The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball...g-williams

Really surprised at this one. Gave up a cushy job w/Tampa Bay Bucaneers to go back to coaching his son at his alma mater, but just couldn't bring back the magic...

The HBCU schools have had the same problem that the old "Negro Baseball leagues" had after Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and others opened the Major Baseball Leagues to the better "Negro" players after 1949. For the HBCUs though it was the integration of the big time southern football playing universities with their big budgets and impressive facilities.

Suddenly the river of superior talent (Buck Buchanon) that coaches like Eddie Robinson had used to gain national renown at schools like Grambling ("One hundred yards to Glory"), dried up and they, like the FCS and small budget FBS teams, now have to get by more and more with "developmental" talent, often with "baggage". At one time, Grambling was second only to Notre Dame in the number of players in the NFL. How many of their (HBCU) players are in the now 32 team NFL today?

Do you think he would be willing to give our defense some pointers ?

(09-11-2013 04:25 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The HBCU schools have had the same problem that the old "Negro Baseball leagues" had after Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and others opened the Major Baseball Leagues to the better "Negro" players after 1949. For the HBCUs though it was the integration of the big time southern football playing universities with their big budgets and impressive facilities.

Suddenly the river of superior talent (Buck Buchanon) that coaches like Eddie Robinson had used to gain national renown at schools like Grambling ("One hundred yards to Glory"), dried up and they, like the FCS and small budget FBS teams, now have to get by more and more with "developmental" talent, often with "baggage". At one time, Grambling was second only to Notre Dame in the number of players in the NFL. How many of their (HBCU) players are in the now 32 team NFL today?

You know BB, I have had that conversation with my friends many times. I remember growing up that Grambling was THE SCHOOL to go to. It wasn't until I started going to UAB that I realized that Grambling was a HBCU and use to be in the same conversation as Georgia Tech and Tulane.
Now a days, schools like Grambling, Alabama State, A&M, Florida A&M, and others dont draw the top recruits like they use to. Shame how money has changed the landscape on so many levels.

I saw Williams when he came to town to play in an exhibition against the Falcons I believe.

It was the season after he won the championship.

There were more Redskins fans there than Falcons.

(09-11-2013 05:12 PM)rook360 Wrote:  

(09-11-2013 04:25 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The HBCU schools have had the same problem that the old "Negro Baseball leagues" had after Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and others opened the Major Baseball Leagues to the better "Negro" players after 1949. For the HBCUs though it was the integration of the big time southern football playing universities with their big budgets and impressive facilities.

Suddenly the river of superior talent (Buck Buchanon) that coaches like Eddie Robinson had used to gain national renown at schools like Grambling ("One hundred yards to Glory"), dried up and they, like the FCS and small budget FBS teams, now have to get by more and more with "developmental" talent, often with "baggage". At one time, Grambling was second only to Notre Dame in the number of players in the NFL. How many of their (HBCU) players are in the now 32 team NFL today?

You know BB, I have had that conversation with my friends many times. I remember growing up that Grambling was THE SCHOOL to go to. It wasn't until I started going to UAB that I realized that Grambling was a HBCU and use to be in the same conversation as Georgia Tech and Tulane.
Now a days, schools like Grambling, Alabama State, A&M, Florida A&M, and others dont draw the top recruits like they use to. Shame how money has changed the landscape on so many levels.

Until fairly recent times (1970), southern white schools could not legally play HBCUs so they were forced to look to northern or western schools for OOC opponents. I recall Grambling playing at Oregon State for instance. Their games were almost never covered by southern newspapers except for those thought of as the "Negro press" (The B'ham Times).

Once integration began in college football, the first "minority players" of the first 20 years or so were those who were in HWHSs , probably because the college coaches knew the white school's staff better and trusted their judgement more than the HBHS staffs with whom they had never dealt. Tony Nathan, for instance, came out of Woodlawn HS. This gradually ended as more college staffs became familiar with minority coaches (and the "old guard" died off). The greatest exception was "The Deuce" David Palmer from Jackson-Olin HS.

That's a good explanation for why Grambling can't compete with the $ECs of the world, but not for why they haven't had more success among their peer schools.

I'll never forget that Super Bowl he played in against the Broncos, he was on fire that day, and with an injured knee, no less. All it took was a ruptured appendix the following season, and he lost his starting job.

