Williams takes place in athletic history at U.Va.
The University of Virginia has again made a statement for diversity with the hiring of Carla Williams as athletic director. The announcement was made Sunday by U.Va. President Teresa Sullivan, with Ms. Williams introduced during a news conference Monday at the school in Charlottesville.
Stars continue to align for VUU
Virginia Union University is headed to Bowie State with a four-game winning streak, the wind at its back and yet another overnight sensation in its evolving rotation.
Caleb Grimes stands out for Benedictine
Caleb Grimes is planning a career in the Navy. In the meantime, he’s giving his opponents on the football field a bad case of the blues.
Players make World Series a world event
Most of today’s baseball stars hail from the wealthier, majority-white suburbs, but that’s not the case from a global perspective.
VUU’s ground game remains dominant despite losses
Virginia Union University seems to have explosive running backs lined up like jets on the runway awaiting takeoff. Arron Baker is the latest to get the “go” sign from Panthers’ Coach Mark James. “Arron definitely came out of his shell. He had a great game,” Coach James said of Baker following the Panthers’ 45-23 win at Lincoln (Pa.).
VUU’s Jewiston Dawkins sprints into the spotlight
Another game, another star is born. Jewiston Dawkins is the latest member of the Virginia Union University football team to sprint into the spotlight. While quiet during VUU’s first four games, the native Floridian cranked it up in the Panthers’ 28-7 victory last Saturday in Raleigh, N.C., against St. Augustine’s University.
VSU looking for another victory Saturday against Elizabeth City State
Virginia State University’s high-stepping marching band is known as the Trojan Explosion. But fans don’t have to wait until halftime to enjoy the fireworks.
CIAA makes changes for 2018 basketball tourney
Some changes are in order for the 2018 CIAA Basketball Tournament slated for Feb. 27 through March 3 in Charlotte, N.C.
Former cadet helps Clemson rout VaTech
Quarterbacks are at their best when they have ample time to spot their receivers and deliver the football in comfort. Clelin Ferrell tries to make sure that doesn’t happen.
VSU takes winning streak on the road
Hot will meet cold this week in Salisbury, N.C., as Virginia State University, one of the NCAA Division II’s hottest football programs takes on struggling CIAA football rival Livingstone College on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Cleo Hill to be inducted into collegiate hall of fame
The basketball life of the late Cleo Hill stands out for its dramatic rise, and also for its mysterious fall. The Newark, N.J., native is remembered as being among the elite college players of his generation, albeit in the relative obscurity of Winston-Salem State University.
VUU Athletic Hall of Fame induction on Friday
Virginia Union University’s Athletic Hall of Fame will open its doors to six new inductees on Friday, Sept. 22. The induction banquet will be 7 p.m. at the Dr. Claude G. Perkins Living and Learning Center on the VUU campus, 1500 N. Lombardy St.
Howard Bison overrun by UR Spiders
Coach Mike London has found it is far easier coaching football for the University of Richmond than coaching against UR. In his return to the West End campus last Saturday, Coach London’s Howard University squad was trampled 68-21 before 8,217 mostly Spiders fans at UR’s Robins Stadium.
Indian mascot plagues Cleveland baseball team
The Cleveland Indians are perhaps the best team in baseball, but the Ohioans may be striking out when it comes to sensitivity training.
Sloane Stephens wins U.S. Open title
It’s unlikely for two African-American women to match strokes in the final of the U.S. Open tennis tournament. It’s far more unlikely for neither to be named Williams.
Cook, Johnson lead VSU to big win over Johnson C. Smith
Trying to find just one man to replace quarterback Tarian Ayres would be difficult. So Virginia State University has located two for the assignment. Cordelral Cook and Niko Johnson have taken turns directing the Trojans to a 2-0 start heading into its Saturday, Sept. 16, bye week.
African-American NFL quarterbacks working to turn ripple into wave
Cleveland Browns rookie DeShone Kizer burst onto the national spotlight while passing a football on Virginia soil. Now the former University of Notre Dame quarterback is the latest addition to the NFL’s select club of African-American starting quarterbacks.
Revenge may be factor in VSU-NSU Labor Day Classic
There is no shortage of spicy story lines for the Labor Day Classic on Saturday, Sept. 2, matching old foes Virginia State and Norfolk State universities at Dick Price Stadium in Norfolk. Let’s start with the revenge factor.
VUU heads to N.Y. for season opener Sept. 2 against LIU-Post
The New York City area was good to Virginia Union University football at least once before. Now the Panthers are hoping to strike gold again in the long shadows of Gotham to open their fourth season under Coach Mark James.
8th-grader Jayson Ward racing toward track goals
Jayson Ward has added another impressive track title to his growing collection. The 13-year-old Chesterfield County resident now has two national outdoor titles to go with his three national indoor championships.
Friday night football starts for city teams
Richmond’s high school football teams will have a different look this season — at least on the sidelines. Four of the five city public schools will have new head football coaches following a forgettable 2016 campaign that produced an overall 10-43 record.
Forecast cloudy for VUU football
Virginia Union University began last football season with two clearly established senior quarterbacks — Shawheem Dowdy and Kenneth Graham.
Pryor among string of QBs who play the field
Terrelle Pryor first earned national football stardom throwing passes. Now he specializes in catching them. Pryor is the latest example of an athletic quarterback changing to another position in the NFL.
Tommy Hawkins, first black All-American at Notre Dame, dies at 80
Tommy Hawkins, University of Notre Dame’s first African-American All-American athlete, died Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, at his home in Malibu, Calif.
