AGAIN?!?? 2011 FOOTBALL PREVIEW. CIAA u MEAC u SIAC u SWAC. Will NCAA academic changes hurt HBCUs? 2. Going to Homecoming? See when it will be 9

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1 20 PREVIEW CIAA u MEAC u SIAC u SWAC WEEK OF AUGUST 29, 20 Follow Us theyardweekly theyardhbcu theyardhbcu VUU Downs St. Aug s 2-0 in Hurricane: Virginia Union University s Jerell Washington rushed for 50 yards as VUU downed Saint Augustine s College 2-0 in a football game at Hovey Field on August 27 which was played under hurricane conditions. Washington carried the ball 38 times as the Panthers braved 35 mile per hour winds and gusts of 50 mph. VUU is now -0 and travels to Columbia, S.C., to face Benedict College at 3:30 p.m. on September 3. SCORES Saturday, August 27 Bellhaven 47, Texas College 3 Delta State 28, 2 OT Virginia Union 2, Saint Augustine s 0 The loss of former head coach Johnnie Cole has not stopped experts from picking to repeat as SWAC Champion in 20. AGAIN?!?? Every Conference Champ is picked to repeat It s REAL easy to pick a winner in the beginning of the season. Just pick the guys that won it last year! Looks like that holds true in black college football in 20. Every champion from last season (,, and ) is favored to repeat in their respective conference. I guess it s easy to do when these programs return a solid nucleus of key players and an experienced coaching staff. Throw in the fact that several other schools within those conferences have made significant changes and those selections just became that much easier to make. Even with all of this uncertainty, I won t risk my credibility by personally predicting a champion this year. After all, you play to win the game and ANYTHING can happen. So with the 20 college football season officially kicking off this weekend, I will give you a preview of the conference, picks made by coaches and other members of the media and a list of things to watch for this year.. Changes Every season brings change and 20 isn t any different. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) will move to divisional play. The 0-team conference will split into two-5 team divisions and the division winners will face off in the first Title Game in Atlanta. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has expanded into a 2-team league and a total of 0 teams have new head coaches. Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship contenders Grambling State (Doug Williams), Texas Southern (Kevin Ramsey) and Prairie View A&M (Heishma Northern) all bring in new coaches. The MEAC will bring in a total of 5 new head coaches (Blount/Delaware Stste, Harrell/Howard, Broadway/NC A&T, Fraizer/NCCU, Dixon/SSU) that are new to the conference. 2. Scheduling Playing within your conference can be hard enough but I want to know what and Bowie State were thinking when they put their schedules together? The Bulldogs three (yes, three) home games have forced them to have their Homecoming in early September. The Wildcats can easily be considered the best team in black college football IF they can win out in 20. will face Florida A&M, and the Division II Runner-Up Delta State along with conference foes Albany State, and Tuskegee. Wow. 3. Players To Watch It s easy to keep an eye on guys who have been picked to be players of the year within their respective conference but here is a list of players who had big years last year and may have break out years this season: David Carter, Running Back, Carter averaged 22.5yds per game last season as a sophomore. Brandon Bridge, Quaterback, Alcorn State Air Canada was fourth in the league with a 90-yard passing average per game in 200. Only two passers, both upperclassmen, threw for more than his 9 touchdowns. Bridge also finished No. 7 in the SWAC for rushing, with 600 yards and tied for third overall with eight scores on the ground. Rico Council, Lineback, Tennessee State Last year, he recorded the best season of his career leading TSU in sacks with four. Council finished second on the team in stops with a career season best with 79 tackles (39 solo). REED MEAC MVP to UCF: Former guard and reigning MEAC Basketball Player of the Year C. J. Reed is transferring to the University of Central Florida. Reed, who averaged an MEAC-best 8.8 points per game while leading the Wildcats to a 2-3 overall record and their first ever MEAC regular season title, received a release from B-CU in early July afterthe school abruptly dismissed his father, Clifford Reed, as the Wildcats head coach on June 27. INSIDE Will NCAA academic changes hurt HBCUs? 2 Going to Homecoming? See when it will be 9

2 COLLEGE Vikings Drop Opener in OT, 28-2 Second-ranked Delta State came up big on defense in the second half, shutting down for a 28-2 OT win. CLEVELAND, MS No. 2 Delta State kicked off the 20 season with an overtime thriller, defeating the Elizabeth City State Vikings 28-2 on Saturday. Statesmen sophomore Ixavier Triplett tipped a Creven Powell pass that eventually fell into the hands of Jerry Barnes to seal the victory for the green and white. The Statesmen took the lead in overtime with a Brandon Lucas touchdown run of five yards. The key play of the drive was a 5-yard pass from Micah Davis to Erick Clayton to convert a third-and-5 down. Three plays later, Lucas scored what proved to be the game-winner. The defense held the Statesmen in the game in the second half, holding the Viking offense to yards of total offense after halftime. Mark Hoskins led the way for the defense with eight tackles and a sack. Triplett led the linebackers with seven tackles and Dominique Davenport led the secondary with six tackles. However, the Statesmen need 4 points in the second half to force overtime. With less than 30 seconds left, the Statesmen were able to tie the game at 2. Davis sneaked in from less than a yard out behind a big offensive line surge. The touchdown drive was continued after the Statesmen converted a 4th-and- on a Brant Botill run to set up st-and-goal with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. Davis connected with Lucas for a 35-yard touchdown pass to bring the Statesmen to within seven early in the third quarter. Lucas had a solid game for the Statesmen in the second half. The junior finished with 79 yards on 7 carries and the one rushing touchdown in overtime. He also was a big player on special teams, setting up a touchdown with a long return. He also broke what appeared to be a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that was called back by an inadvertent whistle. Chance Dennis brought in the lone touchdown for the Statesmen in the first half. The senior brought in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Davis that capped a three-play, 6-yard drive. The touchdown drive was set up by a 77-yard kickoff return from Lucas, following the Vikings second touchdown of the game. Powell and answered two plays later. After a kickoff return and penalty took the ball to the 40, Powell found Keit Strickland for a 40-yard strike to go up 2-7 before the half. turned Delta State turnovers into touchdowns in the first half, punishing the Statesmen for the mistakes. Brant Botill fumbled deep in Viking territory in the first quarter. The Vikings recovered and immediately turned around a four-play drive that ended with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Powell to Anthony Faulcon. In the second quarter, Davis fumbled deep in Statesmen territory and the Vikings added another quick strike. Powell and Faulcon connected on their second touchdown pass of the night, this time from 6 yards out. DI Board Approves Increased Academic Performance Concept The raise to the Academic Progress Rate benchmark from 900 to 930 may make it harder for HBCUs that may not have the resources to assist athletes with academic issues. Southern s football team was one of the eight teams banned from post season competition due to poor academic perfoprmance. 