
Michael Thomas: No boast, all fact
Michael Thomas’ twitter handle is “Can’t Guard Mike,” and he lives up to the boastful tag.

VUU 1983 Lady Panthers, A.J. English to be inducted into CIAA Hall of Fame
Virginia Union University will be well represented in the upcoming 2020 John B. McLendon CIAA Hall of Fame Class.

Aggies win Celebration Bowl
The 5th Annual Celebration Bowl turned out to be a thrilling celebration of offenses.

Former VCU standout Troy Daniels popping treys for Lakers
A former Virginia Commonwealth University standout has found a home—and a new nickname — with the NBA’s hottest team.

QB Malcolm X. Perry sets record in Army-Navy game
The 120th renewal of the Army- Navy football game will be most remembered for the brilliance of Malcolm X. Perry.

VUU rebuilding men's team in big way
Virginia Union University basketball Coach Jay Butler needed to re-stock his roster this season, and it seems he aced the assignment. The Panthers, now 7-4, have won five straight games and seven of the last eight with a smooth blend of returnees and talented newcomers.

Chavis graduates from NSU; next goal, NFL
Norfolk State University football opponents can finally exhale. After four years of tormenting the Spartans’ opponents, Nigel Chavis has traded in his helmet and shoulder pads for a cap and gown.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson set to break rushing record
As quarterbacks go, Lamar Jackson has a great arm — and perhaps even better feet.

Thomas Jefferson loses in state semifinal
Thomas Jefferson High School’s finest football season in decades came up short of a state championship.

Chesterfield's Charles Williams racking up the points at Howard
Charles Williams is already the top scorer in Howard University hoops history.

Okoye rebounding this season to help Lady Panthers with big wins
Ifunanya Okoye represents both the near and far on the Virginia Union University women’s basketball roster.

N.C. A&T Aggies going to 4th Celebration Bowl in 5 years
North Carolina A&T State University is located in Greensboro, N.C., but Atlanta is becoming its football team’s December getaway. For the fourth time in the five year history of the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl, the Aggies will be spending time in the Georgia city.

Wade legacy continues at ODU
A second-generation Wade is helping to fuel Old Dominion University basketball this season.

Santos-Silva is VCU's latest big man making his mark
VCU’s rich basketball history features a lengthy list of impressive big men. Marcus Santos-Silva is the latest shining example.

Former Henrico County player wins big ACC football award
A former Highland Springs High School Springer has earned one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s highest football honors.

Thomas Jefferson High's Shamar Graham warms up for state semifinal
It’s fitting Shamar Graham wears jersey No. 2 for Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School.

Highland Springs football dynasty ends; TJ plays Nov. 29 for region title
It’s over. After four straight state championships and 40 consecutive wins, the curtain finally fell on what has been the greatest show in local high school football history.

VSU's team virtually all new
This has been something of a “meet-and-greet” basketball season at Virginia State University. With the top five scorers gone from last year’s CIAA championship squad, name tags might be helpful in knowing the “rookies.”

VCU to play Purdue Friday
Virginia Commonwealth University’s basketball team is off to its best start in school history, but the road ahead is looking rocky.

VUU's Jordan Peebles jumps to a leadership role
Jordan Peebles is a high-wire act without the trapeze and safety net. The Virginia Union University junior does his best work high above the floor for Coach Jay Butler’s Panthers.

NBA players netting big bucks
There are buckets of money to be made playing professional basketball, if you’re very, very good at it.

Sports brawls: Dangerous, sometimes forgiven but not forgotten
Swinging a football helmet at someone’s head is a terrible thing. Swinging a baseball bat at an opponent’s noggin is far more hazardous. The sports world has been abuzz about the NFL “Footbrawl” on Nov. 14 in which the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett lost control of his senses.

VSU knocked out of bid for NCAA football playoffs
You win some. You lose some. And sometimes you just scratch your head. Virginia State University hoped it had made the field for the NCAA Division II Region 2 football playoffs. But Coach Reggie Barlow’s Trojans never saw Miles College coming.

