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Black College Football Hall of FAME                 Volume II, No. 7

By Donni Coley

February swiftly came and in two days it will vanish, only to return in 2011. My chance to take in more events celebrating the accomplishments of African-Americans who made history in this country will also be gone, only to get the opportunity again next year.

This past Saturday afternoon, I was an invisible presence in a room full of history. I stood in the Ballroom of the Four Season Hotel, watching the large room become transformed for the Black College Football Hall of Fame Inaugural Enshrinement  Ceremony, woo…that was a lot to write without taking a breathe.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to attend the evening ceremony, because of my busy schedule, but I was able to admire all of the wonderful memorabilia, for the auction that night, filling the back area of the Ballroom.

In 2004, James “Shack” Harris and Doug Williams, former Grambling State University quarterbacks and National Football League pioneers, began tossing around the concept of establishing a hall of fame honoring the greatest football players and coaches of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Their vision finally materialized on February 20^th, 2010 here in Atlanta.

Williams stated, “We want to make sure we preserve the history and legacy of the game at historically black colleges.”

Embarrassed, I have to say being an Atlanta implant for over 20 years; my first black college football experience was on September 26, 2009. I was able to get press credentials to the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic at the Georgia Dome. Sitting in the press box, feeling like a true journalist, I witnessed the Classic’s revered rivals the Tennessee State Tigers and the Florida A&M Rattlers battling it out. At halftime I got the pleasure to feel the thump, thump, thump of the FAMU Marching 100. The band’s entire performance was a dedication to the great gloved one, Michael Jackson. IT WAS AMAZING! When it was all said and done Florida A&M defeated Tennessee State 31-12.

Let the team of End Zone to End Zone take this moment to congratulate the Inaugural Inductees – Class 0f 2010

 Junious “Buck” Buchanan- Grambling State University (1959-1963)

Alonzo “Jake” Gaither- Florida A & M University (1945-1969)

Willie Galimore- Florida A & M University (1953-1956)

David “Deacon” Jones- South Carolina State, Mississippi Valley State University (1958-1960)

Willie Lanier- Morgan State University (1936-1967)

Bill Nunn- Contributor- Journalist and NFL Scout

Walter Payton-Jackson- State University (1971-1974)

Jerry Rice- Mississippi Valley State University (1981-1984)

Eddie Robinson- Grambling State University (1941-1997)

Ben Stevenson- Tuskegee University (1923-1930)

Paul “Tank” Younger- Grambling State University (1945-1948)

                                                                                               Volume II, No. 6

By Donni Coley

My creative muse was at it again, filling my creative tank with ideas for this week’s blog.

I’ve been in the fitness field for over 16 years. I’ve been living fitness since playing my first game of jacks, catching my first softball, and being a fierce competitor in Chinese hopscotch as a little girl. Running two miles every day in the Army for six and half years also contributed to my fitness life.

My creative muse and I were having a discussion about people taking action and taking control of their health, but to get to that point of making it a lifestyle they must suffer the I’M SICK AND TIRED AND I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE syndrome.

I mentioned to her that I pretty much can tell when a person is going to stick with a fitness program passed a wedding, a high school reunion or a summer cruise to the Bahamas, sadly the percentage is low.

We came to the conclusion that connecting with one’s own mind and finally choosing to take control, helps in the remedy of the I’M SICK AND TIRED AND I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE syndrome. In everything we do, we must make a choice.

So how does this relate to football?  

Well, Michael Vick chose to be lazy and complacent while he was with the Atlanta Falcons. For Vick there was no connection with the Atlanta Falcons or his “Dirty Birds” fans.

Some of you might have heard last week that Michael Vick, on 790 AM The Zone, confessed he was lazy and complacent and didn’t give 100% while he was an Atlanta Falcon.

“I thought what I was doing was enough”-Michael Vick

So my heart goes out to all of you “Dirty Birds”, because while Vick was with the Atlanta Falcons he was just collecting a pay check. Even after the Falcons resigned him in December 2004 giving him one of the biggest contracts in Falcons’ history, a 10 year, 130 million contract with a 37 million signing bonus, he still didn’t take his role as the Falcon’s franchise QB serious. He just chose to go with the flow for six years.

I have to admit I was completely caught off guard hearing he made the confession. So, I chose to give him kudos for doing that.

By Donni Coley                                                                          Volume II, No. 5

The two things I love the most are; doing something creative, like writing, and sports, especially football. I am an artist in my own right, an award winning photographer, winner of a short film contest, and one of my photographs and a poem I wrote got published. I was an athlete in my own right too, a starting point guard in middle and high school, a recreational softball player, and I dibbled and dabbled a little bit with tennis.

Two Sundays ago, I was at the Jazz Bar listening to Atlanta’s best unknown talent. The artists there were so amazing I was completely blown away, especially by this female singer and this young female violinist, both of their performances were jaw dropping, and I’m a shamed to say that I only paid a $5 cover charge for this awesome night of entertainment.

The next day after coming back down to earth, I got to thinking, what make these artists soooo good? I called a friend and she patiently listened while I raved for five minutes about these amazing artists. I started telling her how the singers were taking the songs they were singing and making it theirs, how they were not afraid to let themselves go, and how they just surrender to what they were singing. She finally said, “That’s your next blog, “Surrender to Your Sport”, start writing, bye”, and she hung up.

The toughest thing for me when I started writing the Weekly Blitz a year and 35 days ago, and right now as I sit here typing this blog, is revealing a little bit of me each week and letting myself go as a writer, just like those singers did on stage Sunday night, allowing themselves to be vulnerable in front of 30 to 50 strangers.

How do you surrender your talent as a football player or a team? Honestly, I don’t know. But, on Super Bowl Sunday, I felt the New Orleans Saints surrender to destiny while sitting in their locker room, down 10-6, waiting to come out for the second half. Coach Sean Payton decided to do something I have never seen before, kick an onside kick to start the third quarter, the Saints recovered the ball, and six plays later, a 16 yards catch-and-run TD by Pierre Thomas.

It seemed after that series, the Saints became poised, started to relaxed, and began taking what the Colts were willing to give them on the playing field. I guess you can say they just surrendered to the game.

Now they are Super Bowl XLIV Champions. WHO…! DAT…!

                                                                                               Volume II, No. 4

By Donni Coley

Would you whether have your team gelling on all cylinders, or operating individually as talented parts? Which is more important for a team to be a Super Bowl champion, gelling or athleticism?

I believe a team needs both, chemistry and talent, but a team is in a better position to get the big fish, a Super Bowl title, when they are gelling on all cylinders. A talented team with three or four key parts can win games, but to win a Super Bowl the gel factor creates the turbo drive a team needs to raise the Lombardi trophy at the end of the season. For those teams where gelling was at an octane level, they were able to hoist up a multitude of Lombardi trophies they now proudly showcase in their facilities.  

On Sunday night the two most gelling teams in the NFL this season, the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts, will go to battle in South Florida, for the covenant Super Bowl XLIV title.  

Yeah, a team can get away with having talent and almost no chemistry, however, when it comes to winning a conference, a division or a national title, the team with the greater gel factor holds the ace of spade. Because all NFL teams have “talent” at the skill positions once they make the playoffs.

My top five gelling teams of 2009 are the New Orleans Saints, the Indianapolis Colts, the Minnesota Vikings, the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Jets.

Who are your top five gelling teams?