? L A e K
o L L E G E
Sports Review
MAY 1993
EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Ernest H. Pitt
PRODUCTION
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STAFF WRITERS
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PHOTOGRAPHERS
Wads Nash
Navils J. Oubrs ni
Perils Facing
Student Athletes
Did you read recently that a N.C. Central basket
ball player was arrested in Durham for possession oL
crack cocaine?
This was just weeks after the Eagles' improbable
run through the NCAA South Atlantic Regional,
Avhere Greg Jackson's team beat their nemesis, Vir
ginia Union, and advanttd to the_ NCAA Division U
Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass.
This incident brings shame to the program, and
shames an otherwise stellar season.
Jackson was the CIAA Coach of the Year and
the BCSR Coach of the Year. The team had no big
people and relied on guards to win games. It was a
neat little story. Stephen Birchette, Central's best big
man, died in the preseason due to an asthma attack,
and the team had banded together to dedicate the sea
son to him.
They won 17 games in a row to start the season.
They made believers out of us all.
They made the C1AA finals. They made the Elite
Eight.
They were for real.
And now, we get this scandal.
The player arrested is a junior from Knoxville,
Tenn., and he was arrested with a 14- year-old juve
nile in front of an apartment building in downtown
Durham on April 20.
"This action in no way signifies any admission
? of guilt as io ihe allegations made against" the stu
dent-athlete, the school said in a prepared statement.
"Until the matter is resolved completely we will
reserve comment on the issues and leave all other
matters in the hands of the proper university authori
ties," and the student, "and his counsel."
The student-athlete and the youth were both
arrested on possession of crack cocaine with intent to
manufacture, sell or deliver. The student-athlete was
also charged with delivery of drug paraphernalia to a
minor.
The youth was charged with possession of drug
paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon.
These are all troubling charges, though CIAA
coaches contest that drugs aren't a problem in their
schools.
? "This," said one CIAA football coach, "is an iso
lated incident. You have some at various schools, in
our league and others. It's just unfortunate. What I
hope is that it doesn't ruin the impression of our
league on others. We've got a good league."
Let's hope so.
By LANGSTON WERTZ JR.
- ^
Black Cole ob Sports Review is published by Btacfc Sports Inc.. 617 N Liberty St..
Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs will not be
returned. Inquiries should be addressed to Ernest H Pitt. PubSsher. Black College
Sports Review, P O Bo* 1636. Winston-Salem. N C. 27102
PHOTO CREDITS: Cover story photo by Wads Nash Others are Joe Daniels and
Navflto J. Oubre III
BCSR is a supplement to these newspapers Atlanta Voice. The Bulletin. Baltimore
Afro-American. Baton Rouge Community Leader. Birmingham rimes. Carolina Peace
maker. Carolina Times. Charleston Chronicle. Dallas Examiner. Iredell County News.
Metro County Courier. Philadelphia Tribune. Pittsburgh Courier. Richmond Afro Amer
ican. Washington Afro- American and the Winston Salem Chronicle
Letters to the Editor
Black Colleges Should Form Their Own Association
To the Editor:
Why do black colleges continue to belong to the
NCAA? They get no big bucks or good publicity from
the NCAA. No black college women's team was in the
NC^4Xouinament (Div.. I) or in Div. II for that matter.
In the latest basketball NCAA poll, Southern was
not rated nor was Jackson State, but Georgia Tech and
U.Conn were. Why not?
What would it take for black colleges to form their
own National Black College Association for Athletes ?
preserving black schools traditions and emphasizing the
athlete and not the schools or coaches as the NCAA
does?
? ? Black schools like Barbara Scotia, Benedict, Allen,
Chaffin, Morris, Shaw, St. Augustine's, Voorhees-St.
Paul's, etc. should form their own football conference
and bring back the traditions and hopefully some funds
to the respective schools.
a._, Thanks BCSR
To the Editor:
We have appreciated your inclusion of our A-A
Team in your publication for the past two years. Hope
fully, the information attached hereto will provide some
insight to our club activities.
I am an avid reader of BCSR. It is an outstanding
effort on your part, t salute you and your staff. Keep up
the good work.
Jim Barker
Can You Cover Wrestling?
