Here's Why Eddie Robinson and Other HBCU Football Coaches Are Just as Good or Better, Mr. Tom Jones

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

I've heard from several people this week who have asked me what I thought about what a sports columnist and talk show host in Tampa Bay said a few days ago about famed Grambling football coach Eddie Robinson.

According to reports,, Tom Jones, who is with the Tampa Bay Times and 620 WDAE basically said Robinson couldn't carry Alabama head football coach Nick Saban's whistle.

Jones' point really is that Robinson coached against, well, the likes of Southern (the only team he could name that Grambling played, along with not being able to figure out what conference they play in).  Robinson didn't have big games against big teams so he can't be compared to a Bear Bryant at Alabama or, ahem, Joe Paterno at Penn State.

Understandably, all my HBCU sports backer friends are upset.  Not only is this a clumsily reached conclusion, this guy is trying to judge something he knows very little about.

First, he's wrong.  Eddie Robinson is one of the top five college football coaches of all time.  I'd say top three, without any kind of order.  Whether Nick Saban is in there, I won't say that yet.  He's had a tremendous run at Alabama though, I admit -- and I'm a Tennessee graduate, so that's hard for me to say.

But the Sabans, Paternos and Bryants of the world had big money programs, unending amounts of money to use on coaches, assistants, weight programs, facilities, etc.  Robinson had NONE of that. He had nothing to work with.  His players were super raw, unlike high school players who train to become college athletes as freakin middle schoolers.  Robinson was teaching linebackers to tackle, kickers to kick, quarterbacks to throw and coaches to coach.

Most of the talented black players weren't going to play for Bear Bryant in Robinson's day.  The kind of schools where Bryant and other white guys coached wouldn't let them in the door.  So they went to not only Grambling, but they played at Mississippi Valley State, Jackson State, Tennessee State, Florida A&M, Tuskegee and a slew of other historically black colleges and universities.

Big John Merritt

Wonder who Robinson's teams were playing?  Try Tennessee State, where the legendary Big John Merritt won more than 200 games coaching players and teams that mauled competition regularly.  Or maybe Florida A&M where Jake Gaither's teams did much the same. In conference (the Southwestern Athletic Conference or SWAC, for your info, Mr. Jones) was W.C. Gordon's Jackson State teams. By the way, all three of those coaches are in the College Football Hall of Fame.  And if you look at those teams, you'll find some NFL superstars and Hall of Famers from those schools.

Jake Gaither

Okay, so Mr. Jones may not know those teams.  I will allow him to be ill-informed and only know a very white-washed version of college football history -- for a minute.

Know why Robinson's teams never had what Jones calls a big game against a big team?  The Bear Bryants of the world REFUSED to play them.  Why?  Because they knew teams at Jackson State, Florida A&M, Tennessee State, Grambling or many other HBCUs would hand them their heads on a plate of gumbo on a cold Saturday afternoon.

And dont think for one minute it was some wild, throw some negroes on the field and throw them a football and let them run around.  Nope.  Offenses run by Robinson and Merritt were intricate and unstoppable.  Their defenses, big, fast, smart and disciplined.   The white college football establishment knew good and well that the black athlete would wreck their system.  So to make sure that system wasn't wrecked, they did what any caring group of people would do -- they made them part of the system, which basically wrecked historically black college football as the bright lights, television and money lured the black athlete away from schools still struggling to keep their playing fields playable.

HBCU football isn't what it use to be.  That raiding of black players is part of the reason.  But another big part of it today is that historically black colleges and universities continually under-utilize, underfund and underestimate historically black college athletics.  HBCU administrators are pinching pennies these days, many struggling to keep their entire schools open.   But many are run by people who just completely miss the boat on what a solid athletic program can do to ENHANCE the historically black college.  It's a shame.

Anyway, Mr. Jones eventually saw that he was a bit off-base when a caller, a veteran football coach who is African American and well-schooled in the HBCU football tradition, told him a few things. And his co-host, who thought Jones was bananas in saying Eddie Robinson couldn't be called one of the best college football coaches ever, kind of shamed him too.

"I'm just going to give up," he said at the end of the conversation.

Good idea.  Your white male privilege in judging black college sports you admit to knowing very little about -- and then proudly coming to a flawed conclusion about one of the greatest coaches ever -- just oozed out, dude.

SWAC's Alcorn State and MEAC's North Carolina A&T Battle in the First Celebration Bowl

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

The first-ever Celebration Bowl in Atlanta today is the final HBCU football game of the season, but probably one of the most important.

