But now it’s time to move onto something greater. Something that I didn’t set out to do, but now recognize the need to do. We’ll still be talking sports, but now the discussion will take place within an expanded scope of the culture of black colleges and universities.

And so I bring you the HBCU Digest. As currently comprised, it is a daily rundown of all news relative to HBCUs. News, business, politics, culture, arts and entertainment, and of course sports – you’ll find it all here. Why now? Why so broad an undertaking?

Because sports is good, but we should all recognize that the window for the next generation of college students to peer into the soul and mystique of HBCUs is closing. And we need to keep it pried open with a responsible look at what makes these institutions great. Greater accountability is needed across the board, and just as I held athletic departments to high regard, the same will be true for the academic and social sides with the HBCU Digest.

In the next few days, you’ll notice that this web address will take you here, the sports section of the digest. Don’t worry; many of the same stories you love here will be there. But you’ll also find a slate of new posts and articles relative to differing sides of all HBCUs.

I told ya’ll I wanted to do this for a living. I wasn’t kidding. Broadening the scope brings me one step closer to that dream.

As usual, feel free to email me with all of your love, hate, questions, comments and concerns. And story ideas, too. God bless you for all of your support for the HBCU Sports Blog, and I look forward to you bringing it over to the HBCU Digest.

So on the recommendation of loyal HBCU Sports Blog supporter JG Rattler, I tried to find out just how deep the talent pool goes in Hawaii and American Samoa for the crown jewel of mid-major athletics, historically black colleges and universities. Surely, if the Pacific Islands are good enough for the west coast Division I universities to find talent, surely it can be good enough for HBCUs to mine for players.

Now I won’t be naive and assume every black college coach can make it out to Hawaii to recruit; these days, its shocking if coaches have budgets to facilitate overnight trips across their own state. Still, it’s worth a shot, right?

And that led me to Doris Sullivan, Director of the Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance. The Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting student athletes in Hawaii and American Samoa to achieve their academic and athletic goals beyond high school. I asked her about her experiences with coaches from historically black colleges. Her response after the jump.

Unfortunately the coaches are not really pushing hard in Hawaii. Wish they would, the kids here just want to go to college.  The coaches dont have to come out here to recruit, though Im sure they would love to.

According to Sullivan, some HBCUs have an notable history of recruiting students from the Pacific Islands, in sports other than football. Mississippi Valley, Alcorn State and Savannah State each feature football players from the region. Schools like Jackson State and Johnson C. Smith have recruited athletes in tennis, golf and baseball.

Sullivan specifically pointed out JCSU head football coach Steven Aycock as the only black college coach actively recruiting in Hawaii. But interestingly enough, there are no players on the posted Golden Bull roster from the Pacific Islands.

Even more interesting, the PIAA recruiting page features plenty of Pacific Island football players committing to BCS and FCS schools, but no offers or posted expressed interest from one HBCU.

It seems to me that if northern HBCUs can create recruiting pipelines in Florida, and black colleges in Texas can build solid relationships in Maryland, than one or two HBCUs should have the swag to get kids from the Big Island or beyond. Collegiate sports are globally attractive, and globally competitive in the effort to find and cultivate talent. And when you consider that black colleges are already missing out on the best talent in their home states, it makes little sense that they would miss the opportunity to get the best talent from a reservoir of undiscovered athletes.

Technorati Tags: Pacific Island Athletic Alliance

And by the way, congratulations to the New Orleans Saints and the State of Louisiana on the big win. Time to let the world that nobody should say dey gon’ beat dem Saints.

Technorati Tags: Southern University Human Jukebox

Technorati Tags: Nick Van Exel, Texas Southern University, Vin Baker

Wells said Eddie Johnson, the Tigers’ offensive coordinator last season, has been reassigned to defensive backs coach/recruiting coordinator…

SSU sports information director Opio Mashariki said 15 underclassmen from last season’s team “will not return to the team” and 13 players on the team “are currently not eligible to participate in spring football practice.”

SSU did not reveal the names of the 28 players in question.

For a team that regressed from five wins in 2008 to two victories in 2009, and is awaiting word on admittance in the MEAC conference, the Tigers are making all of the moves a serious DI program would make in an effort to get better. There is a lot on the line this season for the Tigers, particularly, if they can be the viable Georgia presence that the MEAC is looking for in football.

They may not be the toast of Division I independent football, bu they will be better. And it should be enough for all black college football fans to clamor for their entrance into the conference.

Technorati Tags: Robby Wells, Savannah State University

1987 Hampton Institute 4×100m Relay Team

On April 24, 1987, the Hampton Institute 4×100m relay team won the 1987 Penn Relays College Championship of America. They were the only team in this event to represent a Division II institution. The relay team consisted of (in running order): Eldece Clarke, Maureen Wiltshire, Vivienne Spence and Trina Creekmore. These women recorded a time of 44.18, which at the time was the second-fastest time ever recorded at the Penn Relays. Later, Spence and Creekmore along with two other teammates went on to set a record at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships in the 4×400m relay, with a time of 3:34.00. In 2000, Clark won a gold medal in the Summer Olympics as she competed in the 400m relay as a member of the Bahamian Olympic Team.