2 INDIANAPOLIS Less than 24 hours after emerging from a landmark Presidential retreat, the Division I Board of Directors unanimously approved the concept of increasing the required academic performance of all teams and mandated that teams must meet those requirements in order to participate in any NCAA-sponsored championship or football bowl game. NCAA President Mark Emmert touted the change as proof of the NCAA s commitment to the academic success of all student-athletes. This is about the academic performance of all of our students in all of our sports. This is about the academic expectations we have for all of our student-athletes. The board voted to raise the Academic Progress Rate benchmark from 900 to 930 and supported a penalty structure that will require teams to earn at least a 930 four-year, rolling APR in order to participate in postseason competition. These changes stemmed from the two-day presidential retreat which concluded Wednesday, Aug. 0 and focused on improving intercollegiate athletics in a variety of ways: academics, fiscal responsibility and integrity. The presidents also directed NCAA President Mark Emmert to assemble whatever groups are necessary to codify the recommendations in all three areas discussed at the retreat. We have made some very significant recommendations that we want to turn into action. We will begin working on this immediately, Emmert said. We will come before this group no later than October with a clear action agenda to implement the ideas that were developed over the past two days. Some of that action began today. The presidents felt strongly that the academic principles be adopted swiftly and decidedly, with details to be finalized in October. The Board directed the Committee on Academic Performance to produce particulars about the new changes in academic requirements, including a timeline for phased-in implementation for both the new 930 benchmark and the penalty structure. Currently, the most serious APR penalties are assessed when a team falls below a 900 four-year APR. The move to 930 will be significant, especially as it relates to championship participation. The 930 APR predicts an approximately 50 percent Graduation Success Rate. Within the last year, the presidents on the Board stoutly affirmed a commitment to keeping the benchmark for penalties at a minimum 50 percent graduation rate. The relationship between the two rates had changed over the last several years as adjustments were made to improve the fairness of the APR. In other business, the Division I Board of Directors adopted a Legislative Council recommendation that the number of schools required to initiate an override of legislative action be increased to 75 from 30, effective immediately. The Council recommended the increase because the number of active Division I members has increased significantly since the original number was set. The Board s action also increased the number of requests necessary to suspend legislation from 00 to 25. The numbers for Football Championship Subdivision-specific override requests changed as well, from 5 to 25 for an override and from 40 to 50 for suspension of legislation. The Council believed it was important for the membership to have the opportunity to override legislation if a significant majority opposed the action taken by the Council and Board of Directors. However, the previous standard represented less than 0 percent of the Division I membership. The new standard requires 22 percent of schools to disagree with a legislative action for an override to take place. The change is effective immediately and will apply to any legislation adopted going forward. The presidents also directed the staff to apply NCAA recruiting rules concerning publicity of prospective student-athletes to institutional and conference networks and broadcasts, which will provide time to evaluate the proper application of NCAA rules. The NCAA is holding a meeting on August 22 with representatives from broadcast networks and several conferences to discuss the issue. The Board heard an update from Bowl Task Force Chair Harvey Perlman. The presidents expect a final report from the task force with recommendations for action at their October meeting.

3 CIAA 20 projected champion SHAW Predicted Order of Finish (200 Overall, CIAA Record) Northern. (6-4, 5-2) 2. Virginia State (8-3, 6-) 3. Bowie State (6-4, 6-) 4. Virginia Union (3-7, 3-4) 5. Chowan (3-7, 3-4) 6. Lincoln (Pa) (0-7, -9) Southern. (9-3, 7-0) 2. (8-2, 5-2) 3. St. Augustine s (9-2, 6-) 4. Fayetteville State (5-5, 4-3) 5. Johnson C. Smith (2-8, -6) 6. Livingstone (0-, 0-7) DON T MISS GAMES September 24 at Will these be the same teams that will face off in the CIAA Championship game? October 5 Virginia State at The Vikings and Trojans will battle at ECSU s Homecoming. This game could very well decide the CIAA North Title. October 29 Virgina Union at Virginia State Throw the records out the window when these interstate rivals go head to head. Oh yeah, it s going to be VSU s Homecoming. Back-To-Back Bears 20 Senior Running Back Raymond Williams looks to lead the Bears back to another CIAA Championship. HAMPTON The CIAA has released the 20 All-CIAA Football Preseason team and Predicted Order of finish as voted on by the CIAA Football Coaches Association. The Vikings were picked to finish atop the CIAA North followed by defending division champion Virginia State University. Bowie State, Virginia Union, Chowan and Lincoln (Pa.) round out the North s lineup while the Bears, last year s conference champion, leads the South s picks followed by Winston- Salem State, Saint Augustine s, Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith and Livingstone College. It certainly wasn t easy, but went undefeated against CIAA opponents last year on the way to its third CIAA Championship in four years. will look to make it back-to-back championships for the second time in five years and the road could prove to be harder than last year. s highpowered offense from a year ago will be looking for leadership this season. Gone is All-CIAA quarterback Kevin Atkins, Raymond Williams the school s all-time leading rusher, four of five starters on the offensive line, including two All- CIAA selections, as well as four of the five leading receivers, although Tyrone Craig ( ) looks to build upon a solid 200 campaign. Quarterback Quinshon Odom was thrown into the fire at times last year and even started in the Bears playoff game against Shepherd. Odom completed passes on the season for 505 yards with 5 TDs and 5 INTs. Head coach Darrell Asberry has also gotten a couple of high-profile transfer quarterbacks into the program the last couple of years. Defense will be the strength of the Bears. It begins up front as Charles Deas and Stanley Porter are pre-season All-CIAA performers and combined for 29 tackles for loss and 0 sacks a year ago. Demarcus Roberson will also be counted upon on the defensive line as well and was second on the team last year in tackles for loss (5.5). Cornerback Darnell Evans anchors the secondary and had an exceptional rookie campaign last year on his way to first team All-CIAA honors with a league-tying six interceptions and led the nation in pass break-ups with was a disappointment for head coach Waverly Tillar and the Vikings. The Vikings came into the season with perhaps the best team on paper in the league. Fast forward to the present and the Vikings once again have tremendous talent returning. Creven Powell returns for his senior season as the Vikings signal-caller. Despite injuries last season, Powell completed 24 of 29 passes for,662 yards with 0 TDs to 5 INTs. Running back Daronte McNeill returns after shattering the ECSU rushing record for yards in a