STITT RESIGNS FROM WSSU: Winston-Salem State head men's basketball coach Phillip Stitt has resigned from his position after five years and two NCAA Division II tournament appearances. Stitt, who compiled a 94-51 record during his tenure at WSSU, resigned to accept a head coaching position at Florida Community College at Jacksonville (Fla.). He is a native of Jacksonville. WSSU Athletic Director Stitt, had just completed his fifth season as the head coach. He led the Rams to a 19-10 overall record last season and bowed out in the second round of the CIAA Tournament to Bowie State. It was WSSU's final season at the NCAA Division II level. In 2004-05, Stitt led the Rams to a 22-8 record, a CIAA Western Division regular-season title, a CIAA Tournament semi-finals appearance, and an NCAA Division II Championship Tournament berth, en route to earning CIAA Coach of the Year honors. A member of the Ram coaching staff since 1998, Stitt has been a part of five 20-win seasons, two CIAA Championships, five NCAA Tournament berths and two NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearances while at WSSU. During this period the Rams have posted an astounding 165-67 (.711) record.

SCANDRETT NEW LINCOLN AD: Former North Carolina A&T Athletic Director Dr. Alfonso Scandrett Jr. has been named the new AD at Lincoln University. Scandrett will oversee the entire Lincoln athletics department where one of his responsibilities will be to implement the process of reviving the football program. Scandrett comes to Lincoln from the University of Minnesota-Moorhead where he served as athletics director for the last two years. Prior to working at Division II Minnesota-Moorhead, Scandrett was the AD at North Carolina A&T from 1999 to 2002 and Division III Buffalo State University from 1997 to 1999. Although a date has not been announced, the university expects to play a full Division II football schedule in fall 2009 after a club season in 2008. After launching its football program in 1894, Lincoln, the oldest historically black college, has not played the sport since 1960. Founded in 1854 as Ashmun Institute, Lincoln University has among its alumni famed civil rights attorney and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, poet Langston Hughes, Baseball Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, the first president of Nigeria Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first president of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah and the first African-American woman to be promoted to the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Navy Lillian E. Fishburne. Lincoln is also nationally recognized for producing African Americans with undergraduate degrees in the physical sciences (biology, chemistry and physics); computer sciences; biological and life sciences. "I see Lincoln University, its staff, students and its historical background as a great foundation to accomplish the goals and objectives that have been set to promote an academic flavor among its teams and community," Scandrett said. "The chance to be a part of the planning towards enhancing our athletic program and bringing football back to Lincoln is a challenge that I am happy to be a part. Equally, the chance to improve on the participation levels of our female student athlete at Lincoln is a paramount goal of my tenure as AD." Lincoln is aalso in the process of applying for membership in the CIAA and is expecting a vote soon on its application.

© 2006 Azeez Communications, Inc.

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