The Championship Subdivision News Log

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.

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Open Letter to the HBCU Conferences - Please Post & Pass Along

The following letter was sent to each of the HBCU Conference Commissioners on Thursday 24 June 2010 . As an Alum & Fan I was concerned about the direction in which HBCU sports were headed. As a business man I am disappointed with the process and conduct as a whole in regards to the way that ” our business” was being managed. With that in mind and in an effort to assist with the correction of our path I reached out to the leaders of the CIAA, MEAC, SIAC, & SWAC. This gesture was to offer assistance in creating an aggressive plan that will benefit ALL HBCU’s athletically and academically!!! I am pleased to say that I have gotten positive, open-minded responses from most of the commissioners and we are now into the next phase of planning a summit.

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On paper, it seemed brilliant and simple.

The Legacy Bowl would pit the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference – against each other. Airing on ESPN, it would guarantee a $3 million payout to be split by the conferences. It would also end the arguments, such as when South Carolina State edged out Prairie View A&M for the Sheridan Broadcasting Network’s Black National Championship – neither team played each other (in fact, the MEAC and SWAC rarely play each other).

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Heritage Bowl, pitting schools from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) will be restored under the name of the “Legacy Bowl".

This report comes to College Sporting News through sources on TSPNSports.com, who heard the initial report on the Jaguar Journal radio show out of Baton Rouge, La.

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The stadium has been the site of many historical games and events, but now it’s use and appeal is slowly fading away

It is a Saturday afternoon in early October and some 11,000 football fans are sitting in the stands of Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium under a dark, hovering sky. On the field below, the Jackson State Tigers are in the midst of a conference battle with the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff and have just secured a 7-3 halftime lead.

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Former NFL greats Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Deacon Jones and coaching legend Eddie Robinson will be among the inaugural induction class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame that will include 8 players, two coaches and a journalist.

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Jackson State offensive coordinator James Woody was fired Tuesday, three days after JSU completed a 3-7 season fraught with offensive problems.

Offensive line coach Bruce Johnson and director of football operations Jack Bush were also relieved of their duties, according to a news release from the school.

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NEW YORK – For the third straight football season, Black Athlete Sports Network and DWCommunications, LLC – the company that produces “From The Press Box To The Press Row” – will put out an HBCU All-America team (pre-season and post season) and a weekly top 10 poll voted on by members of the media who cover HBCU football.

A new historic poll was released today with the debut of the Boxtorow.com/BASN HBCU FCS Coaches Top 10 Football Poll presented by Classics Sports Radio Network.

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - In the Southwest Athletic Conference, there are the battles both on the field and away from the gridiron.

Teams such as Jackson State and Prairie View would love to challenge themselves in the FCS playoffs, even at a time when commissioner Duer Sharp has proclaimed that the SWAC has no desire to return to the playoffs.

And then there are teams such as Grambling, Southern and Alabama State that would prefer to play nationally-televised, regular-season games on the opening weekend of the playoffs, rather than make themselves available for the postseason.

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The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2009 Football Preseason Honors Tuesday, headlined by Southern QB Bryant Lee voted the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and Grambling State DL Christian Anthony voted Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Grambling State, the 2008 SWAC Champion, was picked to repeat.

All preseason honors and predicted order of finish were voted on by the league’s coaches, sports information departments and selected members of the media.

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JACKSON, MS - Seven distinguished contributors to Jackson State athletics make up the JSU Sports Hall of Fame class for 2009. Induction ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, September 18 at 7 pm in the JSU Student Center Ballroom.

The seven members of the class of 2009 include former athletes: Shawn Gregory (football), Dr. Picasso Nelson (football/track and field), Karen Taylor (women’s basketball), Lester Walls (football) and Tommie Campbell (baseball). Jobie “Flash” Martin is being inducted in as a supporter of the Tigers athletics program and W.C. Gorden is being inducted as a coach.

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JACKSON, Miss. - Jackson State University extends its deepest sympathy to head football coach Rick Comegy and his family on the passing of his wife of 25 years, Connie Comegy.

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Three summers ago, the athletic directors of all 10 Southwestern Athletic Conference schools agreed to move to a seven-game conference football schedule, rather than the nine-game schedule that had previously been used.

The thinking was the creation of more nonconference openings would allow SWAC schools, which compete in the Football Championship Subdivision, to schedule games with schools from the Football Bowl Subdivision, games which usually come with a sizable payout.

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J-State also earns women’s all-sports award; Grambling State takes men’s award

The Jackson State University Athletic Department has earned the Southwestern Athletic Conference Dr. James Frank Commissioner’s Cup Award for all-sports competition for the third consecutive year and the women’s Barbara Jacket/Sadie Magee sports award for the fourth consecutive year. On the men’s side, Grambling State claimed the C.D. Henry sports award.

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James Woody has been, arguably, the most criticized employee within the Jackson State athletic department over the last three years. Football fans have complained about the offensive coordinator almost since the coaching staff was hired prior to the 2006 season.

A Jackson television station reported on Wednesday that Woody has been fired, but on Thursday a school official would not confirm the report.

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The Jackson State football program will hold its annual Rick Comegy Youth Summer Football Camps. The camps will be held at the T.B. Ellis Annex on the JSU campus.

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JACKSON, Miss. - Al Joyner, the owner of My Joy Inc. and brother of national radio personality Tom Joyner, presented a $25,000 check to the Jackson State Athletics Department and the JSU Tiger Fund during the 2009 Blue and White spring football game last Saturday.

The donation was made in support of Jackson State’s Tiger Sports Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to raise $3 million over the next three years.

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Four hopefuls on list for Bulldogs receivers coach

Three months after losing receivers coach Roger Totten to Alabama State, Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones said he’s close to finding a replacement.

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Jackson State will not be able to schedule an 11th game unless the date of the Capital City Classic is changed, athletic director Bob Braddy insists.

Braddy would like to see the game against Alcorn State moved to Thanksgiving day or, at least, during that week. The switch would open Nov. 21 for another nonconference game.

“We get inquiries (about playing) all the time,” Braddy said. “Certainly, we’d love to have a money game. … We’ve got Southeastern Louisiana, UAB and other schools in Alabama.

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Featuring Jackson State’s Domonique Johnson, Liberty’s Rashad Jennings, Richmond’s Lawrence Sidbury Jr., Cal Poly’s Ramses Barden, Nicholls State’s Ladarius Webb and Norfolk State’s Don Carey.