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The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, July 1, 2009 -11
Sports with Walter Moore
Eat Local Savannah
Initiative Continues
Walter Moore
What Does SSU Offer The
MEAC?
Officials from the Mid-
Eastern Athletic Conference
(MEAC) visited the campus
of Savannah State University
(SSU) earlier this week.
MEAC officials are thinking
about conference expansion
while SSU officials are look
ing for a place to call home.
Let’s take a look at what SSU
has to offer.
Founded in 1890, SSU
is the oldest public historical
ly black college in Georgia
and sits on 173 acres of land.
Amidst the mossy oaks, one
can pick from over 20 under
graduate majors and four
graduate programs.
Enrollment hit its highest
peak during fall 2008 at
3,456. Forty-one percent of
those enrolled were from the
Savannah metro area while 19
percent hailed from the
Atlanta metro area. Fifty-
eight percent of the enroll
ment is made up of females
and five percent are non
blacks.
Academically,
Savannah State student-ath
letes are doing well in the
classroom. During the 2007-
OS academic year, 31 athletes
made the Honor Roll, 14 were
on the Dean’s List and two
made the President’s List.
During the 2008-09 school
term, 42 made the Honor
Roll, 19 were on the Dean’s
List and one made the
President’s List.
Athletically, SSU offers
15 sports and just ended a
three-year NCAA probation
for rule violations.
SSU has been Division I since
2002 and excuses are begin
ning to run out on why the
program has a hard time com
peting in the league.
The football team went
5-7 in 2008 and there is a
glimmer of hope for the pro
gram that has not posted a
winning season since 1998.
Of the five victories, only one
came against a Football
Championship Sub-Division
opponent (Winston-Salem
State).
The volleyball and soft-
ball teams posted school
records in victories last year.
The volleyball team won 10
games while softball won 15.
That is great for school and
team morale but none of the
wins came against Division I
competition. Last year, vol
leyball was 0-6 against
MEAC competition while the
softball team was 0-8 and the
tennis team was 0-2.
The men's basketball
teams at SSU were a power
house in the 1960s, 70s and
early 80s. Fans still talk about
teams under Ted Wright, Leo
Richardson, Russell Ellington
and Jimmy Westley. After
years of losing, the team final
ly turned the comer in 2008-
09 finishing with a winning
season for the first time since
the 1985-86 campaign.
Horace Broadnax has things
moving in the right direction
but the Tigers still suffered
away from Tiger Arena where
they went 2-11. SSU was .500
(1-1) when playing MEAC
schools.
SSU women's basketball
enjoyed its last real success in
the early 1990s and have not
had a non-losing season since
1998-99. The Lady Tigers
were 9-22 this year and like
the men, they had a poor road
record, going 2-13. Take away
the non-Division I wins and
SSU only has a 5-22 mark.
SSU was 1-3 when playing
MEAC schools.
The track & field/cross
country programs had some
individual success a few years
ago but are on the rebound
with a good recruiting class
and have fared well against
counterparts from the major
conferences.
Golf at Savannah State
appears to be on even keel
with other MEAC programs.
The Tigers were seventh at the
2009 PGA Collegiate Golf
Championships after finishing
fourth in 2008. However, SSU
was the only Division-I school
that participated in the
Armstrong Atlantic
Invitational in February and
finished tied for 11th place.
The women's golf program
needs major work although
SSU had one player compete
as an individual at the PGA
Championships and she
placed 13 th.
Baseball has been SSU's
best sport since the mid-1990s
but after two consecutive los
ing seasons some supporters
are looking closely at the
direction of the program. The
Tigers led the nation is stolen
bases in 2009 but were also
inconsistent at times. SSU
went 3-10 against MEAC
competition.
Finances
According to the web
site www.bballstate.com in
2008, SSU had athletic rev
enues of $2,222,989.00 while
expenses were 2,102,031.00.
Those revenue figures ranked
the Tigers next to last of the
340 Division I schools. SSU
was last when it came to
expenses.
Facilities
SSU plays its football
game in Theodore Wright
Stadium which was built in
1968. The facility which seats
7,500, received major renova
tions last season to its press
box. Work was also done with
the addition of better lighting
and bleachers on the home
side. The smallest MEAC sta
dium belongs to Delaware
State which seats 6,828.
