by J. C. Smith, 71-70 at Charlotte's Legacy Classic Saturday.
Coppin State (6-10) stays at No. 3 after winning four games in a row to take over the top spot in the MEAC at 6-1. The Eagles handled Bethune-Cookman (65-61) and Florida A&M (59-55) over the weekend.
Southern (7-7, 4-1) knocked off Miss. Valley State (59-56) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (55-47) to take over the SWAC lead and take over the fourth spot in the Top Ten. The Jaguars hit the road for their Alabama swing at Alabama State Saturday and at Alabama A&M Monday.
Norfolk State (6-7, 4-1) is behind Coppin State in the MEAC and is at No. 5. The Spartans hit the road to face Howard (Sat., Jan. 22) and Delaware State (Mon., Jan. 24) this week.
Out of the Top Ten after an excellent start is South Carolina State (8-8, 2-4). The Bulldogs have now dropped six out of seven games after falling to Delaware State, 82-73 on Monday.
Moving up to sixth is Tennessee State (8-10) that got wins over Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois to improve to 3-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Bowie State (12-2) got a narrow victory over Livingstone (60-57) and beat Shaw (83-64) to remain in seventh. Livingstone (10-4) rebounded with a win over N. C. Central (69-63) and is at No. 8.
Bound for Canton?
Four former black college defensive stalwarts are among 15 recently
named finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Former NFL standouts L.C. Greenwood of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Harry Carson of South Carolina State, Richard Dent and Claude Humphrey of Tennessee State made the final list.
Greenwood had an outstanding 12-year NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers at defensive end, recording 73.5 sacks and winning four Super Bowl rings. Greenwood played in six Pro Bowls.
Carson, a two-time MEAC defensive player of the year at SCSU, became a middle linebacker for the New York Giants from 1976-88, leading the stingy Giants' defense that spurred the team to a win in Super Bowl XXI. He ten-year Giants captain was named all-NFL seven times and went to nine Pro Bowls.
Dent finished at TSU in 1982 after three all-American seasons before being drafted by the Bears in the eighth round of the 1983 draft. He was named to the Pro Bowl four times and earned MVP honors in the Bears' win in Super Bowl XX. He also was a member of the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl winning team in 1994. He registered 124.5 sacks in his career.
Humphrey was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1968 and went on to become one of the league's premier pass rushers with the Atlanta Falcons. He was named to six Pro Bowls in his career.
© 2005 Azeez Communications, Inc.