For Games thru December 26, 2017 Morehouse had the top homecoming crowd this season Attendance Matters as 26,789 packed B. T. Harvey Stadium in Atlanta for its Oct. The Bayou Classic pitting Grambling State against 21 game vs. Benedict. Florida A&M had the second largest SWAC Louisiana rival Southern in the New Orleans Super homecoming crowd for its Oct. 14 game vs. Dome on Nov. 25 was the largest attended game in 2017 black A&T as a crowd of 25,067 was on hand at Bragg Stadium. XTRA for the second straight year. The largest attended on-campus, non-homecoming game The Bayou's 2017 attendance of 66,550 topped the Magic this year was Alcorn State's draw of 23,738 fans at home for City Classic's Oct. 28 match up of Alabama A&M and Ala- its Sept. 23 contest vs. Southern. The Braves also had the sec- bama State at Birmingham's Legion Field that drew 61,221 ond-highest non-homecoming game as they drew 21,509 for a this season. Oct. 14 date against Prairie View A&M. A year ago, the Bayou's 67,845 topped the Magic City's crowd of 63,110. The Magic City had led the Bayou in the previous seven seasons. BASKETBALL SCORES For the second consecutive year, those two games were SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23 the only ones to top the 60,000 mark. MEAC The State Fair Classic at the Cottton Bowl on Oct. 7 in NC A&T 74, Lamar 70 SWAC Dallas between Grambling State and Prairie View A&M held Georgetown 89, Alabama A&M 49 AN HBCU WRAP on to third place with 55,231 in attendance. The State Fair drew UAB 74, Mississippi Valley State 57 ON 2017!: 53,182 in 2016. BYU 73, Texas Southern 52

• BCSP BAAD TEAM BIG WINNER! of black college football all-stars FIRST TEAM - OFFENSE QB - Amir Hall, Jr., Bowie State RB - Trenton Cannon, Sr. Virginia State; DeLance Turner, Sr., Alcorn State WR - Quinton Gray, Sr., West Virginia State; Elijah Bell, So, N. C. A&T TE - Dillon Beard, Sr., Southern OL - , Sr., NC A&T; Victor Tamba, R-Sr., Bowie State; Trent Scott, Sr., Grambling State; Timothy Gardner, Sr., Alcorn State; Dariel Mack, Sr., NC A&T PK - Mark Orozco, Jr., Grambling State; KR - Trenton Cannon, Sr., Virginia State FIRST TEAM - DEFENSE DL - Aaron Tiller, Sr., Southern; Stefen Banks, Jr., Savannah State; LaAllan Clark, Jr., Grambling State; ABOVE THE REST: Rodriguez Jones, Sr., Kentucky State LB - Darius Leonard, Sr., South Carolina State; Osband Thompson, Virginia State running Sr., Tuskegee; De’Arius Christmas, Sr., Grambling State DB - Diquan Richardson, Sr., Bethune-Cookman; back Trenton Cannon's Danny Johnson, Sr., Southern; Davanta Reynolds, Sr., NC Central; Franklin McCain, Fr., N. C. A&T P 1,638 rushing yards leads the 2017 "Baad - Fidel Romo-Martizez, So., Delaware State Team" of black college offensive all-stars. SECOND TEAM - OFFENSE QB - Lamar Raynard, Jr., N. C. A&T RB - Robert Chesson, Sr., Bowie State; Marquell Cartwright, Jr., N. C. A&T WR - Brandon Britton, Jr., Bowie State; Norlando Veals, Sr., Alcorn State TE - Rodney Morris, Sr., Clark Atlanta; OL - Derrick Tucker, Sr., Miles; William Waddell, So., Grambling State; Gerald Wright, Sr., Howard; Marcus Pettiford, Sr., NC A&T; Kenyon Brantley, R-Sr., Alcorn State PK - Corey McCullough, So., Alcorn State KR - Khris Gardin, Sr., N. C. A&T SEOND TEAM - DEFENSE DL - Derrick Tate, Jr., Bowie State; Vernon Moland, Jr., Alabama A&M; Darryl Johnson, So., NC A&T; Chasz Cosby, Sr., St. Augustine’s LB - Jeremy Taylor, Sr., North Carolina A&T; David Smith, Jr., Morehouse; James Hickman, Sr., St. Augustine’s DB - Sterling Hammond, Sr., Virginia Union; Jonah McCutcheon, Sr., Tuskegee; De’Aumante Johnson, Sr., Grambling State; Ju’Anthony Parker, So., Prairie View P - Corey McCullough, So., Alcorn State

