Sunday, May 12, 2024

Sports

FOOTBALL

Trustee says race played role in dismissal

An MSU trustee issued a statement Monday alleging officials treated Bobby Williams, the university’s first black head football coach, differently from his white predecessors. Williams, one of only four black coaches in Division I-A football and the first black coach of any MSU revenue sport, was fired Monday night by Athletics Director Ron Mason.

FOOTBALL

MIDDAY UPDATE: Campus reacts to firing of Williams

After Monday’s announcement that Bobby Williams will no longer be MSU’s head football coach, students and trustees are making their feelings known.MSU Trustee Joel Ferguson released a statement following the announcement that said he felt Williams was not given a fair opportunity to build a program.Ferguson, who is the only black member of the Board of Trustees, cited the two coaches who preceded Williams, George Perles and Nick Saban, were given at least four years to develop a program.Following the firing of Williams there are now only three black coaches in Division I-A football.The Black Student Alliance will hold a meeting at 6:30 p.m.

SOCCER

Mens soccer team wins season finale

Sophomore Kellen Kalso connected on an overtime penalty kick to lift the Spartans to a 1-0 win over Bowling Green (4-11) Friday. Senior Tyler Robinson had four saves between the posts for the Spartans to gain his sixth shutout of the year. MSU improved to (11-6 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) with the victory, its last regular game of the season. The Spartans next will travel to Penn State for the Big Ten Tournament Nov.

SPORTS

Defense leads to victory

Defensive tenacity paid off in the second half as the MSU women’s basketball team shut the door on the Athletes in Action, battling its way to a 83-72 decision Sunday. Athletes in Action, or AIA, is a traveling team composed of professional and post-collegiate players on a three-week, 16-game tour playing exhibition games around the country. Perhaps the most impressive statistic for the Spartans was the even scoring distribution, as four MSU players posted double-digit scores, while no player had fewer than five points. The Spartans were led by senior forward Syreeta Bromfield who knocked in 21 points and nabbed seven boards in the process.

SPORTS

Rogers-Jackson matchup overshadowed

The showdown between one of the nation’s top wide receivers and defensive backs didn’t play out the way many envisioned. Michigan sophomore cornerback Marlin Jackson - a Jim Thorpe Award candidate for the nation’s best defensive back - wasn’t matched with MSU junior wide receiver Charles Rogers in man-to-man coverage nearly as much as some thought. Instead, the Wolverines’ secondary played zone most of the afternoon and had safety help on other plays.

SPORTS

Magics All-Stars silence team

Earvin Johnson showed fans at Breslin Center that even at 43, he still has some “Magic” left. Johnson netted his second triple-double against MSU in as many years while leading the Magic Johnson All-Stars to a 104-85 victory over the Spartans Friday. MSU was largely outplayed in its first exhibition game, leaving head coach Tom Izzo disheartened with the cagers’ lackluster performance. “We had some guys that just did not play anything like Michigan State basketball and that will change,” Izzo said.

SPORTS

HARDY:Doesnt get any worse for U

This football team is a dysfunctional bunch. Rumors of point shaving, gambling and drug use inside the Spartan football program run rampant during one of the most disappointing and embarrassing seasons in the land-grant university’s 147-year history. Although MSU head coach Bobby Williams says, “99 percent of the things you’re writing about are not true.” Well, if so, let the truth be told. The green limelight sours on the football program following a Spartan arrest during the weekend, a statement disclosing the star quarterback’s substance abuse problem and the team’s top athlete calling his teammates “embarrassed” following one of MSU’s worst losses to its rival school. And I hate to admit it, Dawan Moss finally ran over somebody this weekend.

FOOTBALL

MIDDAY UPDATE: Spartan arrested, dismissed from team

Dawan Moss has been dismissed from the MSU football team after Lansing police arrested the senior tailback early Sunday and charged him with his second drunken driving offense, fourth degree fleeing and eluding, and resisting and obstructing an officer. “Dawan Moss has been dismissed from the team following his arrest this weekend,” MSU head football coach Bobby Williams said in a written statement released this afternoon.

FOOTBALL

SPORTS UPDATE: Spartans fall to rival Wolverines

Ann Arbor - The battle between intrastate rivals failed to measure up to last year‘s classic, as the Spartans failed to keep Saturday’s contest close against Michigan, losing 49-3.Last season, Michigan and MSU battled it out until the last play, needing every tick on the clock to decide a winner.

SPORTS

Sports briefs

Wrestlers set to get underway at Eastern The MSU wrestling team will open its 2002-03 season this Saturday at the Eastern Michigan Open in Ypsilanti.

SPORTS

Round 2: Jackson vs. Rogers

The Wolverines always have been known for defense. But any time a player draws comparisons to former Michigan great Charles Woodson, ears perk up a little more than usual.Woodson, who plays for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, was easily considered the best defensive player in all the land during his days in maize and blue.