Page 2 Fayetteville State University Homecoming ‘96 Special Edition
History of Athletics at FSU
Athletics began at Fayetteville
State Normal School shortly after
the school was moved to its present
campus. In the early days, baseball
and basketball were most popular
among the male students, while
basketball tended to be the main
sport for women. It is not clear exactly
when each activity began, but there
is photograph evidence that there
was a baseball club in 1912 and a
women’s basketball team in 1916.
Students were the moving force
behind athletics at that time. Athletic
associations were formed in much
the same manner as other clubs on
campus. There was always a faculty
advisor, as with other school functions,
but the students organized and
managed the operations.
Fayetteville State was a charter
member of the North Carolina Athletic
Conference (NCAC), which served as
the governing body for its first athletic
conference. Teams were fielded in
baseball and football for men, and
tennis for women. Basketball was
added a short time later. Fayetteville
State had a four-acre athletic field that
was surrounded by a nine-foot fence.
It had, what was called at the time, an
impressive grand stand.
The program grew throughout
the thirties. The football team of 1934
posted a 9-2 record, 1935 posted a 5-2-
2 record, and 1936 posted a 6-1-1
record.
The crowning glory for
Fayetteville State was the construction
of Lilly Gymnasium. This was deemed
one of the finest sports facilities of
its time. It was not only the home for
college tournaments, it was the home
site of the National Association of
High School Basketball Tournament
for three consecutive years, a record.
The tournament left only because the
tournament rules prohibited playing
at a single site more than three
consecutive years.
Track was returned to the
program in 1940 and continued until
World War II depleted the athletic
population in 1943. Fayetteville State
fielded a competitive tearn that made
its mark against the powerful CIAA
teams.
The new gym sparked a rise in
Bronco fortunes. Fayetteville State
joined the Eastern Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (ElAC) in 1940.
This conference was made up of
schools with small male populations.
The conference members included:
Livingstone College, Morris College,
Storer College, Elizabeth City State
College, Virginia State College-
Norfolk Campus (now Norfolk State),
and Friendship College.
In the first year, the Broncos
lost only one game in football and one
conference game in basketball.
They were runner-ups in the first
EIAC Tournament. The women
were league champions with a 10-0
record. The 1941 men’s team won
the EIAC Tournament Championship
while the women were maintained a
high ranking despite three losses.
The Lady Broncos took a 1,000 mile
tour through the south and returned
undefeated in eight games. They loss
to Xavier University for the national
championship held in Lilly Gym.
Througnout the forties and
fifties the Lady Broncos were a force
to be reckoned with. From 1949 to
1952, they posted impressive records
of: 1949,8-4; 1950,13-3; and 1952,9-1.
Women’s basketball continued its
prominence until it was discontinued
in 1960. Their last team featured Hall
of Fame player, Shirley Autry.
Fayetteville State maintained a
strong program through the forties.
They suffered during the War like most
other schools. In 1946 their fortunes
began to climb as “Big Gus” Gaines
took the helm. He immediately
established the Broncos as a team to
be reckoned with. There was a full
program including tennis and track
for men, and basketball and tennis
for women. Beginning in 1946, the
Broncos won the EIAC Tournament
Championship five years straight.
The 1950 football team took the EIAC
Conference Championship with a 7-1
record, for its only recorded football
championship. Their record was 7-1,
possibly the best record in history.
During these years the Broncos
placed a number of players on the
All-EIAC team. In 1948 Randolph
Worsley, Charles Mumford, Howard
McAlister and William Hanison made
-First Team All-EIAC in football.
Charles Black, Harold Cushingbury,
and Henry Lawrence were members
of the second team. The following
year, George Colbum and Ed Johnson
were named First Team All-EIAC,
while Charles Black and Herbert
Spruill were named to the second
team.
Thirteen Broncos were named to
the 1951 All-EIAC team, with seven
named to the first team. They were,
Sam “Snake” Williams, Fred Talliner,
Andrew Turner, John Cotton, Allison
Stanley, Doug Jackson and Jim Eaigle.
Sam Williams later signed a free agent
contract with the Baltimore Colts,
becoming the first known professional
football player from Fayetteville State.
Other football greats from this era were:
Wildman Brayboy, Denry Lawrence,
James “Red” Paige, Earl Garnett John
Jackson, Harold Ford and John
Jiggette.
