In memory: David Lewis made a personal impact at Grambling
June 20, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
For me, next season's Grambling home football opener -- no matter the outcome -- will be a somber experience.
Absent from the Robinson Stadium pressbox will be David Lee Lewis, who died last week and was honored during a memorial on Thursday morning in Ruston.
A criminal justice professor at GSU for two decades before retiring a few years back, Lewis was one of those quietly important contributors, even if few outside of his classroom or "The Rob" ever knew it.
And, I'm honored to say, he was my friend.
Lewis was remembered during those emotional services as a mentor to scores of criminal justice majors, emerging leaders-in-the-making who went out into the world to make it a better place. And as a force behind countless community efforts, including those to erect a museum in honor of Grambling's late football coaching legend, Eddie Robinson.
Lewis was a tireless volunteer, a deeply committed soldier, for Grambling, for Lincoln Parish, for America. His so-called "retirement" never lessened that passion.
He was also, as a longtime scoreboard operator at GSU, a guy I knew as a student of the game who scouted pro football referees. He could expertly spot the ball on an inside running play with one eye -- even while still focusing on the pressbox vittles with the other.
Generous and sharp, David Lewis was a steady presence, the voice of reason, but also a deeply humorous guy. He once correctly predicted, within 20 people, the abysmal attendance at a meaningless out-of-conference game -- and I still owe him some money on that.
In fact, I never covered a GSU game at Robinson Stadium without Lewis at the scoreboard, and we never missed an opportunity to trade barbs, stories and quips. He bested me every time.
Still, while he could see the intrinsic humor in life, David Lewis was never a frivilous person. His standards were high, sometimes impossibly so. Lewis had a sharp focus, and a serious one, on leaving this place better than he found it, and for honoring those who did what was right.
He was instrumental, for instance, in helping to secure the former women's gymnasium as the future home for exhibits in memory of Robinson. Countless students, friends and family members spoke on Thursday of similar efforts in their own lives, gestures often made away from public notice.
Mr. Lewis' commitment to service and pride in citizenship touched students and family alike. His son Bobby -- one of five children he often lovingly mentioned -- was serving in the war on terror when he heard of Lewis' passing.
The list of boards and associations he had served on was read aloud during Lewis' funeral, and it took a remarkable amount of time. But Lewis, known to those closest to him as "Big Daddy," always had a moment for his children, for his grandchildren, for his students, for his school.
He coordinated local youth activities, sent out notes and cards on special occasions, and worked diligently to promote and protect community programs -- touching hundreds of young people's lives. And that was on top of a 20-year tenure as a professor and then the criminal justice department's undergraduate program director at GSU.
It seemed fitting that Dr. Ruby Higgins, a former GSU administrative official and dear friend of Lewis', would suggest on Thursday that an endowed scholarship be established in his honor. Lewis, though he never made the cover of Sports Illustrated, wove himself into the very fabric of Grambling.
The dizzying achievements of Robinson, former basketball coach and athletics director Fred Hobdy or second school president R.W.E. Jones have been, at least more recently, well documented in publications like that.
But it takes an every-day attention to detail by a cast of thousands to stitch together a legacy like Grambling's. There are others who made smaller contributions that were, if not as widely recognized, just as important on a personal level.
Mr. Lewis was one of those people. He'll be missed.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The time that ... Maurice Clarett considered a transfer to Grambling
Wait for greatness?: Reports have Clarett pondering move to GSU
September 9, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling State's Doug Williams spent all day talking about Maurice Clarett - perhaps the nation's best collegiate runner, but perhaps one without a school.
A writer from ESPN called. Some of Williams' friends in the National Football League, too. And a lot - a whole lot - of college representatives.
Both Williams and GSU athletics director Albert Dennis confirmed that they had not heard from the sophomore running back on Monday.
In fact, the only person Williams didn't talk to, he joked, was Clarett.
"That's been the talk of the day," Williams said, chuckling. "We've gotten calls from all over."
Clarett helped lead Ohio State to its first national championship since 1970 last season - and has been in trouble with the NCAA ever since.
Still, when the ESPN guy called, GSU's sixth-year coach was typically blunt: "I don't think a headache comes with the kid. He didn't shoot anybody. They didn't arrest him for drugs. He didn't rape anybody. Ain't no problem with the kid."
The New York Times broke a story this summer indicating that Clarett could have received preferential help with exams last season. Then the NCAA made inquiries into gifts that Clarett allegedly received that could be related to a possible relationship with an agent.
Clarett was held out of practices, then suspended for six games.
Next came a traffic stop, one where Clarett said he was "test driving" a car that was suspiciously loaded to the roof with video and stereo equipment. Then he gave a false report concerning who the stuff belonged to.
The NCAA is now investigating that - and there is some indication that Ohio State isn't optimistic about Clarett's eventual return.
News reports had Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel staging a team picture this Wednesday - with no spot saved for the troubled running back.
In steps NFL legend Jim Brown, who has become an advisor for the Clarett family - and is a friend of Doug Williams'.
On a Saturday night radio program, Brown strongly suggested - should Clarett be declared ineligible for the Buckeyes - that he consider transfer to Grambling State.
"I think that if the Claretts would consider transferring, Grambling would be an ideal situation for the kid," Brown told ESPN Radio's Bob Valvano. "Doug Williams is a great coach. He could hone his game. He'd be in school. It's a great situation. Doug would be perfect for the kid, but that's up to him and his mother."
If Clarett were to transfer down to I-AA Grambling, he would have to sit out the remainder of the 2003 season - but could start in 2004, setting himself up for a look in the NFL draft the following spring.
The earliest Clarett could be in Black and Gold would be the spring game of 2004 - but only after first serving whatever NCAA sanctions are eventually handed down. He would also have to enroll this year, and remain eligible to play throughout his suspension.
Williams says to be mentioned as a possible landing spot for what many thought would be a Heisman Trophy candidate speaks volumes about where the program is headed - and where it's been.
A third-straight Southwestern Athletic Conference championship in 2002 was just the latest signature moment, he reminds, in a Grambling State legacy that includes countless NFL draftees - and four Pro Football Hall of Famers.
"Grambling brings national visibility," Williams said, "even if we are I-AA. Scouts are coming here every day. That means he's getting everything that he would have gotten there - except 100,000 people at the game."
The talk of a new running back of Clarett's talent and speed would be welcome news for GSU team that's always trying to balance its offense.
Quarterback Bruce Eugene led Division I-AA in total offense and points scored - but he was also the team's second leading rusher. That trend remained on Saturday in the Tigers' first SWAC game of the year.
Williams can only imagine what it would mean to have Eugene handing off instead to Clarett - who had 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
"We don't have a Maurice Clarrett. It would be a big difference," Williams said. "It would take a lot of pressure off of Bruce. There's nothing I can do, but keep my phone line clear."
With that, Williams - understandably - excused himself and hung up.
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Ohio State officially releases Clarett, sparking local interest
September 10, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - The first in a sequence of events that could bring one of the nation's best collegiate running backs to an area school has happened.
Tuesday, Ohio State released Maurice Clarett - the hero of the Buckeyes' national championship game earlier this year - from his scholarship with the school. The move came hours after Clarett was charged with lying about items stolen from him in a borrowed car - part of a string of off-field problems since the Fiesta Bowl.
Northeastern Louisiana entered the narrative when the Clarett family's adviser in this matter, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, encouraged Clarett to transfer to Grambling State University - should he be released by Ohio State.
That happened on Tuesday - though NCAA penalties have yet to be decided.
Brown suggested Clarett's transfer over the weekend on an ESPN radio program, though no one at Grambling State has yet heard from him or his family.
"We could use him," said sixth-year GSU coach Doug Williams. "I don't think Ohio State would have won the national championship without Maurice Clarett."
Williams entered a Tuesday news conference dominated by talk of Clarett carrying a Tigers jersey with No. 13 on it. "That's what he would wear," he joked. "Isn't that what most of the questions will be about?"
Williams didn't have any more information about the possible move - though he met with his offensive coaches to discuss the possibility of having the talented rusher join the Tigers, who have just begun defending their third-consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference title.
"It would alter our offense to more of a running attack," Williams said, "and would take some pressure off of (junior quarterback) Bruce Eugene. It would give us a chance to win a fourth straight."
Clarett was charged, according to the Associated Press, with misdemeanor falsification, said Columbus, Ohio, city spokesman Scott Varner. If convicted, Clarett could face up to six months in a jail and a $1,000 fine.
Clarett had already been suspended indefinitely by the team after charges of academic irregularities and improper gifts. Ohio State has been working for more than two weeks on a response to several pages of allegations sent by the NCAA to the university.
New allegations of cash transactions were raised by a Cleveland television station on Monday. "It's out of our hands," Williams said of the latest charges. "That would be up to the NCAA."
If Clarett transferred to another Division I-A school, he would have to sit out a year in addition to any suspension or ineligibility handed down by the NCAA. He could transfer to a Division I-AA, II or III and be immediately eligible to play after the possible penalties.
Williams said Tuesday that he learned about Jim Brown's suggestion of a transfer - and of each new wrinkle in the Clarett case - from the Internet and news reports. He said Brown's faith in his coaching abilities was a tip of the hat to GSU.
"He has a lot of respect for what we have done here at Grambling," Williams said of Brown. "I think he feels, as an adviser, that Maurice would need someone he can relate to a lot better than some other places."
NCAA spokeswoman Kay Hawes would not speak to the Associated Press about the Clarett case but did say that if a suspended or ineligible player transferred, the athlete's new school would first have to declare him ineligible, and would then seek his reinstatement through the organization.
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NCAA leaves Clarett with trio of options
· Troubled running back hit with suspension, not banned from playing.
September 11, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The NCAA handed down a season-long suspension Wednesday for troubled Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, but didn't ban him from playing.
With an earlier release from the football team already announced, Clarett now faces three options:
· Give up collegiate football and go to class.
· Petition the NFL for early entry into the draft.
· Transfer to a Division I-AA school - some have said it might be Grambling State, where regulations state Clarett would be eligible to play his junior year before reaching the required age for pro draft.
Players must wait until three years after their high school graduation to enter the NFL. Clarett will be a sophomore this season.
GSU coach Doug Williams, who learned of Clarett's possible interest in the Tigers on the Internet, says the first two possibilities are unlikely - in particular, petitioning the NFL.
"The unfortunate part about challenging the rule," Williams said, "is that he would probably never get the opportunity to reap the benefits. The NFL would drag the case out so long, that he would be eligible for the draft anyway."
Jim Brown, a family advisor, first raised the possibility that the NCAA's most electrifying runner - Clarett scored the game-winning touchdown in the Fiesta Bowl on his last play for the Buckeyes - might transfer to the Lincoln Parish school to finish out his college eligibility.
That set off a national media maelstrom, including stories on ESPN and FOX, on the wire services and in most major newspapers.
Like Brown, Williams has insisted that Clarett needs more football experience - and that, sure, Grambling would be a great option - before the running back contemplating joining the NFL.
"It's silly to question Williams and Brown on this point," columnist Michael Wilbon wrote in the Wednesday edition of The Washington Post. "One is a Super Bowl MVP and the other the greatest football player ever."
Even so, Williams is not allowed by NCAA rule to contact Clarett.
"No, I'll call (current Grambling running backs) Ab Kuuan and Rueben Mays," Williams said, and laughed loudly.
So, he remains pragmatic. "Even if (Clarett) comes here," Williams said, "he'll still have to serve the suspension that the NCAA has imposed upon him."
Clarett, who is accused of lying to the NCAA, school investigators and the police through a series of troubles this off-season, will get to keep his scholarship at Ohio State, school officials said. But his attorney told the Associated Press: "He's considering his options right now."
The NCAA and Ohio State continue to investigate Clarett. The school has been working for more than two weeks on a response to a multi-page set of allegations from the NCAA.
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Clarett turns focus to NFL
· Suspended RB will now try to enter pro league; GSU still waiting on a call.
September 15, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
There's a reason why Grambling State coach Doug Williams didn't hear from suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett this week.
"My lines must be down," Williams joked. "They ain't ringing."
No, Clarett - who was being encouraged by family advisor Jim Brown to transfer to GSU - has decided to ask that the NFL change its eligibility rules instead.
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday that Clarett's attorneys have requested that he be allowed to play early. Tagliabue said NFL lawyers would discuss the situation, perhaps next week.
The NFL stipulates that players wait three years after high school graduation to play. Clarett, who was suspended for one year this week over various NCAA violations, is a sophomore.
This signals the presumptive end to a flirtation with GSU that began with a phone call from an old friend of Williams'.
Jacksonville Jaguars executive James "Shack" Harris, a Carroll High and GSU alum, asked Williams on Sept. 7 what he thought of Clarett.
"We talk all the time," Williams said, so he thought nothing of it. "I told him I think he is a hell of a running back. He said, `OK, I'll call you back.' Evidently, he and (Clarett family advisor) Jim Brown had been talking."
When Williams got home, he discovered just what that call meant while browsing the World Wide Web.
"You go to the Internet, you find out that Maurice was considering coming to Grambling," Williams said. "I didn't know that's what James was talking about. I'm thinking that Jacksonville was trying to find a way to get him into camp."
Williams met with his offensive coaches early last week, as the buzz about the Buckeye got louder.
A running back of his caliber, Williams said, would have meant a change in the team's pass-oriented scheme behind SWAC offensive player of the week Bruce Eugene.
"We would find a way to throw it as much as we ran it. We had talked about giving it to him 25 to 30 times. But all that was hypothetical. Now, we'll just have to throw it 60," he said, and chuckled.
Tagliabue told the AP that the NFL remains opposed to changing its age restriction, instituted 13 years ago with the agreement of the Players' Association.
Reporters also asked Tagliabue, a former NFL lawyer, about the possibility of the rule being overturned by a lawsuit: "My feeling as commissioner is that we have a very strong case and that we'll win it."
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NCAA checks GSU's actions over Clarett
September 25, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Troubled football star Maurice Clarett apparently won't be coming to Grambling State University, but the NCAA could be.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is investigating comments made by coach Doug Williams concerning the suspended Ohio State running back - indicating that they could have been a violation of recruiting rules.
Both Williams and GSU athletics director Al Dennis have consistently said they never spoke to Clarett - who was widely reported in early September to be considering a transfer down to the Division I-AA school.
But the inquiry refers to a section of the regulations stipulating that colleges may not contact a student-athlete at another NCAA or NAIA four-year institution - even indirectly - without written permission from the player's current athletics director.
Specifically mentioned is an article posted at www.thenewsstar.com on Sept. 9 and a televised news conference the next day on campus. "They are saying that we indirectly made contact with the kid" through the media, Dennis said.
GSU received notice in a letter from Chris Strobel, the NCAA's director of enforcement for secondary infractions, on Sept. 15 asking for more information.
"All of these comments attributed to him were in response to questions being asked," Dennis said - noting that the story appeared nationally on ESPN when Clarett family adviser Jim Brown mentioned Grambling State as a possible transfer option.
Dennis also confirmed that Grambling State never received any clearance to talk to Clarett and GSU wasn't seeking it. "When all of this broke, our registration was already closed. He wasn't coming to Grambling, anyway," Dennis said.
Calls to Strobel were not returned on Wednesday. The letter doesn't mention possible sanctions or a deadline for responding.
"I'm puzzled by the idea that we would get a letter, if there was no contact by either party," Williams said.
He then said he suspects that entering a Sept. 9 news conference while carrying a No. 13 GSU jersey sparked this inquiry. Clarett wore that number at Ohio State.
"I was poking fun at the local media that I see every week," Williams said. "This is very small. There are a whole lot of things that have happened with Clarett that are bigger than poking fun with a No. 13 jersey. I find it hard to believe."
The jersey, Dennis reminds, belongs to current Grambling State punter Darien Morgan.
"This wasn't an attempt to contact Clarett," Dennis said. "If he's asked a question - would you like to have a player of Clarett's ability on your team? - can that be construed as trying to contact him? We don't see it that way."
Clarett has since apparently decided to forgo the rest of his college eligibility, announcing his would sue for early entry into the NFL draft this week.
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Transcript from Sept. 9 news conference at GSU
September 25, 2003
Coach Doug Williams enters as media members discuss possible Maurice Clarett transfer to Grambling State)
Williams: Good morning. Hot topic, today, huh? By the way, I brought a jersey today. (Holds up No. 13 GSU jersey.) You probably didn't think I had a No. 13. That's what he'd wear!
The News-Star's Nick Deriso: What are you talking about coach? Who?
(Laughter)
Williams: I don't know! That's what all the questions are going to be about this morning, ain't they?
(More laughter.)
After opening comments about the previous week's opponent, Alcorn State.
KTBS-Shreveport's Tim Fletcher: Coach, have you heard from Maurice Clarett?
