UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
MONROE GETS WVSU POST: Long time assistant coach Earl Monroe officially had the "interim"
removed from his title
when he was named head football coach by West Virginia
State President Dr. Hazo Carter and Athletic
Director Bob Parker at a press conference last Thursday morning. Monroe
had been serving as head coach since early February when
Carl Lee stepped down after 10 seasons to accept another position on
campus. A search committee presented a list of three finalists to Carter, who
selected Monroe over fellow finalists Clifford "Kip" Shaw and Malen
Luke. Monroe, who had been in Florida and his native
Georgia recently on a trip that combined recruiting and
vacation, returned to the campus and met with Carter and other
WVSU officials late Wednesday afternoon. He was offered the
job in that meeting, and accepted the position. WVSU
officials were impressed with Monroe's aggressiveness in running
the program in recent months, as the former defensive
coordinator brought increased accountability for players on the
academic and football sides. Monroe, 49, has been with
the Yellow Jackets since 1987, when he came to the
Jackets' program as a volunteer assistant. The Atlanta native
and former Miami (Fla.) and West Virginia Rockets
linebacker has been the defensive coordinator since 1996. Parker
promoted Monroe to interim coach shortly after Lee
resigned Feb. 3. Lee, a former South Charleston High and
Marshall star who became an NFL Pro Bowl player in the
Minnesota Vikings' secondary, had a 34-75 record in 10 seasons as
the State coach, without a winning season. The Jackets were
5-5 in 1999. Monroe conducted spring practice and
signed more than 45 recruits for the upcoming season as a
one-man, full-time staff. Dr. Gregory Epps, a special assistant to
the WVSU president and the chairman of the search
committee, said more than 125 individuals applied for the
position vacated by Lee.
NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK: The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will send 70 qualifiers to participate in the NCAA East Regional this weekend, May 26-27 at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C. Competition begins Friday at 11 a.m. SWAC qualifiers are competing in the Midwest Regional in Austin, Texas. Both are competing for spots in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Nationals to be held June 7-11 in Sacramento, California. The East Regional at A&T represents the first time in NCAA history that a HBCU has hosted a NCAA track regional. The NCAA Division II Track and Field championships will be held this weekend, May 25-27, at Fran Welch Stadium on the campus of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.
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