Administrative note the first: Week eight precaps will go up as soon as I catch the new polls and incorporate.\u00a0 Expect that in the future.<\/p>\n
Administrative note the second: Knocking two Get to Knows a day out?\u00a0 Rough.\u00a0 Perhaps even “foolhardy”, “insane”, or even “impossible”.\u00a0 Might only get one on days when I have to do precaps; we’ll see how that works.\u00a0 Tweaking the format some as well.<\/p>\n
Onward; we’ll step south from Pennsylvania to the Piedmont for our first look at a D-II conference with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association<\/strong>. Founded back in 1912 as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the CIAA is the nation’s oldest HBCU league.\u00a0 Most of the current MEAC members were former CIAA members, leaving the conference en masse in 1971 to form the new league.\u00a0 The membership was very stable from that point until 1995, with the only changes being Bowie State’s addition to the league in 1979.\u00a0 Hampton then moved up to D-I and the MEAC, followed in 1997 by Norfolk State; in 2005 Winston-Salem began the same process (only to cancel it and return in 2010), and in 2006 North Carolina Central also moved up.\u00a0 To restock the roster, in 2008 the conference re-invited Lincoln, who’d departed in 1960, and accepted their first non-HBCU school in Chowan.<\/p>\n Aside from the MEAC schools, other former members include Bluefield State and West Virginia State.<\/p>\n The chief rivalries in this conference include Virginia Union\/Virginia State, Virginia Union\/Winston-Salem State, Johnson C. Smith\/Livingstone, and Saint Augustine’s\/Shaw.<\/p>\n Football<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n In terms of its level of competition in comparison with the rest of D-II, perhaps the best FBS analogy would be to the MAC.\u00a0 Generally speaking, the best CIAA teams in a given year aren’t serious threats to even win a playoff game.\u00a0 Naturally, most of the reason for this has to do with finances and stigma.\u00a0 It’s an unfortunate reality that the HBCU leagues still exist in a ghetto of sorts, and because of the sheer expense of maintaining football programs, that’s true regardless of the division in which they participate.\u00a0 (Not so in lower-division basketball, I should point out; since basketball is much less expensive, the HBCU leagues are actually quite accomplished.)<\/p>\n In the D-II playoffs, current members of the CIAA have an overall record of 1-20 in 20 appearances.\u00a0 The lone win was Winston-Salem’s first-round 17-0 defeat of Cal Poly in 1978.\u00a0 Including appearances by Hampton, Norfolk State, and North Carolina Central prior to their departure for D-I, the record is 3-27 in 27 trips.\u00a0 Both of the additional wins came at the expense of other HBCUs; North Carolina Central defeated Winston-Salem state in the first round in 1988, and Hampton knocked off Albany State in 1993.<\/p>\n Most of the conference’s historical champions are now in the MEAC: Morgan State still holds the record with 18, Hampton has won 13, North Carolina Central 8, North Carolina A&T 5, Norfolk State 4, Maryland-Eastern Shore 3, and Howard 1.\u00a0 Additionally, Delaware State, Morgan State, and North Carolina Central tied for the title in 1956, amazingly the only tie in conference history.\u00a0 Non-MEAC former member West Virginia State also won two titles.\u00a0 That accounts for 54 of the league’s 95 championships.\u00a0 The other 41 belong to current members: Virginia State and Virginia Union have captured 10 crowns apiece, followed by Winston-Salem State with 8, Shaw with 4, Fayetteville State with 3, Livingstone 2, and Bowie State, Elizabeth City State, Johnson C. Smith, and Lincoln one each.<\/p>\n TIDBITS:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Bowie State<\/strong> joined in 1979, and struggled early; over the period of 1982-1986, the team went 3-46.\u00a0 They turned it around, earning a playoff berth in 1988, and winning the conference title in 1989; since then, they’ve been in the middle of the pack.<\/p>\n Chowan<\/strong>, the league’s only non-HBCU, spent many years in D-III (without accomplishing much) before deciding to start offering scholarships.\u00a0 They went 4-16 in their first two years in the league; they’re 3-4 (and 3-1 in conference) this year, so things are improving.