season last year when he rushed for,32 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and 0 TDs. The offensive line is experienced, led by pre-season All-CIAA selections seniors Baron Coffin (6-3, 30) and Bryan Garnett (6-3, 330). Defense is normally the staple of a Tillar coached team and despite a wealth of talent last year, the unit struggled giving up 33 yards of total offense per game. Only five starters return from last year led by linebacker Dewitt Dixon (56 tackles, 8 TFL) and lineman Larry Jones. The Vikings open the season at national championship runner-up Delta State and four of their first five games are on the road., Winston-Salem State and tied for the most representation with five selections each. Making his second consecutive appearance on the preseason squad is senior quarterback Creven Powell, who earned second team All-CIAA honors last season after passing for,662 yards and 0 touchdowns. Joining Powell is preseason All-American tailback Daronte McNeill along with senior offensive linemen Baron Coffin and Bryan Garnett, a core that helped the Vikings to a second place ranking in both total and rushing offense in 200. McNeill finished with,32 yards as a sophomore, the first Viking to break the,000 yard plateau since the 994 season. CIAA Website and Donal Ware preseason all-ciaa OFFENSE Creven Powell QB SR Daronte McNeill RB JR Nicholas Cooper RB SR Robert Holland WR JR Chowan Tehvyn Brantley WR SO Bobby Holiday TE SR Larry McDonald OL SR Fayetteville State Baron Coffin OL SR Bryan Garnett OL SR Allen Buckner OL SR Markus Lawrence C JR DEFENSE Larry Jones DL SR Charles Deas DL SR Stanley Porter DL SR Akeem Ward DL SR Delano Johnson LB SR Bowie State Brucelee Sterile LB SR Lincoln (Pa) Jeremy Pruitt LB SR Virginia State Andre Lyles DB SR Fayetteville State Kenny Turner DB SR Bowie State Darrell Evans DB SO Alton Keaton DB SR William Rudd P SO Virginia State Austin Turner K SR Fayetteville State Tyron Laughinghouse RET SR St. Augustine s PLAYERS TO WATCH Nicholas Cooper, Running Back, WSSU Last season, finished ranked 9th in the nation in rushing yards with,34 yards and 5 touchdowns. Robert Holland, Wide Receiver, Chowan Led the CIAA in receiving touchdowns (7) and receptions per game (6.5) in his sophomore year. Brucelee Sterile, Linebacker, Lincoln (Pa) His 90 tackles ranked fourth in the CIAA, and the 9.0 stops-per-game average was 32nd in the nation. BY THE NUMBERS 4 The Bears have won 4 of the last 7 CIAA Football Championships (2004, 2007, 2008, 200). 3

4 MEAC 20 projected champion BETHINE-COOMAN Predicted Order of Finish (200 Overall, MEAC Record). (0-2, 7-) 2. South Carolina State (9-3, 7-) 3. Florida A&M (8-3, 7-) 4. Hampton (6-5, 5-3) 5. Norfolk State (6-5, 4-4) 6. Morgan State (4-7, 3-5) 7. Delaware State (2-6, 3-8) 8. North Carolina A&T (-0, -7) 9. North Carolina Central (3-8) 0. Savannah State (-0). Howard (-0, 0-8) MEAC Teams Want To Finish 20 preseason all-meac OFFENSE Chris Walley QB SR Norfolk State Tallahassee, Fl Mike Mayhew RB SR North Carolina A&T Charlotte, NC Antwon Chisholm [TIE] RB SO Hampton Belle Glade, Fl Jaashawn Jones [TIE] RB R-SR Delaware State Asbury Park, NJ Willie Carter WR SR Howard Denmark, SC Justin Wilson WR R-JR Delaware State Windsor, Ct Antuanne Kerr TE R-SR South Carolina State Augusta, Ga Alex Monroe OL SO Jacksonville, Fl Javahr Nathan OL R-SR South Carolina State Goose Neck, SC Kendall Noble OL SR Norfolk State Rocky Mount, SC Lawrence Brewer OL SR Morgan State Fort Washington, Md Natiel Curry C SR Miami, Fl PLAYERS TO WATCH 4 Mike Mayhew, Running Back, NC A&T The MEAC s leading returning rusher (,082 yds, 7TDs) from Charlotte shows real good instincts. DON T MISS GAMES September 4 vs. Prairie View A&M The annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge held in Orlando will pit last season s MEAC Champion verses the 2009 SWAC Champion. September 0 South Carolina State at The 20 MEAC Champion might be at stake in this Week 2 matchup of conference co-champions from las season. November 9 North Carolina Central at North Carolina A&T The first MEAC conference game betwwen these state rivals in Greensboro since 978. By the way, the Aggies won that game Coach Buddy Pough and the South Carolina State Bulldogs look to do what they could not over the past three seasons, win a Divion I-AA playoff game. CHARLOTTE It was evident during football season last year that there isn t a baseball program at South Carolina State. Simply put, there wasn t a closer on campus. Of course, it shows how good of a level that football program is on when coach Buddy Pough felt disappointed in a season which saw the Bulldogs earn a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title and a spot in the FCS playoffs for the third straight year. Had there been some fireballing 6-foot-4, 235-pound stud closer on campus, Pough would have converted him into a tight end. He didn t think his squad was adept at finishing games or the season. I think we need to finish, said Pough, whose program has gone 29-8 overall and 23- in MEAC games over the last three seasons. That s probably our big role for the year, we ve got to get our guys to the point where we do everything to the end. It s a predicament that plagues the MEAC, which hasn t shined in late November. The conference s last playoff win occurred in 999. and South Carolina State split last year s conference title with Florida A&M and gave the MEAC two playoff teams for the first time since 999. might have needed a closer more than South Carolina State. It was the last unbeaten team in the FCS at 0-0 before it lost its regular- season finale to rival Florida A&M and then its first-round playoff game to New Hampshire, finishing 0-2. I m not one that becomes complacent, Wildcats second-year coach Brian Jenkins said. That was last year and this is a new year. The number one thing for me is, what are we going to do this year? That s where my mindset is at. Tenand-two was good, but it wasn t satisfying enough for me. Last year s trio of titlists and Hampton seem most likely to battle for this year s MEAC crown. The MEAC is undergoing change this year with the addition of North Carolina Central and Savannah State to create an -team conference. Teams will continue to play eight conference games, and not two of the other opponents. There also are five new head coaches: Delaware State s Kermit Blount, 53, the former head coach; Howard s Gary Harrell, 39, who was Bowie State s head coach the last two seasons; North Carolina A&T s Rod Broadway, 56, who left Grambling State s head coaching position; North Carolina Central Henry Frazier, 43, who won the 2009 Eddie Robinson Award at Prairie View A&M; and Savannah State s Steve Davenport, 43, who had been UAB s running backs coach since It should be a terrific season for running backs and linebackers in the MEAC. Sports Network DEFENSE Ryan Davis DL JR Tampa, Fl Sackie Kerkulah DL R-SR Howard Willingboro, NJ Josh Turner DL SR Norfolk State Chesterfield, Va Pat Washington DL R-SR South Carolina State Charleston, SC Ryan Lewis LB JR Pompano Beach, Fl Keith Pough LB R-JR Howard Orangeburg, SC Reginald Sandilands LB SR Miami, Fl Michael Williams DB SR Miami, Fl Micah Pellerin DB SR Hampton New Orleans, La D Vonte Graham DB JR North Carolina A&T Tallahassee, Fl Dominique Ellis DB R-SR South Carolina State Wendell, NC Brandon Holdren P JR Florida A&M Jacksonville, Fl Blake Erickson K SR South Carolina State Pensacola, Fl Ryan Lewis, Linebacker, The Junior from Pompano Beach, Fl. led the Wildcats with 8 combined tackles and five sacks. Justin Wilson, Wide Receiver, Delaware State The junior native of Windsor, Ct. caught 59 passes for 937 yards with touchdowns. BY THE NUMBERS 4 The amount of time a team other than, Florida A&M, Hampton or South Carolina State has won a MEAC Football Championship since 993.

