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SBN Sports All-American Football Team announced
January 12, 2009
(Pittsburgh, PA) – American Urban Radio Networks has announced the 2008 SBN Sports Black College All-American (BCAA) Team. The Hampton Pirates, Jackson State Tigers and South Carolina State Bulldogs led the way with three players each selected from their respective teams. For the second consecutive year Tuskegee University quarterback Jacary Atkinson was named “SBN/Doug Williams Offensive Player of the Year,” and was the only repeat player to make the team. Jackson State University linebacker Marcellus Speaks was named “SBN/Mel Blount Defensive Player of the Year” and Prairie View A&M University Head Coach Henry Frazier was named “SBN/Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year.”
Jacary Atkinson, Tuskegee University, “SBN Sports Doug Williams Offensive Player of the Year” - Atkinson finished the season as the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. He led the Golden Tigers to a 10-1 season and the SIAC Championship. The Valley, Alabama, native was tops in the conference in passing average per game (242.0), passing yards (2,662), passing touchdowns (24), and total offense average (307.8). He also rushed 125 times for 724 yards and 12 touchdowns.
 Marcellus Speaks, Jackson State University, “SBN Sports Mel Blount Defensive Player of the Year” - Speaks is the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Defensive Player of the Year. He led the conference with 122 tackles while recording five sacks, one interception and three forced fumbles. The senior from Jackson, Mississippi, also helped lead his team to the SWAC Championship game for the second consecutive year.
Henry Frazier III, Prairie View A&M University, “SBN Sports Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year” - Frazier followed up the Panthers first winning season (2007) in thirty years with their best record (9-1) since 1964. During the 2008 campaign, his team led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in several statistical categories including scoring offense, scoring defense, total defense and rushing offense. The Washington, D.C. native has already eclipsed the win totals posted by the last ten Prairie View A&M head coaches.
The 2008 SBN Sports Black College All-American Team and the 2008 SBN/Jake Gaither Black College National Champion Grambling State Tigers will be honored at the 35th Annual SBN Sports Black College All-American Awards dinner on Saturday, February 14, 2009 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Master of Ceremonies for the event is Comedian, Actor and Genius, Michael Colyar, who will be joined on the stage by co-hosts Ty Miller, SBN Director of Sports and Anji Corley, On-Air Personality, WAMO-FM, Pittsburgh. A host of NFL legends including Doug Williams, Mel Blount, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson and L.C. Greenwood, among others, will be on hand to celebrate the accomplishments of the top student football players from the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The annual awards gala will also feature nationally renowned recording artist and television host Dr. Bobby Jones and The Nashville Super Choir. The event will also pay tribute to The New Pittsburgh Courier with a lifetime achievement award. The New Pittsburgh Courier began the tradition of honoring Black college teams in the mid 1920's.
The Black College All American Awards Weekend (BCAA) recognizes and celebrates the academic and athletic achievements of student athletes who play football at America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Weekend activities include a welcoming reception, an NFL “Skull Session” brunch and the gala awards ceremony. It is attended by past and present NFL players, school administrators, coaches, event sponsors and families of the honorees.
SBN SPORTS 2008 BLACK COLLEGE ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
| Position |
Name |
School |
Height |
Weight |
Class |
Hometown |
| QB |
Jacary Atkinson |
Tuskegee University |
6-3 |
205 |
Sr. |
Valley, AL |
| RB |
Will Ford |
South Carolina State University |
5-11 |
185 |
Jr. |
Travelers Rest, SC |
| RB |
Javarris Williams |
Tennessee State University |
5-11 |
215 |
Sr. |
Richmond, TX |
| WR |
William Osbourne |
Texas Southern University |
5-8 |
162 |
Jr. |
Marshall, TX |
| WR |
Juamorris Stewart |
Southern University |
6-3 |
195 |
Jr. |
Baton Rouge, LA |
| TE |
Octavius Darby |
South Carolina State University |
6-2 |
220 |
Sr. |
Miami, FL |
| OL |
Dennis Conley |
Hampton University |
6-4 |
303 |
Sr. |
Suffolk, VA |
| OL |
Raymond Harrison |
South Carolina State University |
6-2 |
275 |
Sr. |
Columbia, SC |
| OL |
Cornelius Lewis |
Tennessee State University |
6-5 |
310 |
Sr. |
Jacksonville, FL |
| OL |
Robert Okeafor |
Florida A&M University |
6-4 |
295 |
Jr. |
Jacksonville, FL |
| OL |
Michael Stevens |
Tuskegee University |
6-6 |
380 |
Jr. |
Montgomery, AL |
| PK |
Jeremy Licea |
Alabama A&M University |
5-7 |
147 |
Jr. |
Ventura, CA |
| DL |
Chris Baker |
Hampton University |
6-2 |
298 |
Jr. |
Windsor, CT |
| DL |
Marcus Benard |
Jackson State University |
6-4 |
260 |
Sr. |
Ypsilanti, MI |
| DL |
Melvin Matthews |
Grambling State University |
6-5 |
305 |
Sr. |
Clinton, LA |
| DL |
Louis Ellis |
Shaw University |
6-3 |
315 |
Sr. |
Jackson, MS |
| LB |
Endor Cooper |
Howard University |
6-3 |
245 |
Sr. |
Woodbridge, VA |
| LB |
Jarrell Guyton |
Morgan State University |
6-0 |
225 |
Sr. |
Miami, FL |
| LB |
Marcellus Speaks |
Jackson State University |
6-2 |
230 |
Sr. |
Jackson, MS |
| DB |
Jeffrey Cargile |
Morehouse College |
5-9 |
200 |
Sr. |
Cincinnati, OH |
| DB |
Jeffrey Jack |
Grambling State University |
6-0 |
208 |
Sr. |
Houston, TX |
| DB |
Domonique Johnson |
Jackson State University |
6-2 |
200 |
Sr. |
Texas City, TX |
| DB |
Rod Jones |
Elizabeth City State University |
6-1 |
185 |
Sr. |
Sussex, VA |
| P |
Jahmal Blanchard |
Hampton University |
6-3 |
182 |
Jr. |
Fort Lauderdale, FL |
Jacary Atkinson, Tuskegee University, “SBN Sports Doug Williams Offensive Player of the Year”
Marcellus Speaks, Jackson State University, “SBN Sports Mel Blount Defensive Player of the Year”
Henry Frazier, III, Prairie View A&M University, “SBN Sports Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year”
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