BCSP Notes . . .
Dee Todd out at NC A&T
North
Carolina A&T announced last week that Athletics Director
Delores S. Todd 
has been relieved of her duties effective immediately,
and reassigned to the School of Education, effective Jan.14.
"This decision was made in the best interests of the athletics
program," Chancellor Stanley F. Battle
said in a statement. Assistant athletics director
Wheeler Brown has been appointed interim athletics
director while a national search is planned and conducted. Todd,
a 27-year veteran in athletics administration and a
former assistant commissioner in the Atlantic Coast Conference,
is the third AD to be removed from the post this
decade following Alphonso Scandrett and Charlie
Davis.
Frazier earns contract extension at Prairie View A&M
Prairie View A&M has rewarded head football coach
Henry Frazier with a new four-year contract after he led the Panthers to their first
winning season since 1976 and their most victories since 1964.
Frazier completed his fourth year at the Southwestern Athletic Conference school with a 7-3 overall mark and a 6-3 conference record which tied the Panthers for second with Southern in the SWAC West Division. The Panthers were 15 points away from perfect season. Their losses this season were by 10 points to Southern (12-2), three points to West champ Grambling State (17-14) and by two points (21-19) to Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
The new contract will keep him at Prairie View through the 2012 season.
''Being able to sign coach Frazier to a contract extension brings stability to a program that hasn't had much in the last 31 years," said athletic director Charles McClelland.
Frazier left as head coach at Bowie State of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in 2004 after leading the Bulldogs to three consecutive CIAA Eastern Division championships. He said at the time that he looked forward to turning around the once-proud Prairie View program, that had gone through a historic 80-game losing streak between 1989 and 1998.
Frazier has compiled an 18-24 mark in his four years at Prairie View steadily building the Panthers into a contender for conference honors. His first team finished 3-8 followed by a 5-6 finish in 2005. The 2006 squad finished 3-7.
"We definitely had a plan when we arrived here," said Frazier. "We were committed to seeing it through. We now have a complete plan in place. Now we have to set new goals."
Texas Southern turns to alumnus, Johnny Cole, to improve gridiron fortunes
After guiding Lane College to respectability in the
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference(SIAC), Johnny Cole will get a chance
to resurrect the football program at his alma mater,
Texas Southern of the Southwestern Athletic Conference
(SWAC).
Cole was named head coach of the TSU program last week by Athletics Director Alois Blackwell. He follows Steve Wilson who was released last month.
"We needed someone who could effectively maximize our team's potential and take the TSU football program to the next level and based on his success at Lane College, we believe Johnnie Cole is that person," said Blackwell.
Cole took the Lane Dragons from a 0-10 season in 2005 to an 8-3 finish in 2006. It was Lane's first winning season since 1995, and Cole was honored as 2006 SIAC coach of the year. One of Cole's pupils, talented wide receiver/kick returner Jacoby Jones, was a third round choice of the Houston Texans in last year's NFL Draft. This year Cole's team was competitive while compiling a 7-3 overall mark, 6-3 in conference play.
Dozens of TSU fans, football players and alumni came out for the announcement of Cole's appointment and to show their support for the former Tiger. He is definitely glad to be back.
"I have always made it known that I wanted to coach here," said Cole. "I have been on all sides of TSU football I played here, coached here and competed here. This is where I belong. I can't do this myself. It's time for the talk to end and the alumni to step-up and support the program."
Cole also spent time as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Alabama State and Tennessee State where he coached under his brother, former head coach L. C. Cole. Johnny Cole was the architect of high-powered offenses at both programs that vaulted them to the top of their conferences. He played quarterback at Texas Southern from 1982 1985. He is still ranked among the best in TSU history with the third best career passing record (4,247 yards and 33 touchdowns) and fifth for career total offense (4,250 yards).
Cole says he has a game plan to make the Tigers winners . "Texas is a football state and we plan to go out and get those talented kids and bring them to TSU to play ball."
Cole is the thirteenth head coach to lead the Tigers since they began playing the game back in 1947.
JSU QB Oliver cleared to play in SWAC title game
After resolving legal problems, Jackson State senior quarterback Jimmy Oliver has been cleared to play in the Dec. 15 Southwestern Athletic Conference championship football game, the last game of the 2007 black college football season.
Oliver, a health education major from
Columbia and the starting quarterback for the Tigers, had
been charged in Magee, Miss. on Oct. 25 with driving on
a suspended license, following too closely and
possession of marijuana. He did not appear for a Nov.
20 court date and was issued arrest warrants on all
three charges and 21 days in jail. He paid a $1,000 fine
on Nov. 21 which cleared the warrants and erased the
jail time.
"We take alleged violations of the law very seriously," said Robert Braddy, athletic director of Jackson State in a story last week in the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. "Nevertheless, based on the facts of our investigation into these charges, we decided to allow Jimmy to remain on the team because he passed a drug test performed at the time of the incident, and he has responsibly resolved all the charges through the judicial system."
"Jimmy has been a solid member of the Jackson State community and a leader within our football program," JSU head football Rick Comegy told the Clarion-Ledger. "I am happy for him and his family, and the University that this misunderstanding was cleared up, and he will be available to play in the Conference championship game."
Oliver has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the SWAC this season, throwing for 2,301 yards and 17 touchdowns and completing 58.5% of his passes while leading JSU to the SWAC East Division title. The Tigers will face West Division champion Grambling State in the conference title game at Legion Field in Birmingham, Al.
© 2007 Azeez Communications, Inc.