5 SIAC 20 projected champion Albany state Predicted Order of Finish (200 Overall, SIAC Record) East. (-, 9-0) 2. (8-3, 7-2) 3. (8-3, 7-2) 4. Clark Atlanta (4-7, 4-5) 5. Benedict (5-6, 4-5) West. Tuskegee (9-2, 7-2) 2. Miles (3-8, 3-6) 3. Kentucky State (3-8, 2-7) 4. Stillman (3-8, 2-7) 5. Lane (0-9, 0-0) DON T MISS GAMES September 5 at Florida A&M The Wildcats start one of the most difficult schedules in Black College Football when they travel to Tallahassee. October Tuskegee at The Tigers toughest games in the SIAC will come from outside of it s division. Unfortunatley, those games (along with their match-up against the following week) won t be played at home. November 5 vs. This match-up in Columbus could decide who will represent the East in the first SIAC Championship game which will be held a week later. ASU Garners Another Top 0 Ranking quarterback Stanley Jennings, left, looks for a receiver downfield during the Rams preseason scrimmage Saturday. Jennings led ASU to an - record and No. 4 final ranking last season, and based on that past success, ASU starts the season ranked in the Top 0 in three different D-II polls. ALBANY, GA The preseason Top 25 rankings keep piling up, and the Albany State Rams just keep taking them in stride. It s nice, Rams coach Mike White said of ASU s latest preseason honor -- a No. 0 ranking in the D2Football. com Preseason Top 25 Poll that was released Tuesday. There were a lot of years where we were not (in the Top 25), so it s nice to be there. I just want us to push to be there in the end. The Rams have been ranked in every major Division II poll this preseason, including ninth in the AFCA Coaches Poll, 3th in the Sporting News D2 Football Preview and 4th in the Lindy s Football Preview Preseason Top 25. The defending SIAC and SBN Black College National Champions were also ranked on top of the Heritage Sports Radio Network Preseason HBCU Division II Top 0 Poll. All of these honors come after the Rams finished 200 with an - record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. And White and the ASU players are fully aware that these preseason rankings are based more on last season s results than anything else. Being on teams (growing up), I was always told not to worry about it because it was just last year s season, said senior receiver Octavius Staton, who was the lone Ram selected to the Boxtorow Preseason HBCU All-American Team. It means something for what we did last year, but we have to show it this year to keep us up there. We still have a lot of work to do, but right now we are good. We are moving forward, and things are looking good. White agreed that the Rams are beginning to put things together on the field as the preseason -- one that saw two top linemen ruled academically ineligible and two top running backs go down with serious knee injuries -- winds down. We had a good meeting (Monday), and a scrimmage over the weekend, White said. I think some guys are getting the ABCs and 23s of the defense and offense down. I am proud of that, and we are just going to continue to work. ASU opens its season Sept. 3 in Macon against Division I Savannah State in the Music City Classic. Also ranked in thed2football.com Preseason Top 25 Poll are Valdosta State (4th) and Wingate (9th) -- ASU s opponents on Sept. 0 and 7, respectively John Millikan, albanyherald.com 20 preseason all-siac OFFENSE Stanley Jennings QB SR Marietta, Ga David Carter RB JR Marietta, Ga Tony Reid RB JR Albany, Ga Derrick Hector WR SR Mobile, Al Octavius Staton WR SR Greenville, NC Tony Davis TE SR Fort Valley, Ga Mike Mavromichalis OL SR Savannah, Ga Travis Walker OL JR Cordele, Ga Marlon Jones OL JR Atlanta, Ga Jessie Mitchell OL SR Kentucky State East St. Louis, Il Norris Byrd OL SR Atlanta, Ga DEFENSE Justin Blash DL JR Alma, Ga Antorio Wells DL SR Alma, Ga Tyrone Davis DL SR Benedict Olympia, Wa Darel Strong DL SR Clark Atlanta Ft. Lauderdale, Fl Ricky Moore LB SR Clark Atlanta Brooklyn, NY Ricky Johnson LB SR Stone Mountain, Ga Isaiah Person LB SR Tuskegee Auburn, Al Dominique Patterson DB JR Brunswick, Ga Dejuan Williams DB JR Baxley, Ga Darrius Williams DB SR Detroit, Mi DeQuan Starling DB SR Benedict Hawkinsville, Ga Ronnie Partridge P SR Stillman Ridge Spring, SC Andy Polanco K SR Benedict Los Angeles, Ca PLAYERS TO WATCH Stanley Jennings, Quarterback, Last season, Jennings was named 200 SIAC MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. 5 Ricky Johnson, Linebacker, Ft. Valley State In 200, the Stone Mountain, GA native led a Wildcat defense that was the best in the nation in total defense. Ronnie Partridge, Punter, Stillman In 200, Partridge led the nation with a 45.5 punting average which earned him several All-American honors BY THE NUMBERS (200) is the only school other than Albany St., Ft. Valley St. and Tuskegee to win a SIAC Title since 992.

6 SWAC 20 projected champion TEXAS SOUTHERN Predicted Order of Finish (200 Overall, SWAC Record) Eastern Division. (8-3, 6-3) 2. Alabama State (7-5, 6-3) 3. Alcorn State (5-6, 4-5) 4. Alabama A&M (3-8, 2-7) 5. Mississippi Valley State (0-0, 0-9) Western Division. (9-3, 8-) 2. Grambling State (9-2, 8-) 3. Prairie View A&M (7-4, 6-3) 4. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5-6, 4-5) 5. Southern (2-9, -8) DON T MISS GAMES October 8 Alabama State at Rematch of last year s SWAC Title Game. November 5 Grambling State vs. The potential 20 SWAC Championship game that will never be. November 24 Tuskegee at Alabama State Two of HBCU s best football teams from last season will face off at the Hornets Homecoming. November 24 Grambling State vs. Southern Bayou Classic. Nuff said. JSU, TSU Look To Lead SWAC Head Coach Doug Williams looks to take Grambling State back to the SWAC Championship Game. Doug Williams laughs that a lot of his football players at Grambling State didn t know much about him when he returned to his alma mater for a second stint as head coach. Dezmond Spivey knew him well. He just laughs at Williams style. He s a character, he s a comedian, Spivey said. When he imitates Coach Rob, he goes only in America and certain things. And I can say this, when there s a scenario to be given, he has one for every single thing. Spivey s father played with Williams for one season at Grambling State under Coach Rob - the legendary Eddie Robinson - so Dezmond has a history with the Tigers new coach that includes attending his football camp and playing with his sons. There is one scenario that Williams doesn t have to joke about: winning the Southwestern Conference championship. He s serious about it after winning three as a Grambling quarterback from and three as the head coach from Williams return to the most-esteemed black college football program was the brightest news of a troubled offseason in the SWAC, where three head coaches took jobs elsewhere, Johnnie Cole of the defending champion Texas Southern Tigers was fired over the program s academic shortcomings and the program