William “Bill” Buford

Bill Buford attended Morgan State University, where he was a four-year letterman on the football team. In 1953, he was co-captain of the team and earned All-CIAA honors. In 1954 he garnered All-American status, as selected by the Pittsburgh Courier and also Our Sports Magazine. At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Buford went on to be drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1954 as an offensive tackle. In addition, Buford is a member of the Morgan State University Hall of Fame.

Harvey Heartley, Sr.

Harvey Heartley, a native of Clayton, NC, played four years of varsity basketball at North Carolina Central University (1951-55). During his tenure at NCCU, he was co-captain of the team in 1953 and 1954. In addition, he earned All-CIAA honors in 1955 and Third Team All-American honors for the 1954-55 season. After his impressive athletic career with the Eagles, he was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1955.

Harvey began his career as a college athletic administrator at Saint Augustine’s College in 1971. During his tenure as the Athletic Director at SAC, he grew the athletic department from three sports to thirteen sports. In his early years, he not only served as the athletic director, but he also coached several sports in addition to teaching classes. As the head men’s basketball coach, he racked up 371 wins, including a second place finish in the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament in 1984. He is a member of the Saint Augustine’s College and North Carolina Central University Halls of Fame.

Walter Hunter (Posthumous)

Walter Hunter was a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, where he was a four year football letterwinner. He started each year, playing both offensive and defensive tackle. He earned All-CIAA honors in 1950, 1951, and 1952. In 1950, he led his team to a CIAA Football Championship. The following season (1951), he led the Aggies to a #1 rank in the nation in Black College Football and earned All-American status by the Pittsburgh Courier. He repeated as an All-American in 1952. In 1953, he received a letter of interest from the Los Angeles Rams, but was eventually drafted by New York Giants.

“Jumpin’” Jackie Jackson

“Jumpin’” Jackie Jackson is one of the most recognizable names to come out of the storied basketball program at Virginia Union University. While at VUU, Jackson was named the CIAA’s Freshman of the Year. Upon graduation, he was the 41st pick of the 1962 NBA draft by the Philadelphia Warriors. Instead of pursuing a career in the NBA, Jackson chose to play for the world famous Harlem Globetrotters. He spent one season with the Globetrotters (1963) before being drafted into the Army. After his stint with the Army, he returned to action with the Harlem Globetrotters in 1966 where he went on to spend 15 seasons with the organization. Jackie Jackson is a member of the Virginia Union University and Rucker Tournament Halls of Fame.

Richard “Pop” Pitts

Pitts was a star basketball player at the Norfolk Division of Virginia State College, now known as Norfolk State University. In his junior season (1964-65), Pitts averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds per game. These numbers landed him spots on the CIAA All-Conference Team, the CIAA All-Tournament Team, and Honorable Mention honors on the All-NCAA team. He went on to improve those numbers in his senior season, averaging 25.8 points and 12 rebounds per contest. He was named to the CIAA All-Conference Team, the CIAA All-Tournament Team, and was second team All-NAIA. Pitts is a member of both the Newport News Track & Field and the Norfolk State University Halls of Fame, respectively.

Dr. Reginald Sherard

Dr. Sherard is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University, where he lettered in both football and wrestling. In 1978, he led his team to CIAA Championships in both sports. As a wrestler, he posted a career-long undefeated record within the CIAA during both the regular seasons and tournaments. His outstanding performances earned him All-NAIA honors in 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978. He received the CIAA Scholar Athlete of the Year award in 1976, 1977, and 1978. In addition, he was awarded the CIAA Chase Postgraduate scholarship in 1978. Sherard is a member of the Winston-Salem State University Hall of Fame.

The hopefuls included dance groups, a trio of singers, two of whom played ukuleles; and a singer doing a tribute to Michael Jackson. A violinist auditioned for the national anthem.

One of the largest groups was 48 members of the drum line, dance team and cheerleaders from Aycock Middle School in Greensboro….

Sonja Stills, the assistant commissioner of MEAC, said that the tournament officials wanted to get the community involved.

“We want the community to come out,” she said. “This is our way to connect to the community.”

Now, don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with connecting to the local community. But it seems to me the MEAC would’ve been better served trying to connect with its disinterested student bodies at its member schools. Perhaps facilitating an intramural, 3-3 basketball championship with teams from every institution? Maybe the same kind of entertainment contest, but with students from every school having the opportunity to send in YouTube videos for fans around the world to vote on the top five or ten acts?

And these ideas I came up with in the five minutes it took for me to write this post. For free. Surely the folks paid an annual salary by the conference can do a little bit better than this to create more positive ties to the MEAC and its basketball product.

