A happy ending
GSU overcame series of setbacks to finish on high note
Thursday, December 2, 2004
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - One collision in the north endzone of the Grambling State practice field, on the Tuesday before the season opener, summed up this year.
Texas Tech transfer Ivory McCann came down on the leg of projected No. 1 receiver Moses Harris. His ankle would be broken, and McCann's paperwork didn't clear. Neither played a down of football for GSU.
A season of lost promise for the Southwestern Athletic Conference's top passing attack would follow, as GSU finished 6-5 and out of title contention for the first time since 1999.
No. 2 receiver Tim Abney also missed the year with a nagging groin injury. Senior All-American quarterback Bruce Eugene then tore his ACL in Week 1. Center Lance Wright, a senior team captain, also suffered a season-ending injury.
The Tigers' offense never recovered from those personnel losses: After averaging 465 yards per game last season, GSU averaged 374. The Tigers converted on third down 45 percent of the time last year, but fell to 32 percent in 2004.
Scoring dropped by 10 points per contest. After totaling 57 touchdowns in 2003, GSU finished with 36 - three fewer than its opponents - this season.
But, in the end, GSU overcame its inexperience, both among its players and coaches, to fashion a winning season.
"All you can do is play with the hand that's dealt," said Melvin Spears, named interim coach in February after the sudden departure of sixth-year coach Doug Williams to the NFL. "Nobody knows going in that my quarterback is going to get hurt in the very first game. Or that two or three of the receivers weren't going to play. You've just got to play. And we've come out every week and done that."
With a hole now in his well-known vertical scheme, Spears struggled to adapt. Not until Week 9 did GSU settle into a pounding run game that would win its final two contests - including the emotional in-state rivalry game against Southern.
Perhaps that was expected.
"Over the past five or six years, this team might have had a good running game, but what we've done best is making receiving plays," said offensive coordinator Sammy White. "That got us on the scoreboard. That got us to championships."
PASSING CONCERNS
GSU stumbled badly in its first two games with true freshman Brandon Landers under center. There were also problems on defense, which had worked under four coordinators in less than one calendar year.
Before he left, Williams hired Tom Lavigne to run the defense and Luther Palmer to work with the defensive line. Lavigne replaced Heishma Northern, who had filled in for Michael Roach when Roach abruptly quit early last season.
But Spears almost immediately fired Lavigne and moved Palmer, with whom he had a better working relationship, into the coordinator spot.
"When we came in this fall, it would have been nice to have spring to work," said Palmer. "But we'd only had seven or eight weeks to put in this new terminology. We were still teaching them how to do their jobs, and let every thing flow to them."
Former Grambling State great Calvin Spears then returned to coach the secondary - which vastly improved in technique, if not in big-play potential. That unit didn't make many glaring errors, but finished with eight interceptions for a conference-worst 1 yard - yes, 1 single yard - in returns.
But the year turned on offensive turnovers, anyway.
Despite Week 3's thrilling come-from-behind victory over Bethune-Cookman, Landers was, after all, a freshman - gutsy, but inexperienced and prone to fatal errors. He would lead the conference in yards per completion, but also interceptions.
So, the Cincinnati game may best be remembered as the moment when Spears began to trust in Landers' nascent promise a bit too much. Those mishaps would cost GSU some games - including Jackson State, when coaches called a staggering 46 passing plays.
It was easy to get lost in the upside, though: Landers was named the SWAC's co-newcomer of the week after accounting for 293 of Grambling State's 360 yards in total offense in the 24-23 win against Bethune-Cookman.
"The one thing that Brandon brings to the game is such poise," Spears said. "He took over that ball game - and I think the guys were starting to rally around Brandon Landers."
Northern was given the task of quarterbacks coach as Landers tried to make his way - and did an admirable job. By Week 11, Landers had settled down into quiet efficiency.
"I just want to thank the coaches for the opportunity," said Landers, The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare prep offensive player of the year at Carroll High in 2003. "I've just got to keep studying film, keep studying every kind of defense that they can throw at me. I just want to keep improving."
REDIRECTING THE FOCUS
The season quietly began to improve with stellar play by the special teams, where Northern did his best work as a coach. Not only were the Tigers second in the SWAC for kick coverage, Tallulah freshman Landry Carter shot to national recognition as he helped GSU to the top spot in all of Division I-AA for kick returns in early November.
Sophomore Keantwon Gray ripped off two returns of more than 90 yards in consecutive games against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Jackson State.
Carter was named SWAC specialist of the week after he gained 240 yards in returns in the Tigers' win over Prairie View. But that contest would be marred by an on-field fight, which brought suspensions from the conference and fines for Spears from President Judson. In all, nine members of the GSU team and eight from Prairie View - along with an assistant from each school - were suspended. That made the Tigers' game at Mississippi Valley a more competitive affair.
Upon returning home , GSU continued to rely on its traditional pass-first mentality, even as the losses piled up.
Freshman wide receiver Clyde would earn co-newcomer of the week honors in late October after catching seven passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns against Jackson State. Yet, GSU fell in that game, part of an 0-4 year at Robinson Stadium.
"We were trying to figure out their motivation - whether that be playing in front of a national crowd, or just having pride in Grambling," said Calvin Spears. "It's not soul searching for talent. It's soul searching for effort. That's all we were missing."
Some of the blame for the offensive struggles could have been an over-reliance on the pass. The freshman quarterback was game, even in the face of so much adversity.
"Brandon has a lot of character about himself," said White. "When he fumbled the ball, or threw an interception, he kept his head in the game."
If Spears stayed with the vertical attack too long, he said it was the best option against the defensive looks that opponents were giving GSU. "We got everything that we wanted," said Spears. "But when you're in the red zone, your guys have to beat their guys. We just didn't cash in."
But no one could argue with the late-season success of this team's rushers. GSU's Ab Kuuan and Rueben Mayes grinded out 159 yards - and a startling combined average of eight years per carry - in a loss to Alabama State that was keyed on passing errors.
The coaches took notice. When the Tigers committed to the run, their season finally got on track. On the strength of that late surge in rushing yardage, GSU rushed for six more touchdowns this year than it had in 2003.
"We had to get 60 minutes of play out of this young team," said Spears. "Some of it was doing the little bitty things; it was execution. They had to buy into what we were doing. You saw that in the last game."
THEN FINISHING STRONG
The capstone on the season was that Nov. 27 victory over Southern, putting GSU one game over .500. The Tigers averaged 5 yards per attempt and 279 total yards rushing in New Orleans.
"That is such an emotional game. There are reunions, the spectacle, the bands. But in the end, it's about football," said Spears, who will now become part of a national search to permanently replace Williams. "It comes down to guts, to heart - to the players who really want it."
The win was so transformative, as GSU teetered on a losing campaign, that the school sponsored a Wednesday victory parade then a party at Men's Memorial Gym on campus. Cheers of "Keep Coach Spears" broke out.