later received Academic Progress Rate penalties as did and Southern. (Eastern Division) and Grambling State (Western Division) were installed as the preseason favorites in the SWAC Coaches preseason poll. can t play in the SWAC Championship Game as a result of the APR penalties, but it has the conference s best offensive player in recording-setting quarterback Casey Therriault, a returning finalist from last year s Walter Payton Award, which goes to the FCS outstanding player, is presented by The Sports Network and sponsored by Fathead.com. I think we have the right attitude going into the season and I think the kids are ready to play. You couldn t ask for more than that, coach Ron Comegy said. s ineligibility may open the door for Alabama State, the defending division champion, or an Alcorn State squad that might have its most talented quarterback since Steve Mc- Nair in Brandon Bridge, a sophomore sensatiom. Grambling State s biggest challenge in the Western Division will come from, which elevated Kevin Ramsey to interim head coach. His Tigers feature the league s only returning,000-yard rusher in Marcus Wright and a tough defensive front that helped them to finish first in the FCS in total defense (204.9 ypg) last season. Grambling State is replacing the league s rushing champion, Frank Warren, whom it relied on heavily last season. The Tigers know not to take anything for granted after last season s preseason favorite, Prairie View A&M, was a disappointing 6-3 in conference play with a veteran lineup after being unbeaten in Last year, we had a couple things going on, PAMU first-year head coach Heishma Northern said. I thought we suffered a little bit in our focus both from the players standpoint and the coaches standpoint. We had quite a few coaches on our staff that were up for head coaching jobs, we had quite a few players that had aspirations of playing in the NFL. So I think you get a little more away from the team concept - let me do my thing type of thing. And the injuries didn t help us at all last year. I think we had 4 season- ending injuries last year. We re not going to make any excuses. We re going to come back better. Sports Network 20 preseason all-swac OFFENSE Casey Therriault QB SR Marcus Wright RB SR Martin Gilbert RB SR Nick Andrews WR SR Howard Marcellos Wilder WR SR Renty Rollins TE SR James Dekle OL SR Prairie View A&M Sanford Banks OL JR Grambling State Terren Jones OL JR Alabama State Chris Browne OL JR Southern Roderick Gladney C SR DEFENSE Marquis Jackson DL JR Donavan Robinson DL SR Jomarcus Savage DL JR Grambling State Kynjee Cotton DL SR Alabama State Cliff Exama LB SR Grambling State Jer-ryan Harris LB SO Arkansas-Pine Bluff Willie Fuller LB JR Alabama A&M Moses Ellis DB SR Prairie View A&M Kejuan Riley DB JR Alabama State Zack Gallow DB SR Tim Dandridge DB SR Arturo Tamayo P SR Alcorn State Zoltan Riazzo K SR Grambling State B.J. Lee RET JR PLAYERS TO WATCH 6 Moses Ellis, Defensive Back, Prairie View A&M An All-America selection after a 200 season where he led the NCAA Div. I-FCS with 8 Ints and is on the 20 Preseason Sports Network Buck Buchanon Award Watch List. Cliff Exama, Linebacker, Grambling State Exama recorded 06 tackles in just nine games during his All-SWAC campaign last season. Casey Therriault, Quaterback, The senior QB was 3rd in the NCAA in passing yards per game in 200 and is on the 20 Preseason Sports Network Walter Payton Award Watch List...Again. BY THE NUMBERS 6 Total SWAC Championships won by Doug Williams as a coach (3) and player (3).

7 CIAA Bowie State (200 Record 6-4) S 3 at Assumption S 0 Benedict S 7 Livingstone [HC] S 24 at Virginia Union O at Virginia State O 6 at Fairmont State O 4 at Lincoln O 22 at O 29 at Shepherd N 5 Chowan Chowan (200 Record 3-7) S at Livingstone S 0 at UNC Pembroke S 7 S 24 at Virginia State O at Virginia Union O 8 at Lincoln (Pa) O 5 at Stillman O 22 [HC] O 29 N 5 at Bowie State (200 Record 6-4) A 27 at Delta State S 3 S 0 Livingstone S 7 at Fayetteville State S 24 at O 8 at Virginia Union O 5 Virginia State [HC] O 22 Bowie State O 29 at Chowan N 5 Lincoln (Pa) in Rocky Mount, NC Fayetteville State (200 Record 5-5) S 3 UNC-Pembroke S 9 at Carson Newman S 7 S 24 at O St. Augustine s O 8 Virginia State [HC] O 5 O 22 at Livingstone O 29 at Johnson C. Smith N 5 at Virginia Union Johnson C. Smith (200 Record 2-8) S 3 West Virginia State S 0 at Brevard S 7 Virginia State S 24 at Davidson O at O 6 at O 5 Virginia Union [HC] O 22 at St. Augustine s O 29 Fayetteville State N 5 Livingstone Lincoln (Pa) (200 Record -9) S 3 at Cheyney S 0 at Kentucky State S 7 Virginia Union S 24 at St. Augustine s O West Virginia Wesleyan O 8 Chowan [HC] O 4 Bowie State O 22 Virginia State O 29 at Virginia University of Lynchburg N 5 at Elizabeth State 7 20 HBCU Team Schedules Livingstone (200 Record 0-) S at Chowan S 0 S 7 at Bowie State S 24 Virginia University of Lynchburg O at O 8 at Edward Waters O 5 O 22 Fayetteville State [HC] O 29 at St. Augustine s N 5 at Johnson C. Smith S 24 O O8 O 5 O 22 O 29 N5 N 2 North Carolina A&T (200 Record -0) S 3 Virginia University of Lynchburg S 0 at Appalacian State S 24 Coastal Carolina O at Morgan State O 8 O 5 Delaware State [HC] O 22 at Howard O 29 at Norfolk State N 5 at Florida A&M N 2 at South Carolina State N 9 North Carolina Central in Rocky Mount, NC St. Augustine s (200 Record 9-2) A 27 at Virginia Union S 3 Catawba S 0 at New Haven S 24 Lincoln (Pa) O at Fayetteville State O 8 O 5 at West Georgia O 22 Johnson C. Smith [HC] O 29 Livingstone N 5 at North Carolina Central (200 Record 3-8) S at Rutgers S 0 vs. Central State S 7 Elon S 24 Savannah State O 8 at South Carolina State O 5 Morgan State O 22 at Hampton O 29 N 5 at Delaware State N 2 Florida A&M N 9 at North Carolina A&T (200 Record 9-3) S 3 at Stillman S 0 at Delaware State S 7 at Benedict S 24 O Livingstone O 6 Johnson C. Smith [HC] O 4 at Fayetteville State O 22 at Chowan O 29 at N 5 St. Augustine s Virginia State (200 Record 9-3) S 3 at Norfolk State S 0 at West Virginia State S 7 at Johnson C. Smith S 24 Chowan O Bowie State O 8 at Fayetteville State O 5 at O 22 at Lincoln (Pa) O 29 Virginia Union [HC] N 5 at Gardner-Webb Virginia Union (200 Record 3-7) A 27 St. Augustine s S 3 at Benedict S 0 S 7 at Lincoln (Pa) S 24 Bowie State O Chowan O 8 [HC] O 5 at Johnson C. Smith O 29 at Virginia State N 5 Fayetteville State (200 Record 8-2) S 3 at S 0 at Virginia Union S 7 at Chowan S 24 Fayetteville State O Johnson C. Smith [HC] O 6 at St. Augustine s O 4 at Livingstone O 22 Edward Waters O 29 N 5 at UNC Pembroke at Charleston Southern South Carolina State at Delaware State Hampton North Carolina A&T [HC] at Savannah State at Morgan State in Cleveland, Oh MEAC Bethune Cookman (200 Record 0-2) S 4 vs. Prairie View A&M S 0 South Carolina State S 24 Hampton O at Miami O 8 at North Carolina A&T O 5 O 22 at Norfolk State O 29 at North Carolina Central N 5 Morgan State N 2 Savannah State N 9 vs. Florida A&M in