Jafus (Thinker)
Well-Known Member
Likely leap to I-A excites FAMU fans
By Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 22, 2003
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/c...itions/today/sports_e35ff2de43a4f03c0023.html
Richard Koonce's grandfather played for Florida A&M. So did his father. And his aunt. And his mother. You could say when it came time for Richard to choose a college, he had a pretty good idea early where he'd be going.
"Clemson or LSU," says Koonce, a 310-pound offensive lineman from Boynton Beach High.
He wanted to play Division I-A football. Period.
They wanted him to be happy, but they really wanted him to be happy at FAMU. Period.
Turns out everyone is getting their wish. Exclamation point.
This month, the Rattlers applied to the NCAA to move from Division I-AA to Division I-A in football. If things go as planned, FAMU would join the same classification as Miami, Florida and Florida State in the fall of 2005. At the same time, FAMU likely would become the first historically black college to play football at the NCAA's highest level since Division I-AA was established in 1978.
The school's board of trustees could sign off on the matter when it meets Tuesday. The NCAA will review the application July 20, although actual acceptance into Division I-A requires meeting several conditions in a two-year period. Meanwhile, in Tallahassee, and in the Koonce household, there suddenly is a mix of cautious optimism, growing confidence and even a hint of giddiness.
"We've always sort of been in the bush leagues," says Barney Bishop, a FAMU trustee and CEO of the Windsor Group. "And now we're looking to move up into the big leagues."
Implications go beyond FAMU
The Rattlers are welcoming all that comes with it, from the national television deal already in place to fending off the Clemsons, LSUs and Miamis when it comes to recruiting the state's best talent. Yes, there's a financial risk, but the school is confident that it's a wise risk because fans drawn in by the football team also will be made aware of the school's academic tradition.
Already, the school can chalk up one benefit: signing Koonce.
Koonce and his mother, Priscilla Maloney, say school officials told them of their plans during a recruiting visit in January.
"It was almost like a done deal by 2005," says Maloney, assistant principal at Lake Worth High. "That's the way it was presented to us."
Imagine how relieved Koonce was. Until then, his grandfather, former Rattlers linebacker Richard Bowers Jr., reminded him daily that "I would sure love to see you in that green and orange." Playing I-AA isn't exactly what teenagers with NFL aspirations has in mind. But now?
"Somebody is telling you that you're with the big boys now, that you're good enough to play with the big guys," Koonce says.
The implications of such a move go far beyond the dreams of one university tucked in the state's panhandle. The NCAA couldn't be certain but said it is likely that FAMU would become the first historically black college or university to make such a move. No one knows what long-ranging effect that might have on black college football, but FAMU backers hope other black schools join them.
"That provides hope for other universities," says Ada Burnette, a FAMU trustee and president of its faculty senate.
Says Koonce: "I see a lot of black colleges following, like Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State, Tennessee State. I have a cousin who plays for Tennessee State. He told me that they want to do that too so bad."
There's a key reason FAMU is taking a leap others have not. The school recently signed a five-year contract with upstart Urban Broadcasting worth a minimum of $7.5 million. The network plans to nationally televise at least nine Rattlers football games this fall, most live, and expects to be available in the Palm Beach area by fall via cable and satellite.
The Rattlers can thank their band, the Marching 100, for all this. Peggy Dodson is founder, president and CEO of Urban Broadcasting, and as an Arkansas Razorback, she had no connection with the school but was intrigued by the acclaimed band. She considered FAMU a "jewel" and began negotiations, she says, without knowing of the I-A plans.
"I had no idea," Dodson says. "I just have a commitment to black college sports. I knew I wanted to broadcast that, and you go to the best teams. FAMU just happened to fall into our lap."
Hefty investment required
Promotion isn't a slam-dunk. In April 2002, the NCAA toughened the standards for schools to move up, and FAMU is the first school to apply under the new guidelines. The primary requirements: Schools must average at least 15,000 in paid football attendance, offer approximately 200 total scholarships and 16 varsity sports, and play five home games against I-A opponents.