THIRD TEAM - OFFENSE QB - Devante Kincade, Sr., Grambling State RB - Stevie Green, So., Fayetteville State; Justin Hardy, Jr., Miles; WR - Jequez Ezzerd, So., Howard; Lansana Sesay, Jr., Bowie State TE - Trey Scott, Gr., NC A&T OL - Frank Ball, R-So., Virginia State; Jamie Glenn, R-So., Albany State; Marcus Pettiford, So., NC A&T; Bryan Redmond, R-Sr., Virginia Union; Justin Brown, Jr., Benedict PK - Aaron Ball, Jr., West Virginia State KR - Brandon Smith, Fr., Fayetteville State TOP DEFENDERS: Se- nior linebackers Osband THIRD TEAM - DEFENSE Thompson of Tuskegee DL - Marquell Shelton, Fr., Miles; Jerell Bright, Jr., Winston-Salem State; Kewaun Cox, So., N. C. Central; (top) and Darius Leonard Chris Lee, Sr., Nofolk State; LB - Anthony Smith, Sr., Norfolk State; Chris Collins, Sr., Tennessee State; of S. C. State (bottom) led Reggie Hunter, Sr., N. C. Central DB - Carlo Thomas, Sr., J. C. Smith; Tiamadre Abram, Jr., NC A&T; all black college tacklers Cameron Young, So., Fort Valley State; De’Aumante Johnson, Sr., Gramlbing State P -­ Jamie Gillian, Jr, and share the 2017 De- Arkansas-Pine Bluff fensive Player of the Year award. THE FIVE TOP BLACK COLLEGE SPORTS STORIES OF 2017

Before we come to the end of 2017, let’s take a look back on the biggest stories over the past 12 months in Black College Sports.

Here’s my Top Five in no particular order:

1) North Carolina A&T’s dynamic 5-6, 170 running back Tarik Cohen finished his career with the Aggies with four 1,000-yard seasons, four first-team all-MEAC designations and as the second- leading rusher in black college football history (behind WSSU’s Richard Huntley) with 5,619 yards. He also won the initial BCHOF player of year award. He was an internet and ESPN darling and sensation for catching footballs while doing backflips, earning the nickname of the ‘Human Joystick-’ all this prior to beginning his NFL career. He was a 4th-round pick of the and as a rookie he has run for nearly 300 yards and two TDs, caught one TD pass, thrown one TD pass and has one punt return TD - the first rookie to accomplish this since Bears’ legend Gale Say- ers. Cohen was also recently voted a second alternate as a kick returner.

2) The Virginia Union women’s basketball Lady Panthers finished 28-5 under second-year Ann Marie Gilbert, made it all the way to the NCAA Div. II national champi- onship game where they lost to Ashland, 93-77. Led by senior center Lady Walker, senior guard Ashley Smith, junior forward Alexis Johnson, VUU, despite not winning the CIAA Tournament, won the Div. II Atlantic Regional to advance to the Elite Eight for the sec- ond straight season. VUU beat California (Pa.) 85-69 to win their second straight Atlantic Region title. They came from double-digits down to defeat Cal Baptist 86-81 in the national LADY PANTHERS: Johnson, Walker and Gilbert. semifinals after defeating Columbus State, 78-73 in the national quarterfinals.

3) In a stunning announcement in late November, Hampton University announced that it was leaving the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference to join the Big South Conference. Hampton, one of the original founders of the CIAA, joined the MEAC in the last 1990s and had established itself as one of the premier programs in the league winning titles in a variety of sports as well as All-Sports Championships. According to MEAC Commissioner Dr. Dennis Thomas, the move by Hampton President Dr. William Harvey was not a surprise as Harvey had been actively seeking admission to other conferences. Hampton will join Tennessee State as an HBCU playing in a non-HBCU conference when it joins the Big South. Savannah State also announced in September that it was leaving the MEAC and Div. I and would seek to go back to Div. II classification after this season. The departure of Hampton and Savannah State will eventually leave 11 programs in the MEAC, nine that play football.

4) The MEAC had not had a team finish 12-0 in football in its 46-year history and neither had NC A&T in its 93-year football-playing history until this year’s Aggies team under head coach . Behind QB Lamar Raynard, 1000-yard rusher Marquell Cartwright, outstanding Elijah Bell and an offense anchored by all-American lineman Brandon Parker, the Aggies also rode a stingy defense to an unblemished 12-0 season, 8-0 to win the outright MEAC title and a 21-14 win over SWAC champion Grambling State in III in Atlanta. Broadway

5) There were 13 football head coaching vacancies after the 2017 football season. Most of those vacancies were created by coaches let go from programs coming off below .500 or subpar seasons (Alabama State, Mississippi Valley State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alabama A&M, Prairie View A&M, Hampton, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Morgan State, Virginia Union, Lincoln (Pa.), Edward Waters. Not so in the case of fourth-year head coach Jerry Mack, who left after winning three MEAC titles in his four years leading the North Carolina Central Eagles. Mack departs to become the offensive coordinator at Div. I Rice University out of Conference USA. Mack THE OTHER TOP STORIES - The deaths of coaching icons Ben Jobe (basketball, Southern, Tuskegee, Alabama State, South Carolina State, Alabama A&M, Talladega) Cal Irvin (basketball, NC A&T), Hornsby Howell (football, NC A&T), Donald Beasley (basketball, Morgan State), Jeff Caple Jr. (basket- ball, Fayetteville State, NC A&T), and Ed “Buck” Joyner (basketball, St. Paul’s, Livingstone) as well as MEAC Hall of Fame administrator Dr. Hallie Gregory, former Alcorn State great John Irvin (l.) and Jobe (r.) Thierry and broadcaster Maurice “Big Mo” Stanfield.

