Columbus Times
11-17-2004
The pairings for the 2004 Pioneer Bowl, which will be played this year in
Mobile Alabama, are set. It will be SIAC Conference Champion Tuskegee
Golden Tigers facing off against the CIAA Champion Shaw University Bears.
Tuskegee has been a perennial power in the SIAC while the Bears captured
their very first CIAA crown.
The Pioneer Bowl is the only Division II Bowl game for Historically Black
Colleges. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00pm December 4th at Ladd Peebles
Stadium in Mobile.
Meanwhile, what a fantastic Fountain City Classic we got the opportunity to
witness this past Saturday. The Golden Rams of Albany State held on to
defeat their arch-rival the Wildcats of Fort Valley State 20-to-19. Fort
Valley missed an extra point attempt that would have tied the game with
about a minute left on the clock.
The win enabled the Rams to finish the season with a perfect 10-0 record.
They earned a first round bye in the Division II playoffs and will host the
winner of the Catawba-Arkansas Tech game on Saturday November 20th at the
Albany Municipal Stadium.
And the hottest ticket in the area right now has to be for the annual
showdown between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers. Auburn is
ranked number three in the nation while the Dawgs come in at number eight.
Its been a while since the two teams met this highly ranked.
Auburn is a slight favorite for the big match-up which will be televised on
the local CBS affiliate WRBL beginning at 3:30p.m. this Saturday
Prediction:
Georgia - 28 Auburn - 21
Black College Football Schedule:
NC A&T @ Hampton - 1:00pm
Benedict @ Tuskegee - 1:00pm
Alcorn State @ Alabama A&M - 1:30pm
Mississippi Valley @ Alabama St. - 1:30pm
Texas Southern @ Southern - 7:00pm
Howard @ Bethune Cookman - 4:00pm
Jackson St. @ Prairie View - 3:00pm
Tennessee St. @ Eastern Kentucky - 12:30pm
Morgan St. @ S.C. State - 1:30pm
Grambling @ Savannah St. - 1:30pm
High School Football Playoff Predictions:
Pacelli - 45 Savannah Country Day - 14
Shaw-28 Cairo-21 (WOKS Radio 7:30 Friday)
Central - 35 Murphy-10 (WEAM Radio 8:00pm Friday)
COLUMBUS STATE TO HOST DRAGONS PRESEASON GAME NOVEMBER 16
Columbus State University and the Columbus Riverdragons will host a
basketball doubleheader on Tuesday, November 16th at the Frank G. Lumpkin
Center, featuring the CSU Lady Cougars season opener against Clark Atlanta
at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Dragons preseason game versus the Florida
Flame at 8:15 p.m..
Tickets for this special event are priced at $5 for general admission and
$3 for all non-CSU students with a valid student ID. All CSU students,
faculty, and staff showing their CSU ID receive free admission. To purchase
tickets for the basketball doubleheader, visit the Columbus State
University Athletics ticket office located at the Lumpkin Center or call
(706) 568-2204. This event marks the second time that Columbus State has
hosted a Riverdragons preseason game. The Dragons defeated the Greenville
Groove, 71-62, in a preseason match-up at the Lumpkin Center on November 9,
2002.
The opening game of the doubleheader features the CSU Lady Cougars taking
on regional foe, Clark Atlanta University. CSU Head Coach Jay Sparks
returns three starters and four letter winners from a team that finished
11-17 a year ago. The Lady Cougars will look to jumpstart their rise back
to the top of the Peach Belt Conference against a Lady Panthers squad that
finished 22-5 last season.
The NBDL preseason contest will feature a coaching matchup of two former
NBA stars in Dragons Head Coach Jeff Malone and Flame Head Coach Dennis
Johnson. Malone was a two-time NBA All-Star (1986, '87) during a 13-year
career which saw the Macon, Ga. native score over 17,000 points for the
Washington Bullets, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat. Johnson
joins the Flame staff after an extensive career with the NBA, both as a
player and coach. During his playing days with the Seattle Supersonics,
Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics, Johnson claimed three NBA championships
as well as other various awards and honors. Named to nine consecutive
All-Defensive Teams (1979-87), Johnson was also a five-time NBA All-Star
selection (1979-82, '85).
The NBDL includes the Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft.
Myers), Huntsville Flight (Ala.), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.), Columbus
Riverdragons (Ga.) and Asheville Altitude (N.C.).
The league offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a
highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. In addition to the
28 players, nine former NBDL coaches and five athletic trainers have been
called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November
2001.
Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and
internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at
affordable prices. The NBDL is a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30
teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by
training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and
marketing positions.
The Riverdragons open their 2004-05 regular season schedule on Saturday,
November 20 versus the Huntsville Flight at the Columbus Civic Center. For
more information, log on to www.columbusriverdragons.com or contact
Riverdragons Media Relations Manager Tim Becwar at (706) 225-1104, or
tbecwar@nba.com.
Article copyright The Columbus Times.
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