BCSP Notes . . .
First full-time SIAC Commissioner Wallace Jackson passes
Former Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner, Wallace Jackson, 51, of Atlanta, passed on Friday, November 11, after a lengthy illness. Wallace was the first full time Commissioner for the SIAC from 1990 _ 2000 and paved the way for the Division II conference housing HBCUs from across the south.
"The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference would like to send their sincere thoughts
and prayers to the Jackson family. Commissioner
Wallace will surely be missed," said current SIAC
Commissioner, Dr. William E. Lide. "He directed the
SIAC in a positive way and paved the way for the SIAC
to be as great as it is today. He is a pioneer and his
loss will be heartfelt not only in the Atlanta area but to
the entire SIAC family. His devotion to the SIAC
will never be forgotten."
A 1977 graduate of the University of Georgia, Jackson was a freelance journalist and former teacher in the Atlanta Public Schools. Jackson was very active in the Atlanta community and held a number of positions on a number of boards and commissions, including chair of the Atlanta Empowerment Zone Commission and president of the Vine City Civic Association for several years. He was a staunch advocate of historically black colleges, and a great contributor to the Black College Sports Page, who loved his family, his work and the Atlanta community.
Prior to assuming the position of Commissioner of the SIAC, Jackson was the director of sports information at Alabama A&M University and worked in a similar capacity at Albany State College in Albany, GA. He was named Outstanding Young man in America in 1984 through 1991 by the College Sports Information Directors Association (COSIDA). Through his association with COSIDA, Jackson served on the Academic All America Committee, the Publicity For Women Sports Committee, the Ethics Committee, the Publicity For Women Sports Committee, the Ethics Committee and the All-American Committee.
Under Wallace's watch, he directed the movement of the SIAC and the development of the annual Pioneer Bowl, the only bowl game that hosts HBCU schools and one of only two Division II bowl games.
Pioneer Bowl IX to pit Tuskegee vs. Johnson C. Smith
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association (CIAA) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (SIAC) have selected the Johnson C. Smith
University Golden Bulls (CIAA) and the
Tuskegee University Golden Tigers (SIAC) to vie for the title in the ninth
annual Pioneer Bowl to be held on Saturday, December 2, 2006, at the
American Legion Memorial Stadium, Charlotte, NC. at 2:00 p.m.
This marks the first year for JCSU in the Pioneer Bowl, which will be played in its home city of Charlotte. With an almost miraculous turn-around from the 2005 season under second-year head coach Darryl McNeil, the Golden Bulls finished the regular season with a 7-3 mark, up from 0-10 last season which included ending a 24-game losing streak.
This year will mark Tuskegee's seventh appearance in the Pioneer Bowl. The Golden Tigers have posted a 4-2 record including last year's 28-26 win over Bowie State. This season, Tuskegee finished 7-3 overall, 5-2 in the SIAC under first-year coach Willie Slater. TU, the winningest black college football program in history with 586 wins to date, finished second to Albany State in the SIAC standings this season.
The Pioneer Bowl is the only NCAA sanctioned bowl game for HBCUs and pits a representative from the two historically black Div. II conferences. The SIAC leads the Pioneer Bowl with six wins in eight games.
NC Central's Matthews named national volleyball player of the year
North Carolina Central junior Shari Matthews has been selected as the 2006 NCAA Division II Daktronics Women's Volleyball Player of the Year, as chosen by a vote from the division's sports information directors.
Matthews, an outside hitter from Bridgetown, Barbados, led the
nation with an average of 6.37 kills and 0.92 service aces per game, and broke
the NCAA Division II record for kills in a season with 974.
Along with her record-breaking 974 kills and nation-high 140 service aces, Matthews finished her junior campaign at NCCU with 513 digs (3.35 per game) and 95 blocks (0.62 per game). Her .396 hitting percentage is tied for the third-best in the NCAA Division II.
Matthews, who is the school's first-ever volleyball All-American, also earned honors as the 2006 CIAA and NCAA Div. II Atlantic Region Player of the Year, and was named to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region All-Tournament Team after recording a match-high 33 kills, 12 digs and seven blocks in NCCU's 3-1 (30-16, 27-30, 30-28, 33-31) loss to eventual regional champion Lock Haven University on Nov. 9.
A business administration major, Matthews has re-written many of NCCU's single-match and single-season records in her first year in Durham. Matthews owns NCCU records for kills in a match (42), service aces in a single-season (140), kills in a season (974) and kills per game (6.37). She also has the second most digs (513) in NCCU volleyball single-season history, while her 140 service aces are tied for fourth all-time in single season in the NCAA's Division II.
Matthews guided the Eagles to their third straight CIAA Championship, their third consecutive trip to the NCAA regional playoffs and the most wins (32) in school history.
"Shari is very deserving of this honor," said NCCU first-year head coach Georgette Crawford-Crooks. "She has worked very hard, has played through pain, and has been an excellent leader for this team. This is a great honor for her and for our program. It is an indication of the positive direction NCCU volleyball is heading."
© 2005 Azeez Communications, Inc.