BlflCK COI1CGC
Sports Review
September 1996
PUBLISHER ? Ernest H. Pitt
Production Manager ? Kathy Lee
PRODUCTION STAFF WRITER
David Schlosser Langston Wertz, Jr
M ox e boo k
Season start bRiNqs suRpRisss
Football season, sometimes, can be awful funny.
The first three football weeks of the season provided
two huge surprises in black college football: S.C. State,
long a powerful winner, was winless and J.C. Smith,
long a football weakling, had suddenly gotten strong.
What we at BCSR decided to do
was to stop the clock and take a look
at two moments: one team in turmoil
and the other celebrating its greatest
success.
After an 0-2 start, South Carolina
State coach Willie Jeffries doesn't
have time to wait on starters who
aren't producing. His message to
them: step up or sit down.
The Bulldogs had a free week to Willie Jeffries
get that message S. C. State coach
before they faced
Johnson C. Smith on Sept. 28 in
Orangeburg. The next week, they
opened Mid-Eastern Athletic
Conference play against Morgan
State.
But after two games, things just
weren't right for the Bulldogs
"I'm going to shake up some
Darryl McNeill guys who aren't playing well,"
J. C. Smith coach Jeffries said. "We're not getting pro
duction out of three or four key guys
who are supposed to be our leaders. I'm going to let
them know if they don't play well in practice, they
won't play Saturday."
See P/\qE 5
Black College Sports Review Is published by Black Sports Inc.,
617 Norffi Liberty Street, WTnst on-Salem, N.C. 27101. Unsolicited
manuscripts and photographs will not be returned. Inquiries
should be addressed to Ernest H. Pitt, Publisher, Black College
Sports Review, P.O. Bo* 1636, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27102
Cover Photo: Hampton QB Ray Johnson by Frank DiBrango
BCSR Is a supplement to these newspapers: Chicago Crusader,
Charleston Chronicle. The New York Beacon, The Informer and
Texas Freeman, Philadelphia Tribune Miama Times Michigan
Chronicle. Baltimore Times. Altanta Inguircr and The Winston Salem
Chomcle
TiGERlAN(fiMfER iNVESTiQATiON
It was ing the school's manage- knit campus as "Eddie Rob"
only last ment. Last week, he ? had just concluded his.
fall that replaced the vice president 54th season as head coach.
Grambling - for finance and the athletic Students, faculty and
State director and announced a alumni alike say his pro
University search for a new academic gram is a point of pride,
basked in dean. Hicks said he thinks because it is world
national i some of the criticism stems renowned; despite its small
attention, from his challenges to an size, Grambling has pro
proud that Raymond A. entrenched old guard a duced scores of NFL play
legendary Hicks daunting business on a cam- ers and has a national repu
football pus where a third of the fac- tation as a football power
coach Eddie Robinson had ulty and staff are Grambling house.
led his Grambling Tigers to graduates and many have The Tigers' 1995 season
an unprecedented 400 victo- been at the school for had been special, because
ries. decades. Robinson, already the win
But the spotlight ningest football
has turned harsh on ' coach in history,
the rural piney . . , . , , celebrated his
woods campus I THINk THE SENSE AROUIMd CAMpuS is JHAI CHANQE is 400th victory.
known as Tigerland. COMINq ANd Tl-IAT ITS qoiNq TO bt widESpREAd." The milestone
Many at the predom- D . . u . was marked bv
inantly black school ~ R"?dA Hlch national publici
in northern r ty and a side
Louisiana say they . . lines phone call
wish the outside attention "I think the sense from President Clinton.
would go away. around campus is that Robinson has said the
The school's athletics change is coming and that NCAA will find nothing
are under NCAA investiga- it's going to be wide- wrong with his program. At
tion for everything from spread," said Hicks, who a news conference recently,
out-of-season football prac- graduated from Grambling he emotionally defended the
tices to players' academic in 1968. "Somebody who's school and his athletes,
eligibility and grade been working here for 30 telling reporters, "We have
changes. years may be threatened by a great school, contrary to
Questions about grade that." what you say. I've been
changes for all students in Others say the outside here. I lived with the
the 7,500-student body and scrutiny is overdue. For founder of this university ...
allegations that the school years, some legislators say, We stand toe-to-toe with
gave unauthorized degrees Grambling has had major any other university."
have prompted separate financial and management The NCAA expanded its
inquiries by a legislative woes. review early this summer to
committee, the governing "We think the problems look at the academic eligi
board that oversees are very serious," said state bility of women's basketball
Grambling and a panel Rep. Roy Brun of players.
recently appointed by the Shreveport, who, as head of A week before an
governor. the House Committee on NCAA investigator was to
One student sued the Education, is leading leg- visit in late June, someone
school this summer over the islative hearings on broke into the offices of the
issue of bogus degree pro- Grambling. "I think there's women's basketball coach
grams. been almost no oversight by ing staff and stole recruiting
School officials say the the (Louisiana University and eligibility records from
allegations are largely System) board of trustees." the previous two years,
groundless. , The latest inquir.es Hicks said the break-in.
The institution, they say, began in February, when the still unsolved, was an unfor
is beset by management NCAA told school officials tunate coincidence,
woes caused by years of that an investigator would But others said it's only
administrative upheaval, visit Grambling's campus to the latest such incident,
including three changes in examine football and bas- State Legislative Audito;
presidents since 1991. ketball programs. Dan Kyle said his office has
"I admit, there are some The news was particu- long had difficulty obtain
problems here at this insti- larly disturbing. Hicks and ing records during examina
tution. That's why we've others at the school said, tions of the school. Amid
got tcr change it," said because it focused on one especially contentious
Grambling president Robinson's football pro- audit in 19S7, he said, the
Raymond A. Hicks, gram. building that housed audi
appointed in 1994 after his "If we didn't have a leg- tors' work papers and
predecessor was fired in a endary coach, nobody school financial records
financial scandal. "The type would be interested in this," burned.
of scrutiny we're under, I Hicks said. * Kyle said that the audit
think, is really unwarrant- Robinson, 77 ? univer- was never completed, and
ed " sally revered and affection
He said he is overhaul- ately known on the tight- StT P\(^ 4