Clarence ‘Big House’ Gaines honored in hometown
Paducah, Ky., has paid tribute to a famous native son, the late Clarence “Big House” Gaines. A monument of Mr. Gaines was unveiled Monday, Aug. 7, at 9th and Husband streets in Paducah. The tribute is near Coleman Park in the part of town where Mr. Gaines grew up.
Virginian Kenny Easley inducted into NFL Hall of Fame
Native Virginian Kenny Easley’s NFL career was short but sweet. Limited to just seven seasons (81-87) due to a kidney ailment, Easley was a five-time All-Pro, NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1984 and selected to the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade team.
Who will be next Usain Bolt?
Track and field is looking for a new sprinting superstar. Who will it be? There is a vacancy for the title of “world’s fastest human” following the conclusion of Usain Bolt’s unprecedented career at the World Championships of Athletics in London.
Bolt loses world race; still fan favorite
For the first time in nearly a decade, the world’s fastest man isn’t named Usain Bolt. Justin Gatlin has regained that title again after holding off the iconic Jamaican in the 100-meter final of the World Championships of Athletics last Saturday in London.
Nico Marley, grandson of reggae legend, looking for spot on NFL team
Nico Marley, taking a cue from his famous grandfather, Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley, would like to “stir it up” regarding Washington’s NFL roster.
First round draft choices can sizzle or fry
You just never know when it comes to first round draft choices. All are ballyhooed, given the red-carpet treatment and welcomed with high hopes.
Riverside defeats the Blue Sox in RBI Tournament
Some talented, teenage baseball players have completed the Richmond area portion of their season. Now they’re ready to hit the road.
Flying Squirrels team members tapped for EL All-Star Game
The Richmond Flying Squirrels were well represented in the Eastern League All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 12, in Manchester, N.H.
Frank Mason III drafted in second round by Sacramento Kings
Well, some things are better shown than said — like Frank Mason III’s extraordinary ability to pass and shoot a basketball and spark his team to victory.
N.C. A&T’s Chris Belcher to represent U.S. at World Championships
Chris Belcher won NCAA Division I All-American recognition with A&T scripted across his chest. That’s short for North Carolina A&T State University, where Belcher is a rising senior.
NBA draft looking for a few ‘freshmen’
Expect to hear the word “freshman” frequently during the NBA draft on Thursday, June 22.
George Wythe alum Jerome Jeter returns to coach football
Jerome Jeter played football for George Wythe High School when the Bulldogs were an area powerhouse. He was in the Class of 2000.
Albert Pujols hits 600
Major League Baseball’s exclusive “600 Club” is rich with people of color. Four of the nine players to hit at least 600 career home runs are African-American, and three others trace their ancestry to the Dominican Republic.
Baseball opens door to first African player
Gift Ngoepe has opened Major League Baseball’s door to Africans. On April 26, Ngoepe, who is from South Africa, became the first player from the African continent to play in the big leagues.
Frank Mason III hopes to become next small man in NBA
The NBA is something of a real-life Brobdingnag, that fictional land of giants in the novel “Gulliver’s Travels.” How else to describe a population with more men taller than 6-foot-9 than under 6 feet?
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge shattering height records, TVs in the major leagues
Aaron Judge is large and in charge. The New York Yankees rookie right fielder has head-turning size, with talent to match. He also stands above the crowd with his “Wow!” factor.
Hometown welcome
Basketball star Frank Mason III returns to Petersburg, fan honors
Frank Mason III left Petersburg High School in 2012 with stars in his eyes but with no guarantees of success. What has followed since for the young basketball player is anything but typical. The 23-year-old son of Sharon Harrison and Frank Mason Jr. returned home last weekend, having dramatically reached the stars — even dancing among them.
16-year-old Frank Royal III winning long jump titles
Frank Royal III never showed much interest in athletics until being introduced to the long jump pit as a St. Christopher’s School sixth-grader.
Flying Squirrels open with big win
The Richmond Flying Squirrels’ eighth season at The Diamond opened in a big way — a big crowd, big winds, a big home run and a big victory.
Larry Sanders released by Cleveland Cavaliers
Larry Sanders’ comeback has been put on hold. The former Virginia Commonwealth University center was released Wednesday by the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Former JFK football standout dies
Richmond has lost one of its former football heroes. Randy L. Crawley, a member of the 1972 Central Region championship team for the John F. Kennedy High School Kougars, died Saturday, March 18, 2017, at age 62.
6th NCAA crown for UNC
The University of North Carolina’s sixth NCAA basketball championship will be remembered for many things.
Eliezer Zambrano opens 8th season April 6 with Flying Squirrels
Eliezer Zambrano has become as much a part of Richmond’s baseball scene as peanuts, Cracker Jacks and fireworks lighting up the night above The Diamond.
Petersburg’s Frank Mason III rakes in the honors
Petersburg’s Frank Mason III is creating a national stir.
‘6 for Six’
‘6 for Six’ Hampton’s Lady Pirates win sixth MEAC title
Hampton University’s women’s basketball squad has succeeded in meeting its first goal — a quest dubbed “6 for Six.”
NC Central defeats NSU to win MEAC
Norfolk State University’s up-and-down basketball season ended with a couple of downers. Finishing with a 17-17 record, the Spartans lost 67-59 to North Carolina Central University in the MEAC Tournament final last Saturday at the Norfolk Scope.
