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Livingstone to add blue football turf as part of stadium renovations

Livingstone to add blue football turf as part of stadium renovations

SALISBURY, NC – Livingstone College has announced plans for a renovation project to its Alumni Memorial Stadium. The 6,000-seat stadium will undergo a full remodel of the track and field, which includes the high jump apron, thrower’s circle, and track runways. The stadium project will also feature a video scoreboard added to the southeast corner, and the current grass turf will be converted to…

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North Carolina A&T on mission not to be forgotten as still dominant program

North Carolina A&T on mission not to be forgotten as still dominant program

North Carolina A&T running back Jah-Maine Martin has never been more ready to start a season in his college football career. Part of it is the long layoff since the Aggies’ last game — a Celebration Bowl win — more than 600 days ago. The other reason lies in that Martin, a senior, is under the impression that the country — because of the Aggies’ absence after opting out of spring football — has…

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Alabama A&M looking to prove prognosticators 'right' in pursuit of another SWAC title

Alabama A&M looking to prove prognosticators ‘right’ in pursuit of another SWAC title

If it seems like yesterday that Alabama A&M hoisted the SWAC championship trophy — its first title in a decade — inside Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, head coach Connell Maynor can relate. Just two months removed from that May afternoon in Jackson, the Bulldogs are preparing what would be an unprecedented feat of winning multiple championships in seven months. The honeymoon period after…

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HBCU Digest: Looking to Rebuild the MEAC? There's a Model in the SIAC

HBCU Digest: Looking to Rebuild the MEAC? There’s a Model in the SIAC

By Jarrett Carter HBCU Digest It was hard to visualize just a few months ago how a historically Black Division I athletic conference would lose five teams and not lose its commissioner, but the prophecy of the obvious came to pass yesterday as long-serving Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Commissioner Dennis Thomas announced plans to retire in December. Some MEAC fans will look at Thomas’…

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Former HBCU athletes say new NIL policy will put money in pockets, encourage graduation

Former HBCU athletes say new NIL policy will put money in pockets, encourage graduation

As of July 1, NCAA athletes are eligible to get paid for their name, image and likeness under the interim policy the NCAA adopted after months of lengthy examination. Student-athletes receiving compensation in exchange for their work on the field and court has been debated within amateurism for years. Although athletes historically have received scholarships and small stipends, that does not…

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For better or worse, Jackson State QB Shedeur Sanders isn't tempering fall expectations

For better or worse, Jackson State QB Shedeur Sanders isn’t tempering fall expectations

Shedeur Sanders has yet to officially play in a college football game, but the son of Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders fired a loud shot across the bow toward the SWAC. When asked to evaluate the Tigers’ offensive production during preseason practices and what that meant for the upcoming season, Shedeur Sanders — with the same genetic self-assured bravado and confidence of his Hall of Fame…

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Grambling State wants to 'forget about' winless and tumultuous spring season

Grambling State wants to ‘forget about’ winless and tumultuous spring season

The spring season for Grambling State could only be described as misery. The Tigers went 0-4 (all losses in SWAC play) including a 49-7 defeat at the hands of Southern in the Bayou Classic. All the way, Grambling lost its starting quarterback to the transfer portal, had two changes at offensive coordinator, and sustained a COVID-19 outbreak that ravaged the roster. How can Grambling bounce back…

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'Change is good': Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M excited to join HBCU 'power conference'

‘Change is good’: Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M excited to join HBCU ‘power conference’

Two of the most highly anticipated SWAC conference games of the 2021 season will involve Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman. While the Rattlers and the Wildcats have played against SWAC schools as members of the MEAC in classic and non-conference showdowns over the years, prior to the upcoming campaign, few could have imagined that a FAMU-Jackson State clash or Florida Classic contest would become…

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Jason Cable named Alabama State athletic director

Jason Cable named Alabama State athletic director

Alabama State University officials announced today that Dr. Jason Cable has been named the new director of intercollegiate athletics. In making the announcement, President Quinton T. Ross, Jr., said Cable’s selection comes after a month-long, nationwide search. “We empaneled a seven-member search committee to conduct interviews and recommend the top candidate from the field of applicants,” said…

