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The News Argus
Nov. 19, 2007
Sports
Celebration: A ring for Earl ‘The Pearl” Monroe
By Steven J. Gaither
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
More than 40 years after leading Winston-Salem State to
the 1967 College Division (Division 11) championship, Earl
"The Pearl" Monroe finally got his championship ring.
Monroe and his teammates received their rings on November
2 at WSSU's Celebration of Champions.
"1 couldn't be happier," Monroe said. "There are a lot of
things that I've done in my life, but the most important thing
that I've done in my life was come to Winston-Salem State
University . The preparation 1 got here at Winston-Salem
taught me how to handle those things out in the world."
He credited the closeness he and his teammates shared off
the court for their success on it.
"After all these years, we're still best friends. That's the
thing that made us be winners."
Monroe also took the time out to acknowledge Clara
Gaines, widow of former basketball coach Clarence "Big
House" Gaines.
"Mrs. Gaines, thank you for all the times you let Coach
out the house," Monroe said. "We knew practice was over
when he got the call."
After Monroe spoke, his framed No. 10 jersey was
unveiled and it was announced that it would be retired and
hung up in the rafters at the Gaines Center .
"Your legendary exploits catapulted the name of a small
teachers college to national prominence," WSSU Chancellor
Donald J. Reaves told Monroe. "Yours is an honored place in
our history and should always be held in the highest of
esteem."
Also honored were the members of WSSU's 1977 and '78
football teams, both of which went undefeated in regular sea
son en route to ClAA championships. Those teams were
headlined by future Dallas Cowboy running back Timmy
Newsome and current Rams head football coach Kermit
Blount; and coached by current North Carolina Central
Athletic Director Bill Hayes.
Blount jokingly recalled how Hayes used tears as a way of
motivating his teams.
"In the offseason of '77,1 saw Bill Hayes cry more than
I've seen a baby cry," he said.
Several times during the ceremony. Reeves said that the
celebration was long overdue. He also said he would recom
mend that a committee be formed to honor the school's leg
endary athletes and teams.
"With such a committee in place, the national achieve
ments in our athletic teams will never be overlooked again,"
he said.
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Photo by Lee Adams
Winston-Salem State legend and NBA Hall of Famer Earl “The Pearl” Monroe presents WSSU Chancellor Donald
J. Reaves with a $25,000 check towards the C.E. Gaines Endowed Scholarship Fund during Nov. 2’s “Celebration
of Champions Ceremony. Monroe’s 1967 team won the NCAA College Division National Championship.
Photo by Garrett Garms
WSSU’s mens and women’s teams will play the bulk of their schedule off campus.
Home away from home
Grant Fullton
ARGUS STAFF
The 2007-08 season will
have both men's and
women's basketball teams
playing away from C.E.
Gaines Center, but they'll be
playing at a familiar place:
the Lawrence Joel Veterans
Memorial Coliseum and
Annex, on University Drive
near Wake Forest University.
Winston-Salem State stu
dents will still get to see their
teams play for free, but they
will have to travel to the
Coliseum area. The Annex is
next to the Coliseum. It's
about a 10-minute drive from
campus.
The Rams will play Fresno
State and Howard at the
Coliseum, and the remaining
home game will be played in
the Annex. The Rams will
also play Wake Forest in the
Coliseum on November 23;
however, they will be consid
ered the visiting team.
"WSSU will be providing a
shuttle service, but if stu
dents do not ride the shuttle
they will be required to pay
to park at the Annex," said
Tonia Walker, associate direc
tor of athletics.
In the past the Rams have
played some games at the
Coliseum and Annex, but the
bulk of the games took place
at the Gaines Center, which
was completed in 1976.
However, WSSU's movement
to Division 1 and increased
enrollment have changed the
athletic department's
approach.
"The reason why they
moved the games to the
LJVM Annex is because on
campus for the games, peo
ple could not find places to
park, and it's too small for
the size of the enrollment the
school has," she said.
The C.E. Gaines Center has
a seating capacity of 3,500 —
too small to seat everyone
who wants to watch WSSU
play rivals such as Wake
Forest and NC A&T
"1 would rather the game
be put in a bigger facility so
that 1 can see WSSU play
A&T, because you know that
games like that are going to
be a packed house; and if 1
don't get in, 1 am really
going to be upset," said sen
ior Denise Beason.
As far as home games are
concerned. Walker said that
the games that are likely to
see the least attendance,
Alabama State on Dec. 17
and Ferrum College on Dec.
19, are scheduled while stu
dents are on winter break.
"Some WSSU students feel
that moving all the games to
a neutral site takes away the
home atmosphere that the
C.E. Gaines offers.
"I feel that if we have all of
our games in the LJVM
Annex, then it's not going to
be the same as having the
game in your own gym,
because C.E. Gaines in my
opinion can be quite intimi
dating for the opposing
teams," said junior Cornelius
Hector.
"LJVM Annex is trying to
create a home atmosphere
for the WSSU Rams," Walker
said.
Dr. Percy "Chico"
Caldwell, WSSU athletic
director, recently told the
Winston-Salem Journal that
he has interest in putting an
arena near the campus; an
arena that would hold up to
9,000 people, because the
C.E. Gaines is way too small
for a growing school with an
enrollment of 6,000.
Caldwell said in the article
that an area near US 52 at the
Vargrave Street exit is a pos
sibility.
"This is one of our long
term goals that we have for
the university, for the
future," Walker said.
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