- Black college legends Dave Robbins - coached Virginia Union men’s basketball to three Div. II national titles, Southern and NBA high-scoring standout Bob Love, Prairie View A&M all-American and NBA all-star center, the late Zelmo Beatty and Kentucky State standout center, three-time national champion and NBA first-round draft pick Elmore Smith elected to Small Col- lege Basketball Hall of Fame

Robbins Beaty Love Smith

- North Carolina A&T sprinter Christian Belcher finishes 3rd in 100 meters, 3rd in 4x400 meters with his Aggie relay team and fifth in the 200 meters in an unprecedented showing at the NCAA Div. I Championships. Belcher was one of 13 A&T tracksters that made the NCAA Belcher championships. He went on to turn pro, sign with Nike while finishing third in USA Champion- ships to make London World Championship Track and Field team. Hayes - Former Livingstone sprinter Quannera Hayes wins 400 meters at USA nationals in best time in world this year and make the world team. Did not make World Finals but won gold medal as member of 4x400 meter relay team.

- Albany State’s Cervantes Jackson won the triple jump and high jump in the NCAA Div. II Track and Field Championships and placed fourth in long jump to earn USTFCCA Field Athlete of the Year award.

- St. Augustine’s and head coach George Williams storms back on last day Jackson to win fifth straight men’s NCAA Div. II Outdoor Track and Field championship. It Williams is Williams and St. Aug’s 16th outdoor title overall and 39th national title overall.

- Four players taken in 2017 NFL Draft - Grambling WR Chad Williams (3rd round), NC A&T RB Tarik Cohen (4th round), Albany State DT Grover Stewart (4th round) and Alabama State OT Jylan Ware (7th round).

- The BCSP NFL reports in early September 2017 that 34 black college players are on opening day NFL rosters, up from 32 in 2016. It’s the first time the numbers are up since 2013.

- New basketball coaches coming at Coppin State (M), Florida A&M (M), Tennessee State (W), North Carolina Central (W), Alabama A&M (M & W), Claflin (W), Morgan State (W), Mississippi Valley State (W), Kern moves from MVSU to Tenn. State.

- MEAC champion Bethune-Cookman baseball team reaches final of Gainesville Re- gional losing to Florida, 6-1 in championship game. Head coach Jason Beverlin later leaves the Wildcats to become a scout for Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays. CIAA champion Winston-Salem State falls in Div. II Atlantic Region finals (won 4 straight before falling to West Chester, 12-7) - Longtime Southern head coach Roger Cador retires.

- North Carolina Central and head coach LeVell Moton men sweep MEAC regular season and tournament titles and finish as No. 1 men’s team in BCSP ranking, ahead of Texas Southern and head coach Mike Davis who swept both SWAC titles.

- Grambling QB Devante Kincade, NC A&T QB Lamar Raynard, Virginia State RB Moton Trenton Cannon and Bowie State QB Amir Hall all lead their team to top four finishes in final BCSP Top Ten in football and are finalists for Black College Football Hall of Fame Player of the Year award.

Cannon Hall Kincade Raynard

- Former Savannah State head coach and Johnson C. Smith assistant Steve Wilks pro- Wilks moted to for the NFL’s . Panthers defense key in run to 2017 playoffs.

- Doug Williams, the former Grambling and NFL QB great who also was head coach at Grambling and Morehouse and had been an executive for both Tampa Bay and Washington in the NFL, was promoted to Senior VP of Player Personnel for Washington. Williams

- Former Bethune-Cookman standout Eric Weems and former NC A&T DB Deji Olotoye on roster of in LI.

- The 29 former HBCU players in the Pro Football Hall of Famers honored at Super Bowl LI.

- Former NBA player and coach Darrell Walker leads Clark At- lanta to the SIAC basketball title in first year at the helm.

- Grambling State women’s basketball team gets first round of 2017 WNIT upset win, beating Ole Miss before falling to Tulane in the second round. David - Hampton women, under head coach David Six, begin 2017 season Six with upset win over North Carolina.

- TRAVELLING MEN - A 3-part BCSP series tracks the growing James trend of outstanding HBCU players being raided by big-time Div. I programs. Daniel Howard’s James J-Byrd Daniel transfers to Tennessee - after leading nation in scoring in 2015. NC A&T guard Sam Hunt transfers to NC State and JT Miller leaves Howard for Missouri State.

- Fomer Hampton and NBA player Rick Mahorn, who also coached in the WNBA, leads the Trilogy team to a perfect 10-0 record to win the inaugural Big Three League title - Ice Cube’s league.

Mahorn