GSU's defense - which limited Southern to 300 fewer total offensive yards this year - slowly rounded into shape, as well. Opponents were held to 1,031 fewer yards passing, and five fewer touchdown tosses. Though the defense gave up a scant 51 more total rushing yards, there were actually 9 fewer rushing scores.
"Eventually, we are going to be very, very good in this secondary," said Spears. "Our team stuck together, no matter what was said. They may have been rattled sometimes, but they endured."
Grambling State, perhaps fittingly, scored 105 of its 294 points this season during the fourth quarter. The last quarter of play in this 11-game season was also the Tigers' best. GSU would win three of the final five games, notching its 51st non-losing season since 1945.
"I think it finished up in a way that showed how much we had progressed," said Spears, who is awaiting word on Eugene's application for a medical exemption. "We're going to look at it as building momentum. The seasoning of these freshmen makes our future look very bright - and we're getting some people back."
THE 2004 SEASON
Final record: 6-5 overall, 3-4 in the SWAC.
Best game: GSU finally put together four quarters of football in the Nov. 27 Bayou Classic, rushing with consistency and making stops when needed. The coaching staff also showed the needed patience, sticking with the run-first game plan - even when Southern pulled ahead.
Worst game: Having lost, in quick succession, three of its best playmakers on offense, GSU stumbled badly at Alabama A&M on Sept. 11 - the only game this year where the Tigers weren't competitive. How bad was it? GSU, while its freshman fill-in quarterback was sacked six times for 54 yards in losses, was 0-for-18 on third down in the 21-9 drubbing.
Turning point: Falling to Alabama State on Nov. 6 ensured an unprecedented losing season at Robinson Stadium, but it also convinced the coaching staff that junior Ab Kuuan was ready to run. GSU would account for 735 of its 1,656 rushing yards on the season in the final three games - and go 2-1, including an emotional Bayou Classic victory.
Most telling stat: Senior quarterback Bruce Eugene's season-ending injury forever altered Spears' interim campaign. He played less than three quarters of football in 2004, yet still ended up at No. 4 for total offense on the GSU roster.
Most valuable player: Walk-on freshman sensation Landry Carter, a McCall-Tallulah product, did it all. Not only was he the top punt and kick returner, Carter was also GSU's third-leading receiver with 177 yards and third leading rusher with 211 yards. That helped him notch a team-best 1,046 all-purpose yards.
Top offensive player: Freshman Carroll product Brandon Landers, despite problems with ball placement that had the young quarterback leading the conference in picks, was a rallying point for the offense. His passing average per game was fourth in the SWAC - and his yards per completion, 17.3, was tops.
Top defensive player: The biggest loss on defense is senior Kenneth Pettway, a player of uncommon drive and intensity who would perform well both end and outside linebacker. He was second in the SWAC in 2004 for both sacks and tackles for a loss.
Top special teams player: Carter led Division I-AA nationally for several weeks on kick returns. He helped GSU finish the year atop the conference standings with an average of 23.9 yards per attempt - despite being kicked away from late in the season, notably by Southern.
Unsung hero: Senior kicker Brian Morgan quietly put together one of his best seasons, finishing 29-of-30 on extra points, 13-of-20 on field goals and second among SWAC kickers with 68 points. He also ably filled in on punting duties, averaging 36.3 yards per attempt.
Top newcomer: True freshman receiver Clyde Edwards, given the same jersey number of the departed record-smashing Tramon Douglas, displayed flashy big-play brilliance - and quickly earned a starting position. He finished the season as GSU's leading receiver in receptions, total yards and yards per game.
Emerging star: Junior running back Ab Kuuan, who coaches hoped would become an every-down runner in the offseason, exploded for consecutive 100-yard games in the final three weeks of the year - including a MVP performance on national television at the Bayou Classic.
Key injury: Senior quarterback Bruce Eugene - who led the SWAC in passing yards and total offense a season ago - went down in the season opener against Alcorn State. GSU would go from scoring 36.6 per game last year to 26.7, from passing for 3,853 yards a season ago to 2,452.
Returning starters, offense: (9) QB Brandon Landers, WR Clyde Edwards, TB Ab Kuuan, FB Rueben Mayes, LT Jonathan Banks, LG Charles Wilson, RT Andre Bennett, TE Matt Duhe and WR Zerrick Haymon.
Returning starters, defense: (7) DT Jimmy Zachary, DT Joshua Kador, DE Jason Banks, LB Dimitri Carr, CB Greg Fassitt, CB Lewis Carter and FS Zaire Wilborn.
Returning specialists: (2) P Tim Manuel, KR Landry Carter
- By Nick Deriso
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Friday, November 09, 2007
Remembering: How ULM/Grambling happened
Nick's note: As Grambling prepares for its Saturday game against nearby Louisiana-Monroe, we take a look back at the two-year period leading up to this first-ever match up of programs located less than 40 miles -- but, when it came to football, worlds -- apart:
Grambling, ULM discuss gridiron clash
January 14, 2005
By Paul J. Letlow and Nick Deriso
sports@thenewsstar.com
Officials at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and Grambling State University have discussed a historic first meeting in football that could take place in the 2005 season.
ULM athletics director Bobby Staub said he stopped in Grambling on a recent drive from Dallas to visit with GSU vice president for finance Billy Owens.
The two discussed the potential of such a game, and conversation is ongoing.
"We've played them in other sports," Staub said. "I sat down with Billy three months ago to investigate the possibilities of playing
"The bottom line is that trying to find dates that work makes things problematic."
While both sides have been receptive, working out the scheduling matrix has proved to be an obstacle.
"The dates didn't work, but we agreed to stay in touch," Staub said.
Staub and new GSU athletics director Willie Jeffries have not met, but Jeffries said he spoke to ULM coach Charlie Weatherbie about playing as recently as Wednesday.
"We talked this week," said Jeffries, who arrived on campus Jan. 4. "We're looking into the game, and Monroe itself. We'd like to explore the willingness of the city's businesses to sponsor an event like this."
Owens said he is awaiting word from Jeffries on moving forward.
Although its philosophy involves scheduling more non-conference I-A home opponents, ULM has played host to Division I-AA teams from other Louisiana universities - Nicholls State, Northwestern State and McNeese State - in recent years.
Grambling State has played San Jose State and Louisville, both members of college football's top classification.
Staub said the game could be a box-office smash, long-missed at ULM.
"It's like the benefits of us and Louisiana Tech playing," Staub said. "It's a school 30 miles down the road. My bottom line is: Who can we bring in to energize the fan base, put fannies in the seats and generate revenue?"
Fans had a positive reaction, too: "The atmosphere would be electric and the rivalry could be extended beyond one game," said Grambling resident Paul Taylor, a fixture at GSU practices and games. "Not only could this be a classic game, but it would help ULM's bid to stay in I-A football with a sellout crowd."
GSU has been there before:
That 2003 visit to San Jose State - a market that has struggled to generate football attendance - helped the Trojans to their first sellout in 13 years. SJSU is a member of the Western Athletic Conference, along with Louisiana Tech.
