THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 15, 1996 TAG: 9606150440
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 49 lines
Norfolk State University and Hampton University are exploring the possibility of becoming members of the upstart United Football Association, designed to increase the television exposure of historically black colleges.
According to spokesman Kenneth Free, the UFA already has reached an informal agreement with ABC Television to telecast at least three games on a regional level.
The agreement could grow to seven games and one of the games could be nationally televised. The Norfolk State-Hampton game could be on the TV schedule - if the two schools join.
Ten schools have been invited to join the UFA. Alcorn State, Alabama State, Florida A&M, Grambling State, Jackson State, Tennessee State, Southern University and South Carolina State are the others.
``These are the schools that have made the academic and athletic commitment to excellence,'' said Free, former commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
The 10 member schools would stretch across the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Southwest Athletic Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference.
``This is an old idea whose time has come,'' said Karin English of Back Street Entertainment Group, the production group negotiating with ABC. ``There is a market here to be tapped and ABC is committed to the idea through the year 2000.''
While some schools would be omitted from the television schedule in any given year, the UFAwould practice revenue sharing among its members. Exact amounts and percentage breakdowns will be a couple of items Norfolk State administrators will look at before making a decision.
``I don't think anybody enters into anything blindly,'' Norfolk State football coach Darnell Moore said. ``We will listen and weigh the options. But the concept is something the school is interested in.''
Norfolk State is the only school among the ten that isn't already playing at the Division I-AA level, but the Division II Spartans are scheduled to step up to I-AA for the 1997 season.
English said two games already are locked in for 1996: Jackson State vs. Southern and Florida A&M vs. Southern.
English said the Norfolk State-Hampton and Florida A&M-South Carolina State games, both slated for Nov. 16, have been designated as ``ready'' games, meaning that if both teams have attractive records at that point, chances are good the games could be picked up.
``We first have to finalize the concept,'' said Hampton athletic director Dennis Thomas. ``This is not a done deal. It's an agreement to see if it can work, if we can make it work.'' by CNB