Tiger Memorial Baseball
Field was also built in the
early 1970s and Wilcox-
Wiley Gym, home to the vol
leyball team, was erected in
1964. The SSU track was
resurfaced for the 1996
Olympics and is also used for
county and city track meets.
Tiger Arena opened in 2000
and can seat over 5,000.
Although SSU has a tennis
court, home matches are
played at nearby Lake Mayer
and the golf team holds their
home matches at Henderson
Golf Course.
Extras
If and/or when SSU is admit
ted into the MEAC, along
with it comes the alumni, fan
base, band and cheerleaders.
It’s no secret that SSU’s alum
ni and fan base is a finicky
group. Either they are with
you or they are not, although
some like to straddle the fence
to keep the peace. SSU aver
aged 948 fans in men’s bas
ketball last season while the
Lady Tigers drew an average
of 680 per game. Football
averaged 4,818 in their four
home contests.
SSU’s band is very
small when compared to most
Division I bands and things
won’t change when they regu
larly go up against the 250-
plus member bands from
FAMU, Bethune, Hampton
and Howard.
Cheerleaders are a very
important part of sports, espe
cially on the collegiate level.
SSU’s cheer squad will be
under new leadership this fall
and will hopefully be able to
keep pace with their MEAC
suitors of firing up the teams
and crowds.
Tailgating is a big part of
MEAC football. SSU fans are
only known to tailgate at
homecoming while many at
MEAC schools crank up the
grill at home and road games.
SSU fans must step up to the
plate or they may get left with
the gristle.
The Bottom Line
Geographically, SSU
seems to be an excellent fit for
the MEAC as strong rivalries
could be built with several
conference institutions within
a five hour drive of Savannah.
If the conference splits into a
north/south divisional format,
adding SSU would reduce the
travel cost for the southern
institutions but travel costs
would increase for SSU as
they may have to travel as far
away as Delaware for confer
ence games in all sports. If
Savannah State is to increase
its level of competitiveness,
additional funding and athlet
ic staffing resources will have
to be secured. There are signs
that SSU is increasing schol
arships in several sports and
hiring more resources to sup
port athletics.
SSU Baseball Team Picks Up Post
Season Honor
The Savannah State
baseball team picked up a
post-season honor as the
Tigers led Division I in
stolen bases.
As a team, SSU base-
runners stole 169 bases in
207 attempts.
The Tigers also led the
nation in stolen bases per
game with 3.31.
Individually, three
Savannah State players were
ranked in the top 20 in stolen
bases per game.
Tristan Smith, a senior
second baseman from Stone
Mountain, Ga., ranked 10th
with .69; Dexter Kelly, a
sophomore outfielder from
Atlanta, Ga., ranked 12th
with .65; and David
Washington, a senior out
fielder from Bronx, New
York, ranked 15th with .62.
In stolen bases, Kelly
ranked 13th with 33 steals in
41 attempts; Smith ranked
17th with 31 steals in 32
attempts; and Washington
ranked 36th with 26 steals in
32 attempts.
This summer, Kelly is
playing with the Mohawk
Valley Diamond Dawgs of
the New York Collegiate
Baseball League located in
Little Falls, N.Y. while
Washington signed a con
tract in April to play with the
El Paso Diablos of the
American Association of
Independent Professional
Baseball located in El Paso,
Texas.
With the increasing
economic downturn, it’s
more important than ever to
help support and advocate
local farmers and purveyors
to help secure and maintain
Savannah’s local resources.
As a restaurant that
supports sustainable efforts
to reduce economic, social
and environmental burdens,
Chef Jeff Rodgers continual
ly alters the Local 11 Ten
menu to feature the freshest
herbs, vegetables, meats, and
catches from many of the
coastal region’s premium
farmers and suppliers.
The July 28, 2009 six-
course dinner will feature
the coastal region’s freshest
seafood sourced from Blue
Marlin International.
Blue Marlin catches
fish from as far north as the
lower Outer Banks of North
Carolina to Bluffton, SC and
as far south as Sea Island,
GA.
