Page 7
HOOF PRINTS
Tennis Players
Seek Following
And Recognition
THE VOICE
March 20, 1972
By ROOSEVELT MCPHERSON
Fayettevile State University’s
tennis season opens in April, but
how many black participants will
be on the nation’s court? It seems
that tennis is the forgotten sport
among blacks.
The Bronco team is currently
in practice for the upcoming sea
son, Several members are stri-
ving to expose and bring recog
nition to the sport so that fellow
Broncos will become interested.
Tennis Coach Page Saunders
said he is proud to have with
him again this year veteran play
ers Henry “Bar” Berry, Connie
Davis, Duane Lightfoot, and Jay
Scruggs, who performed well last
year.
Newcomers, Willard Bass,
Kenneth Conwell, Ronald Ennis,
and Henry Ray, are expected to
help promote the sport on cam
pus, “Bar" Berry was runner-
up last year, which placed him
number two in the CIAA tourney
singles,
"Whites for a long time in the
past have propagated the myth
that tennis is exclusively a gen-
tleman's game and there weren’t
any black gentlemen,” said Ber-
ry, who is from Clinton.
“Limitations were placed on
the sport in the past and that’s
why we didn’t have blacks play
ing tennis as we have in other
well known sports such as base-
ball, basketball, and football,”
said the 23-year-old sophomore.
Team members agreed with
Berry that the number of black
tennis players are low because
of lack of exposure to the sport.
“When I was a child, I saw a
few people playing tennis, said
Berry, “And they were white.”
Davis, another top veteran
player, is back this year and his
feelings toward the popularity
of tennis is similar to Berry’s.
“My hometown is known as a
tennis town,” said Davis, a na
tive of Wilmington, “Most of
the time I find myself playing
Witt white opponents.”
‘^Tennis has been at FSU for
45 years and its the most win
ning sport on campus, but it
is unrecognized,” continued the
19-year-old sophomore. “Prob-
ably because black people haven’t
been around the sport as they
have others.”
The team members complain
ed, although tennis has a very
good record at Fayetteville State.
“We don’t have the spectators
that make it exciting and worth
while.”
The VOICE found a faithful
tennis fan who has followed the
sport since junior high school.
Terecia Melvin, a twenty-year-
old junior and native of Rose-
boro, was asked what attracted
her to tennis, “It’s simply in
teresting and I like the way they
play and also the sportswear.”
“I don’t feel blacks care too
much for tennis because they
don’t have a background in ten
nis. You find most people say
ing they don’t like it because
they don’t understand it.”
She added, “I’ve never played
tennis before, but Connie Davis
promised he would teach me in
his spare time.”
Perhaps this season will be
better than previous seasons,
spectators or no spectators. The
FSU tennis players have that
Bronco spirit and have vowed
to go all the way to the CIAA
championship again this year.
TENNIS SCHEDULE 1972
DATE
TEAM
PT.ACE
April 6
Campbell College
Home
April 7
J.C. Smith University
Away
April 8
Shaw University
Away
April 11
St. Augustine
Away
April 12
Livingstone
Away
April 14
Livingstone
Home
April 15
Shaw University
Home
April 18
Pembroke
Home
April 19
St. Augustine
Home
April 22
Winston-Salem
Home
April 26
Winston-Salem
Away
May 1, 2, 3
C.I.A.A. Tournament
May 12, 13
N.A.I.A. Tournament
Connie Davis Valleys
Duane Lightfoot Returns
-s’ "*
AL COGDELL goes up for one of his patented drives against Elizabeth City. Cogdell scored
a gamehigh of 24 points in the 90-87 loss.
Despite 90-87 Loss In NAIA Finals:
BRONCOS ON THRESHOLD OF GREAT THINGS
With just over 15 minutes re
maining in their District 29
finals showdown against Eliza
beth City last Wednesday nigtit
at Atlantic Christian College in
Wilson, The Broncos were a
hopelessly outclassed and beat
en team. But for the next 15
they showed what championship
teams are made of, except it
brought them only their second
straight tournament runners-up
finish and high hope that next
year will be the year when they
can “win it all.” The tournament
tested Vikings held on, and won
for themselves a second straight
trip to the NAIA finals in Kansas
City when for a while it looked
as if the Broncos would be sing
ing, “I’m going to Kansas City,
Kansas City here I come.”
Cold as ice in the first half of
the 90-87 thriller when they trail
ed 45-33 at the half, Fayetteville
State found itself even further
behind, trailing by 19, 61-42
at the outset of the second half.
The Broncos, runners-up to Nor
folk State in the CIAA affair in
Greensboro last month, and first
round winners over Elizabeth
City in another cliffhanger, turn
ed on the afterburners and roared
up and down the court in such a
devastating fashion that they had
outscored their foe 18-5 in just
a little over three minutes and
were in the lead for the first
time with over seven minutes still
to play, 71-69,
The Broncos then went into
their keep-away offense, which
may have been their undoing.
Ro^rt Tyus, the quarterback
in the cometock was out with
his fifth personal, a ball control
violation as he tried to sneak
in for a layup less than two min
utes later and it was nip and tuck
the rest of the way. Two traveling
violations against Earl McNeill
down the stretch, the last coming
in the final 30 seconds drove the
final spike in the coffin when a
foul on the ensuing in-bounds
gave the Vikings a 88-85 lead.
After Terrence Murchison closed
the gap to one with two free throws
with 15 seconds remaining. Little
Leonard Carmichael hit both ends
of a one and one to cement the
victory.
Mike Sneed, the most valuable
player in the CIAA extravaganza,
closed out his career in fine
style, and was a demon on the
boards in the second half, Alton
Cogdell was the ringleader for
FSU, pacing the comeback and
scoring a game high 24 points.
The Broncos were also hurt by
the unexplained absence of “City
John” Safford who did not play
in the tournament.
The Broncos appear on the
threshold of great things to come
in the conference, if this is any
consolation to Pony followers. A
fine nucleus remains for the
coming season, with Cogdell a
likely player of the Vear candi
date and good prospects from
Rubin Ruffin, Robert Tyus, Sam
Smith, and Terrence Murchison
who has already proven himself
as one of the league’s premier
rebounders. This Year’s team,
even while winning, lacked just
a little of the cohesion found in
the truly top teams, but should
be there in another year. Coach
Tom Reeves, withhis white boots,
has established himself as one
of the league's most colorful
coaches. The Broncos will be
back, bucking harder than ever.
Of this there is little doubt.