Joe Taylor to be inducted into Black College Football Hall of Fame
Joe Taylor may need to add another shelf to his already bulging trophy case. Taylor, vice president for intercollegiate athletics and community wellness at Virginia Union University, has been named to the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

Ethiopian runners win Richmond Marathon
The Richmond Marathon is an annual gathering for thousands of local and state runners, plus a group of elite runners. Again, elite runners from an African nation were the winners last Saturday.

VSU’s Lual Rahama plays his way into the spotlight
Lual Rahama, answering to “Daniel,” isn’t a new face at Virginia State University. But the Sudan native is new to the spotlight.

VSU beats VUU; sets hopes on NCAA
Virginia State University has taken care of business on the football field. Now the Trojans must wait and hope. By edging Virginia Union University 27-24 in overtime last Saturday at Rogers Stadium in Ettrick, VSU is positioned for — but not assured — an NCAA Division II playoff bid.

On your mark...42nd Annual Richmond Marathon gets underway Saturday
For thousands of runners, the time has come to lace up the sneakers, stretch the quads and hamstrings and pray all the training will pay off. The Richmond Marathon, now in its 42nd year, has become a bold-letter event throughout Central Virginia and beyond.

Hard work pays off with Celtics contract for Javonte Green
Virginia’s contribution to this year’s NBA rookie crop includes three familiar names, plus a relative unknown.

HU's Jermaine Marrow scoping out a record-breaking final season
Jermaine Marrow has built a convincing case for greatness in his first three seasons playing basketball at Hampton University.

VUU Panthers to meet VSU Trojans Saturday in Ettrick
Often in sports, when one door closes another swings open. Ancient rivals Virginia Union and Virginia State universities won’t be going to the CIAA championship game, but they could ring the NCAA bell.

NFL Hall of Famer Willie Brown dies at 78
Willie Brown, a headline performer for two of professional football’s iconic dynasties, died Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, at age 78 in Tracy, Calif.
27 people and 2 teams inducted into RPS Athletic Hall of Fame
The Richmond Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame, founded in 2015, continues to grow.

CIAA hopes fading for VUU and VSU
Salem Stadium, site of the CIAA Championship game on Nov. 16 in Virginia’s Blue Ridge, is looking much farther away now for Virginia Union and Virginia State universities. The window of opportunity has just about closed for both CIAA members following last Saturday’s gridiron results.

Bo Jones new assistant coach at Richard Bland
Former Huguenot High School and Virginia Common- wealth University basketball star Bo Jones Jr. has been named assistant coach at Richard Bland College in Petersburg.

Jalen Hurts in the running for Heisman Trophy
Jalen Hurts could have sulked, lost spirit and faded away as a college football quarterback. Instead, he has emerged — almost out of thin air — as a Heisman Trophy front-runner.

VSU loses homecoming game 24-14
Virginia State University’s football Trojans are going from one extreme to another. Coach Reggie Barlow’s squad is licking its wounds from a disheartening 24-14 homecoming loss last Saturday to Bowie State University that has a 7-0 record.

Can the VUU Panthers claw their way to victory over the Bowie State Bulldogs?
If Bowie State University is the tower of power in the CIAA Northern Division, then Virginia Union University hopes to play the role of wrecking ball.

Washington Nationals energize fans from D.C. to Puerto Rico in seeking World Series crown
Oh, how quickly opinions can change. In June, manager Dave Martinez was on the verge of termination when his Washington Nationals were 12 games under .500. Today, he’s the toast of parties throughout the Washington Beltway and as far away as Puerto Rico.

Kenyan runners spark VUU cross-country team
Coming from some 7,500 miles away, Micah Kipruto and Enos Rotich feel right at home on America’s oval tracks and cross-country trails.

VSU to meet CIAA champ Bowie State in Saturday's homecoming
Virginia State University has won five straight games with a relatively soft schedule. On Saturday, Oct. 19, easy street ends.

VUU heads into homecoming with 62-0 win over Lincoln
Virginia Union University has the potential to turn this weekend’s homecoming into showtime.