The (Ruston) Daily Leader's O.K. Davis: Or anybody associated with him?
Williams: No, the only thing I've heard was actually this morning on ESPN. From what I've heard on ESPN, it doesn't sound like he's going to play anywhere. From what they said, Ohio State has supposedly finished their report and they realized he had taken some cash - which would probably make him ineligible anywhere he would go. That's what I heard this morning on ESPN.
Davis: So he's not going to Southern, either.
Williams: That's good news. (GSU assistants) Coach Spears and I, Coach White and Coach Hayes, were in there yesterday talking about our game plan, thinking about our running attack, to take some pressure off Bruce Eugene. But now, we just got to go back to doing what we've been doing.
Davis: If that report is true, would most schools back off?
Williams: That would be out of our hands. All of that would NCAA's business.
Fletcher: What would be the advantage of him coming to Grambling?
Williams: We'd have Maurice Clarett - and a lot of other people wouldn't. We could use him. If you look at it, 1,267 yards and 16 TDs - I don't think Ohio State would have won the national championship without Maurice Clarett. I figure, if we had him, it would give us a chance to win a fourth straight.
Fletcher: What's the advantage for Maurice?
Williams: Gives him an opportunity to play and help us win a championship - and to continue his education.
Davis: Would you run him more than five times a game?
Williams: We would find a way to throw it as much as we ran it. We had talked about giving it to him 25 to 30 times. But all that was hypothetical. Now that we probably won't have him, we'll just have to throw it 60.
Unidentified television reporter: I'm just curious what your reaction was when you heard about all this.
Williams: Actually, it was surprising. Saturday morning, (Jacksonville Jaguars executive) James Harris called me - he and I talk all the time. Evidently, he and (Clarett family adviser) Jim Brown had been talking. He called me and asked me what I thought about Clarett. I didn't know exactly what he was talking about. I said, I think he's a hell of running back. (Laughter). He said, I'll call you back. The next thing I know, when I get home, you go to the Internet and find out that Maurice considered coming to Grambling. That's what James was talking about when he asked me what I thought. I was thinking that the Jacksonville Jaguars were trying to figure out a way to get him to camp. Actually, he and Jim Brown had been talking, if his family agreed and if everything was all right at Ohio State, that he could transfer here.
Fletcher: Jim Brown mentioned specifically how playing for you would be an advantage. How did that make you feel?
Williams: I've known Jim for some time and I've got a lot of respect for him - and he has a lot of respect for what we have done here at Grambling. As the adviser, he felt like Maurice would need somebody he could go and relate to a lot better than at other places.
(After several comments about appealing the NFL Draft rule and the next week's opponent, Alabama A&M, Williams gets up to leave.)
Fletcher: One more about Clarett. What's your plan now? Do you just sit back and wait, or you gonna call James Harris or call Jim Brown?
Williams: No, I'm gonna call (GSU running backs) Ab Kuaan and Rueben Mays. That's what I've got. (More laughter.) That's what I've got to work with. That's all I can do. Right now, Clarett does not bother me, because I never talked to him, never talked to his family, never talked to Jim Brown. I never imagined having the kid in the backfield, No. 1 -
Davis: You weren't going to have him this year anyway.
Williams: No. Even if he came here, he still has to go by the suspension that the NCAA imposes upon him. There was no reason to get happy about having him, unless it was for next year.
RECRUITING RULE IN QUESTION
An athletics staff member or other representative of the institution's athletics interest shall not make contact with the student-athlete of another NCAA or NAIA four-year collegiate institution, directly or indirectly, without first obtaining the written permission of the first institution's athletics director (or an athletics administrator designated by the athletics director) to do so, regardless of who makes the initial contact. If permission is not granted, the second institution shall not encourage the transfer and the institution shall not provide financial assistance to the student-athlete until the student-athlete has attended the second institution for one academic year. If permission is granted to contact the student athlete, all applicable NCAA recruiting rules apply.
THE NCAA'S LETTER TO GRAMBLING
Dear Mr. Dennis,
This is in regard to information that was obtained by this office, which indicates a violation of NCAA recruiting legislation may have occurred in the institution's football program.
Specifically, in an online article of The News-Star on September 9, 2003, and during a televised press conference on September 10, 2003, head football coach Doug Williams indirectly contacted four-year college prospective student-athlete Maurice Clarett. In the article and during the press conference, Mr. Williams confirmed his interest in having Mr. Clarett transfer to the institution and discussed how Mr. Clarett's talent would be a valuable asset to the football program. Unless the institution previously had received written permission to contact Mr. Clarett from Ohio State University, it appears a violation of NCAA Bylaw 13.1.1.3 has occurred. If written permission to contact had been received from Ohio State University, then Mr. Williams' comments appear to have violated NCAA Bylaws 13.11.6 and/or 13.11.8
In order that complete and accurate information is on file with the enforcement department, it would be appreciated if you would review this information and submit the results of our inquiry into writing. In responding, please provide a statement indicating whether the above information is accurate. In order to support your response, please provide (1) a statement from Mr. Williams; (2) a copy of the permission to contact form provided by Ohio State University to the institution, if any; and (3) a statement indicating whether the institution believes it has violated NCAA legislation in this matter.
I appreciate your assistance in the review of this matter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely, Christopher S. Strobel Director of Enforcement for Secondary Infractions
Note: The bylaws 13.11.6 and/or 13.11.8 do not apply to Grambling State, because the school says it does not have written permission from Ohio State to talk to Clarett. These rules, in general, deal with the way signings are announced to the media once permission has been granted.
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Williams says talk about Clarett helped university
September 25, 2003
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - "People are talking about Grambling," sixth-year coach Doug Williams said, smiling and shaking his head at more talk of Maurice Clarett - a story that broke over this tiny country school like a thunderclap.
Williams was congenial over the past few weeks - answering every question about the troubled Ohio State star, often tossing out one-liners, regularly reminding all those assembled that he hadn't spoken to Clarett and trying to turn the conversation back to the games at hand.
Still, the questions came.
Are you going to call Maurice Clarett?
No, I'm going to call (GSU running backs) Ab Kuuan and Reuben Mays.
Have you heard from Maurice Clarett?
My lines must be down. They ain't ringing.
Now, it appears Williams shouldn't have been so quick with the quip. The NCAA has made an inquiry, saying Williams' comments to the media might be a violation of their recruiting regulations.
"I think the NCAA is too serious about finding a violation," Williams said. "The rule they cite is so vague."
They call it indirect contact - a no-no, because schools are forbidden by rule from talking to athletes without permission from their current university's administrators.
Williams calls it PR.
"It was spreading like wildfire," Williams said of the news. "I don't know if the university really understands the impact of the publicity that Grambling got. We were across the country every day! That was good publicity."
He's defiant in his denial of tampering: "I didn't call him. He didn't call me."
That wasn't the point.
Now, there is no question that Williams would have been happy to have Clarett - baggage or no baggage.
Williams hasn't brought GSU back to SWAC dominance - back to challenging the nation's best Division I-AA school until the waning moments of last Saturday's game - with players of destiny.
He's done it with players who've had problems - but, more importantly, had desire.
Williams and his coordinators have coached up for so long, it is hard to believe their offices haven't levitated to the top floor of the Stadium Support Facility.
It wasn't always like that.
Eddie Robinson's GSU was a flickering beacon of opportunity, the place where the best and brightest of those under America's boot heel came to make their names.
But, as this country moved deeper into the second half of the last century, different opportunities opened up for blacks. The desire to win overcame other, more hateful impulses. African-Americans not only were recruited, but starred on college teams in towns where they once dared not stop for gas.
This coincided with the fading of the Southwestern Athletic Conference as a place where the obvious black talents resided.
The Doug Williamses, the Walter Paytons, the Jerry Rices, the Steve McNairs came along less frequently. They didn't have to play at historically black schools to get noticed.
There's an oddly powerful joy in that - if only because every athlete is now entitled to an audition, if not a place in the team photo.
It's odd, though, because - as with everything in America - there was a cost: With a vast majority of what they call "draftables" already cashing in on scholarships from schools that promise an alphabet soup of success (TV, PR and BCS), what's left for Grambling?
GSU is not going to get a Maurice Clarett on the way up. They're going to get him on the way down, if they get him at all.
In the modern period, the Tigers win or lose with those who are left. Lately, it's been mostly winning - thus, Clarett's apparent interest in transferring to GSU after a rocky end at Ohio State.
He wasn't coming. We now know that.
Williams looked like he knew it from the beginning, so he was enjoying the spotlight as it dilated on his alma mater.
He considered the hullabaloo much about something, all right: Recruiting. And not Maurice Clarett.
Robinson constructed the Grambling legend with the pick of the African-American talent pool. But a Buck Buchanan (the first pick in the 1963 AFL draft) or a Tank Younger (the future four-time NFL Pro Bowler between 1951-55) may as well be biblical figures to today's youngsters.
You've got to do whatever you can, Williams says, to get the word out about your program - even a storied one like Grambling State.
Willie Davis? Charlie Joiner?? Heck, the average new recruits were learning their ABCs when Doug was hoisting the Super Bowl MVP trophy with Washington.
But Clarett, without ever running a single yard, gave Grambling State currency. Kids today would notice if collegiate football's best runner last year - the national championship's crowned prince - was even hinting at joining this country school.
It meant Grambling State had arrived. Again.
The news of this inquiry will travel just as fast, marking as it does the first time Williams has stepped into any possible NCAA trouble as a head coach at GSU.
Should something come of this initial investigation, it could hurt Williams' chances at moving on to a job at a larger program. Generally, the toughest NCAA sanctions for a I-AA school involve limiting recruitment - a particularly cruel irony.
But, for now, it's hard to argue with Williams' logic: "I'm trying to help my school. The NCAA probably needs to be dealing with something else, you know? Clarett never went to class here. He didn't get stopped here in his car. There are a whole lot of other things they need to worry about, rather than Grambling."
Nick Deriso is sports editor at The News-Star, 411 N. Fourth St., Monroe, La., 71201. An online archive of his columns is at www. thenewsstar.com/nickderiso. You can contact him at (318) 362-0234 or at nderiso@thenewsstar.com.
COMMENTS ON CLARETT A FOCUS
The NCAA inquiry specifically mentions a story posted Sept. 9 at www.thenewsstar.com. Here are Grambling State coach Doug Williams' comments from that piece:
"That's been the talk of the day," Williams said, chuckling. "We've gotten calls from all over."
"Grambling brings national visibility, even if we are I-AA. Scouts are coming here every day. That means he's getting everything that he would have gotten there - except 100,000 people at the game."
"We don't have a Maurice Clarett. It would be a big difference. It would take a lot of pressure off of (GSU quarterback) Bruce (Eugene). There's nothing I can do, but keep my phone line clear."
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Grambling: NCAA problems began with jersey
September 26, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING- While the NCAA apparently views the event as "isolated or inadvertent" - and, thus, not as serious - Grambling State coach Doug Williams still can't believe he got in trouble over a jersey.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has begun an inquiry into possible "indirect contact" with Maurice Clarett at GSU.
The NCAA specifically mentioned a news conference - part of which later aired nationally on ESPN - where Williams entered carrying a Grambling State jersey with the suspended Ohio State runner's number on it.
"What," Williams said, "is `indirectly contacting' someone? If I had talked to (Clarett family adviser) Jim Brown and said: `We want him.' That's contacting him. But holding up a jersey? Something is wrong with this picture."
Prospective schools must get permission from an athlete's current athletics director before they can talk to transfers. Brown had said publicly that he favored a transfer down to Division I-AA Grambling State for the soon-to-be-suspended star.
"I came in a little light-heartedly," Williams said. "I knew a lot questions were going to be coming about the Clarett situation."
The good news for Grambling State is that the infraction has been referred to Chris Strobel, who is the NCAA's director of enforcement for secondary infractions.
There is a significantly lower threshold of penalty for those violations. Post-season penalties, for instance, are reserved for major infractions.
"We won't have any comments about the specific situation," said Kay Hawes, the NCAA's associate director of media relations. "It's NCAA policy not to comment on current and on-going investigations."
But being as the letter came out of the office of secondary infractions, what is at stake for GSU comes into sharper focus.
A secondary infraction, as defined in the NCAA Bylaw 19.02.2, "is one that is isolated or inadvertent in nature, provides or is intended to provide only a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage and does not include any significant recruiting inducement or extra benefit."
Like holding a jersey up in a news conference.
"It shouldn't have even been an issue with Grambling," Williams said. "That jersey did not have `Clarett' on it. If I had put his name on the back of the jersey, that would have been a different thing. I would have agreed with them wholeheartedly."
As outlined in NCAA Bylaw 19.5.1, the stiffest sentence handed down for these lower-level infractions would involve Williams - who could be restricted from recruiting trips for one year or perhaps suspended for one or more games.
The school could also face fines up to $5,000 or lose financial aid scholarships. Most of the other penalties do not apply because Clarett never suited up for Grambling State.
Still, those are a lot of possible headaches over the exhibition of a jersey, something Williams said was meant to be a joke.
"We have a No. 13 in every color," he said. "That's the bottom line. We didn't go out and buy it."
Yet, GSU officials contend that this footage, recorded at a local news conference then shown on ESPN, is largely responsible for the NCAA inquiry.
"It makes it look like, the way ESPN showed it, that he was saying that we want Clarett," athletics director Al Dennis said. "That jersey belongs to our punter, Darien Morgan."
Williams has one more bone to pick: The tape didn't include his comments.
"Not a word was spoken," Williams said, meaning the NCAA couldn't have known the context to go with those images. "All they saw was No. 13 - and they interpreted it any way they wanted to."
While no deadline has been set for GSU's response, Dennis said he hopes to have the school's response ready to send today.
Also mentioned in the letter of inquiry was a related story posted at www.thenewsstar.com on Sept. 9, called "A Wait for Greatness."
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Grambling avoids NCAA penalties
December 20, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The NCAA, as first reported at www.thenewsstar.com, has completed its inquiry into comments about troubled running back Maurice Clarett made by Grambling State University coach Doug Williams and will not penalize the school.
GSU is, however, required to give updated training on indirect contact with a prospective player and review NCAA policy on recruiting, GSU athletics director Al Dennis said.
Kay Hawes, the National Collegiate Athletic Association's associate director of media relations, said the association has a standing policy not to comment on investigations.
"They disagreed with us that there was a secondary violation," Dennis said of the NCAA. "So, we will go back over our education process and use that press conference as an example to show how things can go wrong."
Lane Howell, the school's rules compliance officer, will touch on these rules during monthly meetings.
The NCAA issued a letter of inquiry to GSU on Sept. 15 after Williams answered interview questions concerning the possible transfer of the former Ohio State running back. The school was asked to explain comments first published by The News-Star's Web site - and images that later appeared on ESPN.
The inquiry referred to a section of the regulations stipulating that colleges may not contact a student-athlete at another NCAA or NAIA four-year institution - even indirectly - without written permission from the player's current athletics director.
"Our intent was never to make contact with the young man," Dennis said. "But because of the way the report went out, they still felt it was a violation."
The NCAA reviewed a tape of the Sept. 9 news conference, a printed transcript and other material submitted by Grambling State before ruling that a secondary infraction occurred.
These infractions, as defined in the NCAA Bylaw 19.02.2, are those that are "isolated or inadvertent in nature, provide or are intended to provide only a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage and do not include any significant recruiting inducement or extra benefit."
There is a significantly lower threshold of penalty for secondary violations. Post-season penalties, for instance, are reserved for major infractions.
As outlined in NCAA Bylaw 19.5.1, the stiffest sentence handed down for these lower-level infractions would have involved Williams - who could have been restricted from recruiting trips for one year or perhaps suspended for one or more games. The school could also have faced fines up to $5,000 or lost financial aid scholarships.
Williams has said he suspects that entering the news conference while carrying a No. 13 Grambling jersey sparked the inquiry. Clarett, who then was reportedly considering a transfer and remains suspended from the Ohio State football team, wore that number.
September 9, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
Grambling State's Doug Williams spent all day talking about Maurice Clarett - perhaps the nation's best collegiate runner, but perhaps one without a school.
A writer from ESPN called. Some of Williams' friends in the National Football League, too. And a lot - a whole lot - of college representatives.
Both Williams and GSU athletics director Albert Dennis confirmed that they had not heard from the sophomore running back on Monday.
In fact, the only person Williams didn't talk to, he joked, was Clarett.
"That's been the talk of the day," Williams said, chuckling. "We've gotten calls from all over."
Clarett helped lead Ohio State to its first national championship since 1970 last season - and has been in trouble with the NCAA ever since.
