CARTER LEAVES BOWIE STATE: Bowie State athletic director Derek Carter announced last week that he is leaving to accept the same position with Delaware State in early May. Carter has served as Bowie State's athletic director since July 2003. Amir Mohammadi, Delaware State vice president of Finance and Administration and the chair of the University's AD Search Committee, said Carter was the top choice among 65 candidates that DSU considered. "He has a wealth of experience at Division I and Division II, and DSU is very fortunate to attract and hire an athletic director with such a wealth of experience," Mr. Mohammadi said.

Carter will be replaced by Arlene Creek on an interim basis. Creek, currently senior woman administrator at BSU, has a long relationship with the university. She received her B.S. in health and physical education from Bowie State and her M.S. from Virginia Tech. She has served in the athletic department for more than thirty years, including 18 years as women's basketball head coach.

CIAA PACKS 'EM IN, AGAIN: Despite tough economic times, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) produced another successful Basketball Tournament this past February.

According to the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA), the 2009 CIAA Tournament accounted for direct spending of $25.5 million and a total economic impact of $38.2 million over the five-day Tournament period. While the actual number of CIAA visitors was about the same as last year, median spending per person increased from $695 in 2008 to $760 in 2009, creating the increase in overall economic impact.

"These results are remarkable and show the great strength of the CIAA fan base and the strong partnership the fans and Charlotte have developed to have such excellent results amid trying economic times," stated Tim Newman, CEO of the CRVA.

In a year where sporting event attendance is down across the board, and where other NCAA conference tournaments experienced significant decreases in attendance, the CIAA was able to maintain positive momentum through its loyal fan base, many of whom view the Tournament week as an absolute must-attend annual event.

"As I've said before, the CIAA fans are the best in the world and they continue to amaze me with their support for this conference," said CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry. "We work very hard to make sure the Tournament and affiliated activities offer something for everyone and we are constantly updating the 'CIAA Experience' so that fans will attend year-after-year."

Overall attendance for official CIAA functions remained essentially flat from 2008 numbers at around 180,000 as the multitude of options continued to spread fans throughout the area. The Tournament is also unique in its ability to bring in fans that just want to be "part of the scene" - much like the Superbowl or NBA All-Star Weekend.

The CIAA Ford Fan Experience remained a popular attraction with CIAA patrons drawing more than 32,000 fans over the three-day period. Highlights of the Fan Experience included the Rock the Rim Vendor Street, Steve Harvey Morning Show, the Mo'Nique Show, a concert series featuring national recording artists Robin Thicke, Anthony Hamilton and gospel recording artist Yolanda Adams, Taste of Food Lion Super Stage featuring B. Smith and G. Garvin, Funkmaster Flex Ford car display, and many more interactive activities for people of all ages.

The official CIAA Tournament Web site (www.ciaatournament.org), which serves as a central hub to connect CIAA alumni and Tournament attendees, drew 141,818 unique visitors in 2009; a 37 percent increase from 103,532 in 2008.

© 2009 Azeez Communications, Inc.

Return to Front Page