The glory of Bronco basketball
dates back to the late forties. In a
five-year span, 1948 through 1952,
the Broncos won five consecutive
EIAC Championships. Willie Carter
and Smith Coston were members of
the 1948 All-EIAC Tournament Team
in basketball. Possibly the niost
remarkable team was the last champioas
in 1952. The team feature a line-up
of seven sophomores: Ten Benner,
Augustus Young, Frank Davis,
David Williams, James Boyd, William
Jones and Sam “Snake” Williams.
As a sign of things to come, the
Broncos featured a superior golfer
in William Carter. Carter, playing as
a independent, won the Charlotte
Tournament Championship in 1948 and
1949. He posted scores of 270 and 283.
This feat he accomplished without any
coaching or a real place to practice.
In 1954, the Broncos became a
member of the powerful CIAA. From
the beginning, things were tough in
football, and the Broncos became
everyone’s favorite homecoming guest
Basketball maintained a measure of
its glory.
With the departure of Gus Gaines
after the 1956 season, the Broncos
faced another sign of things to come;
revolving coaches. Alumnus William
Bryant took over for two years and
won only two games. Hubie Doub
followed him in 1959. Over the next
four years he moved the program out
of the cellar into contention for the
conference championship. He stepped
down after his fourth to devote more
time to teaching. Frank Robinson took
over in 1963, and the program flandered
again. In three years, he posted only
four victories. Doub returned to the
sidelines in 1966, but this time he
could not work his magic. Although
■■ ■ "
the Broncos played well, they lost
games in the last minutes by close
margins. This era featured Bronco
greats, Willis McLeod, Jesse Williams
and Fred Rodgers.
The seventies welcomed a new
coach, Ray MacDougal. After posting
a 3-5-1 opening. Coach “Mac” put
Fayetteville State on the football
map. He posted losing seasons in
only three of his first ten years, with
back to back 7-3 records in 1975-76.
Some of the greatest Bronco gridders
played during the seventies: James
Godwin, Larry Walker, Karl Smith,
Sylvester Writter, Mike Wright,
Ronald Crawford, Blenda Gay,
Ronald Cox, Clarence Pointer, Maurice
Franks, Bumis Travis, Ronald Goins
and Bertie Wadford.
He was unceremoniously removed
as coach at the 1979 season.
The 1980’s saw the beginning of
revolving coaches in the football
program. Tom Harris stayed only one
year, but long enough to start the
program on a downward spiral before
leaving for other pastures. He was
replaced by William Head. Coach
Head inherited a team in total chaos,
and never quite got things rolling. He
resigned after three years and moved
on to Kentucky State. He was replaced
by his defensive coordinator, Robert
Pulliam. He was able to guide the
Broncos to the only winning season
of the eighties in 1987, 6-2-2. Pulliam
never made the adjustment to
working with the meager resources
at Fayetteville State. The following
year, unable to do the type of recruiting
that he felt was necessary, he resigned
after a losing season.
Ray McDougal was named his
replacement in April of 1989. It was
felt that he could work the same magic
that he had as interim basketball coach.
He took over the job far too late to
recruit, and began the year with little
replacement talent While he remains
the coach with the most wins in
Bronco history, he is fast becoming
the coach with the most losses.
Basketball remained a source
of strength at Fayetteville State after
they joined the CIAA in 1954. The
team struggled under Frank Robinson
and began to rise under Paige Sanders.
Throughout this time, there were
great players like Major Boyd and
Fred Bibby. Gus Gaines returned to
guide the Broncos in 1968, and was
GOLF
Golf has traditionally been
considered to be the domain of the
White man. Fayetteville State has
changed that myth. Golf is one of the
newer men’s sports at Fayetteville State,
but it is the Bronco’s most successful
program. For various reasons, golf
and golfers have never received the
recognition within the Bronco
family that it deserves. The fact
that it is played totally away from
the campus should have had little to do
with this fact. Wake Forest has always
made hay of the fact that their program
dominated their conference. On the
other hand, Fayetteville State took their
program for granted and mdssed the
boat. As a result, their program was
far better respected by others than by
their own.
The Broncos started the Golf
Team in 1972 under the administration
of then athletic director. Dr. Bill Bell.