Still, when the ESPN guy called, GSU's sixth-year coach was typically blunt: "I don't think a headache comes with the kid. He didn't shoot anybody. They didn't arrest him for drugs. He didn't rape anybody. Ain't no problem with the kid."
The New York Times broke a story this summer indicating that Clarett could have received preferential help with exams last season. Then the NCAA made inquiries into gifts that Clarett allegedly received that could be related to a possible relationship with an agent.
Clarett was held out of practices, then suspended for six games.
Next came a traffic stop, one where Clarett said he was "test driving" a car that was suspiciously loaded to the roof with video and stereo equipment. Then he gave a false report concerning who the stuff belonged to.
The NCAA is now investigating that - and there is some indication that Ohio State isn't optimistic about Clarett's eventual return.
News reports had Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel staging a team picture this Wednesday - with no spot saved for the troubled running back.
In steps NFL legend Jim Brown, who has become an advisor for the Clarett family - and is a friend of Doug Williams'.
On a Saturday night radio program, Brown strongly suggested - should Clarett be declared ineligible for the Buckeyes - that he consider transfer to Grambling State.
"I think that if the Claretts would consider transferring, Grambling would be an ideal situation for the kid," Brown told ESPN Radio's Bob Valvano. "Doug Williams is a great coach. He could hone his game. He'd be in school. It's a great situation. Doug would be perfect for the kid, but that's up to him and his mother."
If Clarett were to transfer down to I-AA Grambling, he would have to sit out the remainder of the 2003 season - but could start in 2004, setting himself up for a look in the NFL draft the following spring.
The earliest Clarett could be in Black and Gold would be the spring game of 2004 - but only after first serving whatever NCAA sanctions are eventually handed down. He would also have to enroll this year, and remain eligible to play throughout his suspension.
Williams says to be mentioned as a possible landing spot for what many thought would be a Heisman Trophy candidate speaks volumes about where the program is headed - and where it's been.
A third-straight Southwestern Athletic Conference championship in 2002 was just the latest signature moment, he reminds, in a Grambling State legacy that includes countless NFL draftees - and four Pro Football Hall of Famers.
"Grambling brings national visibility," Williams said, "even if we are I-AA. Scouts are coming here every day. That means he's getting everything that he would have gotten there - except 100,000 people at the game."
The talk of a new running back of Clarett's talent and speed would be welcome news for GSU team that's always trying to balance its offense.
Quarterback Bruce Eugene led Division I-AA in total offense and points scored - but he was also the team's second leading rusher. That trend remained on Saturday in the Tigers' first SWAC game of the year.
Williams can only imagine what it would mean to have Eugene handing off instead to Clarett - who had 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
"We don't have a Maurice Clarrett. It would be a big difference," Williams said. "It would take a lot of pressure off of Bruce. There's nothing I can do, but keep my phone line clear."
With that, Williams - understandably - excused himself and hung up.
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Ohio State officially releases Clarett, sparking local interest
September 10, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - The first in a sequence of events that could bring one of the nation's best collegiate running backs to an area school has happened.
Tuesday, Ohio State released Maurice Clarett - the hero of the Buckeyes' national championship game earlier this year - from his scholarship with the school. The move came hours after Clarett was charged with lying about items stolen from him in a borrowed car - part of a string of off-field problems since the Fiesta Bowl.
Northeastern Louisiana entered the narrative when the Clarett family's adviser in this matter, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, encouraged Clarett to transfer to Grambling State University - should he be released by Ohio State.
That happened on Tuesday - though NCAA penalties have yet to be decided.
Brown suggested Clarett's transfer over the weekend on an ESPN radio program, though no one at Grambling State has yet heard from him or his family.
"We could use him," said sixth-year GSU coach Doug Williams. "I don't think Ohio State would have won the national championship without Maurice Clarett."
Williams entered a Tuesday news conference dominated by talk of Clarett carrying a Tigers jersey with No. 13 on it. "That's what he would wear," he joked. "Isn't that what most of the questions will be about?"
Williams didn't have any more information about the possible move - though he met with his offensive coaches to discuss the possibility of having the talented rusher join the Tigers, who have just begun defending their third-consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference title.
"It would alter our offense to more of a running attack," Williams said, "and would take some pressure off of (junior quarterback) Bruce Eugene. It would give us a chance to win a fourth straight."
Clarett was charged, according to the Associated Press, with misdemeanor falsification, said Columbus, Ohio, city spokesman Scott Varner. If convicted, Clarett could face up to six months in a jail and a $1,000 fine.
Clarett had already been suspended indefinitely by the team after charges of academic irregularities and improper gifts. Ohio State has been working for more than two weeks on a response to several pages of allegations sent by the NCAA to the university.
New allegations of cash transactions were raised by a Cleveland television station on Monday. "It's out of our hands," Williams said of the latest charges. "That would be up to the NCAA."
If Clarett transferred to another Division I-A school, he would have to sit out a year in addition to any suspension or ineligibility handed down by the NCAA. He could transfer to a Division I-AA, II or III and be immediately eligible to play after the possible penalties.
Williams said Tuesday that he learned about Jim Brown's suggestion of a transfer - and of each new wrinkle in the Clarett case - from the Internet and news reports. He said Brown's faith in his coaching abilities was a tip of the hat to GSU.
"He has a lot of respect for what we have done here at Grambling," Williams said of Brown. "I think he feels, as an adviser, that Maurice would need someone he can relate to a lot better than some other places."
NCAA spokeswoman Kay Hawes would not speak to the Associated Press about the Clarett case but did say that if a suspended or ineligible player transferred, the athlete's new school would first have to declare him ineligible, and would then seek his reinstatement through the organization.
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NCAA leaves Clarett with trio of options
· Troubled running back hit with suspension, not banned from playing.
September 11, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The NCAA handed down a season-long suspension Wednesday for troubled Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, but didn't ban him from playing.
With an earlier release from the football team already announced, Clarett now faces three options:
· Give up collegiate football and go to class.
· Petition the NFL for early entry into the draft.
· Transfer to a Division I-AA school - some have said it might be Grambling State, where regulations state Clarett would be eligible to play his junior year before reaching the required age for pro draft.
Players must wait until three years after their high school graduation to enter the NFL. Clarett will be a sophomore this season.
GSU coach Doug Williams, who learned of Clarett's possible interest in the Tigers on the Internet, says the first two possibilities are unlikely - in particular, petitioning the NFL.
"The unfortunate part about challenging the rule," Williams said, "is that he would probably never get the opportunity to reap the benefits. The NFL would drag the case out so long, that he would be eligible for the draft anyway."
Jim Brown, a family advisor, first raised the possibility that the NCAA's most electrifying runner - Clarett scored the game-winning touchdown in the Fiesta Bowl on his last play for the Buckeyes - might transfer to the Lincoln Parish school to finish out his college eligibility.
That set off a national media maelstrom, including stories on ESPN and FOX, on the wire services and in most major newspapers.
Like Brown, Williams has insisted that Clarett needs more football experience - and that, sure, Grambling would be a great option - before the running back contemplating joining the NFL.
"It's silly to question Williams and Brown on this point," columnist Michael Wilbon wrote in the Wednesday edition of The Washington Post. "One is a Super Bowl MVP and the other the greatest football player ever."
Even so, Williams is not allowed by NCAA rule to contact Clarett.
"No, I'll call (current Grambling running backs) Ab Kuuan and Rueben Mays," Williams said, and laughed loudly.
So, he remains pragmatic. "Even if (Clarett) comes here," Williams said, "he'll still have to serve the suspension that the NCAA has imposed upon him."
Clarett, who is accused of lying to the NCAA, school investigators and the police through a series of troubles this off-season, will get to keep his scholarship at Ohio State, school officials said. But his attorney told the Associated Press: "He's considering his options right now."
The NCAA and Ohio State continue to investigate Clarett. The school has been working for more than two weeks on a response to a multi-page set of allegations from the NCAA.
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Clarett turns focus to NFL
· Suspended RB will now try to enter pro league; GSU still waiting on a call.
September 15, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
There's a reason why Grambling State coach Doug Williams didn't hear from suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett this week.
"My lines must be down," Williams joked. "They ain't ringing."
No, Clarett - who was being encouraged by family advisor Jim Brown to transfer to GSU - has decided to ask that the NFL change its eligibility rules instead.
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday that Clarett's attorneys have requested that he be allowed to play early. Tagliabue said NFL lawyers would discuss the situation, perhaps next week.
The NFL stipulates that players wait three years after high school graduation to play. Clarett, who was suspended for one year this week over various NCAA violations, is a sophomore.
This signals the presumptive end to a flirtation with GSU that began with a phone call from an old friend of Williams'.
Jacksonville Jaguars executive James "Shack" Harris, a Carroll High and GSU alum, asked Williams on Sept. 7 what he thought of Clarett.
"We talk all the time," Williams said, so he thought nothing of it. "I told him I think he is a hell of a running back. He said, `OK, I'll call you back.' Evidently, he and (Clarett family advisor) Jim Brown had been talking."
When Williams got home, he discovered just what that call meant while browsing the World Wide Web.
"You go to the Internet, you find out that Maurice was considering coming to Grambling," Williams said. "I didn't know that's what James was talking about. I'm thinking that Jacksonville was trying to find a way to get him into camp."
Williams met with his offensive coaches early last week, as the buzz about the Buckeye got louder.
A running back of his caliber, Williams said, would have meant a change in the team's pass-oriented scheme behind SWAC offensive player of the week Bruce Eugene.
"We would find a way to throw it as much as we ran it. We had talked about giving it to him 25 to 30 times. But all that was hypothetical. Now, we'll just have to throw it 60," he said, and chuckled.
Tagliabue told the AP that the NFL remains opposed to changing its age restriction, instituted 13 years ago with the agreement of the Players' Association.
Reporters also asked Tagliabue, a former NFL lawyer, about the possibility of the rule being overturned by a lawsuit: "My feeling as commissioner is that we have a very strong case and that we'll win it."
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NCAA checks GSU's actions over Clarett
September 25, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - Troubled football star Maurice Clarett apparently won't be coming to Grambling State University, but the NCAA could be.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is investigating comments made by coach Doug Williams concerning the suspended Ohio State running back - indicating that they could have been a violation of recruiting rules.
Both Williams and GSU athletics director Al Dennis have consistently said they never spoke to Clarett - who was widely reported in early September to be considering a transfer down to the Division I-AA school.
But the inquiry refers to a section of the regulations stipulating that colleges may not contact a student-athlete at another NCAA or NAIA four-year institution - even indirectly - without written permission from the player's current athletics director.
Specifically mentioned is an article posted at www.thenewsstar.com on Sept. 9 and a televised news conference the next day on campus. "They are saying that we indirectly made contact with the kid" through the media, Dennis said.
GSU received notice in a letter from Chris Strobel, the NCAA's director of enforcement for secondary infractions, on Sept. 15 asking for more information.
"All of these comments attributed to him were in response to questions being asked," Dennis said - noting that the story appeared nationally on ESPN when Clarett family adviser Jim Brown mentioned Grambling State as a possible transfer option.
Dennis also confirmed that Grambling State never received any clearance to talk to Clarett and GSU wasn't seeking it. "When all of this broke, our registration was already closed. He wasn't coming to Grambling, anyway," Dennis said.
Calls to Strobel were not returned on Wednesday. The letter doesn't mention possible sanctions or a deadline for responding.
"I'm puzzled by the idea that we would get a letter, if there was no contact by either party," Williams said.
He then said he suspects that entering a Sept. 9 news conference while carrying a No. 13 GSU jersey sparked this inquiry. Clarett wore that number at Ohio State.
"I was poking fun at the local media that I see every week," Williams said. "This is very small. There are a whole lot of things that have happened with Clarett that are bigger than poking fun with a No. 13 jersey. I find it hard to believe."
The jersey, Dennis reminds, belongs to current Grambling State punter Darien Morgan.
"This wasn't an attempt to contact Clarett," Dennis said. "If he's asked a question - would you like to have a player of Clarett's ability on your team? - can that be construed as trying to contact him? We don't see it that way."
Clarett has since apparently decided to forgo the rest of his college eligibility, announcing his would sue for early entry into the NFL draft this week.
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Transcript from Sept. 9 news conference at GSU
September 25, 2003
Coach Doug Williams enters as media members discuss possible Maurice Clarett transfer to Grambling State)
Williams: Good morning. Hot topic, today, huh? By the way, I brought a jersey today. (Holds up No. 13 GSU jersey.) You probably didn't think I had a No. 13. That's what he'd wear!
The News-Star's Nick Deriso: What are you talking about coach? Who?
(Laughter)
Williams: I don't know! That's what all the questions are going to be about this morning, ain't they?
(More laughter.)
After opening comments about the previous week's opponent, Alcorn State.
KTBS-Shreveport's Tim Fletcher: Coach, have you heard from Maurice Clarett?
The (Ruston) Daily Leader's O.K. Davis: Or anybody associated with him?
Williams: No, the only thing I've heard was actually this morning on ESPN. From what I've heard on ESPN, it doesn't sound like he's going to play anywhere. From what they said, Ohio State has supposedly finished their report and they realized he had taken some cash - which would probably make him ineligible anywhere he would go. That's what I heard this morning on ESPN.
Davis: So he's not going to Southern, either.
Williams: That's good news. (GSU assistants) Coach Spears and I, Coach White and Coach Hayes, were in there yesterday talking about our game plan, thinking about our running attack, to take some pressure off Bruce Eugene. But now, we just got to go back to doing what we've been doing.
Davis: If that report is true, would most schools back off?
Williams: That would be out of our hands. All of that would NCAA's business.
Fletcher: What would be the advantage of him coming to Grambling?
Williams: We'd have Maurice Clarett - and a lot of other people wouldn't. We could use him. If you look at it, 1,267 yards and 16 TDs - I don't think Ohio State would have won the national championship without Maurice Clarett. I figure, if we had him, it would give us a chance to win a fourth straight.
Fletcher: What's the advantage for Maurice?
Williams: Gives him an opportunity to play and help us win a championship - and to continue his education.
Davis: Would you run him more than five times a game?
Williams: We would find a way to throw it as much as we ran it. We had talked about giving it to him 25 to 30 times. But all that was hypothetical. Now that we probably won't have him, we'll just have to throw it 60.
Unidentified television reporter: I'm just curious what your reaction was when you heard about all this.
Williams: Actually, it was surprising. Saturday morning, (Jacksonville Jaguars executive) James Harris called me - he and I talk all the time. Evidently, he and (Clarett family adviser) Jim Brown had been talking. He called me and asked me what I thought about Clarett. I didn't know exactly what he was talking about. I said, I think he's a hell of running back. (Laughter). He said, I'll call you back. The next thing I know, when I get home, you go to the Internet and find out that Maurice considered coming to Grambling. That's what James was talking about when he asked me what I thought. I was thinking that the Jacksonville Jaguars were trying to figure out a way to get him to camp. Actually, he and Jim Brown had been talking, if his family agreed and if everything was all right at Ohio State, that he could transfer here.
Fletcher: Jim Brown mentioned specifically how playing for you would be an advantage. How did that make you feel?
Williams: I've known Jim for some time and I've got a lot of respect for him - and he has a lot of respect for what we have done here at Grambling. As the adviser, he felt like Maurice would need somebody he could go and relate to a lot better than at other places.
(After several comments about appealing the NFL Draft rule and the next week's opponent, Alabama A&M, Williams gets up to leave.)
Fletcher: One more about Clarett. What's your plan now? Do you just sit back and wait, or you gonna call James Harris or call Jim Brown?
Williams: No, I'm gonna call (GSU running backs) Ab Kuaan and Rueben Mays. That's what I've got. (More laughter.) That's what I've got to work with. That's all I can do. Right now, Clarett does not bother me, because I never talked to him, never talked to his family, never talked to Jim Brown. I never imagined having the kid in the backfield, No. 1 -
Davis: You weren't going to have him this year anyway.
Williams: No. Even if he came here, he still has to go by the suspension that the NCAA imposes upon him. There was no reason to get happy about having him, unless it was for next year.
RECRUITING RULE IN QUESTION
An athletics staff member or other representative of the institution's athletics interest shall not make contact with the student-athlete of another NCAA or NAIA four-year collegiate institution, directly or indirectly, without first obtaining the written permission of the first institution's athletics director (or an athletics administrator designated by the athletics director) to do so, regardless of who makes the initial contact. If permission is not granted, the second institution shall not encourage the transfer and the institution shall not provide financial assistance to the student-athlete until the student-athlete has attended the second institution for one academic year. If permission is granted to contact the student athlete, all applicable NCAA recruiting rules apply.
THE NCAA'S LETTER TO GRAMBLING
Dear Mr. Dennis,
This is in regard to information that was obtained by this office, which indicates a violation of NCAA recruiting legislation may have occurred in the institution's football program.