The two best teams of the two FCS HBCU football conferences, Alcorn State from the Southwestern Athletic Conference and North Carolina A&T from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, are battling to see who should be on top of the HBCU football world.

The game will be telecast live on ABC at noon eastern time from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Alcorn State, at 9-3 and fresh off of winning their second straight SWAC title, is looking to show that a mid-season hiccup where they lost two of three games is less indicative of a team that has the SWAC's top rated offense and defense and avenged one of those losses two weeks ago easily against a strong Grambling squad in the SWAC Championship game.

The Braves have won four straight since those regular season losses to Grambling (which they avenged) and Prairie View have outscored those four opponents 172-54 (21 of those 54 points came against Grambling in a title game that was decided early on).

"This is a team that has had some adversity," said ASU head coach Jay Hopson to the Sun Herald.com.  We had injuries, lost five or six starters, and battled back. I think we're a team - in basketball terms - we're getting stronger toward tournament time. I'm seeing a football team that really has gotten stronger as the season wore on."

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/sports/article50533420.html#storylink=cpy

Quarterback John Gibbs Jr., who has passed for nearly 1,000 yards and rushed for nearly 400 more, has been injured.  Lenorris Footman has ably stepped in, passing for 962 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 961 and 11 touchdowns. Footman threw for 202 yards and three TDs and rushed for 101 yards and another touchdown in the SWAC championship game.

"The reality is we've got two outstanding football players at that position," Hopson told The Vicksburg Press.  "It just so happens one is 100 percent completely healthy and the other is in that 90 percent range.

Behind whoever starts at quarterback, something Alcorn State head coach Jay Hopson has been coy about, stands Ragsdale Darry who has rushed for 1,141 yards and eight touchdowns.

On defense, the Braves are led by Darien Anderson's 69 tackles and five sacks, Damon Watkins who had 65 stops and five sacks and two others who had six sacks each in Michael Brooks and Stacey Garner.

That all means a tough challenge for a North Carolina A&T team that hasn't played in nearly a month since a loss to rival North Carolina Central in a game that resulted in a three-way tie for the MEAC crown between A&T, Central and Bethune Cookman.  Had A&T won, they would have won the title outright.  But tiebreakers meant the Aggies earned the Celebration Bowl bid.

Now the Aggies are looking to show the world that not only do they belong in Atlanta today, they are the team to beat.

At 9-2, North Carolina A&T marched through the MEAC schedule, winning seven straight games (eight overall with a win over Elon), mainly on the calling-card strength of one of the nations's nastiest defenses.

The Aggies led the MEAC in defense, but most notably were easily the stingiest squad against the run, something that will be important against a great running offense in Alcorn State.  North Carolina A&T only allowed 84 yards rushing a game, 930 yards for the ENTIRE season.

"We must stop the run," A&T head coach Rod Broadway said to The Charlotte Observer. "We can't have a lot of turnovers and we've got to tackle well.  The month off gave the players time to heal so I'm anxious to see how we play."

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/football/article50595400.html#storylink=cpy

On offense, the leader is running back Tarik Cohen, the two-time defending MEAC Offensive Player of the Year. The junior who became the school's all-time leading rusher earlier this season, rushed for 1,248 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 113 yards a game.

Kickoff for the Celebration Bowl is at noon in Atlanta.

Grambling, Alcorn State Battle for SWAC Title and Berth in the Celebration Bowl

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

(photo by The Vicksburg Post)

Saturday's SWAC Championship football game is a game that both Grambling and Alcorn State have been looking forward to, but for very different reasons.

Both teams are looking to claim the SWAC title, which for Alcorn State, would be their second in a row.  The winner will also play in the inaugural Celebration Bowl, which pits the SWAC champion versus the MEAC champion on Dec. 19.

But the Braves have had problems with a Grambling football team that has been on a steady climb since the dreadful days of 2013 when the team lost most football games and even boycotted a game because of the horrible conditions of their football facilities.

They've been the most consistent team in the SWAC for the past two years, the only main bump in losing a close battle last year to Southern that would have put them in last year's title game.

This season, the Tigers are 9-2, have won nine games in a row, and most importantly, they've defeated Alcorn State two years in a row.

They have SWAC Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Johnathan Williams who has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards and 36 touchdowns this season for the SWAC's second best offense.  The 34 points they scored last week was the fewest they've scored this season, besides the 14 points they had against Pac-10 team California in their opening game loss.

But they are the second best offense in the SWAC.  The top offensive team is Alcorn State.

