J-State also earns women’s all-sports award; Grambling State takes men’s award
BIRMINGHAM – The Jackson State University Athletic Department has earned the Southwestern Athletic Conference Dr. James Frank Commissioner’s Cup Award for all-sports competition for the third consecutive year and the women’s Barbara Jacket/Sadie Magee sports award for the fourth consecutive year. On the men’s side, Grambling State claimed the C.D. Henry sports award.
In 2008-2009 JSU totaled 160 points as they won conference championships in men’s and women’s golf, women’s tennis and women’s outdoor track. Jackson State had second-place finishes in football, men’s basketball, men’s outdoor track, women’s cross country, women’s soccer and women’s indoor track, and third-place finishes in volleyball, bowling and softball and tied for third in men’s tennis.
In the all-sports competition, Grambling State finished second (153.5 points) and Alabama State came in third (136.5 points). In women’s competition, Jackson State’s 96 points led all schools. Grambling State (82 points) was second and Southern (78 points) was third.
It is the fourth all-sports award for Jackson State since the award was first presented in 1991-92 and the eighth women’s sports award since its inception in 1979-80.
Grambling State has claimed the men’s all-sports award for the second time ever (previous 1971-72) since the award was first presented in 1969-70. The Tigers won conference championships in football, indoor and outdoor track and field, finished second in cross country and tied for third in men’s tennis. Grambling State’s 71.5 points led the way ahead of second-place Jackson State (64 points) and third-place Alabama State (60.5 points).
The Commissioner’s Cup award is named for Dr. Frank, the former SWAC Commissioner (1983-1998, April 2001-December 2002) who was also the first African-American President of the NCAA while serving as president at Lincoln (Mo.) University.
The women’s sports award is also named after pioneers. Jacket was the head track and field/cross country coach at Prairie View A&M (1966-1991), winning 22 SWAC titles and 12 national titles. In 1992 she became just the second African-American woman to coach the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team. Magee is the winningest basketball coach in Jackson State history and also served as assistant athletic director and coordinator of women’s sports. Magee won two SWAC women’s regular season basketball titles and four Conference tournament titles.
The men’s sports award is named for C.D. Henry, who was an athletic administrator who among his career achievements was chairman of Grambling State’s College of Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department (1958-74) and was the executive officer and secretary-statistician for the SWAC from 1968-73. Henry became the first African-American assistant commissioner at any conference office when he was named to the position at the Big Ten Conference 35 years ago today.