To the Editor:
I would to like to ask if there could be a little cover
? age of black college sports' best kept -secret ? college
wrestling.
As basketball dominates the sports headlines, fine
wrestling programs exist at Morgan State, Coppin State,
Delaware State and Howard in Division I. At Division II,
Cheyney State, Norfolk State and Virginia State have
quality programs.
In addition to providing exposure for these fine pro
grams, there many high school wrestlers could become
interested in one of these programs.
Frank Nucaro
White Plains, NY
Never Ending Racism Continues
To the Editor:
i
The never-ending racism continues.
It's obvious, judging by the three columns that have
appeared in the Vicksburg Post about Alcorn State ath
letics ? one in 491, another in 492. Duane Cross's Sun
day the 18th of *93 ? that objectivity is not the credo
j that some of the sports writers adhere to.
The editorial by Cross, slandering Steve McNair, all
SWAC SIDs, all black SIDs, Alcom State, shows that he
should be working for the National Enquirer. I'm just
amazed that those who are his superiors wduld let him
have something like this printed.
Every accusation against me was and is a lie. Yes,
I'm saying that B. Duane, and that B may stand for big
otry. is a liar. For him to sav that only a Caucasian has
the knowledge to promote a person for the Heisman
acknowledges his bigotry!
First of all, I never solicited voters from the writers
who cover SWAC football for support of McNair. To
say that is to say that sportswriters in Vicksburg,
Greenville, Prairie View or Natchez have Heisman votes.
This is lie number one.
Secondly, he said that I asked for promotional ideas
to be sent in. Although nothing is wrong with that, I
don't claim to be a know-it-all as B. Duane does, but the
fact is that Derrick Mahone at the Clarion Ledger asked
for ideas to be sent to them and later forwarded to me.
Again B. lieth ~ "
He says that it is fruitless for us to promote McNair.
As Clark Gable said in "Gone With the Wind," "Frankly,
I don't give a darn" as to what he believes. He doesn't
write for the Ledger, or the Washington Post , or the New
Y&rk Times, or Chicago Tribune. So, who gives a ?
about his belief!
If the B. had any decent motives, he would have
called me and asked what my plans were. If he's so
smart, he would have given me some positive advice. .
But he is here to condemn and crucify, not help.
Had he asked me, he would know that 1 have a plan.
My plan is already underway. But giving the positive is
not his goal ? it is to undermine me and vainly try to
stop the McNair train which has already gone full steam
ahead and won't be stopped by one narrow mind!
The B. says the Alcorn plays in the SWAC. Well,
any fool knows that! But any fool also knows that Walter
Payton of Jackson State is the NFL's leading career rush
er. Any fool knows that Doug Williams of Grambling
quarterbacked a Super Bowl winner at Washington. Any
fool knows that Jerry Rice of Ms. Valley is being herald
ed as the best receiver in the history of the NFL. Any
fool knows that all of those guys played SWAC football.
The B's comprehension is really lacking. What does
playing at Notre Damejoj Alabama have to do with
T*mg^ Hefsman winner? Bear Bryant's only Heisman
winner was at Texas A&M. I thought that the award
went to the best player not the best team. Alabama was
number one last season, but a player on the losing team,
Miami's quarterback, won the Heisman. Wake up and
smell the coffee B.
Sports Illustrated magazine tabbed McNair as their
offensive player of the year in '92, over the Heisman
winner and the two running backs who finished second
and third. I would say that 'Air TT right now is the
biggest fish in the pond in the fun for the Heisman.
Did B. watch the Bayou Classic on NBC television
last season? Over 70,000 people were there, and NBC
Used naTTon^spbnsdrs. For B"s information, BET has"
already chosen to televise the Alcorn-Alabama State
game this fall, and the company negotiating to do the ten
I mentioned is not BET. So this means that the SWAC
may get national coverage on those two as well as some
other networks.
1 am so glad that I keep copies of all releases from
my office since 1988 to show that B. Duane's accusa
tions about misspelled words, run-on sentences and
whatever are just 1-i-e-s. I repeat, all of his accusations
are l-i-e-s!J
What makes him think that I type the information
that goes out anyway? Has he ever seen me type any
thing? Has he, in fact, ever been to Alcorn State? Not to
all of that!
Please see page 7