The Circle City Classic was scheduled to be a unique Black college football experience this year. A doubleheader was to be played at new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. However, it was announced last week that the planned first game of the twin bill wh
In a letter to Kentucky State alumni, students and administrators, Circle City Classic executive director Tony Mason said the game between the Thorobreds and Marauders had been moved back to the Bluegrass State because of budget constraints. The second game of the Circle City Classic between Alabama A&M will be played as originally scheduled on Sat. Oct. 4 with a 4 p.m. kickoff. In other Black college sports news:
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has announced the termination of the contract for conference commissioner Dr. William Lide. The announcement was made by Tuskegee University President Dr. Benjamin Payton, who serves as Chairman of the conference council. "The Council of Presidents regrets very much the necessity to take this action with respect to Dr. William E. Lide," said Payton in a statement .
"He has brought new energy and imagination to the Conference and we certainly wish that we could continue this statement on that note. Unfortunately, the recent findings of the SIAC Audit Committee and the results of an external review do not make it possible for our statement to end merely on that theme." According to Payton, the audits, examination and review of operations of the SIAC produced a number of findings which compelled the Council of Presidents to act, first by suspending Dr. Lide (with pay) on April 15 and then subsequently voting to terminate Dr. Lide as the external review neared completion.
The action resulted from findings of mishandling of information and resources from the NCAA, the mismanagement of the finances of the Conference, and a failure to properly inform the Conference members and leadership of the real financial challenges that had developed in the Conference. George Mategakis, a current member of the staff, has been named Interim SIAC Commissioner.
The Executive Committee of the Council will be meeting over the next few weeks to establish future directions for the Conference, the search process, and the agenda for its summer meeting, which will be held in July. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has announced that the conference post-season men’s and women’s basketball tournament will be moving to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The tournament had been held in Raleigh N. C. for the past few years.
The 2009 Tournament is scheduled for March 9-14 and will be played at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem. “We are extremely excited that the basketball tournament is coming to a progressive city such as Winston-Salem,” said MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas.”
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