Orlando, Fl Delaware State (200 Record 3-8) S 3 at VMI S 0 S 7 at Delware S 24 at South Carolina State O at Florida A&M O 8 Norfolk State O 5 at North Carolina A&T O 29 Morgan State [HC] N 5 North Carolina Central N 2 at Hampton N 9 Howard Florida A&M (200 Record 8-3) S 3 S 0 at Hampton S 7 at South Florida S 29 Southern O Delaware State O 8 Howard [HC] O 5 at Savannah State O 22 at South Carolina State N 5 North Carolina A&T N 2 at North Carolina Central N 9 vs. 2 in Atlanta, Ga, 2in Orlando, Fl Hampton (200 Record 6-5) S 3 vs. Alabama A&M S 8 Florida A&M S 7 Old Dominion S 22 at O 8 Princeton O 5 at Norfolk State O 22 North Carolina Central [HC] O 29 at Savannah State N 5 Howard N 2 Delaware State N 9 Morgan State in Chicago, Il Howard (200 Record -0) S 3 at Eastern Michigan S 0 S 7 S 24 O O8 O 5 O 22 O 29 N5 N 9 vs. Norfolk State vs. Morgan State2 at Savannah State at Florida A&M Georgetown North Carolina A&T [HC] South Carolina State at Hampton at Delaware State in RFK Stadium, Washington, DC, 2in Meadowlands, NJ Morgan State (200 Record 4-7) S 3 at Towson S 0 at Bowling Green State S 7 Robert Morris S 24 vs. Howard O North Carolina A&T O 8 Savannah State [HC] O 5 at North Carolina Central O 29 at Delaware State N 5 at N 2 Norfolk State N 9 Hampton in Meadowlands, NJ Norfolk State (200 Record 6-5) S 3 Virginia State S 0 at West Virginia S 7 at Howard Savannah State (200 Record -0) S 3 vs. S 0 at Southeastern Louisiana S 7 at Appalacian State S 24 at North Carolina Central O Howard O 8 at Morgan State O 5 Florida A&M O 29 Hampton [HC] N 5 Norfolk State N 2 at N 9 South Carolina State in Macon, Ga South Carolina State (200 Record 9-3) S at Central Michigan S 0 a S 7 at Indiana S 24 Delaware State O at Norfolk State O 8 North Carolina Central [HC] O 5 Georgia State O 22 Florida A&M O 29 at Howard N 2 North Carolina A&T N 9 at Savannah State SIAC (200 Record -) S 3 vs. Savannah State S 0 Wingate S 7 Valdosta State S 24 at Miles O vs. Kentucky State2 O 8 at Lane O 5 O 22 O 29 N5 vs. Clark Atlanta3 Benedict [HC] Ft. Valley State4 in Macon, Ga, 2in Indianapolis, In, 3in Valdosta, Ga, in Columbus, Ga 4 Benedict (200 Record 5-6) S 3 Virginia Union S 0 at Bowie State S 7 S 24 O vs. Miles O 8 at Stillman O 5 Clark Atlanta [HC] O 22 at O 29 at N 5 Lane in Augusta, Ga Clark Atlanta (200 Record 4-7) S 2 Georgia State S 0 Lane S 7 S 24 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff O at O 8 Miles [HC] O 5 at Benedict O 22 vs. O 29 at Tuskegee N 5 Stillman in St. Louis, Mo, 2in Valdosta, Ga (200 Record 8-3) S 3 at Florida A&M S 0 Delta State S 7 at Clark Atlanta S 24 at Benedict O Tuskegee O 8 at Kentucky State O 5 O 22 Stillman [HC] O 29 N 5 in Columbus, GA Kentucky State (200 Record 3-8) S 4 vs. Central State S 0 Lincoln (Pa) S 7 Stillman S 24 at Kentucky Wesleyan O vs. 2 O 8 [HC] O 5 at Miles O 22 Tuskegee O 29 at Lane N 5 Lane (200 Record 0-9) S 4 at Edward Waters S 0 at Clark Atlanta S 7 Point S 24 O at Stillman O 8 O 5 Tuskegee [HC] O 22 at Miles O 29 Kentucky State N 5 at Benedict in Dayton, Oh, 2in Indianapolis, In Miles (200 Record 3-8) S 4 vs.

8 20 HBCU Team Schedules 8 S 0 Concordia-Selma S 7 at West Georgia S 24 O vs. Benedict 2 O 8 at Clark Atlanta O 5 Kentucky State O 22 Lane [HC] O 29 at Stillman N 5 at Tuskegee in Birmingham, Al, 2 in Augusta, Ga (200 Record 8-3) S 4 vs. Miles S 0 vs. Howard 2 S 7 Edward Waters S 24 at Lane O Clark Atlanta O 8 vs. Tuskegee 3 O 5 at O 22 Benedict [HC] O 29 at N 5 at Kentucky State in Birmingham, Al, 2 in RFK Stadium, Washington, DC, 3 in Columbus, Ga Stillman (200 Record 3-8) S 3 S 0 at Samford S 7 at Kentucky State S 24 at Tuskegee O Lane O 8 Benedict O 5 Chowan O 22 at O 29 Miles N 5 at Clark Atlanta N 2 Concordia-Selma [HC] Tuskegee (200 Record 9-2) S 0 Langston S 7 at Alabama A&M S 24 Stillman O at O 8 vs. O 5 at Lane O 22 at Kentucky State O 29 Clark Atlanta N 5 Miles N 24 at Alabama State in Columbus, Ga SWAC Alabama A&M (200 Record 3-8) S 3 vs. Hampton S 0 at Southern S 7 Tuskegee S 24 at Grambling State O Arkansas-Pine Bluff O 8 Mississippi Valley State [HC] O 3 O 29 vs. Alabama State 2 N 5 at Alcorn State N 2 N 9 Prairie View A&M in Chicago, Il, 2 in Birmingham, Al Alabama State (200 Record 7-5) S 3 at Mississippi Valley State S 0 at Eastern Michigan S 7 Grambling State S 24 at O Alcorn State O 8 at O 5 Prairie View A&M O 29 vs. Alabama A&M O 29 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff N 5 Southern N 24 Tuskegee in Birmingham, Al Alcorn State (200 Record 5-6) S 3 Grambling State S 0 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff S 7 Mississippi Valley State S 24 at O at Alabama State O 22 Concordia-Selma [HC] O 29 at Southern N 5 Alabama A&M N 2 Prairie View A&M N 9 at Grambling State (200 Record 9-2) S 3 vs. Alcorn State S 0 at Louisiana-Monroe S 7 at Alabama State S 24 Alabama A&M O Prairie View A&M 2 O 5 Concordia-Selma O 22 Mississippi Valley State [HC] O 29 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff N 5 at N 2 N 26 Southern 3 in Shreveport, La, 2 in Dallas, Tx, 3 in New Orleans, La (200 Record 8-3) S 3 Concordia-Selma S 0 vs. Tennessee State S 7 at Southern S 24 Alabama State S 29 O 8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff [HC] O 5 at Mississippi Valley State O 29 vs. Prairie View A&M 2 N 5 Grambling State N 2 at Alabama A&M N 9 Alcorn State in Memphis, Tn, 2 in Shreveport, La Mississippi Valley State (200 Record 0-0) S 3 Alabama State S 0 Murray State S 7 at Alcorn State S 24 at Prairie View A&M O Southern O 8 at Alabama A&M O 5 O 22 at Grambling State O 29 [HC] N 3 South Alabama N 2 Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Mobile, Al Prairie View A&M (200 Record 7-4) S 4 vs. S 0 at S 7 Arkansas-Pine Bluff S 24 Mississippi Valley State O vs. Grambling State 2 O 8 at Southern O 5 at Alabama State O 29 vs. 3 N 5 at Texas State N 2 at Alcorn State N 9 Alabama A&M [HC] in Orlando, Fl, 2 in Dallas, Tx, 3 in Shreveport, La Southern (200 Record 2-9) S 3 at Tennessee State S 0 Alabama A&M S 7 S 24 vs. Florida A&M O Mississippi Valley State O 8 Prairie View A&M O 5 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff O 22 Alcorn State [HC] N 5 at N 2 at Alabama State N 26 Grambling State 2 in Atlanta, Ga, 2 in New Orleans, La (200 Record 9-3) S 0 Prairie View A&M S 7 at Texas College S 24 Alcorn State S 29 at O 8 Alabama State O 3 at Alabama A&M O 22 Central State [HC] O 29 at Mississippi Valley State N 5 Southern N 2 at Grambling State N 9 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff INDEPENDENTS Central State (200 Record -0) S 4 vs. Kentucky State S 0 vs. NC Central 2 S 7 at West Alabama S 24 Dayton O Notre Dame College O 8 North Greenville O 5 Southwest Baptist [HC] O 22 at O 29 at Kentucky Wesleyan N 5 at Austin Peay N 2 at St. Francis in Dayton, Oh, 2 in Cleveland, Oh Cheyney (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conf.: 200 Record -0, -6) S 3 Lincoln (Pa) S 0 at Slippery Rock S 7 at Edinboro S 24 at Kutztown O