The timing of these talks, even if an on-field meeting isn't arranged this year, is fortuitous.
In an interview with The News-Star published Sunday, University of Louisiana System president Sally Clausen said she would like to see ULM, GSU and Louisiana Tech compete against each other more often.
Meetings among the three have occurred only occasionally over the years.
ULM and Grambling have not played in men's basketball since the 1999-2000 season, while ULM and Tech have not played since 1990-91. Tech and Grambling have never played.
In women's basketball, ULM and Grambling played this season - but in a tournament in Mississippi. ULM and Tech have not played since 1998-99, while Tech and Grambling have never played.
In football, ULM and Tech last played in 2000.
Owens confirmed that GSU proposed playing on Oct. 17 or 24, but he said ULM couldn't make those dates. Switching Southwestern Athletic Conference games has sometimes been difficult for GSU, and could stall the proposal.
But if a date can be agreed upon, the next phase of the negotiations for a ULM-GSU match-up would involve compensation.
Grambling's budget depends heavily on checks from football games - away dates that often bring $200,000 above and beyond expenses, according to Owens. GSU would have to weigh the option of playing closer to home for a smaller paycheck, but with fewer expenses.
One solution could be a revenue-sharing plan contingent on ticket sales or attendance.
"I think it would be great if we could play," said Staub. "And hopefully we can work something out in the future."
Should the GSU game fall through, Staub said another I-AA team could fill a home date for the Indians in 2005.
"I've talked with a number of I-AA schools, including Grambling," Staub said. "We may look at a I-AA at home. If we can get a home and home with another I-A school, that may happen."
GSU meanwhile, is in a series of negotiations for games - including a possible trip back to San Jose.
g g g
ULM vs. Grambling?!: Much obliged
Friday, January 14, 2005
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Thank you, Bobby Staub.
Thank you, Willie Jeffries.
Thanks for arriving here with open eyes and open hearts. To think, Louisiana-Monroe and Grambling State - just 37 mile markers apart down Interstate 20 - have never played football.
They could now, since ULM's Staub and GSU's Jeffries both say they are open to the idea. A game has been discussed for several weeks, with a date and financial considerations the lingering sticking points.
Both seem like small concerns after so much history has already been lost.
Imagine Heisman winner John David Crow coaching the Indians in 1975 against an Eddie Robinson team that included future Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Famers Doug Williams and Sammie White.
Grambling was founded in 1901; ULM followed 30 seasons later. All-time record on the gridiron: 0-0.
Imagine.
Apparently, nobody dared to question that before you guys, named athletics director at ULM and GSU in the past few months. Thank you.
This will inevitably lead to a discussion about the fading ULM rivalry with Louisiana Tech - if only because GSU would have to drive through Ruston to play the Indians.
But while the surface issues might seem the same - after all, is there a better way to spike revenue than with a local rivalry? - this proposal involving Grambling must inevitably have a different resonance.
ULM, whatever its actual racial makeup, is considered a primarily white institution. GSU is perhaps the nation's best-known historically black college.
Thirty-seven miles. Yet, so far apart.
But does that really mean they can't play football? No. At least, I hope not.
Looks like you guys, around football so long, think they should too.
Sure, people will always take sides in this game. But, at its best, that's not because anyone is white or black. Players of all races and religions are booed and cheered, benched and idolized.
Sports are a great equalizer. But you already know that. And I thank you for it.
Thanks for realizing that this dialogue, even if nothing has come of it just yet, is its own reconciliation for a town still shuddering from questions of race in a police shooting.
Jeffries, the first black coach of a Division I-A program, put things in perspective: "It's a football game, but it could be so much more."
Thanks for seeing that. For knowing it in your heart.
Now, there are stumbling blocks.
GSU has to have guaranteed money from its football schedule to float its budget, a situation that was complicated by the SWAC's decision to mandate nine conference games per season. Playing ULM must make financial sense.
Would GSU keep driving down the interstate, whatever the cash incentive, if it suffered a losing streak like Tech had against the Indians in the 1980s?
And what if, by some chance, the Indians lose to these Division I-AA Tigers?
"A game like this is a recruitment game, with the winner getting first dibs on prized Monroe recruits," said GSU fan Paul Taylor of Grambling. "It could mean an end to the coach at ULM if he loses."
Still, a possibility like this kindles so many larger hopes.
Can we make this work? Can we have fun doing it?
There are those Indians fans who might never venture to tiny Grambling to see the World Famed Tiger Marching Band. There are those GSU supporters who have never seen the wildly energetic coaching style of Indians coach Charlie Weatherbie.
They sit, in this conversation, not 37 miles apart … but side by side at Malone Stadium - as a community.
Thanks, most of all, for that.
g g g
'Great for fans': Grambling to play ULM
First meeting for schools set for Nov. 10 at Malone
Sunday, February 18, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The University of Louisiana at Monroe has never met Grambling State on the football field.
Until now.
The two area programs will play Nov. 10 for the first time ever, in a match scheduled for Malone Stadium in Monroe.
ULM athletics director Bobby Staub has confirmed contracts have been signed, though details of Grambling's payout were not released.
"Any time you get to play someone in close proximity, it's a benefit," Staub said. "We were able to work it out in a way that was good for both of us."
The ULM-Grambling game will mark the first between area schools since the Warhawks were crushed 42-19 at home by Louisiana Tech seven seasons ago. That series was played from 1953-2000, with an overall record of 29-14 in the Bulldogs' favor.
The Division I-AA Grambling, meanwhile, established a pattern of playing upper division opponents over the years — a run that includes Louisville, San Jose State, Washington State and the University of Houston since 2000 — but has yet to face either of northern Louisiana's I-A programs.
"It's something that could grow," said Grambling athletics director Troy Mathieu. "It's essentially a home game for each of us, and that's great for fans."
ULM and Grambling were nearing a contract to play in 2005, but Staub could not come to an agreement with former GSU athletics director Willie Jeffries. The Tigers ultimately scheduled Pac-10 foe Washington State, and a subsequent stumble at Seattle was their only loss in an 11-1 campaign two seasons ago.
"The fan interest has always been there," said Sicily Island native Michael Watson, a 1977 Grambling graduate. "Now, the two schools have finally decided to take advantage of this money-making opportunity. This will be an economic boost to the northeast Louisiana region. The civic and business leaders need to really put a cooperative effort into making this game a huge event."
The Nov. 10 playing date comes at a key time in the season for Grambling, which needed an out-of-conference opponent to keep from sitting out consecutive Saturdays before its in-state rivalry game against Southern in New Orleans.
"I like where it falls on the schedule, in terms of helping to keep our players focused for what could have been almost a month between games," Mathieu said.
The Warhawks opened their 2006 season at home with Alcorn State, which — like Grambling — is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Thursday night game drew a season-high Malone Stadium crowd of 18,106.
Staub said the success of that contest had little impact in signing Grambling to play this year.
"We weren't looking for any one conference to play against," Staub said. "You just try your best to start close to home, and Grambling worked out. At the end of the day, you are trying to sell tickets — and we think Grambling will do that."