Specifically, in an online article of The News-Star on September 9, 2003, and during a televised press conference on September 10, 2003, head football coach Doug Williams indirectly contacted four-year college prospective student-athlete Maurice Clarett. In the article and during the press conference, Mr. Williams confirmed his interest in having Mr. Clarett transfer to the institution and discussed how Mr. Clarett's talent would be a valuable asset to the football program. Unless the institution previously had received written permission to contact Mr. Clarett from Ohio State University, it appears a violation of NCAA Bylaw 13.1.1.3 has occurred. If written permission to contact had been received from Ohio State University, then Mr. Williams' comments appear to have violated NCAA Bylaws 13.11.6 and/or 13.11.8
In order that complete and accurate information is on file with the enforcement department, it would be appreciated if you would review this information and submit the results of our inquiry into writing. In responding, please provide a statement indicating whether the above information is accurate. In order to support your response, please provide (1) a statement from Mr. Williams; (2) a copy of the permission to contact form provided by Ohio State University to the institution, if any; and (3) a statement indicating whether the institution believes it has violated NCAA legislation in this matter.
I appreciate your assistance in the review of this matter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely, Christopher S. Strobel Director of Enforcement for Secondary Infractions
Note: The bylaws 13.11.6 and/or 13.11.8 do not apply to Grambling State, because the school says it does not have written permission from Ohio State to talk to Clarett. These rules, in general, deal with the way signings are announced to the media once permission has been granted.
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Williams says talk about Clarett helped university
September 25, 2003
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING - "People are talking about Grambling," sixth-year coach Doug Williams said, smiling and shaking his head at more talk of Maurice Clarett - a story that broke over this tiny country school like a thunderclap.
Williams was congenial over the past few weeks - answering every question about the troubled Ohio State star, often tossing out one-liners, regularly reminding all those assembled that he hadn't spoken to Clarett and trying to turn the conversation back to the games at hand.
Still, the questions came.
Are you going to call Maurice Clarett?
No, I'm going to call (GSU running backs) Ab Kuuan and Reuben Mays.
Have you heard from Maurice Clarett?
My lines must be down. They ain't ringing.
Now, it appears Williams shouldn't have been so quick with the quip. The NCAA has made an inquiry, saying Williams' comments to the media might be a violation of their recruiting regulations.
"I think the NCAA is too serious about finding a violation," Williams said. "The rule they cite is so vague."
They call it indirect contact - a no-no, because schools are forbidden by rule from talking to athletes without permission from their current university's administrators.
Williams calls it PR.
"It was spreading like wildfire," Williams said of the news. "I don't know if the university really understands the impact of the publicity that Grambling got. We were across the country every day! That was good publicity."
He's defiant in his denial of tampering: "I didn't call him. He didn't call me."
That wasn't the point.
Now, there is no question that Williams would have been happy to have Clarett - baggage or no baggage.
Williams hasn't brought GSU back to SWAC dominance - back to challenging the nation's best Division I-AA school until the waning moments of last Saturday's game - with players of destiny.
He's done it with players who've had problems - but, more importantly, had desire.
Williams and his coordinators have coached up for so long, it is hard to believe their offices haven't levitated to the top floor of the Stadium Support Facility.
It wasn't always like that.
Eddie Robinson's GSU was a flickering beacon of opportunity, the place where the best and brightest of those under America's boot heel came to make their names.
But, as this country moved deeper into the second half of the last century, different opportunities opened up for blacks. The desire to win overcame other, more hateful impulses. African-Americans not only were recruited, but starred on college teams in towns where they once dared not stop for gas.
This coincided with the fading of the Southwestern Athletic Conference as a place where the obvious black talents resided.
The Doug Williamses, the Walter Paytons, the Jerry Rices, the Steve McNairs came along less frequently. They didn't have to play at historically black schools to get noticed.
There's an oddly powerful joy in that - if only because every athlete is now entitled to an audition, if not a place in the team photo.
It's odd, though, because - as with everything in America - there was a cost: With a vast majority of what they call "draftables" already cashing in on scholarships from schools that promise an alphabet soup of success (TV, PR and BCS), what's left for Grambling?
GSU is not going to get a Maurice Clarett on the way up. They're going to get him on the way down, if they get him at all.
In the modern period, the Tigers win or lose with those who are left. Lately, it's been mostly winning - thus, Clarett's apparent interest in transferring to GSU after a rocky end at Ohio State.
He wasn't coming. We now know that.
Williams looked like he knew it from the beginning, so he was enjoying the spotlight as it dilated on his alma mater.
He considered the hullabaloo much about something, all right: Recruiting. And not Maurice Clarett.
Robinson constructed the Grambling legend with the pick of the African-American talent pool. But a Buck Buchanan (the first pick in the 1963 AFL draft) or a Tank Younger (the future four-time NFL Pro Bowler between 1951-55) may as well be biblical figures to today's youngsters.
You've got to do whatever you can, Williams says, to get the word out about your program - even a storied one like Grambling State.
Willie Davis? Charlie Joiner?? Heck, the average new recruits were learning their ABCs when Doug was hoisting the Super Bowl MVP trophy with Washington.
But Clarett, without ever running a single yard, gave Grambling State currency. Kids today would notice if collegiate football's best runner last year - the national championship's crowned prince - was even hinting at joining this country school.
It meant Grambling State had arrived. Again.
The news of this inquiry will travel just as fast, marking as it does the first time Williams has stepped into any possible NCAA trouble as a head coach at GSU.
Should something come of this initial investigation, it could hurt Williams' chances at moving on to a job at a larger program. Generally, the toughest NCAA sanctions for a I-AA school involve limiting recruitment - a particularly cruel irony.
But, for now, it's hard to argue with Williams' logic: "I'm trying to help my school. The NCAA probably needs to be dealing with something else, you know? Clarett never went to class here. He didn't get stopped here in his car. There are a whole lot of other things they need to worry about, rather than Grambling."
Nick Deriso is sports editor at The News-Star, 411 N. Fourth St., Monroe, La., 71201. An online archive of his columns is at www. thenewsstar.com/nickderiso. You can contact him at (318) 362-0234 or at nderiso@thenewsstar.com.
COMMENTS ON CLARETT A FOCUS
The NCAA inquiry specifically mentions a story posted Sept. 9 at www.thenewsstar.com. Here are Grambling State coach Doug Williams' comments from that piece:
"That's been the talk of the day," Williams said, chuckling. "We've gotten calls from all over."
"Grambling brings national visibility, even if we are I-AA. Scouts are coming here every day. That means he's getting everything that he would have gotten there - except 100,000 people at the game."
"We don't have a Maurice Clarett. It would be a big difference. It would take a lot of pressure off of (GSU quarterback) Bruce (Eugene). There's nothing I can do, but keep my phone line clear."
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Grambling: NCAA problems began with jersey
September 26, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING- While the NCAA apparently views the event as "isolated or inadvertent" - and, thus, not as serious - Grambling State coach Doug Williams still can't believe he got in trouble over a jersey.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has begun an inquiry into possible "indirect contact" with Maurice Clarett at GSU.
The NCAA specifically mentioned a news conference - part of which later aired nationally on ESPN - where Williams entered carrying a Grambling State jersey with the suspended Ohio State runner's number on it.
"What," Williams said, "is `indirectly contacting' someone? If I had talked to (Clarett family adviser) Jim Brown and said: `We want him.' That's contacting him. But holding up a jersey? Something is wrong with this picture."
Prospective schools must get permission from an athlete's current athletics director before they can talk to transfers. Brown had said publicly that he favored a transfer down to Division I-AA Grambling State for the soon-to-be-suspended star.
"I came in a little light-heartedly," Williams said. "I knew a lot questions were going to be coming about the Clarett situation."
The good news for Grambling State is that the infraction has been referred to Chris Strobel, who is the NCAA's director of enforcement for secondary infractions.
There is a significantly lower threshold of penalty for those violations. Post-season penalties, for instance, are reserved for major infractions.
"We won't have any comments about the specific situation," said Kay Hawes, the NCAA's associate director of media relations. "It's NCAA policy not to comment on current and on-going investigations."
But being as the letter came out of the office of secondary infractions, what is at stake for GSU comes into sharper focus.
A secondary infraction, as defined in the NCAA Bylaw 19.02.2, "is one that is isolated or inadvertent in nature, provides or is intended to provide only a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage and does not include any significant recruiting inducement or extra benefit."
Like holding a jersey up in a news conference.
"It shouldn't have even been an issue with Grambling," Williams said. "That jersey did not have `Clarett' on it. If I had put his name on the back of the jersey, that would have been a different thing. I would have agreed with them wholeheartedly."
As outlined in NCAA Bylaw 19.5.1, the stiffest sentence handed down for these lower-level infractions would involve Williams - who could be restricted from recruiting trips for one year or perhaps suspended for one or more games.
The school could also face fines up to $5,000 or lose financial aid scholarships. Most of the other penalties do not apply because Clarett never suited up for Grambling State.
Still, those are a lot of possible headaches over the exhibition of a jersey, something Williams said was meant to be a joke.
"We have a No. 13 in every color," he said. "That's the bottom line. We didn't go out and buy it."
Yet, GSU officials contend that this footage, recorded at a local news conference then shown on ESPN, is largely responsible for the NCAA inquiry.
"It makes it look like, the way ESPN showed it, that he was saying that we want Clarett," athletics director Al Dennis said. "That jersey belongs to our punter, Darien Morgan."
Williams has one more bone to pick: The tape didn't include his comments.
"Not a word was spoken," Williams said, meaning the NCAA couldn't have known the context to go with those images. "All they saw was No. 13 - and they interpreted it any way they wanted to."
While no deadline has been set for GSU's response, Dennis said he hopes to have the school's response ready to send today.
Also mentioned in the letter of inquiry was a related story posted at www.thenewsstar.com on Sept. 9, called "A Wait for Greatness."
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Grambling avoids NCAA penalties
December 20, 2003
By NICK DERISO
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
The NCAA, as first reported at www.thenewsstar.com, has completed its inquiry into comments about troubled running back Maurice Clarett made by Grambling State University coach Doug Williams and will not penalize the school.
GSU is, however, required to give updated training on indirect contact with a prospective player and review NCAA policy on recruiting, GSU athletics director Al Dennis said.
Kay Hawes, the National Collegiate Athletic Association's associate director of media relations, said the association has a standing policy not to comment on investigations.
"They disagreed with us that there was a secondary violation," Dennis said of the NCAA. "So, we will go back over our education process and use that press conference as an example to show how things can go wrong."
Lane Howell, the school's rules compliance officer, will touch on these rules during monthly meetings.
The NCAA issued a letter of inquiry to GSU on Sept. 15 after Williams answered interview questions concerning the possible transfer of the former Ohio State running back. The school was asked to explain comments first published by The News-Star's Web site - and images that later appeared on ESPN.
The inquiry referred to a section of the regulations stipulating that colleges may not contact a student-athlete at another NCAA or NAIA four-year institution - even indirectly - without written permission from the player's current athletics director.
"Our intent was never to make contact with the young man," Dennis said. "But because of the way the report went out, they still felt it was a violation."
The NCAA reviewed a tape of the Sept. 9 news conference, a printed transcript and other material submitted by Grambling State before ruling that a secondary infraction occurred.
These infractions, as defined in the NCAA Bylaw 19.02.2, are those that are "isolated or inadvertent in nature, provide or are intended to provide only a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage and do not include any significant recruiting inducement or extra benefit."
There is a significantly lower threshold of penalty for secondary violations. Post-season penalties, for instance, are reserved for major infractions.
As outlined in NCAA Bylaw 19.5.1, the stiffest sentence handed down for these lower-level infractions would have involved Williams - who could have been restricted from recruiting trips for one year or perhaps suspended for one or more games. The school could also have faced fines up to $5,000 or lost financial aid scholarships.
Williams has said he suspects that entering the news conference while carrying a No. 13 Grambling jersey sparked the inquiry. Clarett, who then was reportedly considering a transfer and remains suspended from the Ohio State football team, wore that number.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Recruiting: Grambling's 2008 signing day class
Here are Grambling State University's announced football signees, with same-day analysis, from National Signing Day in February 2008:
Grambling sought to solve its problems up front
February 7, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING -- Grambling State wore down up front last season, ending 2007 by losing its final three games.
That made second-year GSU coach Rod Broadway's mission clear as National Signing Day approached.
Offensive linemen, and more offensive linemen. And more offensive linemen.
"We took guys that we thought could come in and help us," Broadway said. "We didn't go out and just recruit. We knew we had to go out and get some linemen -- which we did."
Did they ever.
Grambling signed three Louisiana offensive linemen -- including Marksville's Demetrius Porter and Darius Rose and Julian Wyndon, both of Captain Shreve -- along with Georgia product Sanford Banks and Alabama native Quint Roberts.
And that's just the recruits who are 6-6 and under.
"We got seven guys, and most of them are 6-4, 6-5 and in the 300 pound range," Broadway said. "They are pretty athletic."
Grambling also added two behemoths in Chris Beardon, a 6-8, 300-pounder out of Georgia; and Greg McGrue, a 6-8, 260-pound Alabama native.
"We've taken some steps," Broadway said. "We need to bring in five or six every year, with the shortage that we feel we have. We can't do it in one recruiting class. It's going to take a couple to really fix that situation."
Broadway also added three prospects up front on defense, and expects to continue to collecting talent on that line, as well. He held back four scholarships, and said he expects as many as two defensive linemen from Florida, where he was a long-time assistant to Steve Spurrier in the 1990s.
GSU is also still pursuing in a kicker in the wake of Tim Manuel's departure. A pair of quarterbacks will provide depth, and push for playing time, behind returning seniors Brandon Landers and Larry Kerlegan. Grambling also signed three prep players with experience at linebacker, another position in need of depth.
Still, it's clear the focus was on the offensive line.
"It's no big secret what happened last season," Broadway said. "We knew what our problems were, and we've taken some steps to improve them. We think we've got some who can come in here and play for us next season, and hopefully there are some who can play two or three years for us. Hopefully, we can get to the point where are not depending on anybody to come in and play right away."
GRAMBLING STATE'S 2008 SIGNEES, DAY 1
Breakdown: 21 signees (15 offense, 6 defense)
Sleeper: Grambling came away with the area's best-kept secret, Rayville quarterback Justin Higgins -- a duel-threat to run and pass, but also to play and stay eligible.
Sudden impact: An offensive line that wore down late in 2007 has been radically remade.
One that got away: Grambling was actually pursuing a pair of kickers, a position of need, but ended Wednesday without one.
Instant analysis: Second-year Grambling coach Rod Broadway took a different approach than his predecessor, signing a smaller, more targeted class. He said he wanted depth a several positions, most notably on the offensive line, and the class perfectly mirrored that focus.
QUARTERBACK
Brendan Crawford, 6-5, 205, Chapin (El Paso, Texas) HS: Passed for 2,207 yards and 20 touchdowns, while also rushing for 466 yards and nine more scores.
Justin Higgins, 6-1, 190, Rayville (La.) HS: Former Louisiana Class 3A MVP; threw for 2,109 yards and 21 touchdowns, while running for 967 yards.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Crawford and Higgins provide the needed depth for a program entering 2008 with two seniors under center.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Sanford Banks, 6-5, 303, Carver (Columbus, Ga.) HS: One-star recruit, listed at 5:93 in the 40-yard dash by Scout.com. Rivals called Banks the No. 68 recruit in Georgia.
Chris Beardon, 6-8, 300, Towers (Stone Mountain, Ga.) HS: A one-star Scout.com prospect; a 2008 DeKalb County Football Coaches Association All-Star.
Greg McGrue, 6-8, 260, Huffman (Birmingham, Ala.) HS: A two-star Scout.com prospect, and ranked No. 34 overall in Alabama by Rivals.
Demetrius Porter, 6-5, 280, Marksville (La.) HS: Named Class 3A all-state; ranked as the 37th best prospect in Louisiana by Dandy Don's Football Recruiting Web site.
Quint Roberts, 6-6, 325, Anniston (Ala.) HS: Member of one of the top Alabama prep lines; participated in the 2007 Atlanta NIKE Rivals.com Combine.
Darius Rose, 6-6, 250, Captain Shreve (Shreveport, La.) HS: Honorable mention All-District; had previously committed Division II.
Julian Wyndon, 6-3, 315, Captain Shreve (Shreveport, La.) HS: An all-district performer last year for the 5A Louisiana school; helped his team to the LHSAA playoffs.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Grambling landed a few big fish in McGrue, Beardon and Roberts. Good thing: The entire line is likely to be rebuilt.
WB/TE/ATH
Nico Brown, 6-0, 160, Jonesboro-Hodge (La.) HS: Named honorable mention all-state WR; had 48 receptions for 479 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.