It was placed under the guidance of
Dr. Moses Walker, a great golfer in
his own right. There were recruited
golfers the first year, just some young
men willing to learn the game. At
the end of the first year, there were
no medalists; the foundation was laid
for the future. Terrence Murchison is
an example. An All-CIAA forward in
basketball, he had never played golf.
He was taller than most golfers and
learning the game was quite awkward
for him. Yet, with a lot of hard work,
he made the team, and went on to
become a great asset.
The Broncos were soon
competitive with programs like North
Carolina State, University of North
Carolina, Pembroke, Methodist and
Coastal Carolina College. They won
major tournaments when many felt that
they were invited only as a courtesy.
The team average of 289 ranked them
at the top of NCAA Division II, and
in the top ten among Division 1 schools.
The first recruit was Vincent Reid.
Reid had been well schooled on the
game and possess a wealth of talent.
championships in fourteen years. At
the same time, the Broncos have had
five medalist champions; Vincent
Reid, Andre Springs, Kenneth Simms,
Gaiy Robinson, and Jeffrey Donovan.
1975 CIAA Champion Golf Team
His best asset may not have been
what he knew when he arrived. His
willingness to continue to elevate his
game and to share with others not only
helped him, but the total program.
The example he set, even with his star
status is still evident today. He was
a medalist champion as a freshman.
The following year, Andre Springs
was recruited. He provided the
necessary competition that helped
to make the team competitive. He and
Reid, along with Dr. Walker, helped
the other players better their games.
Springs would become a medalist
champion as well.
The program continued to
improve. In 1975, the Broncos won
their first CIAA Golf Championship,
and the rest is history. The Broncos
have been a dominant force in the
CIAA in golf ever since, winning
twelve consecutive conference
championships. They won thirteen
To this list of champions must
be added several other young men,
and women, who added to the Bronco
golf tradition: Lonnie Melen, Johnny
Vaughn, Randy Combs, Dennis
Williams, Walli Harris, Carolyn
Johnson, Richardo Stevens, Tony
Terry, Ridell Miller, Melvin Jackson,
Terrence Murchison, Charles Peterson,
Roger Pilgrim, Edward Hines,
Philip Boone and William Dukes.
Carolyn Johnson is the only known
woman in the history of the CIAA to
participate on a men’s championship
team. She developed her game to
the point that she successfully beat
out a good player on the team.
A strange hand of fate touched
the Broncos. The consecutive
string of championships was broken
when the Livingstone College team
edged the Broncos out for the
championship in 1987. Livingstone
was coached by none other than
handed one of his worst seasons in
his career, 7-14.
Basketball reached its greatest
heights during the early seventies
under the guidance of a little man with
a great smile, Tom Reeves. Coach
Reeves knew how to win and was
able to show his players how to win.
Like coach McDougal, he joined the
staff in 1970 when Dr. William Bell
was athletic director. They both
brought their programs up together.
By 1972, Coach Reeves had built a
contender for the CIAA Tournament
Championship. The Broncos were
runner-ups that year, but Coach Reeves
promised the Bronco Family a
championship. In 1973, he delivered.
Before the dust had settled, tragedy
struck. Coach Reeves died in the
spring of 1973, and the Broncos have
not reached such heights since.
Otis Hawkins replaced Coach
Reeves at the helm of Bronco
basketball. He continued a measure
of success that had been established.
Just when things were about to
flourish, lightning struck. Hawkins
was removed for allegedly slapping
a player.
His replacement Dr. Joe Robinson,
also served as athletic director. He
had hardly broken the ice at Fayetteville
State when lightning struck him.
After beginning the 1976 season on
a high, it was discovered that one of
the players was ineligible because he
was a transfer student and had been
on the team at Winston Salem the
previous year. The Broncos were
forced to forfeit all of their victories,
more than a dozen. The team finished
the year with only seven players.
Among them were John Barrows
and Arnold Chambers. These young
men demonstrated the high level of
Bronco spirit. They, along with their
teammates, carried the fight to every
team they faced. Barrows was named
All-CIAA and Chambers deserved
similar honors.