The Braves averaged nearly 45 points and 487 yards of offense a game this season and are led by Ragsdale Darry, a rusher who only 44 yards from the 1,000 yard mark this season and has run for seven touchdowns.  But they have questions at quarterback as Footman Lenorr has had to step in for injured star quarterback John Gibbs Jr., a dual passing and rushing threat.  Footman has been solid, but head coach Jay Hopson has been coy about who will start today.

"All that stuff will kind of be game time," Alcorn head coach Jay Hopson told the Monroe News Star.  "We will see how that all plays out."

Alcorn State also has the SWAC's stingiest defense, giving up only 270 yards and 21 points a game this year.

Overall defense isn't Grambling's strong suit, but they do have the SWAC's best defense against the rush.

That all came into play earlier this season when Grambling needed a blocked extra point on the last play of the game to hold off Alcorn State.

Besides winning the SWAC title for the second year in the row, Alcorn State wants to finally defeat their nemesis while Grambling is looking for that elusive SWAC championship.

"It has been a stellar year for your program," said Grambling's Brandon Fobbs, the SWAC Coach of the Year, to The Advocate.  "I felt very confident in our blueprint for success.  I'm very pleased with with what we've been able to accomplish, but we still have a few more steps to go.  We will definitely have our hands full with Alcorn."

Tuskegee Meets Old Playoff Foe West Georgia Saturday in NCAA Division II Football Playoffs Quarterfinals

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Tuskegee is only a few steps away from a possible NCAA Division II championship game berth.  But that road winds its way 45 minutes west of Atlanta in Carrollton, Ga. where the Golden Tigers take on West Georgia in the Division II playoffs quarterfinal round Saturday.

Tuskegee (10-2) knocked off North Alabama in the waning seconds last Saturday in the playoffs' second round 35-31.

Now they face a West Georgia (11-1) team that is the top ranked team in Super Region Two bracket. Tuskegee is ranked sixth.  At stake is a place in the Division II playoffs semifinals.

It's the second consecutive year that the two teams meet in the D-2 playoffs.  Last year, Tuskegee lost a close 20-17, first-round game in Carrollton.

West Georgia had to come from behind last weekend to defeat rival Valdosta State 27-20.  But they are a team that has a strong running game with three players (Devontae Jackson - 910 yards; Lamarcus Franks - 339, and Aares McCall - 455) combined for nearly 2,000 yards on the ground this season. Quarterback Dallas Dickey has thrown for 1,721 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 529 yards and four touchdowns.

The rushing stats are big because Tuskegee is 9-1 when they hold opposing offenses to under 150 yards rushing this season. They've held opponents to an average of 110 yards rushing per game this season.

On defense, the Wolves have only allowed 15.3 points a game and are led by Dylan Donahue who has 11 sacks and 15 tackles for loss this season while Marlon Chapman led the team with 66 tackles.

With last season's loss fresh on their minds, Tuskegee head coach Willie Slater's team is hungry and ready.

"I haven't forgotten about last year," senior receiver Travis Hawkins told The Montgomery Advertiser.  "Definitely motivated, definitely hungry.  They're the team everybody's trying to beat. They're on top.  I don't think many people are expecting us to win, and that's how I like it.  But I know I'm ready. I know my team's ready and I'm excited to play them."

"We're playing a team, I feel like one of the best teams in the whole country," Slater told the Advertiser.  "But as crazy as it sounds, we're kind of excited about it.  They have like 26 Division I players, guys that've played Division I football.  So that's what we're up against.  Which makes our kids excited because they get a chance to play against the best and see how good they really are.  I think we have some good players too.  It's going to be an interesting game."

Kickoff in Carrolton is at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Tuskegee Tops Final 2015 ADD'S HBCU SPORTS REPORT Division II Top Ten Football Poll; Crowned As AHSR HBCU D-2 National Champions

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

While some teams finished playing nearly a month ago, Tuskegee is still on the field.

The Golden Tigers are still in a historic run in the NCAA Division II football playoffs, with a quarterfinal matchup against West Georgia tomorrow.

It continues a season in which they finish as the best Division II HBCU football team in America, according to the final ADD'S HBCU SPORTS REPORT Division II Top Ten football poll for 2015.

The Golden Tigers only had two slip ups this year, a 29-17 loss to a strong UNC Pembroke team and a surprising 26-23 loss to Miles in their regular season finale, a game that determined who went to the SIAC championship game.  Miles eventually won the SIAC title.

Miles finished 7-5, but won the SIAC championship and defeated Tuskegee on the final day of the season to claim the No. 4 spot.  They started the season off losing three of their first four, but two of those losses were two of the best Division II teams in the country in North Alabama and West Georgia.  But the Golden Bears went on to win six in a row, the final game a win over sixth ranked Albany State in the SIAC championship.