Technorati Tags: MEAC Basketball Tournament

Hayes brought the groups together for the inaugural Dr. Reginald Sherard Academic Cookout, a three-hour indoor picnic at the Gaines Center. The purpose of the picnic — named after a former player for Hayes who is now a doctor in Goldsboro — is to foster a better relationship between the groups. Hayes hopes it will become an annual tradition.

It’s the kind of internal marketing that can spawn external buy-in down the road. If the campus and faculty can connect with the athletic department as a school commodity, which was already present at WSSU, there’s no telling the kind of messaging that talking billboards (students and alumni) can create for donors, sponsors and other support.

Outstanding move by Hayes and the WSSU athletic department. Although I must say, I don’t remember reading about this same kind of activity at FAMU, and I would be interested to see how, if it did go down, it helped to develop support in Tallahassee.

Technorati Tags: Bill Hayes, Winston-Salem State University

We will have him at the top of next week’s show, along with other great topics and guests. Be sure to tune in!

Talvin Skinner, the Hawk that played in the NBA longer than any other, will be inducted for his individual play in men’s basketball. Already inducted as part of the 1973-74 NIT Team, the first team from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to make the event, Skinner had many solo accomplishments in his playing days. He was a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Hall of Famer in 2002, was an all-conference selection in 72-73 & 73-74 as well as the MEAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Performer in 1974. He led his team in rebounding in his final two seasons, was the 1973 NAIA Tournament’s leading rebounder, and totaled nearly 400 points and rebounds the same year. Skinner’s final year saw him post 456 points and grab 353 boards. He still stands eighth all-time in NAIA rebounding. Skinner was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in 1974 in the third round. He was also an ABA draftee the same year by the New York Nets in the 5th round. He later became an assistant coach with the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and was on the bench when they won the title in 2005.

Rubin Collins, also a member of the same NIT Team, will be inducted for his personal accomplishments as well. Collins played basketball at UMES for three seasons, including winning a MEAC Championship in 1974 and the regular season title in 1973 and 74. His team earned an Associated Press ranking of 20th in the national AP poll during the 1974 season and finished leading the nation in points per game with 96.7. That team average was before the three-point line existed in college basketball. Collins was an All-MEAC backcourt selection in 73 and 74 and was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in 1974 in the second round. He was an All-American in 1974 and a member of the NAIA All-Tournament Team in 1973. He is a member of the 1,000 point club at UMES, posting 1,075 in just his final two seasons.

Reginald Butler played on the Hawk hardwood from the 67-68 season through 70-71. Butler earned his degree in Physical Education in 1971 and was a starting point guard for all four years of his collegiate career. As quarterback of the Hawk offense, Butler’s squads won more games over a four year span than any other four year block of Hawk basketball. In a time when assists were not tracked, it is believed that Butler would still stand atop the all-time assists list at UMES. He played on teams with five UMES Hall of Famers which won the NAIA District Championship in 1969 and 1970 was third in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) standings in 1969. A student of Hall of Fame Coach Joe Robinson, Butler went on to a 36 year career with the Department of Defense.

Representing women’s basketball is Sondra Cockfield. The Scranton, S.C. native was the 1992 MEAC Player of the Year was a first-team All-MEAC selection in 1991-92 and a second-team selection the previous year. She was also a member of the 1991 MEAC All-Tournament Team. That same year she finished 9th in the nation in steals per game with a 4.0 average over 29 games, good for 117 thefts. Cockfield’s teams had performed the best of any recent teams until the Fred Batchelor era. Her 1990-91 squad finished third in the conference with a record of 16-13 and 9-5 in league play. The following year they improved to second place, going 17-10 and 11-3 in conference. Both teams made the semi-finals of the MEAC Tournament, falling just short of the championship game.

The lone inductee from track and field is standout runner and coach, Robert “Bob” Brown. Brown was a member of the track and field team from 1962-1966 and later coached the team for two seasons, from 1978 through 1980. As a coach, Brown was the mentor to current UMES record holders Howard Lindsay in the 400M and Ian Daley in the 500M. As an athlete, Brown was a member of the 1962 and 1964 NAIA District Champion teams for men’s outdoor track and a member of the 1963 CIAA Championship squad. One is most important accomplishments however came in 1964 when Brown, along with Hall of Famers, Edwin Skinner, Earl Rogers and Harley Morris broke the world mile relay record. He was coached by the legendary Cappy Anderson, who is a Hall of Fame coach at UMES and whose name adorns the outdoor track and field stadium. Brown went on to coach Track & Field at George Mason University for nine years where his teams won three indoor and seven outdoor ICAAAA team championships. Two of those teams went on to capture third and fifth place respectively at the NCAA Championships. He coached numerous All-Americans, Olympians and World Games participants was well as many Washington Redskins players, including Dexter Manley who worked with Brown during off-seasons conditioning. His daughter, Kharya, an AAU All-American and junior national champion is following in his track legacy. She is a freshman on this year’s Indoor and Outdoor squads at his alma mater, UMES.

Technorati Tags: University of Maryland-Eastern Shore