Robinson got the Bronco Express
back on track with a team of fireshmen,
built around forward Ed Jefferson
and Jeff Ballard. His efforts and good
recruiting returned the Broncos to
their winning ways. He was succeeded
by his assistant and former player,
J^e Ford. Ford posted good seasons
in 1981 and 1982, but the program soon
began to flander into a revolving
door for players. Most stayed only
I II! IH a* »
Women's sports returned to Fayetteville State with passage of Title
IX, which required that similar sports activities must be provided for
females at institutions that received federal funding. The first sport
was basketball, and the Broncos hit the ground running. The 1974
team, coached by Ms. Lauretta Taylor, featured the awesome fire
power of Barbara Smith and Gail Cameron. The following year, the
unstoppable All-.\merican Katrina Owens, joined the squad. The I.ady
Broncos won over twenty games each year, and were the CIAA
Tournament runner-up. This set a pattern for things to come. Every
team is noted f>r strong defense and tenacious play. This helped to
establish the Lady Broncos as a national force in the early eighties.
With a solid program left by Coach Taylor, the Lady Broncos
were able to attract excellent players like Dianthia Morris, Conceitha
•CC" Smith, Sheryl Drayton. Joyce Naugh, Dimple White and Sheila
Seward. They al.so drew a solid group of support players with the will
to w in. This factor led to the Cl.\.\ Championship in 1978 and put the
l.ady Broncos in the NC.\.\ playoffs in 1982. The 1992 and 1983
softball team won the Cl.\.\ titles, led by Dianthia Morris (Ford).*
HALL OF FAME PLAYERS
15
James “Shack” Ellis
1946
Basketball
James LeBroi
1947
Basketball ;
Juanita Williams
1948
Basketball
Howard McAllister
1948
Football
James Burch
1949
Football
Ruth Hassell
1949
Basketball
William Harrison
1949
Baseball, Basketball, Football
Charles Mumford
1949
Baseball, Basketball, Football
William Carter
1950
Basketball, Football, Golf—
Harold Cushenbury
1950
Basketball, Football
Smith Coston;
1952
Basketball
Denny Lawrence
1956
Football
James Paige
1956
Football
Roger Scales
1958
Football
Coley Little
1959
Football
a year or two, then left for various
reasons. One reason was the lack of
viable scholarships to offer. Ford
resigned after the 1985 season. He
was hounded by media and unlearned
fans who expected him to make a silk
purse out of a sow’s ear.
Jeff Jones was his replacement A
fonmer assistant at Wichita State, Jones
was expected to be a good recruiter.
He stayed only two years, (more than
many of his players), before moving
on to Delaware State. While Jones
tmy have been good in time, he made
the mistake of underestimating the
strength of the CIAA and its coaches
such as Hartley, Vaughn, Robins,
Christian and “Big House” Gaines. He
left in the summer of 1987, leaving
the team depleted of talent.
Ray McDougal, then head of
the intramural program, was asked
to take over the basketball fortune of
the Broncos with no time to recruit.
With a team that consisted mainly
of good players from the intramural
program, he took on the impossible
task. This team’s lack of size and
talent was far overshadowed by the
tenacity with which they played.
They posted ten wins, and numerous
heart attacks and nervous breakdowns.
By season’s end they were one of the
most feared teams in the conference
because they forced such a high
level of play.
After one year. Bronco alumnus
Jeff Capel took charge of the athletic
department and basketball. Again,
slow decisions by the administration
placed the coach in the precarious
position of not being able to adequately
recruit. Capel took this bunch of
outcasts and molded the foundation
for things to come. With a team led
by a 6-4 guard, Otis Bellinger, playing
center, the Broncos were again the
terrors of the Double-AA. They won
only seven games, but discovered
the nucleus of the 1990-91 team.
Sky Armstrong, Phil Hart and James
“Slim” Allen.
With time and funds to properly
recruit, Capel fielded the first winning
team in nearly a decade. Winning
ten consecutive games at one point, the
Broncos fell victim to injuries at the end
of the year, and finished 14-13. Losing
two starters, they faced the new season
loaded with talent and were picked.to
challenge for the CIAA title.*
Vincent Reid.
