UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
ALBANY STATE RB KILLED: The star running back on Albany State's three-time Southern
Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference championship team was gunned down early Friday morning in
Albany during what police believe was a home break-in. According to
the Albany Police Department, Antonio
Atkins and an unidentified male are the suspects in a 1 a.m.
burglary, armed robbery and aggravated assault in the city. During the
incident, Atkins was fatally shot by the occupants of the home, and the
unidentified male fled the scene. Atkins' body has been sent to the state's crime
lab and the case is still under investigation. The 21-year-old Atkins was to be a senior this
season on Albany State's football team after helping lead the
Golden Rams to their third consecutive SIAC
title and second straight NCAA playoff appearance last season. During his
junior season, Atkins rushed for 747 yards and eight TDs
including a team-best 145 yards and two TDs in ASU's NCAA Div.
II playoff loss to Central Arkansas. Late in his junior season
last November, Atkins was named the most valuable player in
the Rams' 41-23 victory over Fort Valley
State in the Fountain City Classic. In that game, he rushed for 123 yards and
scored on runs of 12 and 73 yards. "He had great leadership on
the field, and we expected great things from him in 2006,"
said Albany State head coach James White. "It's just a
shock when you hear it. There is no preparation for that."
BRAVES INDUCT TWO: Two black college products were recently inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame. Former Major League batting champ Ralph Garr of Grambling and former Vice President of Player Personnel Bill Lucas out of Florida A&M were part of the latest class of inductees. Nicknamed "Roadrunner" Garr was the Braves' starting leftfielder for five seasons (1971-75), tied with Ryan Klesko for the longest run in Atlanta. He is one of only three Atlanta Braves to lead the National League in hitting (.353 in 1974). Garr holds Atlanta career records for batting average (.317) and triples (40) and Atlanta season records for hits (219 in '71, his first full season in the majors), singles (180 in '71) and triples (17 in '74). In the four-year period 1971-74, Garr had three seasons of 200 or more hits. Besides winning the batting title in 1974, he finished second in '71 and '72. He made the NL All-Star team in 1974. Garr is still a member of the organization, serving as the Braves' scouting supervisor in Texas. Lucas, drafted as an infielder out of FAMU, spent close to 20 years with the Braves organization and became the highest-ranking African American in baseball history at age 40 on September 19, 1976, after being named general manager by new owner Ted Turner. Even though his job title was vice president of player personnel, he performed all of the general manager duties, as the Braves didn't have the title of "general manager" at the time. Lucas passed away at the age of 43 in May 1979 after two full seasons as general manager.
© 2006 Azeez Communications, Inc.