ULM opens this season with Tulsa at Malone Stadium and is scheduled to play nonconference games at Clemson and Texas A&M in September — along with a visit to Alabama in November. Grambling has already filled its other nonconference date in 2007 with the University of Pittsburgh in a game to be played Sept. 8.
The Warhawks also play three Sun Belt Conference games at home. GSU plays Alabama A&M, Mississippi Valley and Texas Southern at Robinson Stadium, then travels to play Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Jackson State, Alabama State and Alcorn State.
Grambling's annual games against Prairie View A&M and Southern are played at neutral sites.
g g g
For fans, ULM-Grambling game well worth the wait
Sunday, February 18, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Exuberant local fans are hailing a once-in-a-lifetime football game between ULM and Grambling.
The talk wasn't of a shared, but separate, history — but of bragging rights around town.
"At last! This game is long overdue," said Grambling supporter Michael Watson of Sicily Island. "I've been waiting on this game since my collegiate days in the mid-70s. We really used to run a lot of smack back and forth about a possible gridiron match up."
School officials have confirmed that ULM will play host to Grambling on Nov. 10, a first for the two teams.
"It could be an exciting opportunity for both programs," said ULM supporter Tim Holcomb, a News-Star fan blogger. "Regional match ups like this always seem to carry a little bit more emotion — and the large crowd that the two teams are likely to draw sure seems to make it a win-win for both schools."
ULM hit the gridiron for the first time in 1951, establishing a 225-333-8 overall record. Its 1994 move up to I-A followed a national championship six years earlier in the lower classification, when ULM was known as Northeast Louisiana.
Over that span, the Warhawks have won five league titles — four in the Southland (1983, '87, '90 and '92) and one in the Sun Belt (2005).
Famous ULM products include Super Bowl quarterback Stan Humphries. Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow also coached at the school for six seasons beginning in 1975.
For years, ULM's biggest regional rivalry was nearby Louisiana Tech, but that series has gone dormant since 2000. This is the second time school officials have contacted Grambling about an out-of-conference date; details couldn't be worked out before the 2005 season.
"I think it's a great idea," said Warhawks fan Chris Rightsell. "I think ULM and Louisiana Tech should follow suit."
Grambling got started much earlier than ULM, fielding its initial football squad in 1928.
Coach Eddie Robinson (1941-97) oversaw a Division I-record 408 of the historically black college's 484 all-time victories. No historical I-A program has a better winning percentage except Yale.
Along the way, GSU earned 21 Southwestern Athletic Conference titles. Seventeen came under Robinson, a coaching legend who sent hundreds of players into the NFL — including four Pro Football Hall of Famers and Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, his eventual successor.
"Grambling's football achievements are well known, and the list of athletes it has produced over the years is equally impressive," Holcomb said. "For them, the match up with ULM offers the opportunity to evaluate themselves against I-A competition. For ULM, a game with Grambling would add another much-needed home game to our schedule."
Both schools have rosters dotted with local talent, creating still more intriguing storylines.
ULM signee Antron Mason, for instance, succeeded current Grambling starter Brandon Landers as quarterback at Carroll High in Monroe.
"I think that game happening for the first time ever is great," he said. "I've got some former teammates who play for Grambling — Jesse Smith, Desmond Lenard. It will be fun to play and fun to see."
Oddly, ULM and Grambling have faced off in other sports. They played a women's basketball game in 2004-05 and a men's contest in 1999-2000.
But never in football. That's made this game — even if the one-year contract is never renewed — an instant classic.
"Let's just say that the Warhawks better be ready for battle," Watson said. "We're gonna come to Malone Stadium to show y'all how to tailgate before and after a big victory!"
Grambling, ULM discuss gridiron clash
January 14, 2005
By Paul J. Letlow and Nick Deriso
sports@thenewsstar.com
Officials at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and Grambling State University have discussed a historic first meeting in football that could take place in the 2005 season.
ULM athletics director Bobby Staub said he stopped in Grambling on a recent drive from Dallas to visit with GSU vice president for finance Billy Owens.
The two discussed the potential of such a game, and conversation is ongoing.
"We've played them in other sports," Staub said. "I sat down with Billy three months ago to investigate the possibilities of playing
"The bottom line is that trying to find dates that work makes things problematic."
While both sides have been receptive, working out the scheduling matrix has proved to be an obstacle.
"The dates didn't work, but we agreed to stay in touch," Staub said.
Staub and new GSU athletics director Willie Jeffries have not met, but Jeffries said he spoke to ULM coach Charlie Weatherbie about playing as recently as Wednesday.
"We talked this week," said Jeffries, who arrived on campus Jan. 4. "We're looking into the game, and Monroe itself. We'd like to explore the willingness of the city's businesses to sponsor an event like this."
Owens said he is awaiting word from Jeffries on moving forward.
Although its philosophy involves scheduling more non-conference I-A home opponents, ULM has played host to Division I-AA teams from other Louisiana universities - Nicholls State, Northwestern State and McNeese State - in recent years.
Grambling State has played San Jose State and Louisville, both members of college football's top classification.
Staub said the game could be a box-office smash, long-missed at ULM.
"It's like the benefits of us and Louisiana Tech playing," Staub said. "It's a school 30 miles down the road. My bottom line is: Who can we bring in to energize the fan base, put fannies in the seats and generate revenue?"
Fans had a positive reaction, too: "The atmosphere would be electric and the rivalry could be extended beyond one game," said Grambling resident Paul Taylor, a fixture at GSU practices and games. "Not only could this be a classic game, but it would help ULM's bid to stay in I-A football with a sellout crowd."
GSU has been there before:
That 2003 visit to San Jose State - a market that has struggled to generate football attendance - helped the Trojans to their first sellout in 13 years. SJSU is a member of the Western Athletic Conference, along with Louisiana Tech.
The timing of these talks, even if an on-field meeting isn't arranged this year, is fortuitous.
In an interview with The News-Star published Sunday, University of Louisiana System president Sally Clausen said she would like to see ULM, GSU and Louisiana Tech compete against each other more often.
Meetings among the three have occurred only occasionally over the years.
ULM and Grambling have not played in men's basketball since the 1999-2000 season, while ULM and Tech have not played since 1990-91. Tech and Grambling have never played.
In women's basketball, ULM and Grambling played this season - but in a tournament in Mississippi. ULM and Tech have not played since 1998-99, while Tech and Grambling have never played.
In football, ULM and Tech last played in 2000.
Owens confirmed that GSU proposed playing on Oct. 17 or 24, but he said ULM couldn't make those dates. Switching Southwestern Athletic Conference games has sometimes been difficult for GSU, and could stall the proposal.
But if a date can be agreed upon, the next phase of the negotiations for a ULM-GSU match-up would involve compensation.
Grambling's budget depends heavily on checks from football games - away dates that often bring $200,000 above and beyond expenses, according to Owens. GSU would have to weigh the option of playing closer to home for a smaller paycheck, but with fewer expenses.