FAMU already meets or comes close to satisfying all these guidelines except attracting five I-A opponents to Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee. This fall's schedule has zero such games.
"The toughest one for us is obviously getting the schedule together in 2004," says Jonathan Evans, FAMU's director of compliance. It doesn't hurt that I-A schools have begun inquiring about playing, likely under the assumption they can defeat FAMU. Regardless, the school believes it's close enough on the other criteria that "we are proceeding as if there will be no bumps in the road, which is the only way we can proceed," Evans says.
The process began simply enough, with a four-page strategic plan and a $5,000 check submitted to the NCAA, but it now involves millions of dollars, countless jobs and untold academic/athletic careers. Plans call for a $55 million investment for athletic facilities that also house a teacher convocation center. That price includes a $30 million state bond for increasing the football stadium's capacity from 22,500 to more than 40,000, plus skyboxes, possibly for '04. Some improvements would have happened anyway, Evans says, but the figures are a significant enough portion of the school's $210 million operating budget that some are pausing.
"There are some unanswered questions," says Roosevelt Wilson, publisher of the Tallahassee newspaper Capital Outlook. "The concern is, first of all, the fact it is tied into the television deal and the fact the Urban Broadcasting Company is a new company with no track record. The deal might work. And also, it might not. And so, if it doesn't work, what might be the consequences to tying the whole move to Division I based on that revenue? That doesn't indicate I am for or against it. I just think it's a legitimate issue that needs to be addressed."
And it will be, say members of the board of trustees.
"It's a valid comment, but the report the board has received is this is a solid organization and so we view the risk as acceptable," Key Biscayne attorney Al Cardenas says.
Bishop concedes that the move wouldn't be possible without the TV contract but agrees with Wilson's call for caution. Part of the reason is that while the deal calls for FAMU to receive at least $7.5 million, the maximum won't be known for years.
"What the television deal gives us is a solid foundation to work off of, as long as we're mindful that we shouldn't be looking at the maximum we're going to get but just rely on the minimum," Bishop says.
The other dose of reality is the economy, says Rick Horrow, a visiting professor of sports law at Harvard.
"It's always very difficult after the post-Sept. 11 recessionary economic period for corporate America to launch a Division I program," Horrow says. He pointed to Tulane, which narrowly avoided dropping from Division I-A amid $5 million to $7 million in losses.
Says Burnette: "We know the economy is bad. There's never a good time to make change. Change is always painful. Change is risky. But if you don't change, you don't have a chance to get better. Sometimes you have to make an investment for the greater good. That's why people play the stock market."
Opportunities for black players
FAMU officials are determined to maintain their profitable rivalry with Bethune-Cookman, but Division I-A status would end the Rattlers' affiliation with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The most likely destinations are Conference USA, the Mid-American or Sun Belt conferences.
"We as alumni feel we've outgrown the MEAC," Maloney says.
"I'm very happy for them," says Dennis Thomas, commissioner of the MEAC. "I wish them success.... Obviously we would hate to see them go, but that's progress for them."
That's the business side of the equation. Ask those on the football side, and there's unabashed excitement.
The subject created a buzz in the Dolphins' locker room, where the prospect of seeing his alma mater move up delights guard Jamie Nails.
"It's about time," says Nails, a Rattler in 1995-96. "We should have been D-I from Day One. When they recruit, they already have a great education and a great social life. All they have to say now is Division I and you can't beat that.
"It's been in the works for a long time. They were even talking about it when I was there."
Upon hearing Nails talking up FAMU, fellow offensive linemen Greg Jerman and Dwayne Pierce pounced, talking trash even before there's much to talk about.
"I would have loved to play D-I, especially against cats like LSU and Georgia," Nails said. (Pierce went to LSU and Jerman to Baylor, but you get the idea.)
For board member Cardenas, the recruiting issue is a key reason FAMU must move up.
"A few years ago, we didn't have that many I-A schools in Florida," Cardenas says. "Now you have the other universities competing for talent where normally we only had to compete with the Big Three. I believe in order to recruit the right kids -- they want to compete against the best in the country -- the only way to do that is by moving up."
