2009 Football Media Guide

Transcription

1 2009 Football Media Guide Will Ford MEAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year LeRoy Vann FCS All-America Return Specialist Terrell Whitehead MEAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

2 Where STUDENT meets ATHLETE. Whether it s long days of practice or long nights at the library, champions need passion and dedication to excel. At State Farm, it s the same our passion for car insurance has won us more fans than anyone else. Last year alone, people who switched to State Farm saved an average of $369.* Become a fan today. Call any agent s office 24/7 or visit statefarm.com. Proud sponsor of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference *Annual per household savings based on 2007 survey of new policyholders who reported savings by switching to State Farm. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company; State Farm Indemnity Company Bloomington, IL

3 Table of Contents The MEAC MEAC Media Services 2-3 History of the MEAC 4-5 MEAC Member Institutions Season Highlights 7 Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas Biography 8 MEAC Staff Team Previews 2009 Composite Football Schedule 12 Bethune-Cookman University Quick Facts Football Schedule and Quick Facts 14 Alphabetical Football Roster Final Team Statistics Delaware State University Quick Facts Football Schedule and Quick Facts 20 Alphabetical Football Roster Final Team Statistics Florida A&M University Quick Facts Football Schedule and Quick Facts 26 Alphabetical Football Roster Final Team Statistics Hampton University Quick Facts Football Schedule and Quick Facts 32 Alphabetical Football Roster Final Team Statistics ABOUT THE COVER The 2009 MEAC Football Media Guide cover features the FCS All-America return specialist LeRoy Vann (Florida A&M), the MEAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Will Ford (SCSU), and the MEAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Whitehead (NSU). CREDITS Photos credits: MEAC Sports Information Departments and Mark Sutton (Mark s Digital Photography) Credits: Layout and Design by Typography Plus, Portsmouth, Virginia. Howard University Quick Facts Football Schedule and Quick Facts 38 Alphabetical Football Roster Final Team Statistics Morgan State University Quick Facts Football Schedule and Quick Facts 44 Alphabetical Football Roster Final Team Statistics Norfolk State University Quick Facts Football Schedule and Quick Facts 50 Alphabetical Football Roster Final Team Statistics North Carolina A&T University Quick Facts Football Schedule and Quick Facts 56 Alphabetical Football Roster Final Team Statistics South Carolina State University Quick Facts Football Schedule and Quick Facts 62 Alphabetical Football Roster Final Team Statistics Winston-Salem State University Quick Facts Football Schedule and Quick Facts 68 Alphabetical Football Roster Final Team Statistics Season in Review 2008 Final Standings and Award Winners Team Statistics Individual Statistics Team Game Highs Individual Game Highs NCAA Individual Rankings NCAA Team Rankings 84 MEAC History All-Time Award Winners 86 All-MEAC Selections: Offense and Defense MEAC in the NFL MEAC in the Pros 95 Year-by-Year Standings Playoff History 97 All-Time Records Final Polls MEACsports.com MEAC Football

4 The 2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Football Media Guide has been prepared to assist media members in their coverage of MEAC Football (FCS). If you are unable to find information what you need, feel free to contact Patricia Porter at (757) (office) or We appreciate your interest and coverage in MEAC Football, and look forward to working with you in the future. Patricia L. Porter Director of Media Relations, MEAC Office: (757) Cell: (757) Fax: (757) Sahar Abdur-Rashid Assistant Director of Media Relations, MEAC Office: (757) Cell: (757) Annual Football Media Luncheon The MEAC will hold its annual Football Media Luncheon on July 31 at the Newport News Marriott at City Center in Newport News, Virginia. For more information about this event, contact the MEAC Media Relations Office. Weekly Teleconference The MEAC will sponsor a weekly football teleconference each Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 11:35 a.m. beginning September 1. The final regular season call will be on November 17, with one for postseason teams on November 24 and each additional TELECONFERENCE SCHEDULE 10:00 AM MEAC Notes 10:03 AM Donald Hill-Eley Morgan State 10:13 AM Alonzo Lee North Carolina A&T 10:23 AM Carey Bailey Howard 10:33 AM Al Lavan Delaware State 10:43 AM Buddy Pough South Carolina State 10:53 AM Don Rose Hampton 11:03 AM Pete Adrian Norfolk State 11:13 AM Alvin Wyatt Bethune-Cookman 11:23 AM Joe Taylor Florida A&M 11:33 AM Kermit Blount Winston-Salem Tuesday as teams advance. Media members interested in participating should contact Patricia Porter at porterp@themeac.com or (757) MEAC Service Information on MEAC football will be ed to credited media periodically throughout the season. To be added to the football list, please send a request to MEAC Media Relations Director Patricia Porter at porterp@themeac.com. MEAC on the Web: MEACsports.com MEAC football information is assessable by logging on to on the World Wide Web. Information related to the football and the conference s additional 14 sports can be found on the site including up-to-date statistics, standings, weekly releases and notes, and game recaps. Football information will be updated following each game or no later than Sunday morning. MEAC Athletic Web Sites Weekly press releases, game notes and feature stories from all MEAC institutions are available on the web sites listed below: Bethune-Cookman Delaware State Florida A&M Hampton Howard Morgan State Norfolk State North Carolina A&T South Carolina State Winston-Salem State MEAC Football 2 MEACsports.com

