bluedog
"Leader of Kings"
Even though a lot of fans from the other so-called supporters of HBCU conference will whine like a hog on the rack. There isn't anything they can do about it becasue it's unavoidable.
Only a complete fool would continue to chase after approval from a group that's raping you while you're doing it.
Commissioner guides big MEAC changes
From TV and shoe deals to possible expansion, Dennis Thomas always meets the challenges.
BY MARTY O'BRIEN
247-4963
February 12, 2006
VIRGINIA BEACH -- During his introduction in 2002 as Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference commissioner, Dennis Thomas wondered aloud, "What the heck have I gotten myself into?" He was only half-joking.
Thomas was ending a successful tenure as athletics director at Hampton University to lead a conference that was cash-strapped and in need of an image makeover. Four years later, many challenges remain.
MEAC basketball ranks near the bottom of Division I, its tournament overshadowed among regional historically black college fans by the Division II CIAA tournament. MEAC football remains popular among students and alumni, but the conference hasn't won a Division I-AA playoff game in six years.
None of the obstacles has slowed Thomas, who daily promotes the conference with the missionary zeal of a true believer. He views the MEAC as "11 tremendous institutions" carrying on the legacy of historically black colleges that "persevered when access to everything was denied."
His successes are undeniable. During the past three years, the conference has signed an 8-year footwear deal with Nike, a 5-year apparel deal with Russell Athletics and a 7-year television deal with ESPN that will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The conference men's and women's basketball tournaments, set for March 7-11, begin a three-year run at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., after seven years in Richmond. At least two, perhaps three, schools are expected to join the conference in the next two years, swelling membership to 14.
Last fall, the conference moved its headquarters from a cubbyhole in Greensboro, N.C. to 6,500 square feet in the posh, new Armada Hoffler Tower in Virginia Beach. From his office on the 11th floor, Thomas can see the oceanfront on a clear day.
He talked recently about the even brighter future he sees for the MEAC.
Q: One obvious sign of progress is that there is no lack of schools that want to join the MEAC. Savannah State and Winston-Salem State already have applied for admission, and North Carolina Central is expected to do so after a Division I exploratory year in 2006-07. What is the status of the applicants?
Only a complete fool would continue to chase after approval from a group that's raping you while you're doing it.
Commissioner guides big MEAC changes
From TV and shoe deals to possible expansion, Dennis Thomas always meets the challenges.
BY MARTY O'BRIEN
247-4963
February 12, 2006
VIRGINIA BEACH -- During his introduction in 2002 as Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference commissioner, Dennis Thomas wondered aloud, "What the heck have I gotten myself into?" He was only half-joking.
Thomas was ending a successful tenure as athletics director at Hampton University to lead a conference that was cash-strapped and in need of an image makeover. Four years later, many challenges remain.
MEAC basketball ranks near the bottom of Division I, its tournament overshadowed among regional historically black college fans by the Division II CIAA tournament. MEAC football remains popular among students and alumni, but the conference hasn't won a Division I-AA playoff game in six years.
None of the obstacles has slowed Thomas, who daily promotes the conference with the missionary zeal of a true believer. He views the MEAC as "11 tremendous institutions" carrying on the legacy of historically black colleges that "persevered when access to everything was denied."
His successes are undeniable. During the past three years, the conference has signed an 8-year footwear deal with Nike, a 5-year apparel deal with Russell Athletics and a 7-year television deal with ESPN that will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The conference men's and women's basketball tournaments, set for March 7-11, begin a three-year run at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., after seven years in Richmond. At least two, perhaps three, schools are expected to join the conference in the next two years, swelling membership to 14.
Last fall, the conference moved its headquarters from a cubbyhole in Greensboro, N.C. to 6,500 square feet in the posh, new Armada Hoffler Tower in Virginia Beach. From his office on the 11th floor, Thomas can see the oceanfront on a clear day.
He talked recently about the even brighter future he sees for the MEAC.
Q: One obvious sign of progress is that there is no lack of schools that want to join the MEAC. Savannah State and Winston-Salem State already have applied for admission, and North Carolina Central is expected to do so after a Division I exploratory year in 2006-07. What is the status of the applicants?