Elijah Dauzart, 6-1, 195, Peabody (Alexandria, La.) HS: Earned consecutive honorable-mention state Class 4A honors at WR; had 500 receiving yards and nine TDs.
Myron Hobbs, 6-3, 185, John Ehret (Marrero, La.) HS: WR averaged 17.4 yards per catch; Max Emfinger ranked Hobbs No. 13 in his Louisiana Super 75.
Donovan Moss, 6-4, 240, Shades Valley (Irondale, Ala.) HS: Targeted as a first-year TE project; teammate of fellow signee Van Phillips.
Van Phillips Jr., 6-2, 205, Shades Valley (Irondale, Ala.) HS: Lettered in four sports; tight end as a sophomore, he then switched to receiver.
Rodale Pippen, 6-0, 185, Halifax County (South Boston, Va.) HS: ATH, with 2,000 passing yards and 25 scores to go 500 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Hobbs could work his way onto the field quickly. Pippen looks like the kind of eye-popping phenom who can tear his way through lower-classification football.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Michael Harris, 6-2, 240, Bastrop (La.) HS: DT made 72 tackles with three sacks as a senior; part of three consecutive Class 4A state titles.
Devin Herd, 6-2, 260, Pineville (La.) HS: Class 4A all-state honorable mention; earned special mention honors on Jim Stefani's Underclassmen Recruiting Blog.
Sirderrick "Big Bear" Landreth, 6-2, 310, Huntington (Shreveport, La.) HS: A one-star Scout.com DT; helped his team to the Class 5A playoffs.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Grambling signed an all-Louisiana group in hopes of one day replacing emotional leader Jason Banks.
LB/DB
Maurice Crawford, 6-2, 245, Glenwood (Smiths, Ala.) HS: Selected first-team all-state at linebacker; finalist for the ASWA Mr. Football honor.
Naquan Smith, 6-1, 185, Mays (Atlanta, Ga.) HS: Second-team all-city; played both SS and LB; reports 77 tackles last season.
Stephan McCord, 6-2, 180, McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.) HS: Starting DB on the state's top-ranked defense; earned honorable mention all-region honors.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Each could see early playing time, since the loss of hard-hitting safety/linebacker Zaire "Pitbull" Wilborn left a big hole in this defense.
-- Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com
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Grambling recruiting notebook: Quarterback signees will make for intriguing fall
February 8, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Rayville's Justin Higgins, the state's most productive prep passer, could change the complexion of practices this fall at Grambling State.
He'll join a stable of quarterbacks that includes incumbent senior quarterback Brandon Landers and backup Larry Kerlegan — not to mention new signee Brendan Crawford of Chapin High in El Paso, Texas.
And right away, too.
"We're going to give everybody a chance; you've got to prove yourself every day," Grambling coach Rod Broadway said. "Brandon is our starter, but he's got to keep getting better. Justin might be the guy to make him better."
Landers, entering his fourth year as a starter, also prepped locally, at Carroll High.
A dual-threat, Higgins is coming off District 1-3A MVP honors, having passed for 2,100 yards while running for another 1,000. The agile Crawford, taller than the 6-1 Higgins by four inches, passed for 2,200 yards while rushing for 500, as well.
"We're quite hopeful that we can win with Brandon, but we are going to give Justin a chance, and we will give Crawford a chance to play," Broadway said, "and we will go with the best one we have."
In the end, however, Broadway said the focus of this recruiting period was protecting Landers, not replacing him.
"Brandon is not our problem; our problem is up front," Broadway said. "That kid showed a lot of courage, even while he got the heck beat out of him over the course of the year. When we protect him, he's a different player. We signed a couple, but we think he can be the guy."
<B>Home, sweet home:</B><B> </B>Grambling, undergoing that radical reconstruction on the offensive line, offered more than the chance to start for prep prospects.
"I liked the surroundings," said Sanford Banks, the 6-5, 303-pound Columbus, Ga., product. "It felt like it was home."
Same with Greg McGrue, the 6-8, 360-pounder from Birmingham, Ala.
"Grambling had everything I had been looking for," said Banks, who also reported interest from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Purdue and Southern Miss. "I really liked the campus and the support for me there."
Banks and McGrue were part of a seven-man class of linemen signed by Grambling on Wednesday.
"They told me I was at the top of their list," said Banks, who Scout said ran a 5.93 in the 40. "I think I have a great chance of starting, if I just work hard."
McGrue, a two-star Scout.com prospect, was listed at No. 34 overall in Alabama by Rivals. Banks was ranked No. 68 in Georgia by Rivals, which gave him one star.
Like many of the new faces on the GSU roster, McGrue first became aware of the program through its nationally televised annual rivalry game against Southern, the Bayou Classic. Growing up in Birmingham, he also had a chance to regularly see Grambling — which has appeared in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game, held in that city, five times since 2000.
"I've been going to the SWAC Championship, and just about every year, it seemed like it was Grambling," McGrue said. "Between that and the Bayou Classic, you just got to know all about the program and its history."
Last season, Grambling reversed a 3-8 record from 2006, but finished on a month-long swoon that included losses to ULM, Southern and then Jackson State in the SWAC title match.
Banks said he felt a rebuilt line could help GSU finish turning the corner.
"I see that they are heading in a great direction," Banks said. "That's another reason I chose them. The only way they can go is up. Grambling had a great season, but they can do better. It will be up to us newcomers to help the upper classmen bring that championship home."
CATCHING UP WITH VAN
Alabama signee Van Phillips Jr., the tallest receiver in this signing class, has the size Grambling has so often lacked over the past few years.
His dad, Van Phillips Sr., said he was also impressed with how Grambling's towering legacy continues to play out.
Phillips Sr. said his son was impressed by "the tradition of Coach Eddie Robinson, the growth of the university, the wholesomeness of the recruiting process, the spirit of unity between head coach Broadway and his assistants, how he was recruited by linebackers coach Andre Robinson (a Birmingham-area native) and receivers coach Sammy White — and the way the president of the university remained with the recruits after his presentation. All of that was very impressive. Finally, GSU talked more about life after football — the importance of a college degree."
A one-star recruit, Phillips said he also drew interest from Auburn, Middle Tennessee State, Memphis and Arkansas State, among others. Phillips Sr. said his son had five scholarship offers from other Division I programs.
Here is an updated list, with biographical information, from National Signing Day at Grambling State:
OL Sanford Banks, 6-5, 303, Carver (Columbus, Ga.) HS: One-star recruit, listed at 5:93 in the 40-yard dash by Scout.com. Rivals called Banks the No. 68 recruit in Georgia.
OT Chris Beardon, 6-8, 300, Towers (Stone Mountain, Ga.) HS: A one-star Scout.com prospect. Earned a spot in the 2008 DeKalb County Football Coaches Association All-Star Showcase.
WR/DB Nico Brown, 6-0, 160, Jonesboro-Hodge (La.) HS: Named Honorable Mention All-State by the LSWA; caught 48 receptions for 479 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.
QB Brendan Crawford, 6-5, 205, Chapin (El Paso, Texas) HS: Named to both the APSE and the TSWA Class 4A all-state team as an honorable mention. Lifted Chapin to second place in 1-4A after passing for 2,207 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also rushing for 466 yards and nine more scores.
LB Maurice Crawford, 6-2, 245, Glenwood (Smiths, AL) HS: Selected to the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State First team; participated in the AISA All-Star Game. A finalist for the ASWA Mr. Football honor; also a member of Glenwood's basketball team.
WR Elijah Dauzart, 6-1, 195, Peabody (Alexandria) HS: Earned consecutive honorable-mention state Class 4A honors. Had 38 catches for 500 yards and nine touchdowns; also plays basketball. Dauzart added 24 receptions for 372 yards and five touchdowns as a junior. PelicanPreps lists him at 4.74 in the 40-yard dash.
DE Michael Harris, 6-2, 240, Bastrop (La.) HS: Made 72 tackles with three sacks as a senior; helped his team capture three consecutive Class 4A Louisiana state championships.
DL Devin Herd, 6-2, 260, Pineville (La.) HS: Named a 2006 Class 4A LSWA All-State honorable mention; earned special mention honors on Jim Stefani's Class of 2007 Underclassmen Recruiting Blog.
QB Justin Higgins, 6-1, 190, Rayville (La.) HS: Former Louisiana Class 3A MVP, is a duel-threat who threw for 2,109 passing yards and 21 touchdowns, while running for another 967 yards.
WR Myron Hobbs, 6-3, 185, John Ehret (Marrero) HS: One-star recruit, was an honorable mention Class 5A all-state selection. Hobbs averaged 17.4 yards per catch, with 732 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns last season. Max Emfinger, the respected scout, ranked Hobbs No. 13 in his Louisiana Super 75. Rivals.com reports a 4.52 time in the 40-yard dash
DT Sirderrick "Big Bear" Landreth, 6-2, 310, Huntington (Shreveport) HS: Scout.com, which gave the 6-2, 310-pound Landreth a one-star rating, had him at 5.0 in the 40-yard dash. Helped lead his team to the LHSAA Class 5A playoffs.
DB Stephan McCord, 6-2, 180, McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.) HS: Starter on the state's top-ranked defense; earned honorable mention all-region honors last season in which he returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a single game. Also ran track and played prep basketball. Brother of T.J. McCord, a Grambling defensive back.
OT Greg McGrue, 6-8, 260, Huffman (Birmingham, Ala) HS: A two-star Scout.com prospect, and ranked No. 34 overall in Alabama by Rivals -- which called McGrue a "massive offensive lineman with superior strength." Euns a 5.4 in the 40-yard dash and, with an 18 on his ACT and a 3.2 GPA, is eligible to play.
TE Donovan Moss, 6-4, 240, Shades Valley (Irondale, Ala.) HS: Targeted as a first-year project recruit; teammate of fellow signee Van Phillips. A key member of his school's basketball team.
WR Van Phillips Jr., 6-2, 205, Shades Valley (Irondale, Ala.) HS: Lettered in four sports, while maintaining a 3.2 GPA. A tight end as a sophomore, he switched to receiver and began bulking up from about 167 pounds.
ATH Rodale Pippen, 6-0, 185, Halifax County (South Boston, Va.) HS: Mulitple All-Western Valley District honoree. Had 2,000 passing yards and 25 scores to go 500 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns last year. Rivals reports a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash.
OL Demetrius Porter, 6-5, 280, Marksville (La.) HS: Named to the 2007 Class 3A LSWA All-State Team; participated in the 2007 Baton Rouge NIKE Rivals.com Combine. Ranked as the 37th best prospect in Louisiana by Dandy Don's Football Recruiting Web site.
OL Quint Roberts, 6-6, 325, Anniston (Ala.) HS: Member of one of the top Alabama prep lines; participated in the 2007 Atlanta NIKE Rivals.com Combine.
OT Darius Rose, 6-6, 250, Captain Shreve (Shreveport) HS: Honorable mention All-District. Had previously committed Division II.
SS/LB Naquan Smith, 6-1, 185, Mays (Atlanta, Ga.) HS: Second-team all-city and defensive player of the week by The Atlanta Journal Constitution as a junior, then honorable mention all-state last season. Reports a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash, with 77 tackles last season. MaxPreps also lists two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
OL Julian Wyndon, 6-3, 315, Captain Shreve (Shreveport) HS: An all-district performer last year for the 5A Louisiana school; helped lead his team to the LHSAA Class 5A playoffs.
Grambling sought to solve its problems up front
February 7, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING -- Grambling State wore down up front last season, ending 2007 by losing its final three games.
That made second-year GSU coach Rod Broadway's mission clear as National Signing Day approached.
Offensive linemen, and more offensive linemen. And more offensive linemen.
"We took guys that we thought could come in and help us," Broadway said. "We didn't go out and just recruit. We knew we had to go out and get some linemen -- which we did."
Did they ever.
Grambling signed three Louisiana offensive linemen -- including Marksville's Demetrius Porter and Darius Rose and Julian Wyndon, both of Captain Shreve -- along with Georgia product Sanford Banks and Alabama native Quint Roberts.
And that's just the recruits who are 6-6 and under.
"We got seven guys, and most of them are 6-4, 6-5 and in the 300 pound range," Broadway said. "They are pretty athletic."
Grambling also added two behemoths in Chris Beardon, a 6-8, 300-pounder out of Georgia; and Greg McGrue, a 6-8, 260-pound Alabama native.
"We've taken some steps," Broadway said. "We need to bring in five or six every year, with the shortage that we feel we have. We can't do it in one recruiting class. It's going to take a couple to really fix that situation."
Broadway also added three prospects up front on defense, and expects to continue to collecting talent on that line, as well. He held back four scholarships, and said he expects as many as two defensive linemen from Florida, where he was a long-time assistant to Steve Spurrier in the 1990s.
GSU is also still pursuing in a kicker in the wake of Tim Manuel's departure. A pair of quarterbacks will provide depth, and push for playing time, behind returning seniors Brandon Landers and Larry Kerlegan. Grambling also signed three prep players with experience at linebacker, another position in need of depth.
Still, it's clear the focus was on the offensive line.
"It's no big secret what happened last season," Broadway said. "We knew what our problems were, and we've taken some steps to improve them. We think we've got some who can come in here and play for us next season, and hopefully there are some who can play two or three years for us. Hopefully, we can get to the point where are not depending on anybody to come in and play right away."
GRAMBLING STATE'S 2008 SIGNEES, DAY 1
Breakdown: 21 signees (15 offense, 6 defense)
Sleeper: Grambling came away with the area's best-kept secret, Rayville quarterback Justin Higgins -- a duel-threat to run and pass, but also to play and stay eligible.
Sudden impact: An offensive line that wore down late in 2007 has been radically remade.
One that got away: Grambling was actually pursuing a pair of kickers, a position of need, but ended Wednesday without one.
Instant analysis: Second-year Grambling coach Rod Broadway took a different approach than his predecessor, signing a smaller, more targeted class. He said he wanted depth a several positions, most notably on the offensive line, and the class perfectly mirrored that focus.
QUARTERBACK
Brendan Crawford, 6-5, 205, Chapin (El Paso, Texas) HS: Passed for 2,207 yards and 20 touchdowns, while also rushing for 466 yards and nine more scores.
Justin Higgins, 6-1, 190, Rayville (La.) HS: Former Louisiana Class 3A MVP; threw for 2,109 yards and 21 touchdowns, while running for 967 yards.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Crawford and Higgins provide the needed depth for a program entering 2008 with two seniors under center.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Sanford Banks, 6-5, 303, Carver (Columbus, Ga.) HS: One-star recruit, listed at 5:93 in the 40-yard dash by Scout.com. Rivals called Banks the No. 68 recruit in Georgia.
Chris Beardon, 6-8, 300, Towers (Stone Mountain, Ga.) HS: A one-star Scout.com prospect; a 2008 DeKalb County Football Coaches Association All-Star.
Greg McGrue, 6-8, 260, Huffman (Birmingham, Ala.) HS: A two-star Scout.com prospect, and ranked No. 34 overall in Alabama by Rivals.
Demetrius Porter, 6-5, 280, Marksville (La.) HS: Named Class 3A all-state; ranked as the 37th best prospect in Louisiana by Dandy Don's Football Recruiting Web site.
Quint Roberts, 6-6, 325, Anniston (Ala.) HS: Member of one of the top Alabama prep lines; participated in the 2007 Atlanta NIKE Rivals.com Combine.
Darius Rose, 6-6, 250, Captain Shreve (Shreveport, La.) HS: Honorable mention All-District; had previously committed Division II.
Julian Wyndon, 6-3, 315, Captain Shreve (Shreveport, La.) HS: An all-district performer last year for the 5A Louisiana school; helped his team to the LHSAA playoffs.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Grambling landed a few big fish in McGrue, Beardon and Roberts. Good thing: The entire line is likely to be rebuilt.
WB/TE/ATH
Nico Brown, 6-0, 160, Jonesboro-Hodge (La.) HS: Named honorable mention all-state WR; had 48 receptions for 479 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.
Elijah Dauzart, 6-1, 195, Peabody (Alexandria, La.) HS: Earned consecutive honorable-mention state Class 4A honors at WR; had 500 receiving yards and nine TDs.
Myron Hobbs, 6-3, 185, John Ehret (Marrero, La.) HS: WR averaged 17.4 yards per catch; Max Emfinger ranked Hobbs No. 13 in his Louisiana Super 75.
Donovan Moss, 6-4, 240, Shades Valley (Irondale, Ala.) HS: Targeted as a first-year TE project; teammate of fellow signee Van Phillips.
Van Phillips Jr., 6-2, 205, Shades Valley (Irondale, Ala.) HS: Lettered in four sports; tight end as a sophomore, he then switched to receiver.