5 MEAC Media Services MEAC Press Box Numbers Bethune-Cookman: (386) /8973 Delaware State: (302) Florida A&M: (850) /3632 Hampton: (757) Howard: (202) /7182 Morgan State: (443) Norfolk State: (757) North Carolina A&T: (336) South Carolina State: (803) Winston-Salem State: (336) MEAC Players of the Week The MEAC will name players of the week each Monday morning throughout the regular season in the following categories: offensive, defensive, rookie, offensive lineman, and special teams. Nominees are submitted to the conference office through the institutions sports information offices. Winners will be made available via and the conference website. Postseason Awards Following the conclusion of regular season play, the MEAC will conduct a vote for all-conference teams. The teams will be voted on by the conference s head coaches and sports information directors. Each body will vote on a first- and second-team all-conference team in addition to an Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Offensive Lineman of the Year. Head coaches will also vote on the conference s Head Coach of the Year award. MEAC Football Tie-Breaker System FOOTBALL Two-Team or Multiple-Team Tie If the tied teams played each other, head-to-head competition will be used to determine the representative. For multiple ties, head-to-head record vs. all teams tied. If a tie still exists then the following shall be used: A) Count six (6) points for a win against a Division I-A team; B) Count four (4) points for a non-conference Division I-AA win; C) Count one (1) point for a win against a Division II team, OR, subtract a point for a loss against a Division II team; D) Coin Toss The team with the highest point total shall be the Automatic Qualifier for the NCAA Playoffs or the specified Bowl game, whichever is applicable. MEAC Football on the Tube The MEAC will sponsor seven televised football games which will air on ESPNU. Three games will air live and on Thursday s while four of the games will be taped delayed following a Saturday schedule game. The tentative schedule is listed below. For an up-to-date schedule and broadcast times for the taped delayed games, log on to MEAC Thursday Night Televised Football Schedule The MEAC announced its 2009 Thursday night television football slate featuring three exciting matchups scheduled to broadcast live on ESPNU and ESPNU HD. The nationally televised matchups are a part of the MEAC s seven-year partnerships with ESPN. The Thursday night lineup begins with Florida A&M against Winston-Salem State on September 10 beginning at 7:30 p.m. The WSSU Rams will look to defend their own backyard this year as they welcome one of the conference s hottest and top returning squads. The Rams defeated the Rattlers in Tallahassee, Florida for the first-time in school history in 2007 but the Rattlers returned the favor last year with a 23-0 shutout victory. The Rattlers will host Howard University the following week, September 17 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Bragg Memorial Stadium. The FAMU-Howard matchup will be the first of two Thursday night television games for the Bison who will also face local-rival Morgan State on October 15 at Hughes Stadium at Earl C. Banks Field. The 2009 television schedule kicks off with the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney featuring South Carolina State University and nonconference opponent Grambling State University Sunday, September 6 in Orlando, Florida beginning at 2 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2 HD and ESPN360.com. This is the first time the game will be offered in high definition and on ESPN s broadband digital sports television network. All times Eastern Sunday September 6 South Carolina State v. Grambling ESPN2;ESPN 360.com 2:00 p.m. Live (MEAC/SWAC Challenge) Thursday September 10 Florida A&M at Winston-Salem State Thursday September 17 Howard at Florida A&M Thursday October 15 Howard at Morgan State MEACsports.com MEAC Football