\u00a0 Chowan was formerly a junior college, and several players moved on to the NFL after transferring from Chowan to larger schools, including Packers LB George Koonce and DE Robert Brown, Jets\/Lions\/Packers CB Jerry Holmes, and vagabond P Mark Royals.<\/p>\n Elizabeth City State<\/strong> won the conference title in 1971, and earned NCAA bids in 1981 and 2006.\u00a0 They’re generally a good team, but obviously lack the hardware to show for it.\u00a0 Waverly Tillar is in his eighth season as head coach.\u00a0 The school is best known as the alma mater of former Cowboys TE Jethro Pugh and Browns WR Reggie Langhorne.<\/p>\n Fayetteville State<\/strong> captured the crown in 2002, 2003, and 2009, and have consistently been near the top this decade under coach Kenny Phillips.\u00a0 The defending champs, heavily predicted to repeat in the pre-season, have played themselves out of contention this year.<\/p>\n Johnson C. Smith<\/strong> has had a somewhat tortured history.\u00a0 From 1958-1977 under coach Eddie McGirt, the Golden Bulls won over 60% of their games, but despite this only managed a solitary conference title in 1969.\u00a0 They’ve never reached the post-season, and McGirt is the only post-war JCS coach to have a winning record.\u00a0 In fact, only one other post-war coach has won over 40% of his games at the school.<\/p>\n Lincoln (PA)<\/strong> was a charter member of the league, but departed in 1960 (and cancelled their football program).\u00a0 They were one of the better programs in the league during the pre-war era, and won the 1924 conference crown.\u00a0 In the late fifties, the program entered a major downswing, leading to the termination of the program.\u00a0 In 2008, they relaunched and rejoined the league; they’ve gone 5-22 since under O.J. Abanishe.<\/p>\n Livingstone<\/strong> has suffered through eleven consective losing seasons following the departure of coach Rudy Abrams.\u00a0 Abrams, who came into a program which had been wallowing in futility for 16 years (despite the presence of future Patriots Pro Bowl TE Ben Coates from 1987-90), led the program from 1994-1998.\u00a0 It was a short five years, but he compiled a 35-14-1 record and captured back-to-back conference titles in 1997 and 1998.\u00a0 As of this morning, they’re 0-7, and nobody is surprised.\u00a0 Livingstone, along with JCS, does hold a historic distinction, however.\u00a0 In December 1892, the schools met in what was the very first football game between two black colleges.<\/p>\n St. Augustine’s<\/strong> dropped football after the 1965 season, reinstating the program for the 2002 campaign.\u00a0 In the eight years since under coach Michael Costa, the team has gone 33-42.\u00a0 That record reflects steady improvement; the Falcons are currently tied for the lead in the Southern Division at 4-0 in conference, 6-1 overall.<\/p>\n St. Paul’s<\/strong> is another school which pulled the plug, then gave it another shot.\u00a0 The Tigers closed up shop after the 1987 season, then came back as a club team in 2002, and as a varsity squad in 2005.\u00a0 Since the relaunch of the varsity, the team has been coached by the legendary Willard Bailey, who previously spent 30 years at Virginia Union and Norfolk State.\u00a0 Bailey has won 229 games in his career as a coach, but he’s had trouble adding to that total with the Tigers.<\/p>\n Shaw<\/strong> also cancelled their football program, back in 1979; they retook the field in 2003 and have gone 54-26 since.\u00a0 They had won the 1947 conference title; since their return, they’ve taken home the honors three times (2004, 2007, 2008) and earned a bid to the D-II playoffs in 2007.\u00a0 Deondri Clark (21-10) led the program from 2003-2005, and was replaced by Darrell Asberry in 2006.\u00a0 Asberry is 33-16, and has Shaw tied for the Southern Division lead this season.<\/p>\n Virginia State<\/strong> has won ten conference titles, most recently in 1995-96.\u00a0 Five-time Rams Pro Bowl DT Larry Brooks starred for the Trojans during Richard Nixon’s first term.\u00a0 VSU has been pretty average over the last decade, evidenced by the 46-41 record of current head coach Andrew Faison, in his ninth season.<\/p>\n Virginia Union<\/strong> has also won ten titles, with 2001 being the most recent.\u00a0 They won three straight from 1981-83, and five between 1979-86.