Millersville O 8 at Bloomburg O 5 West Chester [HC] O 22 Shippensburg O 29 East Stroudsburg N 5 at C. W. Post N 2 California (Pa) Concordia-Selma (NAIA: 200 Record 4-4) S 3 at S 0 Miles S 7 New Orleans S 24 Point O at Edward Waters O 8 Texas College [HC] O 5 at Grambling State O 22 at Alcorn State N 2 at Stillman Edward Waters (NAIA: 200 Record 0-8) S 3 Lane S 0 Virginia University of Lynchburg S 7 at O Concordia-Selma [HC] O 8 Livingstone O 5 at Webber International O 22 at O 29 Shorter N 5 at Ave Maria N 2 at Southern Virginia in Kingsland, Ga Langston (NAIA: 200 Record 6-4) S 3 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff S 0 at Tuskegee S 7 at Mo. Western State O 24 at Emporia State O at Bacone O 8 Panhandle State O 5 SW Assemblies [HC] O 22 at NW Oklahoma State N 5 Texas College N 2 at Southern Nazarene in Little Rock, Ar Lincoln (Mo) (GLFC: 200 Record 2-9) S 3 Avila S 8 at Washburn S 7 NW Missouri State S 24 Missouri Southern O Fort Hays State [HC] O 8 at Missouri Western O 5 at Pittsburg State O 22 Emporia State O 29 Central Missouri N 5 at Truman State N 2 Nebraska Omaha in St. Louis, Mo Tennessee State (200 Record 3-9) S 3 Southern S 0 vs. S 7 at Murray State S 24 at Air Force O at Austin Peay O 8 Southeast Missouri O 5 at Tennessee Tech O 22 at Eastern Kentucky N 5 at Eastern Illinois N 2 Tennessee-Martin [HC] N 9 Jacksonville State in Memphis, Tn Texas College (NAIA: 200 Record -9) A 27 at Bellhaven S 3 at Lamar S 0 at Arkansas-Monticello S 7 at O 24 NW Oklahoma State O 8 at Concordia-Selma O 5 at Panhandle State O 22 at Southern Nazarene O 29 Bacone [HC] N 5 at Langston N 2 SW Assemblies Virginia University at Lynchburg (200 Record 0-0) S 3 at North Carolina A&T S 0 vs. Edward Waters S 7 Louisburg S 24 at Livingstone O 8 West Virginia State O 5 Wesley [HC] O 2 at Fork Union O 29 vs. Lincoln (Pa) 2 N 2 at George Mason in Kingsland, Ga, 2 in Petersburg, Va West Virginia State (WVIAC: 200 Record 0-0) S 3 at Johnson C. Smith S 0 Virginia State S 24 at Concord O Seton Hill [HC] O 8 at West Liberty O 5 Glenville State O 22 at Shepherd O 29 at West Virginia Wesleyan N 5 Fairmont State N 2 Charleston [HC] indicates Homecoming Game. 20 HOMECOMINGs Saturday, September 7 Livingstone at Bowie State Saturday, October Concordia-Selma at Edward Waters Fort Hays State at Lincoln (MO) Seton Hill at West Virginia State J. C. Smith at Saturday, October 8 Miss Valley State at Alabama A&M Miles at Clark Atlanta Texas College at Concordia-Selma Virginia State at Fayetteville State Howard at Florida A&M Arkansas-Pine Bluff at at Kentucky State Chowan at Lincoln (PA) Savannah State at Morgan State North Carolina Central at South Carolina State Johnson C. Smith at at Virginia Union Saturday, October 5 Clark Atlanta at Benedict Southwest Baptist at Central State West Chester at Cheyney Virginia State at Virginia Union at Johnson C. Smith Tuskegee at Lane SW Assemblies at Langston Delaware State at North Carolina A&T Wesley at Virginia University of Lynchburg Saturday, October 22 Concordia-Selma at Alcorn State at Chowan Stillman at Mississippi Valley State at Grambling State North Carolina Central at Hampton North Carolina A&T at Howard Fayetteville State at Livingstone Lane at Miles Benedict at Johnson C. Smith at St. Augustine s Central State at Saturday, October 29 Benedict at Morgan State at Delaware State at Mississippi Valley State at North Carolina Central North Carolina A&T at Norfolk State Hampton at Savannah State Alcorn State at Southern Bacone at Texas College Virginia Union at Virginia State Saturday, November 5 Alabama State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff Morgan State at Miles at Tuskegee Saturday, November 2 Concordia-Selma at Stillman Tennessee-Martin at Tennessee State Saturday, November 9 Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M Thursday, November 24 Tuskegee at Alabama State

9 TWO-MINUTE WARNING 9 Eaton, Campbell and Fuller are new Directors MARSHALL, TX Wiley College made history with the naming of its first female director of athletics, Janet Eaton. Eaton is no stranger to the College. She joined the Wiley family in 2008 as head women s basketball coach. The College announced its promotion of Eaton at a news conference on August 9th. I thank God for blessing me with this opportunity, said Eaton at the conference. Wiley College has a rich tradition of excellence in athletics and academics, and my team and I will continue to build on this great tradition. Eaton takes on the position at a time of firsts and new beginnings for the athletic program. Soccer returns to the College this fall after a six year absence. The new soccer coach, Demetrio Hernandez, was introduced at the conference. Hernandez comes from conference rival Texas College where he won a RRAC Championship in In addition, bowling was introduced Friday as part of Wiley s athletic program. Michael Vickerstaff was named the new head coach for bowling, which the Red River Athletic Conference describes as an emerging sport. Other announcements included the naming of JB Haggerty as the new cross country and track and field coach, and the naming of Madeleine Harris as the new assistant coach for volleyball and track and field. I look forward to supporting each and every coach on my staff, said Eaton. I am excited about the opportunity to lead, guide, and direct the growth of this program. They day was filled with emotion for Eaton. Her mother and sister surprised her by driving six hours from Mississippi to be present for the historical announcement. Eaton earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Health and Physical Education from Dillard University in 994. She earned a master s degree in Education from the University of Phoenix in 200. She has one son who is entering his third year at Wiley College. Campbell, a two-time graduate of South Carolina State, becomes the first female athletic director at Hampton. Hampton, va Hampton University has named Keshia Campbell as director of athletics. She becomes the first female athletic director to lead the Pirates and will begin working on August 5. Campbell, who served as assistant and associate director of athletics at Hampton from , succeeds Lonza Hardy, who has been named director of athletics at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She comes to the Tidewater Area from the University of Texas at Dallas where she was director of business affairs. Ms. Campbell comes with athletics management experience, knowledge of the institution s athletics program and direct experience from within the National Collegiate Athletics Association, said Dr. Rodney Smith, vice president for administrative services, who supervises athletics at Hampton. We are very excited to welcome her as a member of the Hampton family and we are looking forward to continued excellence from our student-athletes under her direction. Campbell held two administrative positions at the NCAA, assistant and associate director