The reception begins at
6:30 p.m., with a 7:00 p.m.
dinner seating for $40.00 per
person and an additional
$25.00 for wine pairings.
Please call the restaurant at
912-790-9000 to schedule a
reservation.
Menu
Scallop BLT
Seared Hatteras tuna, wilt
ed arugula and Vidalia
onion, Sweet Grass chevre,
purple basil, sweet lime
and saffron butter
Bouillabaisse
Local langoustine
thermidor
Golden tilefish en papillote
Raspberry crab cake with
lemongrass and lavender
sorbet
Located a block south
of Forsyth Park, Local 11 Ten
is set in the 1950s-era
Savannah Bank building.
With a contemporary
atmosphere, foodies, tourists
and locals alike gather to
enjoy Chef Jeff Rodgers'
unique spin on familiar
southern flavors.
With ingredients such
as the day boat soft-shell
crab and figs and loquats
grown just down the street,
Local 11 Ten is open
Monday through Saturday,
5-10 p.m. and is open on
Sundays for special occa
sions. Outdoor seating is
available and parking is
located behind the restau
rant.
Local 11 Ten is located
at 1110 Bull St., Savannah,
GA, 31401.
Log on to
localllten.com or call
912.790.9000 for reserva
tions or further information.
The African-American Experience at
Fort Pulaski to be Celebrated on July 4
The African-American
Experience at Fort Pulaski to
be Celebrated on July 4.
Fort Pulaski National
Monument will celebrate the
African-American experience
at the historic fort on Saturday,
July 4th.
Activities include a book sign
ing by a popular local author,
Gullah music performed by
the Fellowship Concert Choir
of Beaufort, SC, and Civil
War soldier programs.
“There is a rich African-
American history in this area
connected with the Civil War,”
commented Randy Wester,
superintendent at Fort Pulaski
National Monument. “It is fit
ting that Fort Pulaski, an
important Civil War site, com
memorate the African-
American contributions in the
Civil War.”
Slave laborers helped
build the fort, escaped slaves
worked at the fort during its
active years in the Civil War
and some of the first African-
American soldiers in the Civil
War served in the coastal Low
Country.
Local author Robert T.S.
Mickles, Sr. will be signing
copies of his popular books,
Blood Kin, A Savannah Story
and Isaiah's Tears. Based on
stories he heard as a young
boy in Savannah, Mr. Mickles'
books offer penetrating insight
into the African-American
experience in the Civil War
era. Mr. Mickles will be avail
able to sign his books from
10:00 am until about 2:00 pm.
The Fellowship Concert
Choir of Beaufort, SC, will be
presenting programs drawing
on Gullah music history.
The local African-
Robert T.S. Mickels
American population for
many years maintained strong
links with their African roots,
forming a unique culture
known as Gullah. With dis
tinctive food, music, and tra
ditions, Gullah culture
remains today a strong link
with the Civil War era.
Once it was re-taken by
the Union Army during the
Civil War, Fort Pulaski served
as a place of refuge for escap
ing slaves. Some of them
worked at the fort, and even
tually, escaping slaves from
the area served as soldiers in
the Union Army. Civil War
soldier programs on July 4
will showcase this highlight
of the African-American
experience in the Civil War.
Fort Pulaski National
Monument is on U.S. Hwy
80,15 miles east of Savannah.
An entrance fee of $3
per person is charged; ages 15
and under are free.
Call the park on 912-
786-5787 for details, or visit
the park's official website at
www.nps.gov/fopu.
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$3,615
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Williams & Williams
Funeral Hsirac
1012 E, Gwinnett & * Savannah, GA 314D1
(912) 234-1634
uvww.vdliamsaiidwillidmsfurit!] alhunm.cum
Minority and Women Business
Enterprise Office
M/WBE
Certification
Clinics
Representatives will be on
hand to assist with:
•Completing Certification
Applications
Every 2 ncl and 4 th Tuesday
12:00 P.M.-1:00 P.M.
•Questions about the M/WBE City
Ordinance
• M/WBE Registration
PLEASE BE ON TIME
CLINIC LASTS 1 HOUR
■How to do business with the City of
Savannah
Savannah Entrepreneurial
Center
&01 E, Gwinnett
■ Locating Bid/RFP Opportunities
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