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14 Sports
Morehouse athletics: a year in review
Highlights from one of Morehouse's most successful seasons
Charlene Cole
Sports Editor
ccole@maroontiger.com
Technically, I'm sup
posed to be reporting on the
latest occurrences in
Morehouse athletics. Obvi
ously with that stated I am
not. But somewhere on this
page, I will mention a few
highlights of the end of the
school year.
What I'd like to do in
stead is ... well, what I did
was knock the dust off my
treasured collections of Ma
roon Tigers and analyzed
what has been an interest
ing, if not better described
by the word “turbulent,"
collection of athletic sea
sons.
To begin...
A controversial call at
the end of regulation sent
the Fighting Maroon Tigers
into an overtime loss against
Fort Valley State, which
would later serve as the ba
sis of controversy as to who
really is (was) the 2001 SIAC
Football Champions. The
Tigers' football season was
plagued with even more
hullabaloo when it defeated
Stillman College in
Tuscaloosa by default of bad
weather.
But to make another
point in regard to who is
(was) the 2001 SIAC Foot
ball Champions, one must
question, with the All-SIAC
team filled with members of
the Maroon Tigers and the
coach being the SIAC Coach
of the Year, then by default
alone, aren't the Tigers well
deserving of their trophy?
Also during the won
drous fall, the soccer team
was at it again, traveling up
and down the lower eastern
shore board making its pres
ence known. Intramural foot
ball took to the field as well
and ended with a lovely
group of Gravediggas taking
home the crown. But let us
not forget another set of
champions, the cross-country
team who took home the
SIAC title along with coach of
the year, Coach Willie Hill.
Oh, and let's not forget
the new scoreboard. Nice,
huh?
As the temperature be
gan to drop, we decided it
would be best for us to play
inside ... play basketball that
is. It's funny how things
work out sometimes. At the
beginning of the season,
Morehouse was predicted to
be number one, win the tour
nament, and have Darius
Wade listed as the possible
candidate for SIAC Player of
the Year. One out of three
isn't bad, right? But the way
in which ending the season
as number one came about
was...frustrating to say the
least.
Wade incurred a sea
son-ending injury that forced
freshmen guards into senior
positions without the expe
rience of SIAC competition.
However, often times one
would never recognize that
these guys had not seen this
form of contest before. It was
as if they put into their
minds: "This is basketball
and I've been playing it for
years. So, no matter what
level, this is my game, and I
came to win." And they did.
But unfortunately, they
couldn't win it all. As a re
sult, I'm almost terrified at
what they might accomplish
next year. Are we going to the
big dance?
Intramural basketball
also took to the court in its
traditional fashion. I unfor
tunately, missed the champi
onship game and heard that
my team got the shaft. Oh
well, congratulations are in
order for the victors.
Spring. I always have to
make that statement when the
season comes around. It is a
time that speaks for itself in
regard to Morehouse Athlet
ics. It is a word that says so
much that writing articles
about the accomplishments of
the teams active during this
beautiful point in the year be
comes severely redundant.
But I'll say it here, just
to make it official. The track
and tennis teams both did ex
tremely well, as usual. Oh
yeah, and I mus.t not forget
the spring was also blessed
with an aquatics invitational.
This was also the time of the
introduction of the new head
coach of the football team
right in time for spring train
ing.
But I'm sure as much of
a surprise as it was to hear
that Coach Jones was leaving,
the attitude of the team is un
derstanding. "When you be
come a winning team you
have to do whatever it takes
to get the job done, we under
stand that, so there is no
added pressure, just a con
stant pressure to perform,"
said teammate Robert Smalls.
The pressure each team
faced this year was a heavy
load to bear. Yet the victori
ous nature of each season
demonstrated that in all
battles, Tigers fight back.
Oh and how could I for
get the competitions in which
the Maroon Tiger faced
throughout the school year,
yet remained victorious. The
plaques are on the wall.
The Maroon Tiger
Sunday, May 19, 2002
FRIENDLY from Page 10
pep talk about integrity.
8. Most professors make
a ton of time for students -
sometimes to their own profes
sional detriment.□ Many £
Morehouse professor, especially
the revered Morehouse legends
(like Drs. Davis, Barksdale,
Rahming, Grimes, and others)
can be found every single day
for hours meeting with brothers
talking about every type issue
under the sun. "At many schools
this time is spent in seclusion far
away from the population, but
not here.C I have eceived con
stant encouragement and sup
port from many professors and
expect these bonds to remain
past the walls of our college.
9. Morehouse is often
very lenient on brothers that
commit a myriad of infractions
against school rules and even
local laws. : Chief Wrthy and
Major Bourda have kept count
less Negroes out of jail (a whole
different story) and have been
at the jail for many other broth
ers (another story) that gave in
to poor judgment. 0 Few schools
have any officers at all that care
about you as a person -
Morehouse has many.; i
10. On a personal note,
Morehouse has treated me like
a king. 1 Despite having; to with
draw and re-enroll Morehouse
has always kept my scholarship
warm.O Moehouse has com
pletely paid for me to attend
conferences in Miami, Boston,
St. Louis, Orlando, and South
Africa - with a little money in
my pocket. □ When I was SGA
president, my room and board
was paid for by the college.";
When I had surgeries I received
get well cards, messages, and
mementos from well-wishing
administrators. ;; Dr Massey
opened up his house to me nu
merous times and even cooked
some steak and potatoes before
we discussed politics and Dear
Old Morehouse.
BOOKSTORE from Rage 10
Morehouse College. College
officials must not scapegoat
Engineer Book Company for
its own negligence in ensur
ing the quality of student ser
vices.
Furthermore, the hu
man component of manage
rial changes is an aspect that
Morehouse officials seem to
ignore, since the current
bookstore staff was given
only a few weeks notice about
their impending lay-offs.
During last week's book
buy-back period, many stu
dents expressed their disap
pointment with the manage
ment change.
"The bookstore staff is
our family. The value of a
warm hug, friendly smile,
and free sodas does not have
a price tag attached. What
price is Morehouse willing to
pay?" said junior Tony Spratt.
A fast break leads to a touchdown.
A successful free-throw leads to a Tiger win.
The Maroon Tiger soccer team takes to the field.