The Fayetteville State golf legend
continues beyond the college level. It
has placed eight players on the mini
tour; Vincent Reid, Andre Springs,
Kenny Simms, Jeffrey Donovan, Rideil
Miller, Gary Robinson, Richardo
Stevens and Tony Terry. There are
currently four teaching-pros from the
Bronco program; Andre Springs,
Cleveland Municipal Golf Course;
Vincent Reid and Kenny Simms,
Rogers Park Country Club, Tampa,
Florida; Jeffrey Donovan, Sawgrass
Golf Course, home of the Tournament
Players Championship. No historically
Black college has equaled this success.
Dr. Walker stepped down as coach
at the end of the 1989 season. The
present golf team is coached by Mark
Cline, an assistant basketball coach.
In the transition the team experienced
a slight slump during the 19W season,
but came back to traditional levels in
1991.
The team is lead by Tim Duke,
the only rising senior. Tim is a unique
story in that he is the oldest college
golfer at age forty-six. He is a militaiy
veteran and a Cme leader, as well as, the
teams best player. Chad Walker won
Freshman of the Year honors. Scott
Ctawfotd was the Baywood Invitational
Champion. The team placed; first in
the Mt. Olive Invitational; third in the
Hampton and Fayetteville State
Invitational; second in the CIAA
Northern Meet; first in the CIAA
Southern Meet; second in the CIAA
Championship; and fifth in the
HBCU Nationals.
The Broncos made it back to the
top in 1993, starting another streak
of CIAA titles. It has won the CIAA
four straight years. In 1995, they
took their place at the national level,
winning the NCAA Division II
Minority National Championship.
They repeated in 1996.*
I>r. IVIoses S. WalRer
Dr. Walker is a native of Raleigh, Nc^
Carolina and a graduate of Shaw University.
He earned a masters and doctorate from Iowa
State University in business administratioa He
has taught at A&T State University, Bennett
College and Elizabeth City State University.
He has also owned and operated several small
businesses.
Dr. Walker is best known for his exploits
away from the class room. He is possibly one
of the best self-taught golfers in the world.
Moreover, he taught hitnself well enough to
teach others. He was selected to coach golf at
Fayetteville State University in 1972. He began
the program from scratch, since Fayetteville
State had no true golfers. TVvo years later, he
had the CIAA m^alist champion and after
three years he won the first of his thirteen
CIAA Golf Championships. He coached the
Broncos to twelve consecutive conference
championships. At the same time he won
CIAA Coach of the Year eight consecutive
years, a total of nine times. He has produced
five conference champions, four teaching pros
and eight mini-tour pros.
Dr. Walker’s life has not been restricted
to golf. He pursues his first love, music. He
is a polished drummer, and has played
professionally. Music was his major when
he enrolled at Shaw University. The death of
his father caused him to interrupt his
education to join the army. While in the army, he was a member of the
band for two years.
Golf came in a round-about way. As a youngster, Dr. Walker worked as
a caddie at a segragated golf course. Caddies wrae Slowed to play on Mondays,
and on other days they would play in an open field. With a lot of hard work
he became to a scratch handicap. Dr. Walker, like othCTBladks, was not allowed
to play on a high school team, and he never had a professional lesson.
For his coaching, Dr. Walker was named CIAA Coach of the Year nine
times. His playing, coaching and other contributions to the game of golf
have earned him a place in the National Black Golf Hall of Fame.*
Dr. Walker
Coacli Harold Scott
Coach Harold Scott is a native
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is a
graduate of West Virginia State College.
He earned masters degree at the
University of Pittsburgh and further
studied at the Universities of Pittsburgh,
Connecticut, Indiana and New Mexico.
Mr. Scott came to Fayetteville
State in 1946 as a physical eiducation
instructor and assistant coach in
football, basketball and baseball to
Coach “Gus” Gaines. He established
and coached the first modern-era
track team at Fayetteville State in
1954, both indoor and outdoor. His
teams were the first Fayetteville
State teams to go to the CIAA, Penn
Relays and Madison Square Garden.
He was promoted to athletic
director in 1957 and served in that
capacity for twelve years. He was
the Fayetteville State liaison to the
Red Cross and was responsible for the
certification of physical education
majors. He chaired the physical education department from 1961 to 197(^
and was president of the CIAA for one year. In 1973, he was appointed
as the first director of the National Youth Sports Program and served as
director for the first three years. u n f
Coach Scott is a 1990 inductee in to the Fayetteville State Hall ot
Fame.*
I
Harold L. Scott