Rodale Pippen, 6-0, 185, Halifax County (South Boston, Va.) HS: ATH, with 2,000 passing yards and 25 scores to go 500 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Hobbs could work his way onto the field quickly. Pippen looks like the kind of eye-popping phenom who can tear his way through lower-classification football.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Michael Harris, 6-2, 240, Bastrop (La.) HS: DT made 72 tackles with three sacks as a senior; part of three consecutive Class 4A state titles.
Devin Herd, 6-2, 260, Pineville (La.) HS: Class 4A all-state honorable mention; earned special mention honors on Jim Stefani's Underclassmen Recruiting Blog.
Sirderrick "Big Bear" Landreth, 6-2, 310, Huntington (Shreveport, La.) HS: A one-star Scout.com DT; helped his team to the Class 5A playoffs.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Grambling signed an all-Louisiana group in hopes of one day replacing emotional leader Jason Banks.
LB/DB
Maurice Crawford, 6-2, 245, Glenwood (Smiths, Ala.) HS: Selected first-team all-state at linebacker; finalist for the ASWA Mr. Football honor.
Naquan Smith, 6-1, 185, Mays (Atlanta, Ga.) HS: Second-team all-city; played both SS and LB; reports 77 tackles last season.
Stephan McCord, 6-2, 180, McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.) HS: Starting DB on the state's top-ranked defense; earned honorable mention all-region honors.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: Each could see early playing time, since the loss of hard-hitting safety/linebacker Zaire "Pitbull" Wilborn left a big hole in this defense.
-- Nick Deriso, nderiso@thenewsstar.com
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Grambling recruiting notebook: Quarterback signees will make for intriguing fall
February 8, 2008
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
GRAMBLING — Rayville's Justin Higgins, the state's most productive prep passer, could change the complexion of practices this fall at Grambling State.
He'll join a stable of quarterbacks that includes incumbent senior quarterback Brandon Landers and backup Larry Kerlegan — not to mention new signee Brendan Crawford of Chapin High in El Paso, Texas.
And right away, too.
"We're going to give everybody a chance; you've got to prove yourself every day," Grambling coach Rod Broadway said. "Brandon is our starter, but he's got to keep getting better. Justin might be the guy to make him better."
Landers, entering his fourth year as a starter, also prepped locally, at Carroll High.
A dual-threat, Higgins is coming off District 1-3A MVP honors, having passed for 2,100 yards while running for another 1,000. The agile Crawford, taller than the 6-1 Higgins by four inches, passed for 2,200 yards while rushing for 500, as well.
"We're quite hopeful that we can win with Brandon, but we are going to give Justin a chance, and we will give Crawford a chance to play," Broadway said, "and we will go with the best one we have."
In the end, however, Broadway said the focus of this recruiting period was protecting Landers, not replacing him.
"Brandon is not our problem; our problem is up front," Broadway said. "That kid showed a lot of courage, even while he got the heck beat out of him over the course of the year. When we protect him, he's a different player. We signed a couple, but we think he can be the guy."
<B>Home, sweet home:</B><B> </B>Grambling, undergoing that radical reconstruction on the offensive line, offered more than the chance to start for prep prospects.
"I liked the surroundings," said Sanford Banks, the 6-5, 303-pound Columbus, Ga., product. "It felt like it was home."
Same with Greg McGrue, the 6-8, 360-pounder from Birmingham, Ala.
"Grambling had everything I had been looking for," said Banks, who also reported interest from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Purdue and Southern Miss. "I really liked the campus and the support for me there."
Banks and McGrue were part of a seven-man class of linemen signed by Grambling on Wednesday.
"They told me I was at the top of their list," said Banks, who Scout said ran a 5.93 in the 40. "I think I have a great chance of starting, if I just work hard."
McGrue, a two-star Scout.com prospect, was listed at No. 34 overall in Alabama by Rivals. Banks was ranked No. 68 in Georgia by Rivals, which gave him one star.
Like many of the new faces on the GSU roster, McGrue first became aware of the program through its nationally televised annual rivalry game against Southern, the Bayou Classic. Growing up in Birmingham, he also had a chance to regularly see Grambling — which has appeared in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game, held in that city, five times since 2000.
"I've been going to the SWAC Championship, and just about every year, it seemed like it was Grambling," McGrue said. "Between that and the Bayou Classic, you just got to know all about the program and its history."
Last season, Grambling reversed a 3-8 record from 2006, but finished on a month-long swoon that included losses to ULM, Southern and then Jackson State in the SWAC title match.
Banks said he felt a rebuilt line could help GSU finish turning the corner.
"I see that they are heading in a great direction," Banks said. "That's another reason I chose them. The only way they can go is up. Grambling had a great season, but they can do better. It will be up to us newcomers to help the upper classmen bring that championship home."
CATCHING UP WITH VAN
Alabama signee Van Phillips Jr., the tallest receiver in this signing class, has the size Grambling has so often lacked over the past few years.
His dad, Van Phillips Sr., said he was also impressed with how Grambling's towering legacy continues to play out.
Phillips Sr. said his son was impressed by "the tradition of Coach Eddie Robinson, the growth of the university, the wholesomeness of the recruiting process, the spirit of unity between head coach Broadway and his assistants, how he was recruited by linebackers coach Andre Robinson (a Birmingham-area native) and receivers coach Sammy White — and the way the president of the university remained with the recruits after his presentation. All of that was very impressive. Finally, GSU talked more about life after football — the importance of a college degree."
A one-star recruit, Phillips said he also drew interest from Auburn, Middle Tennessee State, Memphis and Arkansas State, among others. Phillips Sr. said his son had five scholarship offers from other Division I programs.
Here is an updated list, with biographical information, from National Signing Day at Grambling State:
OL Sanford Banks, 6-5, 303, Carver (Columbus, Ga.) HS: One-star recruit, listed at 5:93 in the 40-yard dash by Scout.com. Rivals called Banks the No. 68 recruit in Georgia.
OT Chris Beardon, 6-8, 300, Towers (Stone Mountain, Ga.) HS: A one-star Scout.com prospect. Earned a spot in the 2008 DeKalb County Football Coaches Association All-Star Showcase.
WR/DB Nico Brown, 6-0, 160, Jonesboro-Hodge (La.) HS: Named Honorable Mention All-State by the LSWA; caught 48 receptions for 479 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.
QB Brendan Crawford, 6-5, 205, Chapin (El Paso, Texas) HS: Named to both the APSE and the TSWA Class 4A all-state team as an honorable mention. Lifted Chapin to second place in 1-4A after passing for 2,207 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also rushing for 466 yards and nine more scores.
LB Maurice Crawford, 6-2, 245, Glenwood (Smiths, AL) HS: Selected to the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State First team; participated in the AISA All-Star Game. A finalist for the ASWA Mr. Football honor; also a member of Glenwood's basketball team.
WR Elijah Dauzart, 6-1, 195, Peabody (Alexandria) HS: Earned consecutive honorable-mention state Class 4A honors. Had 38 catches for 500 yards and nine touchdowns; also plays basketball. Dauzart added 24 receptions for 372 yards and five touchdowns as a junior. PelicanPreps lists him at 4.74 in the 40-yard dash.
DE Michael Harris, 6-2, 240, Bastrop (La.) HS: Made 72 tackles with three sacks as a senior; helped his team capture three consecutive Class 4A Louisiana state championships.
DL Devin Herd, 6-2, 260, Pineville (La.) HS: Named a 2006 Class 4A LSWA All-State honorable mention; earned special mention honors on Jim Stefani's Class of 2007 Underclassmen Recruiting Blog.
QB Justin Higgins, 6-1, 190, Rayville (La.) HS: Former Louisiana Class 3A MVP, is a duel-threat who threw for 2,109 passing yards and 21 touchdowns, while running for another 967 yards.
WR Myron Hobbs, 6-3, 185, John Ehret (Marrero) HS: One-star recruit, was an honorable mention Class 5A all-state selection. Hobbs averaged 17.4 yards per catch, with 732 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns last season. Max Emfinger, the respected scout, ranked Hobbs No. 13 in his Louisiana Super 75. Rivals.com reports a 4.52 time in the 40-yard dash
DT Sirderrick "Big Bear" Landreth, 6-2, 310, Huntington (Shreveport) HS: Scout.com, which gave the 6-2, 310-pound Landreth a one-star rating, had him at 5.0 in the 40-yard dash. Helped lead his team to the LHSAA Class 5A playoffs.
DB Stephan McCord, 6-2, 180, McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.) HS: Starter on the state's top-ranked defense; earned honorable mention all-region honors last season in which he returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a single game. Also ran track and played prep basketball. Brother of T.J. McCord, a Grambling defensive back.
OT Greg McGrue, 6-8, 260, Huffman (Birmingham, Ala) HS: A two-star Scout.com prospect, and ranked No. 34 overall in Alabama by Rivals -- which called McGrue a "massive offensive lineman with superior strength." Euns a 5.4 in the 40-yard dash and, with an 18 on his ACT and a 3.2 GPA, is eligible to play.
TE Donovan Moss, 6-4, 240, Shades Valley (Irondale, Ala.) HS: Targeted as a first-year project recruit; teammate of fellow signee Van Phillips. A key member of his school's basketball team.
WR Van Phillips Jr., 6-2, 205, Shades Valley (Irondale, Ala.) HS: Lettered in four sports, while maintaining a 3.2 GPA. A tight end as a sophomore, he switched to receiver and began bulking up from about 167 pounds.
ATH Rodale Pippen, 6-0, 185, Halifax County (South Boston, Va.) HS: Mulitple All-Western Valley District honoree. Had 2,000 passing yards and 25 scores to go 500 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns last year. Rivals reports a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash.
OL Demetrius Porter, 6-5, 280, Marksville (La.) HS: Named to the 2007 Class 3A LSWA All-State Team; participated in the 2007 Baton Rouge NIKE Rivals.com Combine. Ranked as the 37th best prospect in Louisiana by Dandy Don's Football Recruiting Web site.
OL Quint Roberts, 6-6, 325, Anniston (Ala.) HS: Member of one of the top Alabama prep lines; participated in the 2007 Atlanta NIKE Rivals.com Combine.
OT Darius Rose, 6-6, 250, Captain Shreve (Shreveport) HS: Honorable mention All-District. Had previously committed Division II.
SS/LB Naquan Smith, 6-1, 185, Mays (Atlanta, Ga.) HS: Second-team all-city and defensive player of the week by The Atlanta Journal Constitution as a junior, then honorable mention all-state last season. Reports a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash, with 77 tackles last season. MaxPreps also lists two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
OL Julian Wyndon, 6-3, 315, Captain Shreve (Shreveport) HS: An all-district performer last year for the 5A Louisiana school; helped lead his team to the LHSAA Class 5A playoffs.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The time that ... Grambling lobbied for the Heisman
On the campaign trail
Grambling hopes Eugene earns Heisman consideration
Nick's note: A sad conclusion came to this effort when Eugene went down in the third quarter of the 2004 opener with a season-ending knee injury. He would return for a record-smashing final campaign in 2005, however, leading Grambling to its 21st SWAC title.
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
July 7, 2004
GRAMBLING — Supporters from Grambling State are mounting a Heisman Trophy campaign for record-breaking senior quarterback Bruce Eugene.
It won't be easy.
"He's got an outstanding story," said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears, who recruited Eugene to Grambling. "You're talking about a guy who came out of the St. Thomas housing project (in New Orleans). It's a major feat if he's even considered in that company right now."
Eugene says making the list would be a great moment not only for himself, but for Grambling State.
"Being mentioned for an award like that lets me know that I'm doing what's being asked - and we're getting recognized," said Eugene, who has set GSU's single-season marks for yards, completions and TDs. "In the process, that helps other Grambling players get recognized and helps my school gets its name out there."
But, like all Division I-AA performers, Eugene will face an uphill battle for recognition by Heisman voters.
"I certainly feel that his accomplishments, his numbers, are worthy of the accolade," said former GSU quarterback James "Shack" Harris, vice president of player personnel for the Jacksonville Jaguars. "But realistically, the Heisman is not something he can win. It's not Bruce. It's the system."
Alcorn State standout Steve McNair remains the highest recent vote-getter from I-AA. He finished third in 1994 - only to go on to league MVP honors while the top two choices, Rashaan Salaam and Ki-Jana Carter, have struggled in the NFL. Doug Williams finished fourth in the 1977 Heisman voting behind eventual winner Earl Campbell.
"But the Heisman Trophy, when you think about it, honors the best player in college football - whatever the division," Spears said. "Does that mean the best guy in his conference, the best guy on his team or just the best guy? The question I pose is this: What if the best college football player does not play in Division I-A?"
Grambling State supporters will use technology to present that message.
Kenn Rashad - a 1990 GSU graduate best known for launching the SWACPage.com site - has offered to help design a separate Heisman Web site for GSU. It's something that could quickly raise Eugene's profile among potential voters who don't closely follow Division I-AA football.
"Instead of trying to get the media to see Bruce Eugene, I thought we could bring Bruce Eugene to the media," Rashad said. "I'd like to see some flash components that illustrated what he did week by week on the field, with perhaps some video highlights that could be downloaded."
The Web site is still in the earliest planning stages, Rashad added.
E-mails were sent out a couple of weeks ago by Peter Forest, GSU's director of athletic media relations, that asked selected people to participate in a Heisman steering committee.
"We are in the process of putting together a group of supporters," Spears said. "When all the students get back, in August, we will also have a introductory party."
The hope isn't that Eugene wins so much as gets some measure of recognition for what he's already accomplished at Grambling State.
"He may not win the award," Rashad said, "but he most certainly should be on the list."
Eugene, who wowed observers even as a redshirt freshman out of New Orleans' Cohen High School, was a part-time starter during GSU's 2001 SWAC title season - then led the Tigers to another championship in 2002.
He is the school's record-holder in passing completions, attempts, yards and total offense, and is ranked second in passing touchdowns.
That dominance led to two consecutive top-three finishes in voting in the Walter Payton Award, which recognizes Division I-AA's offensive player of the year. He was third in 2002, then second last season.
Harris, who won or shared the conference title in every season he played at GSU in the 1960s, thinks Eugene will return to the Payton Watch List as a senior. "He should be a top candidate for the best player in Division I-AA," Harris said.
Eugene was also named a first-team All-America quarterback by The Sports Network in 2003, then a second-team quarterback on The Associated Press' All-America football team.
"I guess the only thing I can say about Eugene and the Heisman list is: How can you not have him on that list?" Rashad said. "He has been a finalist for the Walter Payton Award the last two years and I am certain he will be a finalist again this year. Being a finalist among the best football players on the I-AA level automatically makes Eugene better than many of the players on the I-A level."
Too, as more people hear about Eugene, they also reacquaint themselves with a Grambling State football program that was reborn under former coach Doug Williams.
"My outlook, my vision, is more institutional - rather than winning the award," said former offensive coordinator Spears, who took over as interim when Williams resigned in February. "It's about having the opportunity to have a guy that's talked about all over the country. That's good for Grambling. If you can have one kid say Bruce Eugene is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and look twice at Grambling, then we've done what we need to do from a marketing standpoint.”
Grambling hopes Eugene earns Heisman consideration
Nick's note: A sad conclusion came to this effort when Eugene went down in the third quarter of the 2004 opener with a season-ending knee injury. He would return for a record-smashing final campaign in 2005, however, leading Grambling to its 21st SWAC title.
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
July 7, 2004
GRAMBLING — Supporters from Grambling State are mounting a Heisman Trophy campaign for record-breaking senior quarterback Bruce Eugene.
It won't be easy.
"He's got an outstanding story," said interim GSU coach Melvin Spears, who recruited Eugene to Grambling. "You're talking about a guy who came out of the St. Thomas housing project (in New Orleans). It's a major feat if he's even considered in that company right now."
Eugene says making the list would be a great moment not only for himself, but for Grambling State.
"Being mentioned for an award like that lets me know that I'm doing what's being asked - and we're getting recognized," said Eugene, who has set GSU's single-season marks for yards, completions and TDs. "In the process, that helps other Grambling players get recognized and helps my school gets its name out there."
But, like all Division I-AA performers, Eugene will face an uphill battle for recognition by Heisman voters.
"I certainly feel that his accomplishments, his numbers, are worthy of the accolade," said former GSU quarterback James "Shack" Harris, vice president of player personnel for the Jacksonville Jaguars. "But realistically, the Heisman is not something he can win. It's not Bruce. It's the system."
Alcorn State standout Steve McNair remains the highest recent vote-getter from I-AA. He finished third in 1994 - only to go on to league MVP honors while the top two choices, Rashaan Salaam and Ki-Jana Carter, have struggled in the NFL. Doug Williams finished fourth in the 1977 Heisman voting behind eventual winner Earl Campbell.
