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The Proncos’ Voice, November 1992.
Something new in
*92
by Heawatha L. Sanders
After a 1-9 season last year, the Fay
etteville State University Broncos are look
ing to rebuild and restore their football
program with a new head coach, two new
assistantcoaches, and emphasis on a strong
defense.
When Coach Ray McDougal resigned
last year, Craig Raye took over as head
coach. He unexpectedly gave notice of his
departure from the program for no appar
ent reason. The football program seemed
to be heading for an even bigger slump
than ever imagined. The suspense was
broken in late May when Jerome Harper,
an ultra-successful defensive drill coach at
Alabama State, became Posse Leader (head
coach) for the 92-93 season.
Because of the last minute arrival of
Coach Harper, he was the first to admit that
for right now he has to go with the flow and
use what its available.
"Recruiting is out for this year", Coach
Harper said, "we'll have to go with the hand
that we've been dealt. WeH start form
ground zero and find out what we can do
and can't do."
Coach Harper, who coached the de
fensive teams at Alabama State that ranked
among the top 10 Division 1AA schools in
the country, feels that fielding a strong
defense will be a key factor in the Broncos'
football fortunes.
Based upon Coach Harper's creden
tials, one may wonder if the athletic depart
ment was thinking of killing two birds with
one stone. By bringing in a man who has
just as many years of experience as most
head coaches, fourteen years to be exact,
combined with his rigorous training plan,
FSU gained both success and experience in
one person.
Does Coach Harper know offense as
well? Using multiple offensive formations
during the season, Coach Harper states,
"We will put our horses on defense, dem
onstrate a respectable offense, and develop
a strong kicking game." Adding to his
offense game plan, Coach Harper has three
very effective assistants:
OffensiveCoordinatoi'Quartabacl^^eceivers
-Darryl Pearson
Offensive Linebackers
-Mark Hurt
Strength Coach
-Leroy Miles
Returning Coaches:
Linebackers
-Pat Simon
Offensive Linebackers
-Monroe Burke
Running Backs
-Roosevelt Holmes
Defensive Linebackers
-Frank Merchant
The new game plan with the offense
will not hurt the team because playing
defense is what FSU does best. The main
reason for the disappointing past seasons
was that the offense has been anemic and
far too generous in the turnover depart
ment
Overall, Coach Harper knows his Posse
will have some convincing to do to all the
opponents and fans. "We will fear none. If
we get our guys going in the right direction,
wins will come." The question that reigns
over the whole campus and community is
how many wins will Coach Harper expect?
"We expect these guys to win every time
they hit the field. Our fans must be patient,
but we do have a chance of
The Broncos currently stand with a 4-2-1
record and hope to improve their record
throughout the remainder of the season.
Please come out and support your Fay
etteville State Broncos. Here's a look at the
up-coming games:
Away Nov. 14 Newberry 7:00
Away Nov. 24 Alabama State 7:00
Bouncing to a
different beat
by Heawatha L. Sanders
Fayetteville State University's Lady
Broncos basketball team has a new head
coach, adding to the "out with the old and
in with the new" characteristic of this ath
letic season.
Mr. Eric Tucker will take over as head
coach with a plan of his own to help bring
the Lady Broncos up where they belong.
"My main goal this year is to at least hit
.500", (win at least half the games this
year). "It would be a dream come true to
win it all, but right now let's hit the .500
mark."
Coach Tucker feels that the healing
process must start with the attitudes of the
young, ambitious Lady Broncos Basket
ball team. "I want to change the attitude of