\u00a0 Much of this success was under the guiding hand of the aforementioned Willard Bailey, who headed the program from 1971-1983, and again from 1995-2003; six of VUU’s ten titles were under Bailey’s direction.\u00a0 The current coach is Michael Bailey, and yes, they’re related (cousins).\u00a0 He’s in his second year.\u00a0 The Panthers’ most recognizable alumni is three-time Pro Bowl OL Herbert Scott, who starred for the Cowboys in the 70s and 80s.<\/p>\n Winston-Salem State<\/strong>, alma mater of former Steelers and Titans Pro Bowl WR Yancey Thigpen, owns eight conference titles.\u00a0 That’s four times two, and four times they’ve gone back-to-back: 1977-78, 1987-88, 1990-91, and 1999-2000.\u00a0 Three different coaches are responsible: William Hayes (1976-1987), who won 89 games in 12 years before departing for North Carolina A&T where he won another 106 in 15 years; Pete Richardson (1988-1992), who only lasted five years before being lured away by Southern (where he remains), but won three conference titles and notched a record of 41-14-1; and Kermit Blount, who spent 17 years on the sidelines and won 91 games.\u00a0 Blount resigned following last season, leaving new coach Connell Maynor in charge.\u00a0 He’s doing alright for himself, as the Rams are 7-1 and in a virtual tie for the Southern Division lead.<\/p>\n Basketball<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n They can play some hoop here.\u00a0 This is the conference of Earl Monroe, of Rick Mahorn, of A.J. English and Charles Oakley and Ben Wallace.\u00a0 It’s where the legendary Curly Neal of the Harlem Globetrotters cut his teeth.\u00a0 It’s the home of five D-II National Champions, and 13 Final Four teams.\u00a0 Yes, they can toss the rock in the CIAA.<\/p>\n The conference has made 98 appearances in the D-II tournament, compiling an overall record of 133-106.\u00a0 Subtracting the games played against each other in the national tournament, however, leaves an overall record against other conferences of 104-77.\u00a0 The conference has been responsible for 23 appearances in the Elite Eight and 15 Final Fours; seven times a CIAA team has played in the national title game, resulting in five national championships. Current conference members are 92-73 in 69 appearances, and 68-49 against non-conference opponents.\u00a0 They account for 15 of the Elite Eight trips, 11 Final Fours, and all but one of the national championships (North Carolina Central, 1989).<\/p>\n In the post-war era, Virginia Union has by far won the most conference championships with 17.\u00a0 They also claim three pre-war championships, but pre-war records for the CIAA are, shall we say, hard to find.<\/p>\n TIDBITS:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Bowie State<\/strong> won the 2003 conference title, and reached the D-II Final Four that year in their first tournament appearance.\u00a0 They also made the field in 2004 and 2005; their overall tournament record is 7-3.<\/p>\n Chowan<\/strong> is making progress; in their second season in the league, they managed to finish in a tie for second place in the Western Division.<\/p>\n Elizabeth City State<\/strong> has three conference titles (1969, 1981, 2007) and six NCAA appearances.\u00a0 Their best efforts have been Elite Eight appearances in 1978 and 1997; their overall record is 7-6.<\/p>\n Fayetteville State<\/strong> has a single conference title, in 1973.\u00a0 That was the year of their first NCAA bid; their second would be 20 years later, and they’re still waiting on number three.\u00a0 They’ve gone 2-3 in the tournament.<\/p>\n Johnson C. Smith<\/strong> did not win a conference title until 2008.\u00a0 They defended their title in 2009.\u00a0 This is sort of amazing, because other than Virginia Union, no CIAA team has made more NCAA appearances.\u00a0 JCSU has received 12 invitations, compiling a 7-13 record.\u00a0 They’ve only gotten past the second round once, that being their Elite Eight appearance in 2001.\u00a0 Steven Joyner, Sr. will begin his 23rd year as head coach; he’s got 402 wins to his credit.\u00a0 He’s the brother of St. Paul’s coach Buck Joyner, and his son, Steven Jr., is the head coach of Winston-Salem State’s women’s team.<\/p>\n Livingstone<\/strong> has no conference titles and no NCAA invitations.\u00a0 In this league, that tells you all you need to know.