Track and field starts with local ties stand out in World Championship
The Richmond area wasn’t without rooting interests at the 2019IAAFWorldAthleticsChampionships in Doha, Qatar. Two medalists — one gold, one silver — are linked to Central Virginia.

Winston-Salem State creates scholarship honoring Stephen Smith
Winston-Salem State University has named an athletic scholarship honoring ESPN sports- caster Stephen A. Smith, a 1991 alumnus of the university.

VSU 'Trojan Express' rolls over Shaw; now heading to Elizabeth City
All aboard the Trojan Express. It’s hard to say what’s rumbling louder nowadays — Virginia State University’s offense or the Amtrak trains passing within earshot of campus.

VUU trounces Livingstone 44-0; heads to rumble in Pa. this Saturday
Traditionally, schools try and book a “sure win” for homecoming to please the returning alumni. Not so this Saturday, Oct. 12, when the CIAA heavyweight Virginia Union University Panthers go up against Lincoln University of Pennsylvania for the Lions’ homecoming.

African-American quarterbacks making an impact in NFL
Rookie quarterback Kyler Murray signed a lucrative four- year contract with the NFL Arizona Cardinals worth more than $35 million. Early indicators suggest he may be worth every penny.

VSU rolls over J.C. Smith; ready for Shaw on Saturday
The spotlight will be on the quarterbacks this Saturday, Oct. 5, at Virginia State University. Both Cordelral Cook of the host VSU Trojans and Torrin Campbell of visiting Shaw University are building All-CIAA credentials.

VUU pulls out a win in last 21 seconds
The Virginia Union University Panthers have played like Houdini in their last two outings, escaping disaster on their home field. This Saturday, Oct. 5, the Panthers hope to take that magic to Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C., in a battle of CIAA championship contenders. In sports jargon, there’s winning by a nose, by a hair, even by a split second. In defeating Winston-Salem State University last Saturday, VUU won by an instep — that of soccer-style kicker Jefferson Souza. The final score: 16-15. The Brazilian born Souza booted three field goals during the game at Hovey Field, most dramatically a game-winning 25-yard field goal with a mere 21 seconds left. VUU fans are getting accustomed to being nervous. The week before, the heavily favored Panthers weren’t assured victory over Johnson C. Smith University until Sterling Hammond’s interception and touchdown return in the game’s closing minute. Jarrett Sumiel was the Panthers’ late-game defensive savior against Winston-Salem State. The defensive back from Westmoreland blocked a Rams punt with 1:52 to go and recovered on the Winston-Salem State 19-yard line. That set up Souza’s decisive kick that pushed VUU’s record to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the CIAA. Tabyus Taylor led the Panthers’ ground-and-pound running game with 76 bullish yards. The junior from Hopewell also caught two passes for 30 yards and returned a kickoff for 58 yards. Panthers quarterback Khalid Morris hit 11 of 14 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown to former Highland Springs High star Jaiden Reavis. Tyrone Glanton and Hammond spearheaded the Panthers’ defense against Winston-Salem State. Glanton, a graduate student from Miami, was in on eight tackles and has 31 stops for the year. Hammond, arguably the CIAA’s top NFL prospect in years, had seven tackles against the Rams and has 40 for the season. Like VUU, upcoming opponent Livingstone College also is enjoying life on the gridiron. The Blue Bears are 4-0, with wins over Chowan University, Elizabeth City State University, Allen University of Columbia, S.C., and most recently a 35-19 victory over Lincoln University. Livingstone travels best by the arm of quarterback Miles Hayes. The Miami native has hit 68 percent of his passes. He averages 204 yards through the air with eight touchdowns. Livingstone appears to be on the uptick under fifth-year Coach Daryl Williams. The Blue Bears were 0-10 in 2017 and 3-6 a year ago, including a 52-19 loss to VUU at Hovey Field. Livingstone’s only CIAA titles came back to back in 1997 and1998, while VUU has won 11 CIAA crowns, most recently in 2001. This is a pivotal game for both teams. With tough schedules looming, both need a victory to remain viable candidates for the CIAA cham- pionship game in Salem.