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SIAC Commissioner makes CNN appearance to explain conference vaccination mandate

SIAC Commissioner makes CNN appearance to explain conference vaccination mandate

Reaffirming the urgency to protect athletes from potential COVID-19 illness as the delta variant rages across the country at an accelerated pace, SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore made a national network television appearance to explain the league’s decision to require vaccinations. “For our league, it was about risk mitigation,” Moore told CNN Thursday. “We’re looking at this delta variant in a…

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Bowie State odds on favorite to win CIAA in preseason conference poll

Bowie State odds on favorite to win CIAA in preseason conference poll

CHARLOTTE, NC – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association announces the 2021 All-CIAA preseason football team, as voted on by the CIAA Football Coaches Association and the Sports Information Directors Association, and the predicted order of finish as selected by the head football coaches. The preseason team and predicted order were both announced during the CIAA’s annual football media…

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Arkansas-Pine Bluff still flying under-the-radar after SWAC championship run

Arkansas-Pine Bluff still flying under-the-radar after SWAC championship run

Arkansas Pine-Bluff was one play away from winning what would have been an unlikely SWAC championship for the program this past spring. But their 2021 resurgence during a shortened season in which the Golden Lions knocked off both Southern and Grambling en route to a West Division championship and a trip to the conference title game hasn’t translated into leaguewide respect heading into the…

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MEAC/SWAC Challenge, traditional rivalry games highlight SWAC ESPN broadcast slate

MEAC/SWAC Challenge, traditional rivalry games highlight SWAC ESPN broadcast slate

The Southwestern Athletic Conference has announced its 2021 football schedule highlighted by a record number of games slated to be available on ESPN’s linear and digital platforms. Alcorn State will kickoff league coverage during Week Zero on Saturday, August 28 when the Braves travel to Atlanta to face North Carolina Central in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff live on ESPN. The 2021 slate of ESPN…

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SWAC Media Day: Alcorn State motivated to get its SWAC championship back

SWAC Media Day: Alcorn State motivated to get its SWAC championship back

Even though Alcorn State was the only team in the SWAC that did not play a spring season, the program maintained its reputation within the hierarchy in the conference. The Braves’ football program decided to opt-out in February due to concerns with COVID-19 that significantly impacted its preparation and was unable to defend its league championship. Alcorn State will enter the fall as preseason…

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SWAC Media Day: Jackson State enters fall season 'expected to win it all'

SWAC Media Day: Jackson State enters fall season ‘expected to win it all’

Few teams have higher expectations to win immediately than Jackson State. Though the Tigers were not picked to come out on top in the SWAC Eastern Division in the league’s preseason poll, JSU — at least to head coach Deion Sanders — has raised the bar for success in anticipation of a roster that on paper is projected to rival the best in the FCS. “What are our expectations? asked Sanders during…

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Deion Sanders cuts short SWAC Media Day virtual session with reporter after taking issue with being called 'Deion'

Deion Sanders cuts short SWAC Media Day virtual session with reporter after taking issue with being called ‘Deion’

“Coach Prime” isn’t on a first-name basis with journalists. Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders left an appearance during SWAC Media Day after a reporter referred to him as “Deion” Tuesday afternoon. “If you call Nick (Saban), Nick, you’ll get cussed out on the spot, so don’t do that to me,” Sanders said on a Zoom call with remote members of the press. “Treat me like Nick.” Reporter Nick Suss…

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'You must get vaccinated': SWAC commissioner fires strong warning to athletes at media day

‘You must get vaccinated’: SWAC commissioner fires strong warning to athletes at media day

SWAC commissioner Charles McClelland delivered a strong message Tuesday to schools and football players about what it will take to complete the upcoming fall season. Protecting themselves against COVID-19 by getting fully vaccinated or else. “You must get vaccinated,” McClelland said during SWAC football media day. “If you are a vaccinated student-athlete or coach, all of the protocols have been…