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SPORTS
Hickson: ‘Making Morehouse a Powerhouse’
By R. Francis Blakeney
Editor-In-Chief
After a nationwide search
and extensive review of
applicants for the position, Dr.
John Hopps, Jr., Provost and
Senior Vice President for
Academic Affairs, made the
announcement in the Olympic
Arena at a press conference
attended by several football
players and members of the
college family. On Thursday,
January 8, Frank Hickson,
accompanied by wife Meesha,
daughter Leidra and son
Frank IV, became Morehouse's
seventh coach in the past nine
years.
"I'm happy to be here. For
a long time, I wanted to be a
Morehouse Man," he said
while officially accepting the
head coaching position at
Morehouse College. In
announcing Hickson's
appointment, Hopps stated
that "he is an outstanding
recruiter and a highly
respected coach with great
administrative skills."
Hickson, a former running
back and graduate of Tuskegee
University, has sixteen years of
coaching experience. Last
season, he was offensive
Courtesy Morehouse College
Known as excellent
recruiter, Hickson is faced
with the awesome challenge
of rebuilding a football
program at Morehouse.
coordinator and running backs
coach at the University of
North Texas. Before that, he
served as running backs coach
at the University of South
Carolina, the Naval Academy
and Temple University.
When asked about his
recruiting abilities, he stated
that he recruited standout
Chris McCoy while at the
Naval Academy and he is
commited to making a name
for Maroon Tiger football. "I
am ready to go on a national
crusade to talk about
Morehouse football," says
Hickson. While coaching at
the University of South
Carolina, Hickson's strong
recruiting skills brought future
NFL running backs Brandon
Bennett (Miami), Stanley
Pritchett (Miami) and Duce
Staley (Philadelphia).
"I have great respect for
Morehouse. I have been
making the right moves at the
right time. All my life, I have
been waiting for a situation
like Willie Jeffries'," he
continued. Jeffries, Hickson's
mentor and South Carolina
State coach who has a 15-year
record of 110-52-4, hired
Hickson as a graduate
assistant while coaching at
Wichita State in 1983. Like
Jeffries, the 36- year-old
Orangeburg, S.C. native has
the task of restoring stability
and a winning traditon to a
program that has been
plagued with problems.
Hickson takes over the
helm of a team that has seen
six coaches come and go over
the past nine years as well as a
13-30 record over the last four.
Although this is his first head
coaching job, he assures
Morehouse that he is here for
the "long haul". "Willie
Jeffries had the opportunity to
make South Carolina State the
powerhouse it became, " says
Hickson, "and I have the
opportunity to make
Morehouse a powerhouse."
Played Tusj
How Hickson Got Here
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Hickson spentthe past two:
nator at the University of rn
January 8,1998, Hickson because heacl
Maroon Tigers.
iversity to coach running backs
University.
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ived to the
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Morehouse Soccer: “Heart, Soul, and Sacrifice”
being paid any extra salary, are well worth it given the
Konneh volunteers his success that his teams have
W.A. Bridges/77re Atlanta Journal Constitution
History professor and soccer coach Augustine Konneh
(center) bounces a soccer ball on his hand. Among his top
players are midfielder Adam Perez (from left) of Pasadena,
Calif.;goalkeeper Jason Blaize-Coar of Trinidad; forward
Dwayne Cambridge of Trinidad; midfielder Nwadike Holder
of Trindad; defender Alex Williams of Thlsa, Okla.’; and
defender Johnathan Latting of Birmingham, Al.
By Joe Carlos
'Staff Writer
On most lazy, sun
drenched afternoons this past
semester, it was almost
impossible to miss the sight.
Twenty to thirty young men in
shorts and cleats sat outside of
White Hall, waiting for soccer
practice to begin. None of
these men are on any soccer
scholarship, nor have they
been recruited to play.
However, in the past two
seasons, they have compiled a
19-2 won-loss record. The
answer to such a storybook
success?
"Heart, soul and
sacrifice...commitment from
the players, commitment from
the'coach and a willingness to
sacrifice." says Dr. Augustine
Konneh, a professor in the
History department. Without
precious time to training,
traveling with and checking
on the welfare of his thirty
players. However, he feels
that the extra hours he puts in
enjoyed and continue to have.
Morehouse recorded wins
over such NCAA Division I
powerhouses as Auburn,
Georgia Tech, South Carolina
and Kentucky en route to a 10-
1 overall record this past
season. Next year, the team
will compete in Division II but
Konneh feels they will not be
on that level for long.
"When the NCAA sees
that we,can play on [a high]
level and excel, it probably
won't be long before we go on
to Division I." The Tigers
ended the year by finishing
second in a national
tournament at Georgia
Southern University, losing 2-
1 to eventual champion Texas
Tech. Morehouse goalie Jason
Blaize-Coar was named the
best defensive player and
freshman striker Dwayne
Cambridge, the best offensive
player. "[Beating those
Division I teams] gave us the
confidence to know that we
can excel and play anyone at
anytime," said Konneh.
One of the most
interesting things about this
team is its international flavor.
The United States, the
Carribbean, Africa, Trinidad
and Gambia are a few of the
places that the players hail
from.
