Inside Hotlanta and The SIAC
November 7, 2000

A Seven Game Win for the "House" - A Milestone

First, dear old Morehouse College won its seventh game of the season. While that probably means little to some schools, it meant the world to the college home of MLK , Spike Lee and Edwin Moses.

The last time the school won seven games in one season was 1930. Seventy years ago, the school was coached by Bertram Towns (BT) Harvey , The school posted a 9-1 record, won the SIAC title and was also voted national black college football champs.

You had to be on hand at BT Harvey Memorial Stadium Saturday to feel the surge of pride and exhilaration that pulsated from the president's box to the team's trainers. Head Coach Anthony Jones took the time to hug each of his players. The schools athletic director, Andre Patillo, was in total shock. After the game, the alums and students locked arms and sang the Morehouse hymn as they'd never sang the hymn before.

To put this season in perspective, just two seasons ago, the team suffered a humilating 0-10 mark. Jones, then an assistant under the departed Frank Hickson, took over the reins and finished his first season at 2-8. He promised better days and Saturday he delivered.

Then across the AU Center campus, Morris Brown was throwing a surprise party for Texas Southern University. Bill Thomas and his elevens had come to town with an enviable 7-1 mark and a chance to finish 2000 with the school's best record in memory. Could TSU have been looking over Morris Brown and at their next opponent, Southern University?

Whether they were or not, Morris Brown could only look at the present and it didn't look good. The team had played hard, took nearly all their opponents to the wall (and especially the Division IAA teams) but come up short. Whispers got louder about running Head Coach Joe Crosby out of town on a rail. The 24-13 win may have bought Crosby another year's contract.

In the opinion of this writer, it should have.

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Contact Hal at lamar95@bellsouth.net

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