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The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 15
Jones Becomes Second Black
Swimmer To Win Olympic Gold
By. Perry Green
Special to the NNPA from the
Afro-American Newspapers
(NNPA) - When the U.S.
men's swimming team won
gold by setting a new world
record in the 4x100-meter
freestyle relay at the
Olympics Aug. 11, most of
America celebrated the fact
that swimming sensation
Michael Phelps had just
earned his third gold medal.
But while Phelps keeps
the nation tuned in on his pos
sibility of becoming the first
swimmer to win eight gold
medals in a single Olympic
season, his relay teammate,
Cullen Jones, has already
added his name to the rich
history of African American
sports.
The 24-year-old swim
mer out of Bronx, N.Y.
became just the second swim
mer of African-American
descent to win Olympic gold.
The first Black swim
mer to win a gold medal is
Anthony Ervin, who took the
gold in the same 4x100 event
back in the 2000 Olympics.
Jones, who now resides
Cullen Jones
in New Jersey, believes his
performance in this year’s
Olympics, along with Ervin’s
performance from eight years
ago, reflects a change of how
America views Blacks in the
sport of competitive swim
ming.
“The stigma of [think
ing that] black people don't
swim, I think, has come to an
end at this point," Jones told
the media.
Like Ervin, Jones’
advanced swimming skills
allowed him the opportunity
to receive a higher education
as he majored in English at
North Carolina State
University. Ervin swam for
the University of California,
Berkeley.
Jones now has inten
tions of touring the U.S. in
attempt of encouraging more
Blacks and Hispanics to learn
how to swim competitively.
“I can talk to kids all day. It's
more about getting the par
ents to support them because
the kids can’t get to practice
on their own,” said Jones,
who immediately acknowl
edged his parents for the great
role they played in his swim
ming career.
“I’d have practice in
New York and we lived in
New Jersey...that's an hour
away, and I had 5:30 in the
morning practices, and we'd
get up really really early, and
my parents would sit in the
car and wait for me to finish
practice,” Jones told the
media, while showing his
medal to his mother in a cen
ter reserved for relatives of
the Olympic athletes. "I guess
their commitment to me paid
off."
The 100 Black Men of Savannah...
Tiger Sports With Walter Moore
Tessier Named SSU
Head Athletics
Trainer
Ken Tessier, who's served on
the athletic training staff at
Savannah State for the past
year, has been promoted to
head athletic trainer at SSU.
Tessier served as assistant
athletic trainer for the Tigers
since June 2007. Tessier
replaces Kevin Lehmann who
recently accepted the position
of assistant athletics trainer for
men's basketball at Western
Michigan University. Prior to
coming to SSU, Tessier was
the athletic trainer at St.
Andrew’s in Savannah, Ga.
for three years. Tessier was
also employed by the
University of South Carolina,
Aiken, where he was the assis
tant athletic trainer for two
years. Tessier is a native of
North Smithfield, Rhode
Island and earned a Bachelors
of Science degree in Physical
Education with a concentra
tion in Sports Medicine from
Endicott College in 2002.
SSU Football Radio
Crew To Return
Clarence Wilson will return
Continued from page 1
Walter Moore
for his 1 l lh season as the play-
by-play man of Savannah
State football. Terry Hines,
who will be in his second sea
son, will join Wilson with
color commentary. Longtime
public address announcer
Lawrence Simmons will also
be back during the 2008 sea
son. Simmons became the
"voice of the Tigers" back in
1980. The trio also work as
public address announcers for
SSU home volleyball and bas
ketball games. SSU football
games can be heard on WHCJ
90.3 FM.
Rams Seek Return
To SIAC Top
Albany State will be looking
to return to the top of the
SIAC standings after a
rebuilding year in 2007. The
Rams were not bad, finishing
8-3 overall and 6-1 in the con
ference. It was the first time in
five years ASU was not
crowned SIAC champs. With
LiRonnie Davis academically
ineligible, Gary Neavins and
Brian Porter will be looked
upon to carry the load at run
ning back. Kisan Flakes, who
passed for 1,461 yards and
nine touchdowns a year ago,
will return for his senior sea
son at quarterback.
Defensively, the Rams will
rely on its secondary with the
return of senior Brian
Richardson and juniors Mario
Fuller and Terry McGhee.
Albany State will host Shaw
on August 30.
SC State Picked To
Win MEAC
For the second consecutive
year, South Carolina State has
been picked to win the Mid-
Eastern Athletic Conference
football championship, edging
out defending champion
Delaware State. Norfolk State
was picked to finish third
followed by Hampton,
Morgan State, Florida A&M,
Bethune-Cookman, Howard
and North Carolina A&T. The
Bulldogs return 44 letter win
ners from last season’s team
which include sixteen starters
(nine on defense and seven on
offense). SCSU was 7-4 last
year.
FREE FREE
Food, Groceries, Clothes
and a Hot Cooked Meal
(Bar-B-Que) from
New Vision Outreach
Ministries International
August 23,
9:00 a.m. - 12 noon
422 Duffy St at Price St.
Can 596-0660
for more info.
- MEMO RIAL
Above: Superior Court Judge James
Bass administers Oath of Membership
to newest Savannah 100 members (1-r)
Aldric Dekle, Gregory Stepherson,
Christopher Middleton, James Walker,
James Jones, Michael Carter and
Wilcher Spikes.
Gladys
Davis
March 6, I92f
■m
August 10. 2007
Favour is deceitful and beauty js vain; but a woman thary
[caret I j the Lord, she shall be praised, give her of hie f run
of her hands: and lei her own works praise iter in the gates.
Proverbs 31 :SO-31
Left: 100 members (1-r) Lamar
Lawrence and Vice President Dr.
Zaphon Wilson, welcome new members
James Jones and Michael Carter.
We are still pnii-jing.God for allowing us the oppuhunity
ant! the privilege ofbeiag loved and nurtured by a virtuous
woman. Shirk 1 ’.' Milchcll and Fvrlvu Rued dot La hr n s
Marvin Davis. sou, sunnikhiklmL. ncices. and nephew?.
Richfield...
Continued from page 5
1968 by Reverend J.M.
Benton. Contemporary
church history was made in
the Richfield subdivision
when Pastor Johnnie F.
Powers, Jr. designed and built
a new sanctuary by the help
of Almighty God, the mem
bers and friends.
“ Lets Build together by
faith and in Jesus Christ!”
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Savannah
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