Glades Central graduate JaJuan Seider experienced college football on both the I-A and I-AA levels. He transferred from West Virginia to FAMU and in 1999 led the Rattlers by passing for 2,622 yards and 27 touchdowns. Seider says the main differences he saw were in resources. The Mountaineers had a coach devoted solely to strength training; the Rattlers had a weight room that was "very small." On the field, he saw many similarities.
"We matched up well with the major Division I teams at least from the Top 25 on back," Seider says. "The guys in the Top 10, they're in the Top 10 for a reason."
Although black college football can boast such alums as Jerry Rice and Walter Payton, the public often fails to recognize the talent involved because of the I-AA and black college labels, Seider says.
"I think it's unfair that a lot of coaches from black schools don't get their fair justice," Seider says. "I know for a fact (FAMU coach) Billy Joe is one of the greatest coaches I ever met. I played on every level there is, for some great coaches. I know he's one of the hardest-working men I've ever been around."
Likewise, Seider says, the players can be shortchanged. Seider was drafted in the seventh round by the San Diego Chargers and recently worked out with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he said many players from black colleges don't get the pro opportunities he did.
"You look around, the guys from a black school, they really get one shot and they're done," Seider says. "The other guys -- not saying it's racial or anything -- but the kids from the white schools, even I-AA, they get all the chances in the world and half of them aren't near the athletes that the guys from the black schools are."
Seider believes seeing his alma mater in I-A, consistently on national TV, could change that.
"I remember the year I was there, we played a lot of games on TV, and that's what got me drafted," he says. "I would talk to the scout at San Diego, and he said when we were playing Appalachian State they caught the game on TV and I had one of my better games." Seider threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 81 yards and three more TDs in a 44-29 victory. "Nobody can see you behind closed doors," Seider says.
That's one reason Koonce is eagerly awaiting his college career. In Division I-A.
"We're ready to move on and kick some butt," Koonce says.
[email protected]
By Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 22, 2003
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/c...itions/today/sports_e35ff2de43a4f03c0023.html
Richard Koonce's grandfather played for Florida A&M. So did his father. And his aunt. And his mother. You could say when it came time for Richard to choose a college, he had a pretty good idea early where he'd be going.
"Clemson or LSU," says Koonce, a 310-pound offensive lineman from Boynton Beach High.
He wanted to play Division I-A football. Period.
They wanted him to be happy, but they really wanted him to be happy at FAMU. Period.
Turns out everyone is getting their wish. Exclamation point.
This month, the Rattlers applied to the NCAA to move from Division I-AA to Division I-A in football. If things go as planned, FAMU would join the same classification as Miami, Florida and Florida State in the fall of 2005. At the same time, FAMU likely would become the first historically black college to play football at the NCAA's highest level since Division I-AA was established in 1978.
The school's board of trustees could sign off on the matter when it meets Tuesday. The NCAA will review the application July 20, although actual acceptance into Division I-A requires meeting several conditions in a two-year period. Meanwhile, in Tallahassee, and in the Koonce household, there suddenly is a mix of cautious optimism, growing confidence and even a hint of giddiness.
"We've always sort of been in the bush leagues," says Barney Bishop, a FAMU trustee and CEO of the Windsor Group. "And now we're looking to move up into the big leagues."
Implications go beyond FAMU
The Rattlers are welcoming all that comes with it, from the national television deal already in place to fending off the Clemsons, LSUs and Miamis when it comes to recruiting the state's best talent. Yes, there's a financial risk, but the school is confident that it's a wise risk because fans drawn in by the football team also will be made aware of the school's academic tradition.
Already, the school can chalk up one benefit: signing Koonce.
Koonce and his mother, Priscilla Maloney, say school officials told them of their plans during a recruiting visit in January.
"It was almost like a done deal by 2005," says Maloney, assistant principal at Lake Worth High. "That's the way it was presented to us."
