Bowl 'surrender' or status quo for MEAC football?
We’re into the dog days of the sports calendar, which means that feuding cyclists and the words of football coaches who haven’t held a practice yet pass for news.
Along those lines, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference honchos are discussing football’s future postseason direction.
Specifically, the league is considering opting out of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in favor of a bowl game between historically black schools.
Dennis Thomas, the MEAC’s genial commissioner and the former athletic director at Hampton University, said that no conclusion has been reached, that the principals are in the midst of due diligence.
A great day for Prairie View
School unveils $60 million plan that includes new football stadium
When Henry Frazier III interviewed for the Prairie View A&M coaching job in 2003, he was given an artist’s rendering of the school’s vision for a football stadium.
Seven years later, the picture — and the future landscape of Prairie View A&M athletics — has changed.
School officials unveiled an ambitious $60 million first phase Friday to build a football stadium and an athletic department center and upgrade its basketball facility.
“I’ve always said this was the last piece of the puzzle,” Frazier said. “This was one of the selling points when I took the job. It’s been talked about since I arrived on campus. I’m excited to see it start to take shape.”
Reynolds, Sherritt Lead Preseason Big Sky Team
OGDEN, UTAH (July 19, 2010) – Eastern Washington’s J.C. Sherritt has been selected as the 2010 Big Sky Conference preseason defensive player of the year, while Montana’s Chase Reynolds has been tabbed as the preseason offensive player of the year.
Both senior standouts were also named to the preseason All-Conference team, which was selected by a panel of media and sports information directors.
Ohio Valley Conference and Wazoo Sports Partner to Air OVC Football "Game of the Week"
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - The Ohio Valley Conference and Wazoo Sports have partnered to broadcast the OVC Football “Game of the Week.” The Wazoo Sports Network will begin airing the “Game of the Week” starting in September and running through November.
Hampton Reigns as Top-Ranked HBCU Division I Program
NEW YORK – The Hampton University athletics program was tabbed as the top-ranked NCAA Division I Historically Black College & University (HBCU) program on Monday, based on the final standings of the 2009-10 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup.
The Directors’ Cup is presented annually to the best college programs in NCAA Divisions I, II, III and the NAIA. The Pirates wound up 125th in the overall rankings with 131.88 points. Most of those points came thanks to the women’s basketball program, as well as the indoor and outdoor track & field teams.
Football conference in flux at South Dakota?
Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, the University of South Dakota athletic department will move from the Great West Conference to the Summit League for all sports.
All sports that is except football.
For now, the department’s premier program will remain a member of the far-flung Great West Conference.
New USD athletic director Dave Sayler is keeping his options open when it comes to football’s current home and potential future conferences.
Trent Miles Completes Indiana State Staff With The Addition Of Five Coaches
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Third-year Indiana State head football coach Trent Miles has named his coaching staff for the 2010 campaign. Joining the staff will be linebackers coach Rick Minter, offensive line coach Mike Simmonds, offensive line coach Harold Etheridge, outside linebackers coach PJ Volker and offensive assistant Clayton Dever.
“I am extremely excited to announce the addition of Rick Minter, Mike Simmonds, Harold Etheridge PJ Volker and Clayton Dever to the Sycamore football coaching staff,” Miles commented. “All of our new coaches have a wealth of experience at the highest levels of collegiate football and more importantly have proven to be great role models during their careers. The Sycamore football program is taking a huge step forward with the additions of these experienced and committed coaches.”
Central Arkansas Gains Full NCAA Membership
CONWAY, Ark. - The long wait is finally over for the University of Central Arkansas Athletic Department, which was notified this week by the NCAA that the school has achieved Division I Active Membership.
The notice from the NCAA concludes a five-year transition process for UCA’s administration, players coaches and fans. All UCA athletic teams will now be eligible for postseason play in both the Southland Conference and on the national level beginning this fall.
Grizzles Head Coach Named Grand Marshall of 20th Annual Montana 200
KALISPELL, Montana — Officials with Montana Raceway Park have announced that Robin Plugrad, head football coach of the University of Montana Grizzlies, will be the grand marshal of Saturday night’s 20th Annual Coors Light Montana 200.
“Through the assistance of Jim and Sharon Palmer we were able to contact Coach Plugrad and he is excited to be part of this year’s Montana 200,”
YSU football adds two more transfers
You know your program is going in the right direction when your transfers start to recruit more transfers.