Bowie State's stellar season was marred by the loss of star quarterback Matthew Goggan after he was ruled ineligible, but the Bulldogs kept winning.  They won seven in a row before losing to fifth ranked Winston-Salem State in the CIAA championship game.

Here is the entire 2015 ADD'S HBCU SPORTS REPORT Division II Top Ten:

1) Tuskegee (10-2)
2) Bowie State  (9-3)
3) Virginia Union (8-3)
4) Miles (7-5)
5) Winston-Salem State (6-5)
6) Albany State (6-4)
7) Virginia State (6-4)
8) Fort Valley State (5-4)
9) Chowan (6-4)
10) Morehouse (5-5)

Late Tuskegee TD Lifts Golden Tigers Over North Alabama 35-31; Tuskegee Advances to NCAA D-2 Football Playoff Quarterfinals

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Tuskegee nearly blew an 11-point, third quarter lead, but got a 2-yard Dennis Norfleet touchdown run with 19 seconds remaining to surprise North Alabama 35-31 in the NCAA Division II football playoffs Saturday.

Tuskegee's second round win, their first ever, moves them into the quarterfinals where they visit West Georgia Saturday in Carrolton, Ga.

In a game that close throughout, Tuskegee (10-2)  erased a 17-14 deficit in the third quarter with a Kevin Lacey touchdown pass and Branden Wilson touchdown run to go up 28-17.

North Alabama followed in the fourth quarter with a touchdown and two field goals, seemingly putting the game away with 3:54 left on their final field goal to go up 31-28.

Lacey shook off an interception from earlier in the final quarter to move the Golden Tigers downfield as time ticked away.  The biggest play in the drive was his 33-yard completion to Desmond Reese on third and 10 to get to the UNA two yard line. Norfleet scored the game-winner on the next play.

"That was probably the most confident pass I threw all day," Lacey said on SIAC.com.  "Coach (Slater) made the call and we just had to execute.  I felt a little bit of butterflies through the game, but knew I had to execute to give us a chance."

Norfleet rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns while Lacey threw for 176 yards and a TD and rushed for another score.

The win avenges a close 30-27 first round Division II playoff loss to North Alabama in 2013.

"I am just tickled to be back up here," Slater said.  "It' is just great to be back in this area.  I am stunned and it is unbelievable the way the game ended.  My hats to our players. They played hard adn played with their hearts.  I am just happy for them."

North Carolina Central Win Over A&T Means A&T, Central and Bethune-Cookman Share MEAC Title; A&T Goes to Celebration Bowl; Alcorn State Win Sets Up Rematch With Grambling in SWAC Championship; Recap of ALL of Saturday's HBCU Football Action

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

North Carolina A&T will be the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference representative in the inaugural Celebration Bowl football game on Dec. 19, but it's not because they won Saturday.

The Aggies were knocked off Saturday by rival North Carolina Central 21-16, leaving the MEAC championship as a three-way tie between A&T, Central and Bethune-Cookman who defeated Florida A&M Saturday.  Because of the tie-breaker system, the Aggies will head to the Celebration Bowl to face the winner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

North Carolina A&T, who claimed a share of the MEAC title last week, could have won the MEAC title outright with a win over Central.

But that didn't happen Saturday as the Aggies managed only one offensive touchdown, a fourth-quarter Kylil Carter touchdown pass to Dequan Swann.

The Aggies led early, picking up a first quarter field goal.  But North Carolina Central got touchdowns Malcolm Bell and a 67-yard punt return TD by LaVontis Smith to put them up to stay.

Tarik Cohen rushed for 112 yards to lead the Aggies offensively, while Lorenz Suttles and Denzel Jones each had seven tackles for the A&T defense.

Theo Livingston had a big game for the NCCU defense as he had 13 tackles and forced a fumble. Jordan Miles had nine tackles, while Richard Mitchell had two sacks.

The win gave North Carolina Central a share of the MEAC title for the second consecutive year as they end the season 8-3, 7-1 in the MEAC.

North Carolina A&T is now 9-2, 7-1 in the MEAC, with one game left to play.

"This is big for our program," A&T Head Coach Ron Broadway said according to the school's athletic web site. "This is why we do this - to have an opportunity to play in a bowl game.  Our guys have done a great job of trying to build this program back from 1-10 and losing 27 in a row.  When you think about where the program was when we came here and the fact that we're back-to-back champions of our league and the representative of our league in the first-ever Celebration Bowl five years later shows how much hard work has been put in by so many people around this university.  It also shows how much hard work our players and our coaches have put in.  This is a great honor for our outstanding university."