of championships, from In addition to her time at Hampton, she was head women s basketball coach at South Carolina State University for seven years. A two-time graduate of South Carolina State, Campbell earned a bachelor s degree in physical education and a master s degree in rehabilitation counseling. I am thrilled and honored to be appointed to the helm of the Pirate athletics program, said Campbell. Hampton is recognized as one of the best Division I mid-major programs in the entire country and I look forward to carrying on the tradition of excellence. Campbell is another in a long line of women being appointed to senior administration positions under William R. Harvey s tenure as Hampton president. Ms. Campbell has the administrative skills and experience to continue to guide our student-athletes to academic and athletic success, Harvey said. We believe her passion and vision will further elevate the bright future of Hampton University athletics. Jackson, Ms University has named Vivian Fuller as its new athletics director. She will take the helm of s athletics program later this summer. I m excited to be a Tiger, Fuller said. has such a long and proud tradition; I look forward to honoring that tradition and helping our student athletes be the best they can be. Fuller JSU President Carolyn Meyers announced Fuller s appointment during a press conference today inside the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center s Sports Hall of Fame. Vivian Fuller s leadership skills, along with her experience as an athlete, academician, and director of athletics at three institutions, make her the best choice for University at this time. Meyers said. I m very confident that she will be able to lead our athletics programs to prominence, ensuring that JSU student-athletes succeed on the field or court as well as in the classroom. Fuller comes to University from Sojourner-Douglass College, where she served as dean of the college s Cambridge, Maryland campus. Before joining Sojourner-Douglass in 2003, Fuller spent more than a decade directing the athletics programs at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Tennessee State University and Northeastern Illinois University. When named AD at Tennessee State in 997, Fuller became the first African-American woman to lead a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Athletics program with a football team. That team finished its first season under her leadership with a 9-3 record and won the Ohio Valley Conference championship. Jackson s State s new AD is a nationally known expert on academic support programs for student-athletes, academic advising, women in sports and management and gender equity. She has testified before the U.S. Senate in congressional hearings on gender equity and minority participation in sports and has been involved in numerous NCAA committees including the Management Council, the Peer Review Committee, the Initial Eligibility Standards Committee, the Gender Equity Task Force and the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), for which she served as chairperson. Fuller began her career in higher education at Bennett College in 978 as the director of intramurals and instructor of physical education. From she served as assistant director for advisement programs for student-athletes at North Carolina A&T, earning a promotion to assistant director of athletics. In 987, she became associate director of intercollegiate athletics at Indiana University in Pennsylvania, where she was responsible for internal operations of the program and developing the academic component for student-athletes. Fuller earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Fayetteville State University in 977, a Master s of Education from the University of Idaho in 978, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Iowa State University in 985. Chicago State re-certified DI by NCAA CHICAGO The National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced Thursday that Chicago State University [CSU] has met all of the requirements for re-certification as a member of Division I. A certified designation denotes that an institution operates its athletics program in compliance with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership. This announcement marks the culmination of an eighteen-month process that required a comprehensive review of the CSU Athletics Program and its interface with the university community conducted by five sub-committees and one steering committee composed of university stakeholders. Dr. Wayne Watson, President of Chicago State University stated, I am pleased with the exceptional work of our Steering Committee Co-Chairs, the Steering Committee and the sub-committees composed of individuals from across the Chicago State University campus, including administrators, faculty, staff and students in the athletic certification process. The purpose of athletics certification is to ensure integrity in the institution s athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments. NCAA legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted in 993. The certification process, which involves completion of a self-study which was led by President Watson, includes a review of five areas of which were also the foci of the five subcommittees namely, Academic Integrity, Diversity, Gender, Governance and Commitment to Rules and Student-Athlete Well-Being. I am extremely proud that Chicago State University has earned NCAA Division I certification, said Dr. Watson. The net effect of this work has been phenomenal in its revelations regarding the structural and human capital changes that we have and will continue to make. Lessons learned are strengthening our athletics program for our student-athletes, campus life and the communities that we serve, he further stated. The NCAA Committee on Certification issued decisions for Chicago State University [CSU] and 26 other Division I institutions including Georgetown University, Vanderbilt University, Butler University, Northeastern University and the University of California, Los Angeles. Mansfield Accepts Position at SEC: SWAC assistant director of communications, Chevonne Mansfield, has accepted a position as assistant director of media relations at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and will transition across town at the end of the month. Mansfield earned the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) University Division Rising Star Award in June as a member of the SWAC staff. NC CENTRAL IS ACTIVE DIVISION I: At 2:3 p.m. on Thursday, August, North Carolina Central University received a letter from the NCAA confirming the university s active membership in Division I athletics. The five-year reclassification process moving from Division II athletics competition to Division I (Football Championship Subdivision) is now over, and NCCU is eligible to participate in post-season championships starting this fall.