One solution could be a revenue-sharing plan contingent on ticket sales or attendance.
"I think it would be great if we could play," said Staub. "And hopefully we can work something out in the future."
Should the GSU game fall through, Staub said another I-AA team could fill a home date for the Indians in 2005.
"I've talked with a number of I-AA schools, including Grambling," Staub said. "We may look at a I-AA at home. If we can get a home and home with another I-A school, that may happen."
GSU meanwhile, is in a series of negotiations for games - including a possible trip back to San Jose.
g g g
ULM vs. Grambling?!: Much obliged
Friday, January 14, 2005
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Thank you, Bobby Staub.
Thank you, Willie Jeffries.
Thanks for arriving here with open eyes and open hearts. To think, Louisiana-Monroe and Grambling State - just 37 mile markers apart down Interstate 20 - have never played football.
They could now, since ULM's Staub and GSU's Jeffries both say they are open to the idea. A game has been discussed for several weeks, with a date and financial considerations the lingering sticking points.
Both seem like small concerns after so much history has already been lost.
Imagine Heisman winner John David Crow coaching the Indians in 1975 against an Eddie Robinson team that included future Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Famers Doug Williams and Sammie White.
Grambling was founded in 1901; ULM followed 30 seasons later. All-time record on the gridiron: 0-0.
Imagine.
Apparently, nobody dared to question that before you guys, named athletics director at ULM and GSU in the past few months. Thank you.
This will inevitably lead to a discussion about the fading ULM rivalry with Louisiana Tech - if only because GSU would have to drive through Ruston to play the Indians.
But while the surface issues might seem the same - after all, is there a better way to spike revenue than with a local rivalry? - this proposal involving Grambling must inevitably have a different resonance.
ULM, whatever its actual racial makeup, is considered a primarily white institution. GSU is perhaps the nation's best-known historically black college.
Thirty-seven miles. Yet, so far apart.
But does that really mean they can't play football? No. At least, I hope not.
Looks like you guys, around football so long, think they should too.
Sure, people will always take sides in this game. But, at its best, that's not because anyone is white or black. Players of all races and religions are booed and cheered, benched and idolized.
Sports are a great equalizer. But you already know that. And I thank you for it.
Thanks for realizing that this dialogue, even if nothing has come of it just yet, is its own reconciliation for a town still shuddering from questions of race in a police shooting.
Jeffries, the first black coach of a Division I-A program, put things in perspective: "It's a football game, but it could be so much more."
Thanks for seeing that. For knowing it in your heart.
Now, there are stumbling blocks.
GSU has to have guaranteed money from its football schedule to float its budget, a situation that was complicated by the SWAC's decision to mandate nine conference games per season. Playing ULM must make financial sense.
Would GSU keep driving down the interstate, whatever the cash incentive, if it suffered a losing streak like Tech had against the Indians in the 1980s?
And what if, by some chance, the Indians lose to these Division I-AA Tigers?
"A game like this is a recruitment game, with the winner getting first dibs on prized Monroe recruits," said GSU fan Paul Taylor of Grambling. "It could mean an end to the coach at ULM if he loses."
Still, a possibility like this kindles so many larger hopes.
Can we make this work? Can we have fun doing it?
There are those Indians fans who might never venture to tiny Grambling to see the World Famed Tiger Marching Band. There are those GSU supporters who have never seen the wildly energetic coaching style of Indians coach Charlie Weatherbie.
They sit, in this conversation, not 37 miles apart … but side by side at Malone Stadium - as a community.
Thanks, most of all, for that.
g g g
'Great for fans': Grambling to play ULM
First meeting for schools set for Nov. 10 at Malone
Sunday, February 18, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The University of Louisiana at Monroe has never met Grambling State on the football field.
Until now.
The two area programs will play Nov. 10 for the first time ever, in a match scheduled for Malone Stadium in Monroe.
ULM athletics director Bobby Staub has confirmed contracts have been signed, though details of Grambling's payout were not released.
"Any time you get to play someone in close proximity, it's a benefit," Staub said. "We were able to work it out in a way that was good for both of us."
The ULM-Grambling game will mark the first between area schools since the Warhawks were crushed 42-19 at home by Louisiana Tech seven seasons ago. That series was played from 1953-2000, with an overall record of 29-14 in the Bulldogs' favor.
The Division I-AA Grambling, meanwhile, established a pattern of playing upper division opponents over the years — a run that includes Louisville, San Jose State, Washington State and the University of Houston since 2000 — but has yet to face either of northern Louisiana's I-A programs.
"It's something that could grow," said Grambling athletics director Troy Mathieu. "It's essentially a home game for each of us, and that's great for fans."
ULM and Grambling were nearing a contract to play in 2005, but Staub could not come to an agreement with former GSU athletics director Willie Jeffries. The Tigers ultimately scheduled Pac-10 foe Washington State, and a subsequent stumble at Seattle was their only loss in an 11-1 campaign two seasons ago.
"The fan interest has always been there," said Sicily Island native Michael Watson, a 1977 Grambling graduate. "Now, the two schools have finally decided to take advantage of this money-making opportunity. This will be an economic boost to the northeast Louisiana region. The civic and business leaders need to really put a cooperative effort into making this game a huge event."
The Nov. 10 playing date comes at a key time in the season for Grambling, which needed an out-of-conference opponent to keep from sitting out consecutive Saturdays before its in-state rivalry game against Southern in New Orleans.
"I like where it falls on the schedule, in terms of helping to keep our players focused for what could have been almost a month between games," Mathieu said.
The Warhawks opened their 2006 season at home with Alcorn State, which — like Grambling — is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Thursday night game drew a season-high Malone Stadium crowd of 18,106.
Staub said the success of that contest had little impact in signing Grambling to play this year.
"We weren't looking for any one conference to play against," Staub said. "You just try your best to start close to home, and Grambling worked out. At the end of the day, you are trying to sell tickets — and we think Grambling will do that."
ULM opens this season with Tulsa at Malone Stadium and is scheduled to play nonconference games at Clemson and Texas A&M in September — along with a visit to Alabama in November. Grambling has already filled its other nonconference date in 2007 with the University of Pittsburgh in a game to be played Sept. 8.
The Warhawks also play three Sun Belt Conference games at home. GSU plays Alabama A&M, Mississippi Valley and Texas Southern at Robinson Stadium, then travels to play Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Jackson State, Alabama State and Alcorn State.
Grambling's annual games against Prairie View A&M and Southern are played at neutral sites.
g g g
For fans, ULM-Grambling game well worth the wait
Sunday, February 18, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Exuberant local fans are hailing a once-in-a-lifetime football game between ULM and Grambling.
The talk wasn't of a shared, but separate, history — but of bragging rights around town.
"At last! This game is long overdue," said Grambling supporter Michael Watson of Sicily Island. "I've been waiting on this game since my collegiate days in the mid-70s. We really used to run a lot of smack back and forth about a possible gridiron match up."
School officials have confirmed that ULM will play host to Grambling on Nov. 10, a first for the two teams.