"But the Heisman Trophy, when you think about it, honors the best player in college football - whatever the division," Spears said. "Does that mean the best guy in his conference, the best guy on his team or just the best guy? The question I pose is this: What if the best college football player does not play in Division I-A?"
Grambling State supporters will use technology to present that message.
Kenn Rashad - a 1990 GSU graduate best known for launching the SWACPage.com site - has offered to help design a separate Heisman Web site for GSU. It's something that could quickly raise Eugene's profile among potential voters who don't closely follow Division I-AA football.
"Instead of trying to get the media to see Bruce Eugene, I thought we could bring Bruce Eugene to the media," Rashad said. "I'd like to see some flash components that illustrated what he did week by week on the field, with perhaps some video highlights that could be downloaded."
The Web site is still in the earliest planning stages, Rashad added.
E-mails were sent out a couple of weeks ago by Peter Forest, GSU's director of athletic media relations, that asked selected people to participate in a Heisman steering committee.
"We are in the process of putting together a group of supporters," Spears said. "When all the students get back, in August, we will also have a introductory party."
The hope isn't that Eugene wins so much as gets some measure of recognition for what he's already accomplished at Grambling State.
"He may not win the award," Rashad said, "but he most certainly should be on the list."
Eugene, who wowed observers even as a redshirt freshman out of New Orleans' Cohen High School, was a part-time starter during GSU's 2001 SWAC title season - then led the Tigers to another championship in 2002.
He is the school's record-holder in passing completions, attempts, yards and total offense, and is ranked second in passing touchdowns.
That dominance led to two consecutive top-three finishes in voting in the Walter Payton Award, which recognizes Division I-AA's offensive player of the year. He was third in 2002, then second last season.
Harris, who won or shared the conference title in every season he played at GSU in the 1960s, thinks Eugene will return to the Payton Watch List as a senior. "He should be a top candidate for the best player in Division I-AA," Harris said.
Eugene was also named a first-team All-America quarterback by The Sports Network in 2003, then a second-team quarterback on The Associated Press' All-America football team.
"I guess the only thing I can say about Eugene and the Heisman list is: How can you not have him on that list?" Rashad said. "He has been a finalist for the Walter Payton Award the last two years and I am certain he will be a finalist again this year. Being a finalist among the best football players on the I-AA level automatically makes Eugene better than many of the players on the I-A level."
Too, as more people hear about Eugene, they also reacquaint themselves with a Grambling State football program that was reborn under former coach Doug Williams.
"My outlook, my vision, is more institutional - rather than winning the award," said former offensive coordinator Spears, who took over as interim when Williams resigned in February. "It's about having the opportunity to have a guy that's talked about all over the country. That's good for Grambling. If you can have one kid say Bruce Eugene is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and look twice at Grambling, then we've done what we need to do from a marketing standpoint.”
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
SWAC Championship Game 2008
Grambling and Jackson State have become familiar foes
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
December 9, 2008
GRAMBLING — Talk about a zero-sum game.
Coaches use the 0-0 equation with numbing consistency in each postseason. The regular season records, they’ll say, mean nothing. The embodiment of that, however, is Grambling’s recent history against Jackson State.
The two teams, set to meet again on Saturday in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game, have played each other three times since October of 2007, with GSU winning twice in regular-season action.
Of course, the lone loss was the most memorable, as JSU romped to a 42-31 victory in the '07 edition of the SWAC title match.
The regular season, in fact, meant nothing.
“It’s no holds barred,” third-year Jackson State coach Rick Comegy said on Monday. “The records are out the door.”
This 2008 rematch sets up the same way, with Grambling taking another regular-season victory last October. There are important differences, though.
Whereas both 2007 matchups produced scores in bunches, a new year brought two squads together that were as good on defense as they were inconsistent on the other side of the ball.
Grambling only scored one offensive touchdown in its 14-5 regular-season victory Oct. 20 over Jackson, a 46-yard touchdown reception by Nick Lewis. Defensive back Bruna Foster sealed the game with a 34-yard interception return for a score.
JSU’s points came on a safety and a field goal, as quarterback Trae Rutland’s 20-of-34 passing day produced 255 yards but also two picks.
“I don’t know if what happened three months ago has any bearing on this game,” said coach Rod Broadway, now 18-6 in two seasons at Grambling. “Just like it didn’t last year.”
The 2007 SCG, remember, ended up as an offensive firefight led by a group of veteran playmakers, with 73 total points scored on what became a rainy December night. JSU put up 416 yards to Grambling’s 326 as Jackson captured its first league title since 1996.
GSU had previously won at Jackson, Miss., on Oct. 20, 2007, during an afternoon that included four offensive touchdowns and four field goals.
“Jackson is the one we want,” said Lewis, who hauled in a 24-yard third-quarter pass in the ‘07 title match. “That one still leaves a bad taste in our mouths.”
Comegy can’t say that those old stats hold any real meaning.
That was, you know, then.
“I don’t know if it’s about familiarity or matchups,” Comegy said, “so much as planning, cutting down on mistakes, preparing your team and knowing what kind of situation you are in.”
Today, both teams have new quarterbacks, each of whom was helped along late in the year by a stable of young rushers, to go with stifling defenses.
Much has changed. But not this: Everyone is 0-0 again.
The regular season, we’ve seen, doesn’t count. Not with these two.
“You both won each side of the conference,” Comegy said. “It becomes: What do you want to do? You become a champion, or you don’t.”
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Win in SWAC title game would be one for the books at Grambling
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
December 10, 2008
GRAMBLING — It’s not often that new history is made at Grambling.
Not when the program’s most recognizable coach piled up a jaw-dropping 408 career wins and 17 conference championships.
Still, earning 11 wins in one season was a rarity even for the legendary Eddie Robinson, who coached at GSU for nearly 60 seasons. He did it just twice, in 1972 and 1974.
GSU boasts a total of 21 league crowns, and has won its division in six of the last nine tries. Its 493 football victories rank No. 2 all-time by winning percentage for historic lower-division teams, only behind Yale.
Still, the program boasts just four 11-win campaigns ever.
Second-year coach Rod Broadway and the 10-2 Grambling Tigers play for that historic victory on Saturday against Jackson State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN Classic.
“We have a chance to step up and do something that’s special,” Broadway said. “Hopefully, this team can do something that hasn’t been done a lot around here, and that’s win 11 games.”
The most recent was in 2002 and ‘05, under Robinson successor Doug Williams and Melvin Spears, respectively.
Even if GSU were to lose, the program has reached the 10-win plateau only 10 other times, with eight of them under Robinson (1945, ‘47, ‘55, ‘73, ‘75, ‘77, ‘80 and 1992). Williams, the quarterback on those 1975 and ‘77 squads, later reached the 10-victory mark as a coach at GSU in 2000-01.
Broadway is already the first Grambling coach to go undefeated in SWAC play since 2005, and just the second since Robinson did it in the early 1990s.
One more win would likely secure the mythical National Black College Championship for Broadway’s squad – just the fourth for GSU since 2000. Grambling moved to the top of the Sheridan Broadcasting Network’s black college football poll last week with its victory over Southern and a loss by former-No. 1 Tuskegee to Alabama State.
“There’s a big difference between good and great,” Broadway said. “One more win puts us in high cotton.”
Broadway enters this title match on a remarkable run, dating back to his final seasons at Division II North Carolina Central. He has lost just three conference games in five seasons, and has won 10 times in three out of the last four campaigns.
Saturday, in fact, marks his fourth consecutive league title match – though Broadway also oversaw Grambling’s first-ever loss in five appearances at the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game last season.
GSU won in 2000-02, under Williams, and again in ‘05 under Spears.
“Hopefully we can go 3-1,” Broadway said. “That’s a tribute to this staff, which has done some marvelous things over the past few years.”
Broadway also has a chance to preserve a key piece of Grambling history in Saturday’s game.
Jackson State is attempting to capture consecutive wins in the SWAC title match, something only one other team has done since the contest’s inception in 1999 – GSU. Southern advanced to two straight championship games in 2002-03, but fell the second season to Alabama State.
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Things are looking 'better' for Grambling's Broadway
Posted by NickDeriso at 12/10/2008 8:05 AM CST on thenewsstar.com
No one is going to accuse Rod Broadway of being an effusive guy. You've got to drag him, kicking and screaming, into a kind word about his Grambling football teams.
Not many would guess that he's having all that much fun, either. Not from the pained look he sometimes has when dealing with the pesky press.
He usually sticks with the script in these moments, always talking about improving -- even as his squad strung together nine wins this season. To the point where it's a running joke that every news conference of his begins with someone asking some variation on a theme: "Is your team getting better?," "Are you a good team yet?," so on.
The fact is, though, that Broadway's group hit a plateau last season as it clinched the SWAC's Western Division crown. They dropped three in a row to end the year, including the in-state Bayou Classic rivalry game and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game against Jackson State.
They didn't, and fans of the coach's favorite phraseology will love this, keep getting better.
Fast forward one calendar year. Another SWAC crown on the line, JSU again the opponent. But a whole different attitude.
"They've stayed focused; they’ve stayed in the now," Broadway said, looking loose and enthused. "This has really been a fun group to be around, and a fun group to coach, and an exciting group to watch."
Grambling isn't taking its foot off the gas going into the league's title match. I've seen, yes, improvement across every unit. That's made it easier for Broadway to admit some things. Like, say, that he's got a good team.
The "fun" part? A hush falls over the assembled media. But that's actually a reflection of how comfortable Broadway has become in his role at Grambling, and far more reflective of his natural demeanor away from cameras and microphones.
Still, hearing it leads me to believe that Broadway must really like his chances. That is, all together now, if his team keeps improving.
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Grambling, Jackson State quarterbacks took winding paths to title match
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
December 10, 2008
GRAMBLING — No one, through the first month of the season, saw this coming.
Jackson State and Grambling, fresh off a shared trip to the 2007 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game, had lost their starting quarterbacks.
Had struggling replacements in Trae Rutland and Greg Dillon, respectively.
Had just one win a piece.
That '07 title match couldn't have been receding faster in the rearview mirror.
Something clicked, however, for both teams. It started with both quarterbacks.
Rutland threw three touchdowns passes and seven picks in Jackson State's initial four games. He's only thrown one interception since, shooting to No. 4 in the league for completion percentage.
Dillon, meanwhile, was thrust into the No. 1 spot when fourth-year starter Brandon Landers was declared ineligible on the eve of the fall practices — then benched for Missouri transfer J.P. Tillman. He finally regained the job after a breakout Grambling win in Dallas against Prairie View.
"Brandon was a big part of our team," Dillon said. "I knew that was going to hurt us a lot, because he was so experienced. We just tried to work it out."
It wouldn't be easy. Both Landers and departed Jackson State quarterback Jimmy Oliver played cornerstone roles in getting their teams to the championship game of a season ago — and during the contest itself.
Landers, in what seemed like a turning point, threw two touchdowns passes and a pair of 2-point conversions over just 32 seconds as the second half began.
Oliver couldn't be stopped, however, as he tossed a trio of passing scores and repeatedly scrambled away from Grambling defenders to make tongue-wagging plays downfield.
JSU would win 42-31, securing its 16th SWAC football title and first since 1996.
"Jackson State is a good football team," second-year Grambling coach Rod Broadway said. "They played us very tough last year. Next week is going to be a big one."
Rutland had briefly contended for the starting role at Jackson in 2007, throwing for 302 yards, four interceptions and no touchdowns before Oliver took a firm grasp on the role.
A season later, Rutland, like Dillon, was thrust into the spotlight in the 11 th hour.
A.J. McKenna, from Lackawanna College, took most of the snaps with the No. 1 JSU offense last spring. But by the fall, both McKenna and Hinds Community College transfer Terrence Barnes had left the team.
Rutland, then as now nursing a bad shoulder, subsequently found himself — as had Dillon — contending with yet another talented transfer from the upper classification, former Louisiana Tech quarterback Michael Mosley.
Rutland "has a strong desire to be the man," third-year Jackson State coach Rick Comegy said as fall practices began. "He's going to have to be our leader."
Like Dillon's GSU squad, Rutland and Jackson State sputtered early. Grambling started 1-2, while JSU was once 1-4.
No surprise, really. Questions at quarterback don't usually lead to title game berths.
Except in a weakened Southwestern Athletic Conference, where it did for both the Eastern and Western divisional champions.
JSU, winners now of six in a row, enters Saturday's contest boasting a 7-4 mark, but without a single victory over a team with a winning record in 2008. The 10-2 Grambling has reeled off nine straight victories — seven of them against SWAC foes.
Even so, there is no denying either player's steady maturation. Rutland and Dillon have found a way, no matter the level of competition, to win.
"We're proud of Greg," Broadway said. "We lost Brandon two weeks before the season, so we came in here with a lot of inexperience at quarterback. To be able to win 10 ballgames, that's a great testament to our team."
Dillon, a product of the Mayzant projects in Bogalusa, secured his place in this season's storybook ride with a do-anything performance 70 miles down the road at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
Running for 136 yards and a score while passing for 151 and another, Dillon helped spark a stirring 29-14 comeback last week over Southern. Grambling had to overcome that two-touchdown deficit to earn a rematch opportunity against JSU.
Dillon, who wore "May" and "Zant" on his eye black for the Bayou Classic as a tribute to his humble beginnings, wasn't a celebrated prospect. He walked on at ULM, where the coaches wanted him to play defensive back, before transferring.
Yet his role in two game-changing drives that put Grambling ahead for good against Southern can't be overstated.
Dillon made consecutive passes to Nick Lewis on a two-play, 51-yard scoring drive to pull GSU within 2, then ran for 32 of the next drive's 51 yards to earn a lead that he never relinquished.
"His creativeness with his feet killed us," Southern coach Pete Richardson said afterward. "He did a good job."
Dillon was named the Bayou Classic's most valuable player after accounting for 77 percent of Grambling's total offense — a sterling performance only dulled slightly by two early turnovers.
"Greg is developing into a very good player for us," Broadway said. "He's learning how to manage the game. If he can protect the ball, we will be in pretty good shape. He's gotten better and better. He just has to eliminate turnovers."
Dillon, so far, has remained unscathed despite his slashing style of play, and that is where the storylines with his counterpart at Jackson State diverge.
Rutland, battling tendinitis in his shoulder, had to share time with Mosley in Jackson's most recent game, a win over in-state rival Alcorn State — but doesn't appear to be jeopardy of losing his starting job, if healthy.
Rutland completed 8 of 10 passes for 72 yards, adding 17 rushing yards and a touchdown, as JSU built a 21-point lead — only to sit out during a second-half skid where Mosely and Co. went three-and-out five times and gave the ball back on a pick. Alcorn pulled to 26-21 before finally falling in the 16th Annual Capital City Classic.
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For Grambling, neither rain nor sleet ...
Posted by NickDeriso at 12/12/2008 7:43 AM CST on thenewsstar.com
You might have suspected, as torrential downpours and teeth-splinteringly frigid winds beset the Grambling football players this week, that they simply took their football practices inside.
Maybe did some walk throughs in the warm comfort of a basketball gym, and cursed the fates.
Nope.
“We practiced anyway,” said sophomore quarterback Greg Dillon. “We tried to do it the same as usual. Being out in the cold and rain might give us a better feel for the weather in Birmingham.”
Will it ever. Most times, historic Legion Field is a wintry windstorm of a place by the time the Southwestern Athletic Conference holds its annual December championship game. Last season, a rumbling storm blew through as GSU completed the second half of action against Jackson State.
Dillon and his teammates, preparing for a rematch against Jackson on Saturday, got a taste of both this week in practice.
“It been cold here the last few days, that’s for sure,” he said. “But with the rain and all, hopefully that’s prepared us a lot. I think we’re ready for it.”
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Jackson State overcame slow start to reach SWAC rematch
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
December 12, 2008
Jackson State, once again, started slowly this season.
A year ago, as JSU secured its first Southwestern Athletic Conference championship since 1996, Rick Comegy’s squad dropped its initial pair of contests – including a 16-13 heartbreaker against Tennessee State in the Southern Heritage Classic.
Many left them for dead. But Jackson would lose only two more games in 2007, one of them to Grambling, before beating GSU in a December 2007 rematch for the league crown.
Current starting quarterback Trae Rutland was a backup back then, playing in eight games and throwing for 302 yards. Even losing its starter, however, Jackson was picked to repeat as the SWAC’s Eastern Division champion in preseason polling.
As was Grambling. One month into the season, both teams had combined for two victories.
Rutland, a Mississippi State transfer, struggled in his first outings. JSU opened at 1-4 – while managing 18 or fewer points in each of its first four contests. Through Jackson’s conference opener, a loss to Southern, Rutland had seven interceptions on a team ranked ninth in the conference for turnover margin.