Alcorn State Wins SWAC East With Easy Win Over Alabama A&M 

Alcorn State rolled up 500 yards rushing with three players with more than 100 yards rushing and at least a touchdown as the Braves defeated Alabama A&M 44-10 and win the SWAC East title.

The win sets up a rematch with Grambling in the SWAC Championship game.  Grambling defeated Alcorn State 35-34 in October, the second consecutive year they've beaten Alcorn State.

Footman Lenorr rushed for 142 yards and a TD, Ragsdale Darry had 125 yards and a touchdown and Marquis Warford 118 yards and two touchdowns as Alabama A&M (2-7, 2-5 SWAC) struggled with the Alcorn State running game.  The Alcorn State running game worked so well that they only completed two passes the entire game.  Footman completed those two passes, one of them for another touchdown.

Defensively the Braves were just as dominant, with eight sacks and an interception.  Darien Moody had eight tackles and three sacks for ASU.

Here are recaps of the rest of Saturday's HBCU football action: 

MEAC

Bethune-Cookman 35, Florida A&M 14 - Quentin Williams threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead Bethune-Cookman (9-2, 7-1 MEAC) to the win over Florida A&M (1-10, 1-7 MEAC).  The win gives BCU a share of the MEAC title for the second consecutive year. Anthony Jordan rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats and Jawill Davis caught six passes for 115 yards and a TD.  FAMU was led by Devin Bowers who rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Delaware State 32, Howard 21 - Dae-Hun Cheung's 64-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown run lifted Delaware State (1-10, 1-7 MEAC) to their only win of the season.  The Hornets had been down 12 points midway in the third quarter before Kobie Lain's 32-yard TD toss to Aris Scott and Cheung's run gave them the come-from-behind win.  Howard (1-10, 1-7 MEAC) was led by Ricquaz Brannon's 126 yards and a touchdown rushing.

Norfolk State 17, Morgan State 10 -  Greg Hankerson's second touchdown of the day, a 57-yard run, gave Norfolk State (4-7, 4-4 MEAC) the win over Morgan State (4-6, 4-4 MEAC).  Hankerson passed for 128 yards and a touchdown and ran for 88 yards and his late score. Morgan State was led by Moses Skillon who threw for 185 yards and a TD and rushed for 51 yards.

South Carolina State 52, Savannah State 29 - Adrian Kollock Jr. threw 188 yards and two touchdowns and Jalen Simmons ended his career with 77 yards and a TD rushing to lead South Carolina State (7-4, 6-2  MEAC) to the win.  Savannah State (1-9, 1-7 MEAC) was led by Arshon Spaulding's 66 yards and one TD passing and 63 yards and a touchdown rushing. Leonardo Myers had 17 tackles for Savannah State.

SWAC

Prairie View A&M 56, Jackson State 14 - Johnta Hebert rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns, including a 76-yarder, to lead Prairie View (8-2, 8-1 SWAC) to the win.  The Panthers rushed for 355 yards and six touchdowns.  Raleigh Johnson had 13 tackles and Brandon Medina had 11 stops to lead PVAM defensively.  Jackson State (3-7, 3-5 SWAC) was led by Jarin Morikawa's 151 yards and two TDs passing and Javancy Jones' 11 tackles and one sack.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff 25, Mississippi Valley State 19 - Brian Handley's 8-yard TD run in overtime gave Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-9, 1-8 SWAC) their first FCS win of the season (their other win was over Division II Morehouse). Handley finished with 98 yards and a TD on the ground.  Mississippi Valley State (1-10, 1-8 SWAC) tied the game late with a 38-yard interception return for a TD by Le'Trey Jones.  Slade Jarman led MVSU with 182 yards and a TD passing and 52 yards rushing.

Alabama State 26, Miles 7 - A week after Division II Miles (7-5) won the SIAC championship, they fell to FCS Alabama State (6-5) in the Turkey Day Classic. Ellis Richardson rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown and replaced injured Daniel Duhart at quarterback, going 6-of-10 for 78 yards. Khalid Thomas added 78 yards and a touchdown on the ground for ASU.

OTHERS 

Tennessee Tech 30, Tennessee State 24 - Ladari Vanlier rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns to lead Tennessee Tech (4-7, 3-5 OVC) to the win over Tennessee State (4-6, 1-6 OVC). Erick Evans led TSU with 111 yards and two touchdowns while O'Shay Ackerman-Carter threw for 221 yards threw for 221 yards and a TD.