(09-11-2013 04:25 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The HBCU schools have had the same problem that the old "Negro Baseball leagues" had after Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and others opened the Major Baseball Leagues to the better "Negro" players after 1949. For the HBCUs though it was the integration of the big time southern football playing universities with their big budgets and impressive facilities.

Suddenly the river of superior talent (Buck Buchanon) that coaches like Eddie Robinson had used to gain national renown at schools like Grambling ("One hundred yards to Glory"), dried up and they, like the FCS and small budget FBS teams, now have to get by more and more with "developmental" talent, often with "baggage". At one time, Grambling was second only to Notre Dame in the number of players in the NFL. How many of their (HBCU) players are in the now 32 team NFL today?

Those numbers are nowhere near where they once were. But as of the 2013 NFL season there are a total of 77 former HBCU players on NFL rosters. The most notable would be Domonique Rogers-Cromartie of the Broncos(Tennessee State 07), Isaac Redman of the Steelers(Bowie State 09), Dimitri Patterson of the Dolphins(Tuskegee 05), Samie Lee Hill of the Titans(Stillman 10), Chigbo Anunoby of the Redskins(Morehouse 11, Jacoby Jones of the Ravens (Lane College 07), Terron Armstead of the Saints (Arkansas Pine-Bluff 13), Jason Hatcher(Grambling 06) and Justin Durrant(Hampton 07) both of the Cowboys, Nigel Carr of the Ravens (Alabama State 12), Robert Mathis of the Colts (Alabama A&M 02), Visanthe Shiancoe of the Ravens (Morgan State 01), Antoine Bethea of the Colts (Howard 06), and Eric Weems of the Bears (Bethune Cookman 07). With all of that talent an HBCU has not won a national title in football since 1979. That’s the most frustrating thing. When you look at recruiting rankings HBCUs dominate the ranking but it is not translating into wins.

(09-11-2013 05:15 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  I saw Williams when he came to town to play in an exhibition against the Falcons I believe.

It was the season after he won the championship.

There were more Redskins fans there than Falcons.

I was there and cheered for the Skins! Sat under the old upper deck. (NFC East guy) I also agree there were more Redskin fans there. Descent crowd too.

(09-11-2013 05:15 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  I saw Williams when he came to town to play in an exhibition against the Falcons I believe.

It was the season after he won the championship.

There were more Redskins fans there than Falcons.

I think that was 1988 which was about the last year the NFL played any exhibition games in nonNFL cities. After that time, the league added the exhibition games to their regular season ticket packages (2 @ home, 2 away) to assure the added revenue.

http://articles.latimes.com/1988-08-28/s...oring-pass

(09-12-2013 01:55 PM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  

(09-11-2013 04:25 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The HBCU schools have had the same problem that the old "Negro Baseball leagues" had after Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and others opened the Major Baseball Leagues to the better "Negro" players after 1949. For the HBCUs though it was the integration of the big time southern football playing universities with their big budgets and impressive facilities.

Suddenly the river of superior talent (Buck Buchanon) that coaches like Eddie Robinson had used to gain national renown at schools like Grambling ("One hundred yards to Glory"), dried up and they, like the FCS and small budget FBS teams, now have to get by more and more with "developmental" talent, often with "baggage". At one time, Grambling was second only to Notre Dame in the number of players in the NFL. How many of their (HBCU) players are in the now 32 team NFL today?

Those numbers are nowhere near where they once were. But as of the 2013 NFL season there are a total of 77 former HBCU players on NFL rosters. The most notable would be Domonique Rogers-Cromartie of the Broncos(Tennessee State 07), Isaac Redman of the Steelers(Bowie State 09), Dimitri Patterson of the Dolphins(Tuskegee 05), Samie Lee Hill of the Titans(Stillman 10), Chigbo Anunoby of the Redskins(Morehouse 11, Jacoby Jones of the Ravens (Lane College 07), Terron Armstead of the Saints (Arkansas Pine-Bluff 13), Jason Hatcher(Grambling 06) and Justin Durrant(Hampton 07) both of the Cowboys, Nigel Carr of the Ravens (Alabama State 12), Robert Mathis of the Colts (Alabama A&M 02), Visanthe Shiancoe of the Ravens (Morgan State 01), Antoine Bethea of the Colts (Howard 06), and Eric Weems of the Bears (Bethune Cookman 07). With all of that talent an HBCU has not won a national title in football since 1979. That’s the most frustrating thing. When you look at recruiting rankings HBCUs dominate the ranking but it is not translating into wins.

