With the release of the 2008 FAMU football schedule last week we learned that the four-game series between the Rattler and Jaguars this year has at least been put on hold and may possibly be in jeopardy. FAMU and Southern were contracted to begin a four-game series Sept. 20 with a game at SU’s A.W. Mumford Stadium. However, FAMU will play Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe Howard in Philadelphia on that date.
“We haven’t given up hope, but it’s not looking good,” first-year Florida A&M Athletic Director Bill Hayes said of finding a way to play this season.
“We’re going to make one last-ditch effort, try to talk with the commissioner of the MEAC, but we don’t have much time left, because we want to get this (schedule) out to our season-ticket holders,” Southern Athletic Director Greg LaFleur said.
LaFleur said Hayes called him “about 2 weeks ago” informing him that FAMU had a scheduling conflict. FAMU's cancellation leaves Southern with only 10 games this year.
“It really puts us behind the eight ball because I was notified so late about this drop,” LaFleur said.
“I’ve been calling all over the country, and there’s nobody with an open date, particularly on Sept. 20.”
“We just got into a situation where our conference moved our schedule forward one week,” Hayes said. “Since Howard is a conference game, we had no choice. You know we didn’t want to drop Southern. We want to do anything we can to play Southern.”
According to the contract, FAMU will have to pay $20,000 as a penalty for not playing Southern this season.
Said LaFleur, “I’m very disappointed, and I’m not sure how we’re going to handle the series in the future. I hope somebody will make some effort to make this game happen.”
Said Hayes, “We want to play them. We want to continue. … I wish some magic would happen that we could work this out. … As long as I’m athletic director and we get a spot, we’re going to play Southern. We’re really upset.”
The teams were to start a four-game contract last season, beginning with a game at Southern. But in order to make the MEAC/SWAC Challenge — a nationally televised season opener at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. — happen, SU gave up its home date and the contract was pushed back a year.
Former FAMU Athletic Director Nelson Townsend sent a letter dated Jan. 29, 2007, to Southern establishing the playing date for 2008 as Sept. 20.
In an attempt to create a mutual date, Hayes said he discussed with South Carolina State moving their MEAC game from Oct. 18 to Oct. 4 so that FAMU and Southern could play on Oct. 18, but South Carolina State refused.
“They would not budge. Nobody would budge,” Hayes said.
LaFleur said he has talked with MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas about the situation. LaFleur said SU agreed to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge because of Thomas’ urging.
“He was the one who asked us to give up our home game last year, to do them a favor,” LaFleur said.
Florida A&M is open on Sept. 13 and Oct. 4.
Southern has open dates on Sept. 20, Oct. 18, Nov. 8 and Nov. 22.
Though Football Championship Series schools are allowed to schedule 12 games this season, SU plans on scheduling 11. Southern now has 10 games on its proposed schedule.
Also see: 2008 FAMU schedule
So let me get this straight, FAMU has to pay $20k because of the MEAC's random move?
ReplyDeleteOnce again Bill Hayes dosen't have a clue. The alumni needs to blame Ammons for the hiring .
ReplyDelete“We just got into a situation where our conference moved our schedule forward one week,” Hayes said. “Since Howard is a conference game, we had no choice. You know we didn’t want to drop Southern. We want to do anything we can to play Southern."
ReplyDelete6:03 P.M. ,This is not on Mr. Hayes. It is the MEAC scheduling. Get the facts straight and stop hating.
The MEAC is probably the worst run conference in America. And that's not just NCAA Athletic Conferences. I'm talking about the Black MBAs Conference, the KKK Conference, the brazilian porn stars conference, etc.
ReplyDeleteBill Hayes is a great AD. I agree that the MEAC is horrible. Raleigh, NC doesn't even want the MEAC basketball tournament to return
ReplyDeleteThe MEAC's website is the worst I've ever seen. Take a look at the Photo Gallery or the Commissioner's All Academic Team. FAMU should bail out of the MEAC with all deliberate speed. The conference is pathetic.
ReplyDeleteRe: FAMU should bail out of the MEAC with all deliberate speed. The conference is pathetic.
ReplyDeleteBail out of the MEAC ... And go WHERE?
I think that if the MEAC doesn’t get new administration soon, the conference should dissolve and the creation of another conference should come about. First, we could have a conference with the likes of FAMU, BCU, SCSU, TSU, NC A&T, NCCU, WSSU, Savannah St, Alabama St, and Alabama A&M. Call the league the S.E.A.C, with an automatic playoff birth in football going to the conference winner. This will also help in travel expenses; you will have more bus trips and less air travel because of proximity. The only problem this conference would have is convincing the two Alabama programs to leave the SWAC. Also, hire someone with ties in a BCS conference to be our commissioner while grooming someone to take it to the next level.
ReplyDeletere: The creation of another conference should come about
ReplyDeleteI agree. We should compose a conference of HBCU power houses. That would also help get more televised games and the creation in more classics, resulting in more money for the program.
The seeking of chump change from Classics all these years is exactly one of the principal reasons why all our HBCU programs are just about broke NOW!
ReplyDeleteStay at home and bring those games to the Bragg that folks WANT to come to the TLH to see, cater better to YOUR aging - and growingly disenfranchised - customer base, and invest that money into upping your level of competitiveness on the field ...
... And then you'll see ALL their money will remain in YOUR pocket!
FAMU should apply for memebership in BIG South Conference
ReplyDelete