\u00a0 Actually, it’s not that they’re bad; they’re just horribly average, the sort of team that goes out and wins 14 games.<\/p>\n Shaw<\/strong> has only one conference title to their credit, in 2002.\u00a0 They’ve made three trips to the national tournament, going 5-3 and reaching the final four in 2002.\u00a0 They did a face-plant after this run, reaching a 5-23 nadir in 2008, but they’re slowly recovering.<\/p>\n St. Augustine’s<\/strong> is the defending conference champion; that was their second crown, the first coming in 1997.\u00a0 They’ve appeared in the NCAAs three times (7-3), losing the 1984 title game to Central Missouri State.<\/p>\n St. Paul’s<\/strong> is in the same boat as Livingstone.\u00a0 Buck Joyner, Sr. has been in charge for 15 years.\u00a0 His son, Buck Jr., is the head coach at Hampton, and that closes out this installment of “All in the Family”.<\/p>\n Virginia State<\/strong> won the CIAA in 1947, and had to wait until 1988 to do it again.\u00a0 They’re still waiting for another title.\u00a0 They have an overall record of 1-3 in two NCAA appearances.<\/p>\n Virginia Union<\/strong> is the undisputed power in the CIAA.\u00a0 They are winners of 17 conference titles, including four straight from 1992-95 and three in a row from 2004-06.\u00a0 27 times they’ve been tabbed for NCAA action, with a record of 44-26.\u00a0 That means they must not have lost at least once, right?\u00a0 Make that three times; VUU won the 1980, 1992, and 2005 Division II titles.\u00a0 They also lost the 2006 title game, and have three other Final Four appearances to their credit.\u00a0 Dave Robbins took over the Panthers in 1978, becoming the first white head coach in CIAA history.\u00a0 He overcame this challenge (and I’m not being sarcastic, as his hiring was extremely controversial) to become perhaps the second-greatest coach in league history.\u00a0 He retired following the 2008 season, having amassed a record of 713-194.<\/p>\n Winston-Salem State<\/strong> is second-fiddle to Virginia Union.\u00a0 They’ve won the CIAA 11 times, and have also made 11 NCAA appearances (12-13).\u00a0 They won the national championship in 1967.\u00a0 Earl Monroe was a Ram, and his coach — everyone’s coach for 47 years from 1946-1993 — was the legendary Clarence “Big House” Gaines.\u00a0 Gaines compiled an 828-447 record, and currently sits in fifth place on the coaching wins leaderboard.<\/p>\n Quick women’s notes<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n Before they moved to Division I, Hampton won the 1988 NCAA D-II championship.\u00a0 Virginia Union also has a trophy, winning in 1983; they lost in the 1984 title game to Central Missouri State.\u00a0 (Yes, Central Missouri State pulled off the men’s\/women’s double in 1984.\u00a0 It’s just as odd that their championship game victims were from the same conference.)\u00a0 Hampton and Norfolk State both made multiple trips to the Elite Eight and beyond in the 80s and 90s, but they’re not here anymore.\u00a0 The only other success of note belongs to Shaw, who reached the Elite Eight in both 2005 and 2006.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Administrative note the first: Week eight precaps will go up as soon as I catch the new polls and incorporate.\u00a0 Expect that in the future. Administrative note the second: Knocking two Get to Knows a day out?\u00a0 Rough.\u00a0 Perhaps even “foolhardy”, “insane”, or even “impossible”.\u00a0 Might only get one on days when I have to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,14],"tags":[20,9],"class_list":["post-54","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-division-ii","category-get-to-know-a-conference","tag-central","tag-d2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p185sV-S","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58,"href":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54\/revisions\/58"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jonfmorse.com\/tog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMembers<\/strong>: Bowie State Bulldogs, Chowan Hawks, Elizabeth City State Vikings, Lincoln (PA) Lions, St. Paul’s Tigers, Virginia State Trojans, and Virginia Union Panthers in the North; Fayetteville State Broncos, Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls, Livingstone Blue Bears, St. Augustine’s Falcons, Shaw Bears, and Winston-Salem State Rams in the South.<\/p>\n