Imagine how relieved Koonce was. Until then, his grandfather, former Rattlers linebacker Richard Bowers Jr., reminded him daily that "I would sure love to see you in that green and orange." Playing I-AA isn't exactly what teenagers with NFL aspirations has in mind. But now?
"Somebody is telling you that you're with the big boys now, that you're good enough to play with the big guys," Koonce says.
The implications of such a move go far beyond the dreams of one university tucked in the state's panhandle. The NCAA couldn't be certain but said it is likely that FAMU would become the first historically black college or university to make such a move. No one knows what long-ranging effect that might have on black college football, but FAMU backers hope other black schools join them.
"That provides hope for other universities," says Ada Burnette, a FAMU trustee and president of its faculty senate.
Says Koonce: "I see a lot of black colleges following, like Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State, Tennessee State. I have a cousin who plays for Tennessee State. He told me that they want to do that too so bad."
There's a key reason FAMU is taking a leap others have not. The school recently signed a five-year contract with upstart Urban Broadcasting worth a minimum of $7.5 million. The network plans to nationally televise at least nine Rattlers football games this fall, most live, and expects to be available in the Palm Beach area by fall via cable and satellite.
The Rattlers can thank their band, the Marching 100, for all this. Peggy Dodson is founder, president and CEO of Urban Broadcasting, and as an Arkansas Razorback, she had no connection with the school but was intrigued by the acclaimed band. She considered FAMU a "jewel" and began negotiations, she says, without knowing of the I-A plans.
"I had no idea," Dodson says. "I just have a commitment to black college sports. I knew I wanted to broadcast that, and you go to the best teams. FAMU just happened to fall into our lap."
Hefty investment required
Promotion isn't a slam-dunk. In April 2002, the NCAA toughened the standards for schools to move up, and FAMU is the first school to apply under the new guidelines. The primary requirements: Schools must average at least 15,000 in paid football attendance, offer approximately 200 total scholarships and 16 varsity sports, and play five home games against I-A opponents.
FAMU already meets or comes close to satisfying all these guidelines except attracting five I-A opponents to Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee. This fall's schedule has zero such games.
"The toughest one for us is obviously getting the schedule together in 2004," says Jonathan Evans, FAMU's director of compliance. It doesn't hurt that I-A schools have begun inquiring about playing, likely under the assumption they can defeat FAMU. Regardless, the school believes it's close enough on the other criteria that "we are proceeding as if there will be no bumps in the road, which is the only way we can proceed," Evans says.
The process began simply enough, with a four-page strategic plan and a $5,000 check submitted to the NCAA, but it now involves millions of dollars, countless jobs and untold academic/athletic careers. Plans call for a $55 million investment for athletic facilities that also house a teacher convocation center. That price includes a $30 million state bond for increasing the football stadium's capacity from 22,500 to more than 40,000, plus skyboxes, possibly for '04. Some improvements would have happened anyway, Evans says, but the figures are a significant enough portion of the school's $210 million operating budget that some are pausing.
"There are some unanswered questions," says Roosevelt Wilson, publisher of the Tallahassee newspaper Capital Outlook. "The concern is, first of all, the fact it is tied into the television deal and the fact the Urban Broadcasting Company is a new company with no track record. The deal might work. And also, it might not. And so, if it doesn't work, what might be the consequences to tying the whole move to Division I based on that revenue? That doesn't indicate I am for or against it. I just think it's a legitimate issue that needs to be addressed."
And it will be, say members of the board of trustees.
"It's a valid comment, but the report the board has received is this is a solid organization and so we view the risk as acceptable," Key Biscayne attorney Al Cardenas says.
Bishop concedes that the move wouldn't be possible without the TV contract but agrees with Wilson's call for caution. Part of the reason is that while the deal calls for FAMU to receive at least $7.5 million, the maximum won't be known for years.
"What the television deal gives us is a solid foundation to work off of, as long as we're mindful that we shouldn't be looking at the maximum we're going to get but just rely on the minimum," Bishop says.