"It could be an exciting opportunity for both programs," said ULM supporter Tim Holcomb, a News-Star fan blogger. "Regional match ups like this always seem to carry a little bit more emotion — and the large crowd that the two teams are likely to draw sure seems to make it a win-win for both schools."
ULM hit the gridiron for the first time in 1951, establishing a 225-333-8 overall record. Its 1994 move up to I-A followed a national championship six years earlier in the lower classification, when ULM was known as Northeast Louisiana.
Over that span, the Warhawks have won five league titles — four in the Southland (1983, '87, '90 and '92) and one in the Sun Belt (2005).
Famous ULM products include Super Bowl quarterback Stan Humphries. Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow also coached at the school for six seasons beginning in 1975.
For years, ULM's biggest regional rivalry was nearby Louisiana Tech, but that series has gone dormant since 2000. This is the second time school officials have contacted Grambling about an out-of-conference date; details couldn't be worked out before the 2005 season.
"I think it's a great idea," said Warhawks fan Chris Rightsell. "I think ULM and Louisiana Tech should follow suit."
Grambling got started much earlier than ULM, fielding its initial football squad in 1928.
Coach Eddie Robinson (1941-97) oversaw a Division I-record 408 of the historically black college's 484 all-time victories. No historical I-A program has a better winning percentage except Yale.
Along the way, GSU earned 21 Southwestern Athletic Conference titles. Seventeen came under Robinson, a coaching legend who sent hundreds of players into the NFL — including four Pro Football Hall of Famers and Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, his eventual successor.
"Grambling's football achievements are well known, and the list of athletes it has produced over the years is equally impressive," Holcomb said. "For them, the match up with ULM offers the opportunity to evaluate themselves against I-A competition. For ULM, a game with Grambling would add another much-needed home game to our schedule."
Both schools have rosters dotted with local talent, creating still more intriguing storylines.
ULM signee Antron Mason, for instance, succeeded current Grambling starter Brandon Landers as quarterback at Carroll High in Monroe.
"I think that game happening for the first time ever is great," he said. "I've got some former teammates who play for Grambling — Jesse Smith, Desmond Lenard. It will be fun to play and fun to see."
Oddly, ULM and Grambling have faced off in other sports. They played a women's basketball game in 2004-05 and a men's contest in 1999-2000.
But never in football. That's made this game — even if the one-year contract is never renewed — an instant classic.
"Let's just say that the Warhawks better be ready for battle," Watson said. "We're gonna come to Malone Stadium to show y'all how to tailgate before and after a big victory!"
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
The time that Grambling got a new arena
Nick's note: With basketball season -- and the first games played at Grambling's long-awaited new arena -- upon us, here is a look back at the facility's long and winding road to completion.
A welcome addition
Arena will offset gym's deficiencies at Grambling State
June 11, 2005
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Grambling State basketball coach Larry Wright looks around Memorial Gym, and he sees history.
Too much history.
"My coach played in this building - and I'm 50," said Wright, the Southwestern Athletic Conference's 1975-76 Player of the Year under legendary former coach Fred Hobdy.
He says the aging gymnasium, even with a sweeping remodel in 2002, is dragging down recruiting efforts.
"Renovation here is just like putting a Band-Aid on cancer," said Wright.
In fact, Memorial looms over the program, even though the men won eight of their final 10 games in 2005 to earn a SWAC Tournament berth - a finish that ranked Grambling as one of the hottest teams in the conference.
"The renovations have held up," said Wright, "but most high school kids have buildings that are better than this one."
His next comment is telling: "When I am recruiting a kid, I try to do it without him ever visiting this facility."
Wright hasn't made any prospect announcements during this late signing period. Yet, he finds hope for the future in a long-awaited new basketball building, which is finally taking shape behind Robinson Stadium on campus.
The project - envisioned more than 20 years ago during the administration of Joseph Johnson, who served as GSU president from 1977-1991 - will be capable of seating 7,500 for sports events, and as many as 9,000 for other occasions.
"A new building would help," said Wright. "At least the kids wouldn't choose based on a raggedy building. Not only will it help basketball, it will help the university as a whole. We just had graduation outside. That's not just an athletic issue. It would be nice to have parents to come in and sit in an air conditioned building for commencement."
The 135,000-square-foot facility, to be known as the HPER building, will feature an arena to accommodate sporting and nonsporting events alike. The men's and women's basketball teams will play and practice there, but the building will also include classrooms, administrative offices, banquet areas and faculty offices - as well as locker rooms, weight rooms, storage areas and offices for supporting services.
Meanwhile, Wright struggles to attract players who don't have traditional connections with Grambling.
Take starting junior guard Brion Rush, who averaged 17.6 points and nearly 31 minutes of playing time per game last season.
"It didn't make a difference about the facility, because his coach went to school here," said Wright. "We were able to get him for that reason. That trust. But those kids who don't have that history, we couldn't have gotten them."
Memorial isn't to blame for every lost recruit. Wright points to coveted West Ouachita prospect Anthony Ford, who signed with conference foe Alcorn State last week.
"We thought we had a shot at him. We really did," said Wright. "It seemed to me he just wanted to leave. I guess he wanted to get away from home."
Three years ago, Grambling installed a new heating and cooling system, plumbing system, and locker rooms in Memorial - at a cost, according to vice president of finance Billy Owens, of $2 million.
That simply slowed the inevitable, said Wright. A new facility, with modern amenities, is a standard facet in the recruiting process of today's young people.
"When I came to Grambling, years ago, I didn't care what I played in," Wright said. "I could have went to school anywhere, but I was coming to Grambling. Kids are not like that anymore. Let's face it, integration came and Grambling will not get the same kids that Grambling used to get. Willis Reed isn't coming. But the new building makes you feel better. At least you know you have a chance now."
Next spring - the targeted opening date of GSU's first new basketball facility in generations - can't come soon enough.
"I drive by it," Wright said, "and I know, somewhere, Coach Hobdy is very happy."
GSU program seeks area recruits
Grambling State was in the running for West Ouachita's Anthony Ford, though he eventually signed with Alcorn State last week. Texas Tech's Bobby Knight also lured Ouachita's Jay Jackson two seasons ago, then Richwood's Terry Martin Jr. this past off-season.
Still, GSU men's coach Larry Wright, a Richwood High product, has had his own local successes.
He signed Bastrop guard Marcus Watson - a member of The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare All-Northeast Team - last year and has both Wossman forward Jamar Lewis and West Monroe guard Donte Gordon on the squad as seniors for next season. Vidalia senior Ron Ellis just finished his eligibility last year.
"We have talented players here, and we're going to continue to try to get them to Grambling," said Wright, a former assistant at Ouachita Parish High before taking over his alma mater's basketball program in 1999. "We hope to sign a couple of kids who are pretty good athletes. What we've got to do is bring in kids and keep them for four years - and hopefully, toward the ends of their careers, they have improved."
- Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com
g g g
Building momentum
March 17, 2006
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling men's coach Larry Wright loses his best player with the graduation of do-it-all guard Brion Rush.