Youngstown State picked up two more players on Monday when former Cincinnati wide receiver Lynell Payne and former Syracuse kicker/punter Jake Smith signed with the Penguins.
The sophomores are the seventh and eighth players to transfer in since the end of spring practice.
Legend gets his due
Jeffries reflects on his journey through college football history before Hall of Fame induction
Willie Jeffries, his wife, Mary, and two of his children have a road trip on tap this week to South Bend, Ind.
It’s not a pilgrimage to Notre Dame.
No, Jeffries is going to take his appointed place in the College Football Hall of Fame. The 2010 Enshrinement Festival runs Saturday and Sunday.
“It is quite an honor for me,” said Jeffries, whose 29-year college coaching career netted a 179-132-6 record, including a 128-77-4 mark in 19 seasons during twostints at South Carolina State, his alma mater.
“Being inducted into the college football hall of fame is the apex of my profession. In all my years of coaching, I never thought about any halls of fame, especially this one. There is no greater honor for a coach.”
Ammons wants FAMU athletic facilities upgraded
After running non-stop through a long list of new constructions or renovations projects that will take place on the campus of Florida A&M, university president James Ammons finally took a breath.
Then, he went on with another list that’s just as important.
Hard times dog Mississippi Valley State athletics
As bad days go for football coaches, Karl Morgan’s story ranks up there.
It was last winter - Morgan doesn’t remember the date, and it’s hard to blame him - when he was summoned to a campus-wide meeting to discuss Gov. Haley Barbour’s proposal to merge his new employer, Mississippi Valley State, with the state’s other two historically black public universities.
FAMU looks to get athletic program out of the red
If indeed it takes a village to raise a child, then Florida A&M President James Ammons might be on to something to help his athletic program get out of the red.
While FAMU has made great strides during the past year to reduce its athletic department’s deficit by almost $1 million, Ammons believes that if coaches recruit more local athletes they’d eventually help gate receipts that could put more bodies in the Lawson Center and Bragg Stadium on game days.
APP-lication Approved: Edwards Signs with Panthers
The Panthers have downloaded a new app, signing third-round draft choice (89th overall) Armanti Edwards from Appalachian State. A quarterback in college for the Mountaineers, he will line up at wide receiver in the NFL for Carolina.
Edwards, 5-foot-11 and 182 pounds, played in 51 games with 49 starts at Appalachian State and compiled a 42-7 record as the team’s starting quarterback. He is the only player to ever win the Walter Payton Award - given annually to the nation’s top NCAA Division I FCS player - twice, capturing the honor as a junior in 2008 and senior in 2009.
Four-of-Six ASU Home Kickoff Times Announced
BOONE, N.C. - With the finalization of the Southern Conference’s 2010 football television schedule, Appalachian State University announced kickoff times for four of its six regular-season home games on Thursday.
Appalachian’s first two home tilts versus Jacksonville (Sept. 11 - Hall of Fame Day) and North Carolina Central (Sept. 18 - Fan Appreciation Day) and its Black Saturday showdown with Furman (Oct. 30) will all start at what has become ASU’s traditional home game time - 3:30 p.m.
Holy Cross Names Brian Miller Running Backs Coach
WORCESTER, Mass. – The College of the Holy Cross football team has named Brian Miller its new running backs coach, as announced by head coach Tom Gilmore. Miller comes to the Crusaders after spending the last year as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Assumption College.
During the 2009 campaign, Miller helped lead Assumption to its first winning record in 14 years, and its first ever winning season since moving to Division II. In addition to his duties as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, he served as the team’s co-special teams coordinator and academic coordinator.
Former EIU Football Player Dies In Accident
Former Eastern Illinois football player Trent Steckel was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident at 1:10 a.m. Friday morning, July 2.
Steckel, 24, was a four-year member of the Panther football team from 2004-07 helping EIU win back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championships in 2005 and 2006. During his senior season he served as an H-Back rushing for two touchdowns in wins over Jacksonville State and Tennessee State while catching 14 passes for 106 yards as EIU made a third straight FCS playoff appearance in 2007.
Sporting News Tabs JSU's T.J. Heath Preseason All-American; Predicts OVC Race and Top Players
The Sporting News Preseason Yearbook recently hit newsstands, dishing out preseason All-American and Top 25 predictions, as well as a conference-by-conference breakdown across the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