“I’m just glad,” Comegy, in his third year with JSU, said, “that we were able to find ourselves later on in the year.”
JSU’s offense switched from a spread look to a run-first attack in late October, steadying Rutland while springing rusher Luther Edwards. Edwards instantly ran for more than 80 yards a game over the balance of that month.
But, just as importantly, Jackson State’s defense came to life.
“We were scrounging around early, trying to find the right combination,” Comegy said. “Things changed for the best.”
Jackson enters Saturday’s title contest ranked No. 1 in the league for total offense (233 yards ppg), No. 2 in rush defense (73 yards ppg), No. 1 in pass defense (161 yards ppg) and No. 2 in sacks – besting opponent Grambling in each of those categories.
Along the way, JSU linebacker Marcellus Speaks, announced as the league’s defensive player of the year on Wednesday, compiled 115 tackles (54 solo; 20.5 for loss), along with 5 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, and one blocked kick while leading this team to the SWAC Championship Game for the second consecutive time.
“We’ll try to get a hat on a hat,” second-year Grambling coach Rod Broadway said, when asked about slowing Speaks. “Hopefully, we can do that. They play good defense down there. I don’t see whole lot of points getting scored.”
Speaks, who earned conference defensive player of the week honors three times this season, had six games with at least 10 tackles this season – including 14 at Grambling on Sept. 20. His season high was 16 tackles (with one for loss and an assist on a sack) against Southern on Oct. 4.
That pushed JSU to six straight victories to close out the 2008 regular season, and a chance to win its first consecutive SWAC championships since 1995-96.
“I’m happy we got to a peak point,” Comegy said. “It was late, but I am happy that we got there. We’ve come of age.”
Comegy hasn’t dealt with complacency from his defending-champion players, he said, not in the wake of such a disappointing start on the season. He added that a chance to claim back-to-back crowns is its own carrot.
“What young man doesn’t want to be a champion?” Comegy asked, rhetorically. “There are very few guys who are ever in this position. They ought to feel blessed and honored. As far as excitement, it ought to be built into the formula.”
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OPENING DRIVE: Grambling (10-2, 7-0 SWAC) vs. Jackson State (7-4, 6-1)
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
December 13, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A titanic defensive battle is in the offing, featuring the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s two hottest teams: Grambling was won nine straight headed into this title game, while Jackson State has won six.
GSU, sparked by playmaking sophomore quarterback Greg Dillon, hasn’t had a contest decided by fewer than two scores over that span. Dillon has passed for 1,500 yards and 15 scores, while maintaining his spot as the team’s No. 2 rusher.
“He has some ability to do some things like running the ball and throwing the ball,” said second-year Grambling coach Rod Broadway. “It’s hard for a defense to prepare for a guy like that.”
Jackson State, however, might just be that defense. Opponents have averaged just over two touchdowns over their six-win streak.
KEYS TO VICTORY
As thrilling as Dillon’s improvisations outside the structure of Grambling’s called plays can be, he must do a better job of securing the ball.
Sometimes, he tries to do too much: All of that was on display in GSU’s in-state rivalry victory against Southern, where Dillon won the game’s MVP trophy, but not before two turnovers that helped put Grambling in a 14-point hole.
TOP MATCHUPS
These two teams combined for fewer than three total touchdowns in a gritty regular-season meeting earlier this year, and this contest shapes up to be no different.
Grambling and Jackson are ranked in the Top 5 in every meaningful SWAC defensive categories, and in the Top 15 for scoring defense nationally.
“I don’t see a whole lot of points being scored in this ballgame; at least, that’s what I hope,” Broadway said.
“We expect the same type of defensive game.”
GET IN THE GAME
Jackson State coach Rick Comegy said this week that he wasn’t going to commit one player to track Dillon, though a linebacker like Marcellus Speaks would make a good spy.
Rangy, with a nasty ability to hit, Speaks has a SWAC-leading 115 total tackles. He’s joined on a tough unit that includes defensive end Marcus Benard (15 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss) and defensive back Domonique Johnson (four interceptions, 13 pass breakups).
GSU’s still-coalescing offense will have its collective hands full.
'08 IMPLICATIONS
Grambling has advanced to its second title match in as many seasons under Broadway, and its sixth since 2000, but lost this contest last year to Jackson State. That gave JSU its 16th league title.
A victory for GSU would extend its league-leading title haul to 22, and also secure the program’s fifth 11-win season ever — and first since 2005 under Melvin Spears.
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22nd to none: Grambling sitting pretty, winning ugly
Column by Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
December 14, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Grambling, throughout this season, won ugly.
But it won.
“You say we won ugly,” second-year GSU coach Rod Broadway said on Saturday, “but it’s a sweet taste to us.”
GSU did whatever it had to in an effort to secure victory. On offense, on defense, on Saturday after Saturday.
And it won.
Jackson State endured a familiar fate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game, as GSU claimed a league-leading 22nd crown.
Grambling’s offense sputtered and missed. But JSU never got close, as the defense strangled another victim.
Foes, all season, would slowly find themselves on the losing end of things, while GSU closed its fingers around their scoring chances.
It was more gritty than pretty. It didn’t need to be.
Grambling won, as it had the week before. And the week before that. They did it eight, nine and then 10 times in a row after Saturday’s 41-9 victory over JSU.
“You don’t win by looking pretty,” said junior Grambling end Christian Anthony, the game’s defensive most valuable player. “You win by getting ugly.”
They did.
This isn’t a finesse team, even on offense – where the rangy quarterback Greg Dillon makes out-of-body plays.
He led the unit to two quick touchdowns to open the title match. But, just like that, Grambling’s offense went ice cold for a time on this frigid December afternoon – missing an extra point, missing on a few scoring opportunities, missing a field goal to end the second period.
The defense never surrendered an inch: JSU failed to reach the end zone through the first two quarters.
When the bands marched out onto the Legion Field’s turf, “13-0” was blinking above their heads on the scoreboard.
Ugly.
But Grambling’s defense loves wins like this. They’ve embraced ugliness.
That wasn’t their slogan – instead, they repeated “Finish!,” after getting tripped up in the 2007 title match by Jackson – but it should have been.
Grambling built that slight lead by limiting JSU to 127 yards of first-half offense; Jackson never reached the GSU red zone over the initial two periods.
It got worse for JSU. The Grambling defense emerged from the locker room with a furious abandon. When the championship contest was over JSU had coughed up the ball five times, twice on fumbles and another three times on picks.
Jackson managed only 53 total yards rushing, 168 yards passing – minus that 66-yard touchdown reception, it was just over the century mark – and its lowest scoring output since, well, Grambling beat JSU 15-5 back on Sept. 20.
That one was ugly, too.
But Grambling won.
Credit Broadway, a collegiate defensive lineman and former Florida line coach. Credit coordinator Cliff Yoshida, a quietly efficient taskmaster.
Credit this streaking star of a linebacker Keefe Hall (who had a clutch early pick, just two Saturdays after taking defensive Bayou Classic MVP honors), the fiery presence of rover Jeffery Jack, the knifing edge rush of Christian Anthony (who added a thrilling first-half sack), the big-play brilliance of defensive backs like T.J. McCord (who almost scored on a third quarterback pick) and Kenneth Anio (who completed the scoring with a dramatic 85-yard touchdown return on a pick).
Credit them all: This was a group effort. An ugly one, done as one.
“They’re really confident in what they are doing,” said Yoshida, who with Broadway has claimed three conference titles in four years dating back to their tenure at North Carolina Central. “They think they can stop anybody. And they did.”
They never thought about last year. They never thought about how it looked.
“We won ugly all year,” Hall said. “Man, I’m actually proud of that.”
That means doing whatever it takes to win. No matter how it looks.
The SWAC trophy, named for Grambling coaching legend Eddie Robinson, is just as shiny. The tears just as real. The familiar chants of “I thought you knew!” echo just as loudly.
Sure, this championship was won despite an offense that scarcely resembles the torrid point-scorers of Grambling’s storied past.
Yet, the truth is, GSU didn’t need that kind of production. Not with this crew of quarterback-hassling, pass-thieving, run-stuffing scene stealers.
GSU’s offense struggled through a rebuilding year, meaning there were only scattered, embryonic successes.
But Grambling won, primarily through the force of its defensive will.
For me on Saturday, and all season, this group stirred up the ghosts of Fred Collins’ fearsome Trees of Terror from yesteryear at Grambling, gnashing and grinding until opponents simply crumple.
Their connective legacy – fearsome and, yes, ugly – was never more obvious than during a three-possession, early-second half sequence at Legion Field, keyed by a remarkable defensive stand.
JSU recovered a Terrance Dunn fumble on the initial possession of the third quarter at the GSU 34. Grambling’s defense shrugged it off, holding Jackson to a field goal.
One play later, David Stuckman tore through the JSU special teams, pushing the score 20-3 on a 91-yard kickoff return for Grambling.
“That was the turning point,” said third-year Jackson State coach Rick Comegy. “Then we started turning the ball over. We just couldn’t regain that emotion.”
JSU quarterback Trae Rutland was simply run over on his next try, a possession which went: Devastating sack by Otis Young, devastating sack by Melvin Matthews, devastating interception by T. J. McCord – who returned the ball to the JSU 3.
Dillon then hit Kiare Thompson for their second touchdown to push Grambling’s lead to 24 points.
The defensive line called themselves “Trench Dogs” this year. On Saturday, they dug a ravine – then tossed Jackson in.
GSU’s offense had another hiccup when Dillon turned it over again, flinging an interception to the JSU 2 late in the third period. But Grambling, as per usual, forced a quick three-and-out.
“After that,” said Matthews, the senior Grambling defensive tackle, “I knew they were finished.”
Jackson State managed a 66-yard touchdown on a broken passing play, this one coming from Louisiana Tech transfer Michael Mosley, but it was far too little, far too late. GSU then held Jackson out on a two-point conversion attempt, and added Anio’s touchdown return for a touchdown.
This defense would not be denied. Not this year. Not on this day.
Ugly or not, Grambling had won, placing the capstone on the fifth-ever 11-win season at Grambling.
“You can label it whatever you like: Pretty, ugly, whatever,” Broadway added, bristling some. “We’ve got a lot of them, and you can’t take that from us.”
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SWAC Championship notebook: There was another title at stake
By Nick Deriso
nderiso@thenewsstar.com
December 15, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Saturday’s 41-9 victory in the 10th edition of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game meant more than returning the Eddie Robinson Trophy to Grambling.
It likely earned GSU, who entered the title match ranked No. 1 in the Sheridan Broadcasting Network poll, a 13th national black college title.
“We knew with a win, we would be national champions,” said second-year Grambling coach Rod Broadway. “That’s a good feeling.”
GSU last won a national black college crown in 2005, under Melvin Spears. It also claimed the mythical title in 1955, 1967, 1972, 1974-75, 1977, 1980, 1983 and 1992 (all led by Robinson), and in 2000-01 (under successor Doug Williams), according to the current Grambling media guide.
Broadway has a series of incentives tied into earning the Western Division, SWAC and national black college titles built into his contract, which was updated and extended in the offseason.
Grambling extended its league lead with a 22nd conference championship on Saturday. GSU has topped the SWAC’s Western Divison six times since 2000.
YOU PICK ’EM
Grambling’s defense, the league’s most opportunistic, opened the title match with yet another turnover.
That was a sign of things to come, as GSU forced five of them.
Lance Castleberry’s first-quarter fumble recovery gave Grambling the ball at the Jackson 48 just three minutes into the game. GSU then marched down to score the contest’s initial points.
In all, Grambling defenders intercepted three passes on Saturday, returning them for a total of 113 yards. T.J. McCord accounted for 28, while Kenneth Anio’s 85-yard dash to the end zone completed Saturday’s scoring.
“It was a good old-fashioned butt kicking,” said third-year Jackson State coach Rick Comegy.
Perhaps the most dramatic Grambling pick came courtesy of Keefe Hall, who basically fielded a punt when Christian Anthony forced JSU quarterback Trae Rutland into a pass that went straight up.
Standing at the GSU 20, Hall had to locate the football, then prepare for the coming onslaught of Jackson tacklers.
“It seemed like it was in the air forever,” said Hall, who posted a team-leading 8 total tackles. “I knew I was going to get hit. I just started holding my breath.”
Grambling’s King Beckwith also recovered a fumble.
Rutland, in his post-game remarks, looked like a player who had been digging his way out all day – only to get deeper.
“We knew it would be a defensive battle,” said Rutland, who was 7-of-15 for just 90 yards. “They just got the best of us. They got to the ball well, and just kept putting us in a bad spot.”
Jackson State’s average field position was its own 31. Only two drives started in Grambling territory, and neither ended in touchdowns.
SAME, BUT DIFFERENT
Grambling coach Rod Broadway insisted throughout the run up to this SWAC Championship Game rematch that the opponent meant little.
He repeated that mantra after Saturday’s emotional win over Jackson State, one season after falling 42-31 at the same Legion Field venue.
“Last year was last year,” Broadway said. “Every year is a new beginning; every game is a new beginning. We tried to focus on that all year.”
Broadway’s players didn’t necessarily toe into the company line.
“This one is just that much more special,” senior defender Melvin Matthews said, “because it was Jackson State.”
Matthews was a little used backup on Grambling’s most recent SWAC title-winning team, back in his freshman campaign of 2005. That, too, added a personal dimension to the journey.
“For me, it’s so special, to leave out the way I came in – on top,” he said.
Matthews – who had a career on par with NFL defender Jason Hatcher, but with far less fanfare – made a critical sack during a three-and-out that seemed to sap the fight from Jackson State as the second-half began.
FOCUSED ATTACK
Versatile sophomore Grambling quarterback Greg Dillon won his second most-valuable player trophy in as many weeks, though in a more conventional manner.
GSU shot out of the gate with a pass-first attack, as Dillon threw for 103 of his 145 total yards by air in the first half.
A shoulder injury took him out of the game briefly in the second period, but Dillon returned. He finished 13-of-19 for three touchdowns, adding one rushing score.
Compare that with his do-everything night against Southern two Saturdays ago, when Dillon accounted for 77 percent of GSU’s total offensive yards. He was second for team rushes in the Bayou Classic, but actually ran for zero net yards against Jackson.
TIGER PAUSE
Sophomore running back Frank Warren rushed for 82 yards, many of them critical. He zipped to a 24-yard rush on the second-quarter drive where Dillon got dinged up and left the game. Earlier in the first period, with GSU pinned at its own 7, Warren ran for 29 yards on first down. Eight plays later, Grambling scored. … GSU was on the home side of Legion Field for the first time since its 2005 SWAC Championship Game victory over Alabama A&M. The Tigers were on the visitor’s side, opposite the press box, in 2006 for a loss in the SWAC-MEAC Challenge and then again in 2007 as GSU dropped its first SWAC Championship Game in five tries since 2000. … Grambling was stellar on returns, taking JSU kickoffs back 398 yards, averaging 57 per attempt.
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Memorable celebration envelopes Grambling after SWAC title win
Posted by NickDeriso at 12/15/2008 6:46 AM CST on thenewsstar.com
Sometimes the celebration of a championship is just as entertaining as the game itself.
Grambling’s sidelines, as Saturday’s 41-9 thrashing of Jackson State wound down, dissolved into a raucous party – with tears and hollers, brawny singing, emotional hugs and high fives.
Linebacker Keefe Hall, while multiple coaches got the ice-bucket treatment, fell to the Legion Field turf and began to make a mock snow angel.
Others, including quarterback Greg Dillon, raced to the fences surrounding the field to be with family. Many were so busy posing for pictures that they missed the final points of the game, when Kenneth Anio raced nearly the length of the field to score on an interception return.
Only the roar of the crowd drew their attention back to what football was left to play. As the final cheers grew louder, a Grambling fan held a sign that read: “Eddie Robinson Should be Proud Now,” in honor of the ESPN Classic broadcast.
Dillon got doused with Gator-ade. Charlie Brewer joined other teammates standing on a bench who were leading the Grambling faithful in cheers.
League representatives quickly rushed onto the field to prepare for the post-game awards ceremony. A boxful of hats reading “SWAC Champions 2008-2009,” placed at midfield, was snatched up in a matter of moments.
Jeffrey Jack, who wore eye black that read “my” and “time,” stood fidgeting just outside the roped area where the SWAC’s championship trophy, named in honor of Grambling legend Eddie Robinson, had been placed. He'd transferred from LSU only to endure a losing season, then a heartbreaking loss in the conference title match.
“Can I just hold it?,” said Jack, who had a team-tying eight stops. “Can I kiss it? That’s all I want!”
Then … he did.
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