So why's he so optimistic about next season? The answer is slowly rising behind Robinson Stadium.
GSU's long, long, long-awaited Health, Physical Education, Recreation Building is all but done. (The project has been talked about around Grambling since the 1970s.)
In addition to housing the HPER department, this 134,573-feet facility will become home to the university's basketball programs and serve as a multi-purpose assembly center for hoops and community events.
Wright expects to tip off in the new gym next fall. He also expects to make the building a cornerstone in recruiting efforts in the meantime.
"They no longer can say we don't have the facility," said Wright. "That's part of building this program back to respectability."
Constructed by Lincoln Builders at a cost of about $19 million, the HPER building will have game-seating capacity of 7,500 - and approximately 9,000 for other events like graduation, which has traditionally been held outdoors.
g g g
At long last, a new beginning for Grambling hoops
August 6, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Larry Wright was recruited into Grambling State back in the 1970s with the promise of a new basketball facility.
Thirty years later, he was still talking about the proposed building when he took over as the GSU men’s coach.
In many ways, Wright didn’t know if it would ever happen.
He’d played at Memorial Gymnasium for the late legendary former GSU coach Fred Hobdy. Since 1999, he’s coached every one of his own home games there.
So the long-awaited 160,450-foot facility that’s slowly been rising on the western side of campus was all the more remarkable.
"It’s a dream come true, to see Grambling have a good facility like everybody else," Wright said. "Years ago when I came to Grambling, that facility was in the works. They were talking about it even back then."
A ribbon cutting and official dedication ceremony for the new basketball arena is set for 1 p.m. today.
"Finally," Wright says, still marvelling, "we get to see it open."
The project was envisioned during the administration of Joseph Johnson, who served as GSU president from 1977-1991, but it didn’t pick up steam until 1994 — when legislation was finally passed to issue $1 million in bonds.
Work never began. Another decade passed before $17 million in top-priority bonds was approved in 2004 to fund construction, with another $6.75 million set aside for use when needed.
The Shreveport-based Newman Marchive Partnership firm then began consctruction two years ago.
It’s about more than basketball, though. The arena also houses the university’s kinesiology sport and leisure studies department, faculty offices, the athletic ticket office, a weight room, dance studio, concessions areas and the team store.
A crowd of more than 6,000 was given a sneak preview of the facility during local memorial services for the GSU’s late former football coach Eddie Robinson last month.
So finally will the next group of Grambling hoops recruits, a long-made promise turned real.
"When you go into a kid’s home, you can talk to them about the school, the tradition of your school, and everything else," Wright said, "but in the end that kid wants to see where we are going to play. To have to take a kid to our former gym, it was not up to par with what everybody else has. At one time, Memorial was one of the best facilities in our conference. But now it’s the worst. We are just glad to have a new one."
g g g
It's home, sweet home for GSU basketball teams
Ribbon-cutting for new facility set to be held today
May 19, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING -- Larry Wright was recruited into Grambling State back in the 1970s with the promise of a new basketball facility.
Thirty years later, he was still talking about the proposed building when he took over as the GSU men's coach.
In many ways, Wright didn't know if it would ever happen.
He'd played at Memorial Gymnasium for the late legendary former GSU coach Fred Hobdy. Since 1999, he's coached every one of his own home games there.
So the long-awaited 160,450-foot facility that's slowly been rising on the western side of campus was all the more remarkable.
"It's a dream come true, to see Grambling have a good facility like everybody else," Wright said. "Years ago when I came to Grambling, that facility was in the works. They were talking about it even back then."
A ribbon cutting and official dedication ceremony for the new basketball arena is set for 1 p.m. today.
"Finally," Wright says, still marveling, "we get to see it open."
The project was envisioned during the administration of Joseph Johnson, who served as GSU president from 1977-1991, but it didn't pick up steam until 1994 — when legislation was finally passed to issue $1 million in bonds.
Work never began. Another decade passed before $17 million in top-priority bonds was approved in 2004 to fund construction, with another $6.75 million set aside for use when needed.
The Shreveport-based Newman Marchive Partnership firm then began construction two years ago.
It's about more than basketball, though. The arena also houses the university's kinesiology sport and leisure studies department, faculty offices, the athletic ticket office, a weight room, dance studio, concessions areas and the team store.
A crowd of more than 6,000 was given a sneak preview of the facility during local memorial services for the GSU's late former football coach Eddie Robinson last month.
So finally will the next group of Grambling hoops recruits, a long-made promise turned real.
"When you go into a kid's home, you can talk to them about the school, the tradition of your school, and everything else," Wright said, "but in the end that kid wants to see where we are going to play. To have to take a kid to our former gym, it was not up to par with what everybody else has. At one time, Memorial was one of the best facilities in our conference. But now it's the worst. We are just glad to have a new one."
A welcome addition
Arena will offset gym's deficiencies at Grambling State
June 11, 2005
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Grambling State basketball coach Larry Wright looks around Memorial Gym, and he sees history.
Too much history.
"My coach played in this building - and I'm 50," said Wright, the Southwestern Athletic Conference's 1975-76 Player of the Year under legendary former coach Fred Hobdy.
He says the aging gymnasium, even with a sweeping remodel in 2002, is dragging down recruiting efforts.
"Renovation here is just like putting a Band-Aid on cancer," said Wright.
In fact, Memorial looms over the program, even though the men won eight of their final 10 games in 2005 to earn a SWAC Tournament berth - a finish that ranked Grambling as one of the hottest teams in the conference.
"The renovations have held up," said Wright, "but most high school kids have buildings that are better than this one."
His next comment is telling: "When I am recruiting a kid, I try to do it without him ever visiting this facility."
Wright hasn't made any prospect announcements during this late signing period. Yet, he finds hope for the future in a long-awaited new basketball building, which is finally taking shape behind Robinson Stadium on campus.
The project - envisioned more than 20 years ago during the administration of Joseph Johnson, who served as GSU president from 1977-1991 - will be capable of seating 7,500 for sports events, and as many as 9,000 for other occasions.
"A new building would help," said Wright. "At least the kids wouldn't choose based on a raggedy building. Not only will it help basketball, it will help the university as a whole. We just had graduation outside. That's not just an athletic issue. It would be nice to have parents to come in and sit in an air conditioned building for commencement."
The 135,000-square-foot facility, to be known as the HPER building, will feature an arena to accommodate sporting and nonsporting events alike. The men's and women's basketball teams will play and practice there, but the building will also include classrooms, administrative offices, banquet areas and faculty offices - as well as locker rooms, weight rooms, storage areas and offices for supporting services.
Meanwhile, Wright struggles to attract players who don't have traditional connections with Grambling.
Take starting junior guard Brion Rush, who averaged 17.6 points and nearly 31 minutes of playing time per game last season.
"It didn't make a difference about the facility, because his coach went to school here," said Wright. "We were able to get him for that reason. That trust. But those kids who don't have that history, we couldn't have gotten them."