The SWAC doesn't participate in the D1AA playoffs because of their rivalry obligations (Gambling State/Southern and Alabama State/Tuskegee immediately spring to mind) and the SWAC Championship Game. Not sure why the MEAC doesn't participate.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk 4

(09-14-2013 12:42 PM)BlazerJoe Wrote:  

(09-12-2013 01:55 PM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  

(09-11-2013 04:25 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  The HBCU schools have had the same problem that the old "Negro Baseball leagues" had after Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and others opened the Major Baseball Leagues to the better "Negro" players after 1949. For the HBCUs though it was the integration of the big time southern football playing universities with their big budgets and impressive facilities.

Suddenly the river of superior talent (Buck Buchanon) that coaches like Eddie Robinson had used to gain national renown at schools like Grambling ("One hundred yards to Glory"), dried up and they, like the FCS and small budget FBS teams, now have to get by more and more with "developmental" talent, often with "baggage". At one time, Grambling was second only to Notre Dame in the number of players in the NFL. How many of their (HBCU) players are in the now 32 team NFL today?

Those numbers are nowhere near where they once were. But as of the 2013 NFL season there are a total of 77 former HBCU players on NFL rosters. The most notable would be Domonique Rogers-Cromartie of the Broncos(Tennessee State 07), Isaac Redman of the Steelers(Bowie State 09), Dimitri Patterson of the Dolphins(Tuskegee 05), Samie Lee Hill of the Titans(Stillman 10), Chigbo Anunoby of the Redskins(Morehouse 11, Jacoby Jones of the Ravens (Lane College 07), Terron Armstead of the Saints (Arkansas Pine-Bluff 13), Jason Hatcher(Grambling 06) and Justin Durrant(Hampton 07) both of the Cowboys, Nigel Carr of the Ravens (Alabama State 12), Robert Mathis of the Colts (Alabama A&M 02), Visanthe Shiancoe of the Ravens (Morgan State 01), Antoine Bethea of the Colts (Howard 06), and Eric Weems of the Bears (Bethune Cookman 07). With all of that talent an HBCU has not won a national title in football since 1979. That’s the most frustrating thing. When you look at recruiting rankings HBCUs dominate the ranking but it is not translating into wins.

The SWAC doesn't participate in the D1AA playoffs because of their rivalry obligations (Gambling State/Southern and Alabama State/Tuskegee immediately spring to mind) and the SWAC Championship Game. Not sure why the MEAC doesn't participate.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk 4

The MEAC is a playoff participant, the SWAC is not due to the SWAC Championship game. At the D2 level both the SIAC and CIAA participate in the playoffs and have done well.The MEAC has gone 12-years since their last playoff win. The last team in the MEAC to make a run in the playoffs was FAMU in 2000 who made it to the semi-finals, their only lost during the regular season was to Grambling who won the SWAC. Winston Salem State played in the D2 title game just last year and was in the National semis two years in a row prior to that. Albany State has a few national semi-final apperances along with North Carolina Central.

I'd honestly love to see 1-AA football do well. I don't mind 1-A ball (obviously), but something feels...fun about 1-AA ball.

(09-14-2013 03:17 PM)BlazerJoe Wrote:  I'd honestly love to see 1-AA football do well. I don't mind 1-A ball (obviously), but something feels...fun about 1-AA ball.

Bethune-Cookman did HBCU football proud tonight with their beatdown of FIU. North Carolina A&T ended Appalachian State's home winning streak last week, and lowly Howard almost pulled the upset at Eastern Michigan in week 1.

(09-14-2013 07:56 PM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  

(09-14-2013 03:17 PM)BlazerJoe Wrote:  I'd honestly love to see 1-AA football do well. I don't mind 1-A ball (obviously), but something feels...fun about 1-AA ball.

Bethune-Cookman did HBCU football proud tonight with their beatdown of FIU. North Carolina A&T ended Appalachian State's home winning streak last week, and lowly Howard almost pulled the upset at Eastern Michigan in week 1.

North Carolina A&T is best remembered for its own "Fab 5" who "defeated" the lunch counter policies at the local Woolworth "5&10" to begin the "Sit in movement" of nonviolent protests leading to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I mention that as a part of the current 50 year anniversary commemorations in B'ham. spawned by their own "Greatest Generation".