The other dose of reality is the economy, says Rick Horrow, a visiting professor of sports law at Harvard.
"It's always very difficult after the post-Sept. 11 recessionary economic period for corporate America to launch a Division I program," Horrow says. He pointed to Tulane, which narrowly avoided dropping from Division I-A amid $5 million to $7 million in losses.
Says Burnette: "We know the economy is bad. There's never a good time to make change. Change is always painful. Change is risky. But if you don't change, you don't have a chance to get better. Sometimes you have to make an investment for the greater good. That's why people play the stock market."
Opportunities for black players
FAMU officials are determined to maintain their profitable rivalry with Bethune-Cookman, but Division I-A status would end the Rattlers' affiliation with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The most likely destinations are Conference USA, the Mid-American or Sun Belt conferences.
"We as alumni feel we've outgrown the MEAC," Maloney says.
"I'm very happy for them," says Dennis Thomas, commissioner of the MEAC. "I wish them success.... Obviously we would hate to see them go, but that's progress for them."
That's the business side of the equation. Ask those on the football side, and there's unabashed excitement.
The subject created a buzz in the Dolphins' locker room, where the prospect of seeing his alma mater move up delights guard Jamie Nails.
"It's about time," says Nails, a Rattler in 1995-96. "We should have been D-I from Day One. When they recruit, they already have a great education and a great social life. All they have to say now is Division I and you can't beat that.
"It's been in the works for a long time. They were even talking about it when I was there."
Upon hearing Nails talking up FAMU, fellow offensive linemen Greg Jerman and Dwayne Pierce pounced, talking trash even before there's much to talk about.
"I would have loved to play D-I, especially against cats like LSU and Georgia," Nails said. (Pierce went to LSU and Jerman to Baylor, but you get the idea.)
For board member Cardenas, the recruiting issue is a key reason FAMU must move up.
"A few years ago, we didn't have that many I-A schools in Florida," Cardenas says. "Now you have the other universities competing for talent where normally we only had to compete with the Big Three. I believe in order to recruit the right kids -- they want to compete against the best in the country -- the only way to do that is by moving up."
Glades Central graduate JaJuan Seider experienced college football on both the I-A and I-AA levels. He transferred from West Virginia to FAMU and in 1999 led the Rattlers by passing for 2,622 yards and 27 touchdowns. Seider says the main differences he saw were in resources. The Mountaineers had a coach devoted solely to strength training; the Rattlers had a weight room that was "very small." On the field, he saw many similarities.
"We matched up well with the major Division I teams at least from the Top 25 on back," Seider says. "The guys in the Top 10, they're in the Top 10 for a reason."
Although black college football can boast such alums as Jerry Rice and Walter Payton, the public often fails to recognize the talent involved because of the I-AA and black college labels, Seider says.
"I think it's unfair that a lot of coaches from black schools don't get their fair justice," Seider says. "I know for a fact (FAMU coach) Billy Joe is one of the greatest coaches I ever met. I played on every level there is, for some great coaches. I know he's one of the hardest-working men I've ever been around."
Likewise, Seider says, the players can be shortchanged. Seider was drafted in the seventh round by the San Diego Chargers and recently worked out with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he said many players from black colleges don't get the pro opportunities he did.
"You look around, the guys from a black school, they really get one shot and they're done," Seider says. "The other guys -- not saying it's racial or anything -- but the kids from the white schools, even I-AA, they get all the chances in the world and half of them aren't near the athletes that the guys from the black schools are."
Seider believes seeing his alma mater in I-A, consistently on national TV, could change that.
"I remember the year I was there, we played a lot of games on TV, and that's what got me drafted," he says. "I would talk to the scout at San Diego, and he said when we were playing Appalachian State they caught the game on TV and I had one of my better games." Seider threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 81 yards and three more TDs in a 44-29 victory. "Nobody can see you behind closed doors," Seider says.
That's one reason Koonce is eagerly awaiting his college career. In Division I-A.
"We're ready to move on and kick some butt," Koonce says.
[email protected]