Memorial isn't to blame for every lost recruit. Wright points to coveted West Ouachita prospect Anthony Ford, who signed with conference foe Alcorn State last week.
"We thought we had a shot at him. We really did," said Wright. "It seemed to me he just wanted to leave. I guess he wanted to get away from home."
Three years ago, Grambling installed a new heating and cooling system, plumbing system, and locker rooms in Memorial - at a cost, according to vice president of finance Billy Owens, of $2 million.
That simply slowed the inevitable, said Wright. A new facility, with modern amenities, is a standard facet in the recruiting process of today's young people.
"When I came to Grambling, years ago, I didn't care what I played in," Wright said. "I could have went to school anywhere, but I was coming to Grambling. Kids are not like that anymore. Let's face it, integration came and Grambling will not get the same kids that Grambling used to get. Willis Reed isn't coming. But the new building makes you feel better. At least you know you have a chance now."
Next spring - the targeted opening date of GSU's first new basketball facility in generations - can't come soon enough.
"I drive by it," Wright said, "and I know, somewhere, Coach Hobdy is very happy."
GSU program seeks area recruits
Grambling State was in the running for West Ouachita's Anthony Ford, though he eventually signed with Alcorn State last week. Texas Tech's Bobby Knight also lured Ouachita's Jay Jackson two seasons ago, then Richwood's Terry Martin Jr. this past off-season.
Still, GSU men's coach Larry Wright, a Richwood High product, has had his own local successes.
He signed Bastrop guard Marcus Watson - a member of The News-Star/Glenwood SportsCare All-Northeast Team - last year and has both Wossman forward Jamar Lewis and West Monroe guard Donte Gordon on the squad as seniors for next season. Vidalia senior Ron Ellis just finished his eligibility last year.
"We have talented players here, and we're going to continue to try to get them to Grambling," said Wright, a former assistant at Ouachita Parish High before taking over his alma mater's basketball program in 1999. "We hope to sign a couple of kids who are pretty good athletes. What we've got to do is bring in kids and keep them for four years - and hopefully, toward the ends of their careers, they have improved."
- Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com
g g g
Building momentum
March 17, 2006
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling men's coach Larry Wright loses his best player with the graduation of do-it-all guard Brion Rush.
So why's he so optimistic about next season? The answer is slowly rising behind Robinson Stadium.
GSU's long, long, long-awaited Health, Physical Education, Recreation Building is all but done. (The project has been talked about around Grambling since the 1970s.)
In addition to housing the HPER department, this 134,573-feet facility will become home to the university's basketball programs and serve as a multi-purpose assembly center for hoops and community events.
Wright expects to tip off in the new gym next fall. He also expects to make the building a cornerstone in recruiting efforts in the meantime.
"They no longer can say we don't have the facility," said Wright. "That's part of building this program back to respectability."
Constructed by Lincoln Builders at a cost of about $19 million, the HPER building will have game-seating capacity of 7,500 - and approximately 9,000 for other events like graduation, which has traditionally been held outdoors.
g g g
At long last, a new beginning for Grambling hoops
August 6, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Larry Wright was recruited into Grambling State back in the 1970s with the promise of a new basketball facility.
Thirty years later, he was still talking about the proposed building when he took over as the GSU men’s coach.
In many ways, Wright didn’t know if it would ever happen.
He’d played at Memorial Gymnasium for the late legendary former GSU coach Fred Hobdy. Since 1999, he’s coached every one of his own home games there.
So the long-awaited 160,450-foot facility that’s slowly been rising on the western side of campus was all the more remarkable.
"It’s a dream come true, to see Grambling have a good facility like everybody else," Wright said. "Years ago when I came to Grambling, that facility was in the works. They were talking about it even back then."
A ribbon cutting and official dedication ceremony for the new basketball arena is set for 1 p.m. today.
"Finally," Wright says, still marvelling, "we get to see it open."
The project was envisioned during the administration of Joseph Johnson, who served as GSU president from 1977-1991, but it didn’t pick up steam until 1994 — when legislation was finally passed to issue $1 million in bonds.
Work never began. Another decade passed before $17 million in top-priority bonds was approved in 2004 to fund construction, with another $6.75 million set aside for use when needed.
The Shreveport-based Newman Marchive Partnership firm then began consctruction two years ago.
It’s about more than basketball, though. The arena also houses the university’s kinesiology sport and leisure studies department, faculty offices, the athletic ticket office, a weight room, dance studio, concessions areas and the team store.
A crowd of more than 6,000 was given a sneak preview of the facility during local memorial services for the GSU’s late former football coach Eddie Robinson last month.
So finally will the next group of Grambling hoops recruits, a long-made promise turned real.
"When you go into a kid’s home, you can talk to them about the school, the tradition of your school, and everything else," Wright said, "but in the end that kid wants to see where we are going to play. To have to take a kid to our former gym, it was not up to par with what everybody else has. At one time, Memorial was one of the best facilities in our conference. But now it’s the worst. We are just glad to have a new one."
g g g
It's home, sweet home for GSU basketball teams
Ribbon-cutting for new facility set to be held today
May 19, 2007
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING -- Larry Wright was recruited into Grambling State back in the 1970s with the promise of a new basketball facility.
Thirty years later, he was still talking about the proposed building when he took over as the GSU men's coach.
In many ways, Wright didn't know if it would ever happen.
He'd played at Memorial Gymnasium for the late legendary former GSU coach Fred Hobdy. Since 1999, he's coached every one of his own home games there.
So the long-awaited 160,450-foot facility that's slowly been rising on the western side of campus was all the more remarkable.
"It's a dream come true, to see Grambling have a good facility like everybody else," Wright said. "Years ago when I came to Grambling, that facility was in the works. They were talking about it even back then."
A ribbon cutting and official dedication ceremony for the new basketball arena is set for 1 p.m. today.
"Finally," Wright says, still marveling, "we get to see it open."
The project was envisioned during the administration of Joseph Johnson, who served as GSU president from 1977-1991, but it didn't pick up steam until 1994 — when legislation was finally passed to issue $1 million in bonds.
Work never began. Another decade passed before $17 million in top-priority bonds was approved in 2004 to fund construction, with another $6.75 million set aside for use when needed.
The Shreveport-based Newman Marchive Partnership firm then began construction two years ago.
It's about more than basketball, though. The arena also houses the university's kinesiology sport and leisure studies department, faculty offices, the athletic ticket office, a weight room, dance studio, concessions areas and the team store.
A crowd of more than 6,000 was given a sneak preview of the facility during local memorial services for the GSU's late former football coach Eddie Robinson last month.
So finally will the next group of Grambling hoops recruits, a long-made promise turned real.
"When you go into a kid's home, you can talk to them about the school, the tradition of your school, and everything else," Wright said, "but in the end that kid wants to see where we are going to play. To have to take a kid to our former gym, it was not up to par with what everybody else has. At one time, Memorial was one of the best facilities in our conference. But now it's the worst. We are just glad to have a new one."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
